The Sting

‘I am not married yet’, he said.

‘This comes as no surprise for me’, she smiled serenely.

He was a little taken aback by her confidence and the ease with which she said. He kept staring at her.

‘You also won’t ever marry’, she said with a far off look in her eyes.

‘Why not?’, he asked.

‘Because your demons won’t ever let you’. She said as if her verdict was final and destined to happen.

‘What demons’? he asked, half amused and half offended.

‘The ones which made you a coward in the face of emotions so pure and forthcoming that you thought you will receive a sting out of it. Only, that sting would have rendered you good’.

With this, she stood up and was about to leave when he helplessly blurted out, ‘What happened when I left’? She laughed and said, ‘Trust me, you don’t want to know’. She suddenly paused, looking sad and whispered ‘I became my own light ’, and went away not looking back.

He stared at her vision among the trees and birds flying. He felt a sting. Hope it does him good.