Written for ArtoonsInn Writers Room in September 2024, for a 300-word Flash Fiction prompt: Write the story of a scar your character has – physical or emotional.
It started with a notch, a gash, made with a geometry compass, to test its strength on my rugged trunk. Subsequently, a large heart was engraved – their own intimate insignia – ‘S Loves I’.
Two naïve souls stood admiring their artwork – a clumsy, beige motif carved painstakingly on my coffee-brown, furrowed bark. I missed their full names. But I understood.
A flaming gulmohur nestled amidst a secluded field, I had, quite unwittingly, become a sanctuary for their surreptitious meetings. Friday afternoon was when I looked forward to receiving them in the shade of my verdant canopy. Her blue-and-white salwar-kameez, her pre-university uniform, looked austere beside his spotless white kurta-pajama and skullcap, mandatory for his weekly congregation.
Two years whizzed past chatting, laughing, exchanging laddoo, seviyaan, and childhood trivia. Exam seasons saw some serious academic discussions. Away from judgmental eyes and communal chauvinism, they held hands and dreamt of their ‘happily ever after.’
One Fall, I observed truckloads of men, brandishing iron rods and swords, and chanting aggressive slogans, heading towards a nearby religious town. The orange in their attire and flags matched the fire and hate in their eyes. Similar groups followed… this time, in green. A cold, ominous draught unsettled my leaves.
“Smita, this is the last time we meet!” His boyish voice quavered that fateful Friday, fear and sorrow clouding his face. “My uncle was lynched last week. We’re relocating permanently.”
“I’ve also been forbidden from stepping outdoors. I just came to say goodbye, Imaad!” Smita choked.
Seasons changed. My foliage embodied a natural melange where tangerine, saffron, emerald and shamrock co-existed. But Smita and Imaad never returned. Their universe was probably differently coloured.
My signature carving no longer epitomises love. It has transformed into a rankling, festering scar – an ugly reminder of the fragmented, monochromatic world of humans.
(Story only – 300 words)
P.C. Bryan Dickerson on Unsplash
Disclaimer: This is a purely fictional piece of writing.
