Recognition

By Surya Krishna (12G) & Ishita Kanchan (11M)

A cool gust of wind blew her hair back. Her eyes were green and empty as

she surveyed her surroundings, trying to notice the smallest change in demeanour in

any of the hundreds around her. There was loud music and shouting all around her,

but she’d learnt to shut it out. She was waiting for it to happen. It always happened.

She didn’t flinch as a car exploded down the street. That was expected. She side-

stepped the two brawling men as they fell towards her. Her nostrils flared in

annoyance. As soon as the clock tower’s hand hit twelve, she heard it. The only

sound she could hear. She whipped around, to see the only face she cared to see.

There he was. Just as always, just as she had expected, he was there. But

this time, there was something different about him. He still possessed his muscular

physique, his messy black hair and his alluring hazel eyes which always pulled her to

the clock tower every night. But when she looked into them, there was something

missing. She was too befuddled to make out what it was, but she did notice that they

were cold and distant. 

He sighed furiously and his lips parted as he began to say something. “Every

night, even though you know that you’re stuck in an illusory loop, I find you here

every damn night. Will you ever stop?”

“Never.” She muttered vehemently. “I don’t care if I have to relive this night

over and over again, I will do it if it means that I get to see you.”

“It's time to move on. It's time to let me go.”

“You're all I have left. You're the only thing stopping them.”

He shrugged and walked away as light flooded her eyes.

They adjusted to the blinding lights of her make-shift home. They say home is

where the family is. Then she wouldn't have a home. This was forced on her. It was

a prison, one of the body, and the mind. She smiled at the slick-haired man in the

suit in the corner of her room as she slipped back out of consciousness.

She thought back to what brought her here as she felt the drugs rushing

through her body. She was all alone. The only thing left was him. Her subconscious.

Everything they wanted, he had. She couldn't lose him.

He was the only one who could even remotely understand what was on her

mind. But he too was slightly oblivious to her situation. Everyone else around her, all

they ever did was try to get her to stop but no one understood why she couldn’t. No

one understood what was at stake. No one except her. It was only her who knew

what they were capable of, and if they didn’t get what they wanted, it could be

disastrous. This had to end. And he could stop that from happening. How could she

let him go? How could anyone expect that of her?

Her eyes opened, and she immediately felt it. Something was wrong.

Something was different this time. Everything seemed the same, but... The silent

noise. The calm chaos. He wasn’t coming. She could feel the void where he had

been. The loss brought a single tear to her face, the most emotion she had shown all

her life. She had lost.

There was nothing left for her. Nothing but the overwhelming void. Nothing but

the void which could never be filled by anything, or anyone. The void which would be

a part of her for as long as she could imagine. The void that now controlled her every

thought, her every action. All that was left was defeat. Unfixable, lasting defeat.

She exhaled sharply and wiped the tear off her cheek. She couldn’t do this.

She couldn’t accept this loss. She had to hold on to him, no matter what. Letting go

was too hard and at that moment, it almost seemed foolish. But… was it? She was

torn. What was she going to do? There was only one option, and she knew it. All she

had to do was accept it.

She gazed into the night sky, accepting the darkness.

Her time had come. She felt the darkness envelope her, and she let go.

She let go.

THE END