I, Me, Myself

The following morning, the lady woke up. The lawyer had left, for his morning walk.  After a strong dose of caffeine and popping yet another aspirin, she turned her attention to his closet. The previous night’s coat having been identified, was given a quick yet thorough search. This going down in vain, she turned to the drawers, then  the night stand, the book shelf… her initial caution being abandoned, things were now flung helter skelter, the room in a mess. The crucial piece of evidence remained elusive. I’m being silly and paranoid! Half relieved, half tired she sat down by the study.  The neat velvet packaging was unmistakable. The blue box, the golden embossed logo, unmistakable… Half an hour later, she was still sitting at the table, twirling it with her fingers. Hell was beginning to take a human form. Presently the doorbell rang, only to be replaced by the clattering of metal on tiled floor. The stones rolled out, and the intricately set patter...

 The middle aged woman was deep in conversation with the Colonel’s son, a smart young lieutenant himself. The lady walked around the pillar to get a better look at this stranger, but her effort was to be in vain, for some of her friends barged in between and struck up conversation. A couple of drinks, a dance or two, and few random conversations later, the lady had quite settled into the flow of the festivities. Despite the strain of the past fortnight, she surprised herself with the amount of enthusiasm she could muster. And so, the gaiety continued… and it would have, had she not noticed the hems of the silver gown, yet again. This time, the lieutenant had disappeared, but the woman was in conversation with another man, his back to the dance floor. Her face was pale, but the dark brown of her hair and eyes, coupled with the sharp nose, and high cheek bones made it an attractive package. Then there was that hour glass frame, the generous bosom. The long slender fingers br...

It was at one such lazy afternoon when quite a few ladies had gathered at her home for tea that the lady of the house first heard about Ms. X. A wealthy spinster, she came each winter to the valley, laid her manicured claws on an able male, usually labeled quite a ‘catch’, and after a blink-and-you-miss it romance in the valley, made away with him, into the dark under belly of the city below. Nothing more would ever be heard of her rich and handsome-prey, yet she’d return the following year, intact, her pristine smile et al. This had happened very many times over the past decade or so. But no one spoke about it in front of her, for: a.)   The valley people were well meaning, dignified, and didn’t per say probe into anything that wasn’t their business. and b.)   Well, Ms. X seemed to be quite high up in the echelons of power, or so it would seem. And so this trend had settled into being the rumour mongerers’ staple. “Age is surely catching up! The lines are showi...

My entry for DH short story contest 2012 KISS AND TELL Chapter 1 “Nearly done, there you go!”, he commented, putting down the saw and admiring his handiwork. His tall frame was drenched in perspiration, but his eyes sparkled with the satisfaction of having completed his task. Though a shade over sixty five, the former lawyer, thought his wife, looked… well resplendent. Despite the generous sprinkling of silver hair, the lines of wisdom which creased his temples, he still radiated the same powerful ‘something’ which drew her to him all those many years ago! A shy smile homed in on her face, as the memories of the glorious past streamed in. The first time she set her eyes on him, as a gawky eighteen year old in the bus, she thought him attractive, but it was only when they spoke, a long time later, that he truly won her heart. The courtship, the romance, she was well and truly swept off her feet. He was witty, intelligent, handsome, yet there was a mysterious something ab...