In the hope of a Foreverland.
A 399-word story
Once upon a time, in the alleys of Neverland, lived two souls, Grace and Pazza, oblivious of the exigencies of a transactional world. They would often snuggle into each other’s hearts, and in the woods to the bewilderment of the nights. The nights, as they would dawn into the mornings, would always see the souls put on their favourite masks as they wade through the mundane essentials of life.
One of the nights, Pazza sat on the terrace as it rained, with her umbrella open. She never quite knew what drew Grace to her. A dishevelled existence of many decades in Neverland, and the only thing that kept her going was the hope of a Foreverland with Grace and no one else in it.
The entire neighbourhood was lit with bonfires. So much for all the lights outside, that Pazza wondered whether they looked within too. The rain meandered into drizzles, as she made her way to the kitchen. She would bake pumpkin pie for dinner. Grace must be on her way home. The chimes in the window always started playing when Grace was nearby.
With the pie in the oven, Pazza went to the bedroom to change into her favourite gown. It was Grace’s birthday week, easily the most beautiful week of the year. Carefully chosen fragrances were lit all around the house, just the way Grace liked.
As Pazza stood in front of the mirror, fixing her earrings, the blues of the night broke through as the tumultuous thunders roared into her bedroom. Her eyes couldn’t believe what she saw in the mirror. Grace stood in the room, a few feet away, in a ruffled suit, with bloodshot eyes, and churns of ashes at her feet. In the pitch of the night, Pazza turned back and rushed towards Grace as she shot her in the abdomen. She trembled as Grace said, “Goodbye. You need to go”. Pazza lied there, motionless.
“Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.”
― O. Henry, ‘The Gift of the Magi’
Next morning, Pazza woke up to Grace caressing her forehead, with the pumpkin pie on the bedside table. “Beneath all that machoism, lies a soul that cannot take an air gun shot”, Grace chuckled. With a sniffle, Pazza planted a kiss on her nose, looked outside and whispered, “Goodbye Neverland. We need to go to Foreverland. Now”.
