BELIEF

They were lovers but they had never met.

It was by chance, while logging on to an online chat room, they bumped into each other and within three months of daily exchange of views, perceptions, likes and dislikes realized love between them was imminent.

With both confessing their love for the other the relationship advanced to the next stage where they started conversing over the phone every night. They desperately wanted to meet up but since they lived far apart they reluctantly had to wait for the right time.

“You know there is a tree in front of my house.” The girl once told the boy.
“Which tree?”
“I don’t know its name but it sheds a lot of leaves. And while watching it yesterday I thought of something.”
“What?”
“If our love for each other is true and pure then we will meet before it sheds all its leaves.”
The boy was silent for a while and then replied, “I hope so.”

Eight years went by and then there came a day when the boy happened to visit the girl’s place.
“I can’t believe we are meeting at last!” He was jubilant.
“I am glad we held on.”
Traipsing along hand in hand they reached the spot where the tree stood.
“Is this the tree you always told me about?”
The girl didn’t respond.
The boy checked out the tree but as he did so a cloud of gloom covered the sky of his emotions.
“It has already shed its leaves, isn’t?”
The girl looked at the boy and smiled. “Look closely…there is still one leaf present.”
The boy carefully perused the tree again but found nothing.
“Where?”
“Here” She pointed towards her heart. “It’s called Bleaf. And in the last eight years it never fell from the tree of our love.”

The boy looked at the girl for a moment and then hugged her as tightly as he could. His eyes were wet. And so were hers.

By: NovoneeL ChakrabortY