Pen Friend

I hope she will  be at home. I hope my surprise will work. I took few of her letters which I used to keep inside my text book . Actually it was last night we decided to go to south coast to spend the long weekend. So I did not have time to inform her that we might be able to pop into her place.

She is my pen friend since 10 years. We have talked through phone few time but we always kept in touch through letters. Letters- I always loved hand written letters. So does she. Just like the old days we shared photographs, small gifts, cards through letters. We’ ve never met. But I ve seen photographs of her. She’s pretty. I remember last October she did not send any letter to me. So I send a couple of letters cause I thought she might have not got my first letter. After another month she sent a letter apologizing for the delay. I was very happy to be in touch with her again.

I bought a bouquet of yellow roses and a box of chocolates. I honestly could not figure out what I should buy her as a present. I can imagine her face when she sees me at her doorsteps. Her eyes will become big and I pray that she should not faint cause that’s what happens when she finds sudden surprises.

Without much difficulty we found her place. I knocked on the door. A lady opened the door. This lady- oh it’s her mom. I have seen a photo of her. I introduced my self to her. She recognized me when I said my name. ” Oh it’s you. She used to talk a lot about you” she said but I felt that she was not very pleased to see me.was it bad timing? However she welcomed me in..I sat on the sofa..and eyed around the place. she has described each and every detail in her home correctly. I knew, that corner room in the passage should be hers. But I could not feel her presence in the her home.

“Where’s Jenna? Has she gone out? ”

The moment when the words came out from me her face became red and she was astonished. I could not understand why she reacted like that..It was like that she saw a ghost in the middle of the night.. Even I felt awkward and I just looked away just to escape from the awkwardness.. then I saw her photo..on the chest of drawer. She looked pretty in the photo. But..there were flowers and a candle in front her photo. ‘what am I seeing? does this means she is..?’  I cut a glance at her mother…

“Why you ve put candles? to… her? ” I  was stammering.

“Cause she is no longer with us” her voice was feeble.

“NO…I mean ..she wrote letters to me…I write to her…we still do.. ”

She started to talk ignoring me “We lost her last October..it was a hit and run accident…we don’t know and we were just….” She kept talking and my ears were locked..I could not hear  anything and I did not want to….

“….yes we informed all her friends about this..all of them came to her funeral..She was going to post a letter to you that day. I found that in her bag..So we send a letter to you as well.”

I was shell-shocked..What’s all this? She is dead? But we wrote to each other.. Didn’t we? Last October.. yes she got late to send a letter..but still she did..Didn’t she?

I muster my courage and went to her room. It was empty..I sat on the study table..There..All my recent letters..still sealed.. no one has opened them.  Next to them..her letter pad and pen..I skimmed her books and compared her handwriting with the letter..Undoubtedly it was her own hand writing in all these letters.

Sine last October..she was no longer in this world..but she wrote to me..same hand writing, same letter pad..same stories..It was her who wrote to me..but she is no longer here.. Am i dreaming? Am I going mad? Or is this something..? My head…it’s spinning..I cannot think more.. Things are getting blurred… I find heaviness in my head.. I rest my head on her table.. That’s all I remember from that day.