The sky burned with streaks of orange and crimson as the sun dipped low over the quiet mountain.
The serene wind howled with intensity, fluttering the leaves.
Rustle ~ Rustle ~
A soft footstep echoed in the silence of the tranquil mountains. Sun rays coming through the gaps in the leaves illuminated a human figure, casting a shadow on the trees and ground.
The man climbing the mountain has a bag over his shoulders and a hat on his head; his facial structures were fuzzy because of the covering of the hat.
He walked and walked silently until he reached the top of the mountain, spreading his arms, feeling the rush of air bumping against his body, the howling wind making his clothes flutter.
A wide grin stretched on his face, his brownish eyes shining, bathed in the glow of the sun.
He slumped the bad from his shoulders, sitting there, he took out a box of cigars, lighting it, he took a puff and exhaled.
Staring at the wide sky stretching endlessly, he continued puffing on his cigar while smiling a little.
"At last, I found the peace I longed for in my teenage years."
The man stared at the sky, lost in thoughts, contemplating on his days, the mistakes he made, the choices he made, the regret, the guilt, the love, the promises he made.
He felt everything, he drowned in those feelings.
He remembered the conversation with his friends, who tried to convince him not to go anywhere in his last days.
They knew he was going through misery, they knew he was going through suffering.
His days were near, they knew and tried their best to uphold his happiness even in their own misery.
Sigh--
'If I knew it would be like this, nonetheless I am calm right now, I don't need anyone in my last breath.'
The sun rays made his body glow like a star brimming in the vast space.
He glanced at his hands, and then at his chest, feeling the suffocating pressure, he knew it was his time.
Somewhere else~
"Call him, CALL HIM, didn't I tell you not to let him go anywhere?"
"HOW THE HELL YOU SLIPPED ON A DYING MAN WHO CAN'T EVEN CONTROL HIS BODY".
The woman standing there, face down, stared at the ground; she knew, and even the yelling man knew, it was not their fault.
It was just that stubborn Nova who needed peace, running here and there searching.
For them, Nova was their best friend, their family, their brother.
He came to this quiet city when he was just a teenager, he studied here, and settled here.
Always living alone, ignoring everyone, being busy in his own delusional world, created by his own mind.
He was kind to them, cold to all, and lastly benevolent to those he deemed his friends.
Everything was going well, but one day, Sallie, his first friend in the new and unknown city, who had been in his every hardship and happiness, confronted him.
Sallie Kyle sighed while muttering something. She was his first friend and his comfort place.
"I remember even now, how distant and cold he was even to me."
Then the man who was yelling for being careless sighed and sat on the couch.
"But you were also bold enough to confront him, even till today, I never got the guts to face him and talk about certain things."
Sallie nodded. She could clearly remember the day every pretence of the cold and calculating Nova broke in front of her.
Flashback ~~
Thud~~
The door creaked with an unusual sound, taking the attention of Sallie who was watching her favourite show.
She turned and saw Nova coming, standing up from her comfort position, she stared at him.
He gave a glance and walked to his room, his steps slow and deliberate.
He entered his room and heard a footstep, a familiar footstep, he turned his head and saw Sallie also coming behind him.
He ignored and sat on the bed, rummaging through the handbag he carried in the house.
Sallie also sat beside him boldly. She stared at him; the silence hung in the room like a deadly storm.
"Nova, tell me."
Sallie broke the silence with a simple question, the deadliest question for him.
Nova met her eyes and lowered again, he sighed and dropped the handbag on the bed, falling on the soft bed.
"Ask, I never saw or tolerated someone like you, stubborn."
Sallie focused hard and stared at his eyes that were staring at the ceiling fan.
"Why do you look like you have given up on your life?"
Nova closed his eyes and said in a calm voice.
"My health is worse than any 80-year-old grandpa you will see."
Sallie's eyes widened, her breath coming in gasps, she stood up, and held his hand. Nova, sensing the tense situation, woke up and sat calmly.
"I have a heart problem, and the worst thing is I have cancer, albeit it is just in its first stage."
Sallie heard clearly, she hugged Nova, her hands tightening on his back, and drops of tears fell on his back.
Nova could feel the cold sensation of tears dropping on his back, he patted her head, holding her and making her sit beside him.
"I don't know if I can survive, I don't know if I can live happily, so I don't get entangled in anyone's life."
"I try to live alone, but even in those cold and distant personalities, you and Ethan both have found me, even despite my harsh behaviour, you both treated me warmly."
"Even if you never asked me, I would tell you and Ethan everything. I am not a robot without any shred of humanity."
Sallie listened and stayed silent, she didn't speak a word, listening to Nova silently and calculating the future, the hardship they had to go through together.
She sat there for 5 minutes, and then she stood abruptly, startling Nova.
"I have decided, even if Ethan doesn't agree, I will bear the whole weight alone."
Sallie said and pointed her fingers towards Nova, and spoke in an angry tone.
"You pack your clothes, we are going to Singapore, I have someone I know there."
Nova shook his head and tried to hold her arms, but she shrugged and glared at him, her eyes speaking like,
'You'd better comply or else, hmph.'
Sallie walked towards her room, and Nova sat at the same place, thinking and thinking.
Sallie glanced once and took out her phone and dialled Ethan, their third partner.
~~~
They helped as much as they could, they took Nova to doctors, renowned doctors of the whole world.
Nova was happy, he started to open himself to them, but as they aged, they could see Nova getting more and more ill.
At the age of 32, Nova got his report; his doctor had given him clear words.
"You have 10 days at most."
And when they came back home, Nova was sad, but smiling.
Ethan got out of the house to buy a delicious meal from Singapore to eat for himself.
And when he came back, Nova was gone. Sallie, sitting on the couch, explained that she was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
In present~
Ethan and Sallie both sat, solemnly; neither of them spoke a single word; they both were lost in their own thoughts.
~~
While Nova was lying down on the soft, long grasses of the mountains, he knew it was his last day, till his last minute, he smiled, but the sadness hidden in his smile could be deciphered by even a child.
Fortunately, he was alone there; no human was present to witness the last moment of Nova.
He dragged a last puff from his cigar, closing his eyes he flickered it on the ground.
He felt his body, his soul, stirring like something was happening in it; he felt the darkness in him; he felt the weight on his soul.
And that was all he could feel in the last moment of his life.
Sun rays dipped, wind howled, leaves fell on his face, and his black hair fluttered.
It was the end...but who knows if it was also a beginning of something grand.
[Note: I am not an experienced writer so forgive the grammar mistakes and little or even big mistakes that you find...and English is not my first language...it's my third language and three is all I know]