The waves crashed noisily onto the rocks breaking the silence of the all pervading darkness.
The sea mist was embracing the land, surreptiously at first, and then steadily as the night progressed. It was the kind of night painters brought to life on canvases and writers waxed eloquent about. But then, he was neither.
The night reminded him of the melancholy strains of his heart. The heart which he had kept under lock and key for as long as he could remember. But that hadn't helped one bit. The walls he had built around himself hadn't been able to keep out the pain and agony he felt now. She had proved him wrong yet again. Her final victory. He could almost hear her laugh above the howling winds and the furious waves.
The water was dark and for a moment, he was tempted. Like the moth that burns away in the Diwali lamps. What kind of life was this anyway, where mammoth disappointments gnawed away at his soul, bit by bit, every day; each more painful than the previous one. And he was too weary to keep up the fight. Wouldn't it be easier to just let go one final time?
She had entered his life like a ray of sunshine; warm and full of hope. It was timed to perfection; coinciding with his new found professional prosperity. Windfalls came in twos it seemed to him. And then the lottery happened. A full fifty lakh rupees, no less. He chuckled aloud. It all felt so surreal, like a different life altogether.
He could almost feel the rush of adrenalin and the thrills of everyday life where colours looked brighter and smells were amplified manifold. And one fine day, life screeched to a halt. She was gone. So was the money. His job, his reputation and his sanity followed, scarring him forever.
A sudden wave caught him unawares, drenching him and shaking him out of his stupor. The sea was a cruel mistress and maybe he would give in to her whims, but not today. Today, he had to return to his one true love, the only thing that had brought him some solace when his life was in the doldrums.
He raised his glass and smiled. Today he would let himself drown in her swirling, browny depths ; as he had in the temptuous months gone by. And as always, she would welcome him and claim him as hers.