And I Hear your Heart Beat - My entry for the Get Published Contest

Title

“And I hear your heart beat“ - My entry for the Get Published Contest

The Idea

Sreeram opened his eyes. His vision was blurred. He could hear some familiar voices whispering. He closed his eyes and opened it again hoping that he would see the faces of his loved ones more clearly. He strained his eyes further and caught the glimpse of a few pairs of worried eyes around him. Their faces had a sad smile and eyes were filled with tears.

He was in an Intensive care unit for the past so many days. It was his third heart attack and the tension in room conveyed that his health was deteriorating minute by minute. He did not fear death now. At eighty three, he had everything; a loving wife, beautiful twin daughters and three grand children.

Slowly he moved his fragile hand towards his little heart. His eyes welled up.  Finally, he closed his eyes and started feeling his brittle heart beatings.

“And I hear your heart beat”, he heard her say. Slowly, her memories started engulfing him. 

“Varsha…” he mumbled. He tried to open his eyes. His vision seemed to have blurred again. There was bewilderment in the eyes that surrounded him.

Then, he felt her warm touch on his feet. It was his wife. He tried to smile. But, he could not. He was in a state of semi consciousness. 

Varsha… Varsha…. Vaaaaaarshaaaa…. He continued to cry softly. Her image flashed in his mind. Such a beauty she was; moderately tall, fair and slim. Ah! Those jet black eyes; it seemed to be deeper than the vast ocean.

“Varsha … He muttered again. Again her voice ringed in his ears. He heard her say, “And I hear your heart beat for one last time…” Slowly, he closed his eyes with a smile in his face. That was when he heard his grandson ask, “Who is Varsha?”

And he took his final breath.

What Makes This Story ‘Real’  

Today, all of us have become selfish.  We all think about our lives, our careers and only about ourselves. Someone said love is selfless. Is that really so? If love is selfless why do we see heartbreaks? Why do we see tears of grief? Why people are running away from commitments and why are they tired of expectations?

This is a story of two people who were madly in love with each other. They were different, yet love kept them glued. Their love did not know any limits until that day…

Extract

He looked into the eyes that surrounded him. Everybody around him was a reflection of his selfishness. He lost himself for his selfish urges. He would have been himself if she was around.

This is my entry for the HarperCollins–IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs fromYashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.