Flash Fiction
Image by enriquelopezgarre from Pixabay.
What a wonderful, serene scene this is… I love mountains.
[Dev breathes in the cool air, then walks ahead and clicks pictures using his new camera; the funky-funny-machine-like clicking repeated sound is in sharp contrast to the peaceful silence present.]
Hmm… Hey, Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me/ I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to/ Hey, Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me/ In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come following you…
[Dev walks ahead; his rough shoes making imprints on the kind earth; he continues humming and the wind plays the tune; he then stops and clicks another photograph.]
Who’s that? Does not look like a tourist… she is… why is she standing… on the edge of the cliff?
“Excuse me, you are standing on the edge… the cliff is quite steep… just, just be careful.”
[The girl does not pay much attention to him; she is looking at the grand mountains and the evening sky.]
What is with this girl… she is clearly… oh!
[Dev suddenly starts running; camera in one hand, he rushes, gazing like an eagle at the girl.]
“Hey! Wait! What… what are you doing?”
“Calm down, it is alright”, said the girl curtly.
[Dev halts; panting he takes a step forward and then looks up in the sky; he then presses his forehead with two fingers and sets his hairstyle before looking at the girl again.]
“I thought… I… I thought you are about to jump… sorry!”
[The girl smiles and goes back to looking at the picturesque scene. Dev feeling embarrassed hits his head gently and starts walking away.]
“Will you click a photograph for me? Such a peaceful place this is”, said the girl mesmerised by the view.
“Oh, yeah, sure”, said Dev.
Should I take her photograph or just the mountains…? Oh, she is looking at me and smiling, definitely posing for the camera.
“One moment, please”, said Dev.
[He changes the settings on his Canon DSLR and then gets ready to click the photo.]
Hmm… she is beautiful…
[As Dev sets the frame with the girl to the left side and the mountains in the centre, the girl takes a step backwards and jumps. The camera slips from Dev’s hand and he rushes towards the edge.]
Oh, no, oh, no!
[Dev gulps dry air and peeks down the cliff, he cannot see her anywhere. His heart beats madly and his head starts to spin.]
What just… she, she… jumped!
*
[Dev again looks down, a gush of wind hits him, this time it is playing another melody. Dev fails to recognise this tune. Dev steps back from the edge of the cliff, takes out his cell phone and turns; he dials the emergency helpline number and looks up. The girl is standing with his camera in her hands.]
“Smile”, says the girl.
[Dev blackouts. The girl laughs.]
*
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