Amidst The Chimes

                                It was the relentless shrieking of the alarm clock that snapped her awake from her slumber . Through the narrow slit of her half open eyes , she could see the warm rays of the blazing sun gliding their way through the window in layers . Yanking her hand onto the table , she clutched the alarm clock and pushed the button down . The clutter and clamour of the outside world slowly drifted to her ears once the alarm retreated back to the snooze mode . Sweeping away the layers of bedspreads draped over her , she gathered herself up from her bed . The moment her feet touched the ice cold marble slabs of the floor , she felt an invigorating rush race through her skin . The urge wasnt new to her . It wouldnt be a tad bit over emphasising to state that she has been living a passionate slave to this emotion over the past 30 years of her life . The fact that she never got tired of chasing her dreams remained indigestable for many . To this day , her admirers who witness her charismatic performance on stage continue to drown her in praise and honour . 

                          Shivering , she entered the bathroom and sliding the tap open , let the cold water run through her hands . Splashing a handful of water on her face , she kept looking at the mirror as if to study the subtle details of the face staring back at her . Tracing the narrow lines of wrinkles clustered near her eyes , she continued to gaze back at the ageing beauty that she has become over the years .

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                               Life has never been a  journey sprinkled with rozy petals for her , let alone being normal . Her eventful life as an actress started to blossom at the tender age of 16 . The vagaries of pursuing a career in the cine world dawned on her much later , after 8 years when she let her head droop before a man who waited eagerly before her with a golden chain in his hands . Promising him to try her best to shuttle between acting and managing her family , she retreated back to the film sets gayily to do the one thing which kept her smiling all those years . Slowly she came to terms with the fact that the act of juggling the two was almost as close to being impossible . Realising this in a matter of 6 months , she decided to say adieu to the world of glamour even though it was the hardest decision she had to undertake . Ten years of faithful married life after that , she traversed the most colourful and pompous moments with her husband . 

                            Unfortunate as she might be , the fate had darker days in store for her down the years . The day she stumbled upon her husband sprangled on a bed with her friend  , the sparkling castle of her dreams shattered to shreds infront of her . Yet another couple of years of solitude restricted to the four walls of her immaculate house transformed her into something she never was before – a soul drained of pride and smiles . 

                              Her parents drifted their way back to her tormented life and consoled her like they used to do as she was a child . Finding their words of advice fell on the dead ears of their daughter , they were dejected . Still , they continued to whimper , and as days passed they shouted , yelled and shook her back to her senses . When her mother confronted her one day with a piece of her thought to have her slide into her dance costumes after a sabbatical lasting many years , she , to her surprise , felt a spark for a peaceful existence rekindle at the back of her heart . 

                           Now after ten years of  performing on stage , at the age of fourty,  as she stood staring at her face , the wrinkles started to fade away at the mere touch of her fingers . The eighteen year old girl who stormed into the world of fame with eyes sparkling with passion , smiled back at her from the mirror through a veneer of hazy mist . A voice , strong and driven , whispered to her from the deepest recess of her mind –  ” The sun sets , but with a promise to rise back brighter “. Her mind was still young and she still had an endless road stretching before her . The thought seeped into her mind leaving behind a glow on her skin , as she brushed away the droplets clinging to her face .  

~ Maliny Mohan

This post is a part of  Write Over The Weekend  , an inititive for Indian bloggers by blogadda.com