Crimson Skies

On the other side of the river.

His body started moving. He pushed himself forward to the edge and stared in to the water. It was a bright full moon day . He looked at his hands. They were covered with mud. He took  a handful of water and splashed it on his face. He was feeling suffocated. His throat was blocked. He vomited and looked back. She was lying dead back there in mud. There was thin stream of blood flowing out of her nose. Her face was still looking that pretty.They had consumed poison together. He was slowly gaining his sense. He crawled back to her body and started crying looking at her. Voice won't come out of his mouth. He touched her face . He always loved her beautiful eyes. They were still open. But lifeless.

Clouds covered the moon. The sky was pitch black.

It was one year back. He was just nineteen then. A good son to the respected head priest of the village. A devoted God's man. Until that morning when she came by with her friends to pray for her board exams . She couldn't come inside the temple premises .People said she was untouchable. She was nervous. He saw her and came outside with a flower from the deity's feet . He blessed her, dropped the flower on her head and assured that the lord will help her.She tinkled her eyes and smiled. He saw God. In her smile.

The sky was clear. Blue.

They started meeting after her exams got over. By the dismantled old bridge on the river in the moonlit nights. They were in love.They talked a lot in those star gazed nights. He was charmed by her innocence. She would tell him how much she wanted to go to the moon . And if she could see the elves and fairies there. She was surprised that they never aged - playing hide-and-seek among the silver-rimmed clouds and atop the starlit trees on the faint horizon. She would tell him how her father worked very hard to get her education and earn some respect . She was childlike. He used to enjoy her frolic to his heart's fill. In return he would tell her how much he hated his work and wanted to go to the city and start his own shop ,have some money and settle down with her .

He could hear some noise. Seems like a group of people on the opposite side of the river. They were calling out his name.Of course they were searching for both of them. He tried to raise his hand . He couldn't. He was afraid. He started crawling towards the bridge .If he could only reach there. Perhaps then he can escape. He gathered all his strength and gave it a try.His vision  was getting dimmed. His legs trembled . There was a gust of wind. He fainted on the bridge.

The dawn was approaching. The sky was about to turn crimson.

The same morning. Her father was humiliated in public by the village heads. The head priest himself accused the poor man of trying to lure his son using his daughter. They were banished from the village.

He rubbed his bleary eyes.  The bridge had disappeared .He found himself in a small dirty room. His hands and legs chained. He felt as if he was in a deep sleep for many years. He was sweating profusely. He was scared.

"Sir, this crazy man poisoned and killed an innocent village girl last winter and has lost his mind after that. People like him should be hanged in public ". The guard outside the door was telling a man in black coat.

It was dusk.He could see the sun setting down the horizon from his small window.  He screamed.

The sky was blood red.