The Race

His heart thumping right into his mouth, he took a sharp turn out of the serpentine trail of slow-moving cars in the jam and turned into the dark alley on the left. He nervously kept looking back at the dark shadow following him and repeatedly muttered under his breath ‘Just a few more minutes please’.

Although it was past midnight, few of the houses continued to throw light onto the street. Glimpsing into his watch every few minutes, it appeared as though he was somehow trying to slow down the pace of time with this fruitless effort. The car suddenly screeched to a halt as he abruptly hit the brake when an injured puppy appeared in front of his car from nowhere. Mentally juggling with the idea of cursing the puppy or taking pity on it, he stepped out, lifted the puppy and quickly placed it inside his car to resume his journey.

Back at the bungalow, he searched fruitlessly for her in every nook and corner. Pacing across from room to room, he intermittently looked behind for the dark shadow but it was nowhere to be seen now. All he saw was the little puppy, limping slowly behind him.

Sweat trickling down his brow, he froze in his path for a moment, turned around and raced towards the terrace garden. ‘Honey, I got your medicines’, he shouted at her back but she made no move. As he approached her, he saw her lifeless body right besides the dried rose shrub she had once nurtured so lovingly – a painting of his smiling face clutched firmly to her bosom by her pulseless arm. The dark shadow had given him a few minutes but claimed her instead. The rose petals had lost out to the thorns this time.

The puppy slowly limped into his lap and put its head down to rest. A wounded leg, a wounded heart… united in pain. ‘You are my only companion’, he whispered to the puppy, gently kissing its forehead.

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This post (333 words) is in response to the Trifecta Writing Challenge - Week 104. The prompt is to pen down 33-333 words using the third definition of the following word:

 

COMPANION (noun)
1:  one that accompanies another :  comrade, associate; also:  one that keeps company with another
2 obsolete :  rascal
3 a :  one that is closely connected with something similar
   b :  one employed to live with and serve another.