I Do
The shimmering rays of the sun glowed through the glazed windows. Tara pulled the lacy curtains aside and peered through them. The sun halted any hints of rain prevailing on the horizon, but the bright sun above bought no adorning effect on Tara.
Tara walked away from the window towards her vanity table and sat on her small cushioned stool. She glanced at herself in the mirror scrutinizing for tiniest flaws on her face. But she could not find any; she was as perfect as ever. Tara was the envy of every young maiden in the town and the desire for many eligible bachelors in her town and farther away. She had a porcelain complexion that never faded or aged, delicate bone structure that seemed to define further with time. The most captivating feature on her face was her eyes, a pool of fresh mint leaves, anyone who gazed into them were truly mesmerized. There was a rumour around, that her eyes had magic that had an ability to cast a spell on anyone. She sighed and picked up her hairbrush and ran it through her long white blond hair that cascaded down her back. Anyone who saw her would take her as a young aristocratic woman who has all luxuries of life at her feet. How appearances can be deceived, she spoke to the mirror. She put down her brush near the arrays of bottles and walked to her bed. She noticed an embracing figure expressing their love under the elm tree, she moved closer to the window to look. The man took out what looked like a ring from his pockets, went down on his knees and said something. The young woman wiped her eyes with her handkerchief and extended her gloved hands to wear his ring. And they will live happily ever after, Tara sniffed in the air.
Tara fell onto her bed and cried, tears poured out happily from her eyes. Her heart heavily embedded with sorrow and darkness. She felt her life slowly sinking without any meaning or purpose. On the front, she was like any other normal woman with dreams in her eyes, love and hope in her heart and great expectations from her life but deep within she carried a hollow secret that threatened to poison her being. A deadly curse, she could not share with any one but swallow it until it swallowed her.
Tara could not ever experience eternal love and lasting happiness, any man who proposed lifetime commitment to her would end up in her death. Those words of love would cause her to die in the arms of that man. The curse was so sinister that it cast an irreversible spell. The curse made her more captivating and beautiful that made heartbeats of many men thumper, yet she could never feel its passion. Tara never allowed herself to fall in love with any man nor could encourage them to the point where there was no turning back; she always maintained a cold distance with the men seeking her attention. People whispered about her attitude and single status despite the attention she received but Tara turned her ears upon them. She had accepted her life in solitude and loneliness.
Tara wiped out her tears as done many times before and got up from her bed. Dressed in pale peach gown, she picked up her ever-ready parasol and went for a walk near the stream.
She looked up the sky to feel the heat of the sun; she walked slowly along the trail of the banks plucking the blades of the grasses randomly, the sunlight beaming through the branches and birds chirping happily into the surroundings. She smiled in spite of herself, the serenity made her entirely emotional. She sat on a rock nearby and allowed the weight of her thoughts to soothe. She glanced around to the source of the chattering and peals of laughter echoing around her, couples of fair-head children were engrossed in their excursion. She smiled wistfully and stared at the whirlpool of ripples in the water aimlessly. How I wish to live a normal life.
Her thoughts glided back to that day when she faced the harsh reality of her fate. An innocent trip to the fortuneteller at the local carnival changed her entire course of life. The gypsy, crackled to her in a hollow voice that deadly spells was looming over Tara that was conceived by a very evil relative of hers. The sinister jealously was to surface over her in form of this curse. Any man who desires lifetime commitment with her would end up causing her death. She was doomed for eternity.
She was so deeply disturbed in her thoughts that she had not realized a figure standing behind her.
‘Good day, mam,’ the gentleman tipped his hat in gesture. Tara raised her eyes towards the tall man standing beside her and strained her eyes against the sun. She blinked cautiously at the defining presence of this man, dressed in an army’s attire.
‘Apologies for giving you a fright, but may I sit here?’ he pulled off his hat and smiled.
Tara did not offer any consent but did not remove her eyes off him either. He was certainly tall, with dark smooth hair and dark eyes, his nose and chin well defined as his presence. She lowered her eyes and slowly stood up, but almost losing her balance. The man quickly caught her hand to prevent her from falling and the sudden contact of manly skin caused friction against her skin. She pulled her hands away hastily and walked away without a word.
The man watched her in wonder; she was as pretty as picture whilst she sat on the rock and on an impulse, he went to her without realizing what her reaction would be. An action he was regretting it now, he had scared her off even before a conversation could take place.
Tara walked back to her house silently, deep in thoughts. The man’s strong image kept disturbing her all the way and couldn’t help wondering who he was who triggered such a reaction from her. She wondered if she would ever see him again. And she did, the next day at the town square. Dressed as elegantly as ever; she paraded around the fair on her own as always. Every pair of eyes locked at her bewitchingly. Blocking herself under the parasol, she raised her lashes towards the clear sky basking in the afternoon glow.
‘Ahh, so we meet again’, the very deep voice sparkled from behind her.
Tara staggered clumsily in response; her heart was thumping at a clinical rate and the warmth of the air around her was slowly creeping around her cheeks.
The man noticed her uneasiness and quickly replied, ’I apologise for yesterday; I had not meant to scare you away. I apologise once again.’ He smiled hoping that would ease her nerves.
Tara tried not to feel the effect his smile had on her; instead she asked the first thing that came into her mind’, Are you a sergeant?’
He looked at her questioningly for a second, and then looked down at his crisp, bright uniform he was wearing and grinned,’ yes, indeed I am. On top of the order and the very best as a matter-of-fact.’ He added in proudly.
