Absurd?

(Please phorgib. First time try)

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The car moved up slowly on the twisting path. Sarita turned sideways to look at her husband. His hands gripped the steering wheel tight and his face wore a look of intense concentration.

'Relax, honey' she said with a languid smile. 'If you're feeling sleepy, we can stop for a while. There's hardly any traffic anyway'

'No, dear. The sooner we get to the top, the better. Now you're feeling better, what if you take a turn for the worse again?'

She smiled again and leaned to rest her head on his shoulder. Two years of ups and downs. Yet she knew she remembered the high points more than the low. He was what she had wanted all her life except for a thing or two that she hardly cared about. They hadnt
seemed like something to be bothered about ... Her attention got diverted to the bag lying at her feet. She pulled out the long rifle and fingered it carefully.

'What time can we go for the game honey? Can we start today morning?' Hunting was a passion common to the both of them. He was a trifle better than her though. But she had a keen eye and their first hunting trip during their honeymoon up north was a dream. He had finally found time from his busy work schedule and she had closed down her jewellery store for a fortnight.

'Hmm. We'll see when you're better. Let's not decide anything now'

'Mm. I love you so much dear, I'd give my last eyelash to save you' she said with a grin.

'And you have no idea how much I love you Sreet. We are one ... we were born together, we shall die together' he said in a mock serious tone.

She laughed. You could almost say that they had been born together. They had found out on their first date that both of them had been born the same day, the same year. Sarita did not
know the exact time of her birth though. She'd never given it any importance.

'Really Sarita' Amit said.

Sarita lifted her head to look at him. 'Haan?'

'I mean it'.

'What?? Are you all right honey?' His eyes were boring into hers. A Safari swerved past them at full speed. He just managed to turn the wheel to the left.

'Watch what you're doing! Is everything all right?' He didn't look like himself and Sarita was frantic.

'I mean what I said. If we were born on the same day, we will die on the same day'

She stared at his face. He didn't seem to be joking.

'Can we stop here? Let's just stop here for a while okay. Please?'

'Want me to prove it to you?'

Her eyes widened in fear. 'Prove what?'

'Please let me get down. Please Amit, let's just stop for a while.'

Though they were still going pretty fast, she put out her hand to the door lock.

'Sit still. You're not going anywhere. I'm going to prove it to you'. She turned to look at him.

The intensity of his stare was scaring the hell out of her. She realized she was too frightened to scream. His left hand was holding her in a vise-like grip.

They were at a portion of the hill where they could look at its surroundings. Everything was far, far below. A cloud or two hid the road that they had just come by on.

With a lurch of her stomach, she realized that they were going perpendicular to the road, heading off the hill. A split second too late. As she heard him say 'Never doubt my word' they careened off the hill and down they went, the trees, bushes, boulders turning cartwheels in the sky.

Aeons later she realized that the car had come to a stop. Amit was slumped on the wheel. His head was turned towards her. Blood was a fountain spurting out of a gash on his forehead. His face was turned towards her, glazed eyes reading her face. He blinked, it seemed like a mute appeal to save him. The menace in his eyes seemed to have gone.

She stretched out her hand towards him and pulled it back, giving an involuntary shudder.

Turning her back towards him, both physically and mentally, she reached for the door. She saw his arm stretch out through the corner of her eye ...

***

Far away by the top of the hill, wings loudly fluttered as flocks of birds took flight, at the sounds of the ringing echoes of a rifle shot.