Strangers in the night: A short story

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 31; the thirty-first edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is 'Strangers in the Night'

It was dark and eerie, a narrow alley that took me into a world of surreal. The only sounds were the   croaking of crickets and the screeching of bats on the lone tree at the far end. I’m nearing the end and expect to hear the familiar whooshing of the waves that will soon engulf me. But it doesn’t happen. Instead, I see a man, just his silhouette actually. I stop and wonder if I should turn back to the dystopian reality that awaits me. Suddenly, I hear a voice; the words at first seem muffled .Then a clear ringing intonation,

 “It is your own consent that will lead you down the path to freedom and happiness. All you need is to find the power within you, to release the chains of confinement.”

Startled, I want to scream, but all that comes out is a whisper, “Who are you?” I can hear my heartbeat echoing through the alley.

Strangers in the night, with no future or past,  but then a sense of calm washes over like an old friend.

The sonorous voice wafts back, “I’m a figment of your imagination. A passing memory.”

A gust of wind roars over, picking up some leaves, rustling, as it floats away. The stranger continues, “You can choose to be fettered or to let go like those leaves which are now on their way to freedom.

“But the leaves didn’t choose to part”, I said as I found my voice. “They dried and fell and now they are carried by the wind.”  

“That’s an illusion! They fall off only when they want to, just like everything else that is in harmony with nature.”

As if on cue, a falcon shrieks in the sky above and my eye catches the first rays of the morning sun sparkling over the placid waters.

When I look again, the stranger of the night has vanished and I wake up from my reverie to the beautiful and comforting sound of silence.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Introduced By: Net browsing, Participation Count: 1