She laughed in spite of herself. Her laugh lingered on his senses causing him to stare into her eyes. Tara couldn’t help but stare back, profound silence deepening around them, until he cleared his throat,’ we have not introduced ourselves formally. My name is Sergeant Edward Cunningham’. He tipped his hat in gesture.
‘I am Tara De Bough’. She smiled.
‘Shall we take a walk?’ Edward suggested hoping she would agree. In answer, Tara raised her parasol and nodded.
They had a leisurely walk around the town fair that was progressing heartily. The weather drew in many crowds to enjoy the merrymaking. As the conversation progressed, the self-conscious Tara eased down. She enjoyed the confident presence of this man who strolled alongside her with poise and dignity. She peered at him through her lashes wondering where all this would head. He caught her expression and raised his eyebrows questioningly. She shook her head and continued to walk gracefully. Edward, on the other hand looked at her in confusion. All along the conversation, it was he doing the talking and noticed certain aloofness around Tara. Despite of being with him her mind seemed to be elsewhere and yet he caught her staring at him wistfully. He was quite puzzled by her attitude. But there was something magnetic about her that he could not define, instead felt himself being pulled by her cold charms. They walked further until it was time to depart.
Tara couldn’t remember the last time she actually enjoyed being with a man without her senses cautioning her. Edward had been charming and chivalrous nothing like those men who were just attracted to her outer beauty, without giving much thought about what Tara felt. A tiny hope of meeting Edward again ignited her heart drums. For the first time she went off to sleep with a tiny smile on her lips rather than swollen teary eyes.
Their meetings became quite frequent. Edward comfortably shared everything about his life, the regiment, and his childhood with Tara but she never spoke about her inner secrets. Edward realized a certain hesitation but never probed further respecting her feelings. Tara dared not speak anything about her curse for she wanted Edward, be with him, to love him, to feel him, to touch him…The more she was with him, the more she grew restless, her heart burned with intensity. He was so very near to her yet he was eternally apart. This new sensation frightened Tara for she did not want to die. She did not want to hurt Edward even though either way he would be shattered. Tara would stare at him silently holding back her tears and swallowing her heartburn. Edward loved her and wanted to share his entire life with her but whenever he tried to get closer to Tara; she would look at him with solemn expression and walk away silently.
‘Tara, since the time we have met you’ve kept your guard on, acted indifference to whatever has been going on between us, why?’ Edward spoke. He wished to know what was troubling Tara.
‘Whatever do you mean?’ Tara knew what he meant but pretended to be surprised.
‘You very well know what I mean, stop this pretense’, Edward was on the verge of losing his temper.
‘Edward…I’, Tara started but could not carry on. Her nerves threatened to wipe her senses.
She couldn’t bring herself to speak and shook her head, ‘never mind…’
She glanced at him quietly and turned to walk away once again. But he caught her arms before she could slip away.’ Tara…don’t….’ he warned her.
‘Edward, please….’ she pleaded. Her pleas did not depict any signs of understanding from him.
She sighed,’ you may not understand, it is very complicated.’
‘Tara, I want to know what your problem is. Why do you drift yourself away from me whenever I try to come closer to you?’
Tara’s lower lips trembled, she could not control herself and burst into tears, ’Oh Edward, I love you very much but I can’t love you and I don’t want you to get hurt which you will eventually anyways.’
‘You do not make any sense at all. If you love me then why would I get hurt and why can’t you love me in spite of you loving me?’ Edward was trying to decipher what she was saying.
‘It’s the curse…a curse that has been cased on me, a bloody curse that will take my life if any man proposes his undying love to me. That’s why I have been behaving coldly towards you. I do not want to die and lose you; I cannot bear to see you hurt.’ Tara sobbed hysterically.
For several seconds Edward stared at her without blinking, ‘Tara that is utter nonsense I have ever heard in my life. If you do not care about me just say it rather than snubbing me off in this way’
Tara frowned at him, chocking on her tears, ‘I told you; you would not understand but believe me I do not want to hurt you. This has silently been killing me’. She sobbed quietly.
Edward sighed, ‘Tara, I love you and that’s all I know or can think of….’
Tara looked up at him, frozen still. She raised her hands to her throat to sooth back the choke.
‘I want to share my sorrows, my happiness, my life everything with you….’
She raised the other hand to hold on to her heart, a burning sensation passing through.
‘I want to wake up every morning, feel the morning dew and the golden rays of the sunshine right beside you…’
She clutched her heart to control the sharp pain that shot right at the core of the heart. She felt as if a glazing splinter had been stabbed mercilessly into her heart over and over again.
‘I want to share my every fireplace moments with you, I want to grow old with you Tara…’
Tara held her throat trying to free herself from the shadows of death piercing in front of her eyes.
‘Tara… Tara…? Are you all right? Tara, look at me!’ Edward panicked when he saw Tara. He took her in his arms to hold her.
Her face went all blue and cold. She was grasping for air. She stared at him in horror unable to bring herself to say something.
‘Oh Lord, Tara, say something, please, what is happening to you?’ he cried helplessly, not knowing what to do but just stare at her. He suddenly realized what Tara had told him a while ago and looked at her alarmingly. She was saying the truth. His very word of love was going to take away the life that he wanted to be with. He would be the cause of her death.
‘Edward….’ Tara choked, ‘I …I’m sorry…’ Lifeless colour creeping onto her face that proved the existence of the curse, the authority it had over her. Its cynical wings were finally going to claim Tara.
‘Nooooooo, Tara do not leave me,’ he cried pleadingly. ‘TARA…TARA!!’
Tara smiled faintly and touched his face, ‘I do….’ Final shot of pain sprouted out of her mouth and pulled her soul into darkness. Her body lay limped into his arms.
Category: Short Stories
