Chained!

It was the perfect setting. Like in some movie. We were sitting, holding hands, talking, laughing, teasing each other. He told me I looked beautiful. He teased me when I blushed. It was bliss. It was how we wanted it to be. It was a dream, dream-like, or not. There were birds around us, mostly pigeons. Somebody seemed to have scattered bread crumbs around making the place attractive to pigeons, to make the place beautifully perfect for us. The garden was beautiful. Flowers, trees, bushes. All green with different colours scattered here and there. The perfect setting. Yes, it was.

We spoke of all the promises made, all the new promises we were making to each other. I laughed at his cute attempts to make me laugh. When all words were exhausted, I put my head on his shoulder and lay there. It felt as if I was meant to belong there. We watched the setting sun in silence, talking very little. Our fingers were entwined together. The perfect feeling. Yes, it was.

After a while, he lifted my chin up with his finger, looking at my face. Tears were clinging to my eyelashes, ready to drop. He slowly wiped them away. He knew I was silently crying. He knew why I was crying. He always did. That was him. He looked at my face for a long time. It was as if he was trying to drink up every detail. I felt an inexplicable pain. Then, I didn't know why. I would know soon. Not all things were perfect. No, they weren't.

Breaking the silence, my phone rang twice. Then it became silent. It was not meant for me to pick it up. It was reminding me that it was time for me to leave. I told him 'It's time. I go now'. He looked at my legs, at the iron shackles that bound them. The heavy, thick ones. The chain was tied to something else, the ends of which seemed to be just out of sight. The chains seemed to disappear among the trees. He held my hand tighter, not saying word. I said 'It won't help. You know that'. I freed my hand from his grasp, and then held his face with both my hands. Tears were streaming down his face now. I realized even I was crying. I rested my forehead against his, for a moment. It was time for yet another goodbye. It had all seemed perfect a while ago. Now, again, it wasn't.

Somewhere , suddenly bells started clanging loudly, shattering the peace. The sound was everywhere, inside my head. It was loud, harsh, cruel, evil and I hated every clang. It was my signal. I got up and ran. We hadn't exchanged proper goodbyes. It wasn't fair. It never was. He sat there, on the bench, crying. He saw me running, unable to stop me. Tears straming down the face. I ran to where the bells tolled, to where the bells called. I had to go. I had to.