Paani

Paani (pronounced PAH - nee) - a Hindi term that means "water"

He looks at me again. Again, with the same, familiar glint in his eyes. Like Paani. Like Paani, his gaze is something I can never escape. The hold he has on me now. The control. The power.

Like Paani.

And the worst part? Is that he knows. He knows what he's doing to me. He knows that I can't stop staring back at him. His mischievous smile says it all.

He's everywhere. At the grocery store, at the park when I take the dog for a walk, and sometimes in front of my window. It's been like this for a few months now. I keep quiet, thinking that one day he'll just give up and decide to shadow another girl. Living alone.

But the thing about Paani is that if it isn't there, you won't live for long. And I just realized this now. I don't know him, what his name is, where he works. For all I know, he could be a murderer, a rapist, or even worse, a distant relative of mine.

But there's still something there. Some sort of unspoken relationship. Something that no one, not even me, would ever be able to describe.

But the need.

The need to see him every single day has become a habit for me. If he's not there, I panic, wondering what I will do that very moment. What will happen to me that very moment. What will become of me if he isn't there in two minutes. And then, like magic, as if he hears my thoughts, and I'm sure he does, he appears.

Like Paani.

Like Paani he appears everyday, and like Paani, I take his presence in everyday. When I don't, I'm dehydrated. I'm feeling pain, a scratchy throat, chapped lips. Like without Paani. Water. Agua. L'eau. Paani.

And like with Paani, I. Can. Never. Stop.

I. Will. Never. Stop.

Reviews

[Vikrantsingh]

Powerful and constant till the end I really enjoyed it.

Keep writing my friend..

Cheers!!!
Singh..

[sarathorpe]

I really love this one as well. The repetition is so well placed throughout the story.
I especially love the line "He is everywhere"
Another nice work, makes me want to know more.