this week’s picture prompt Wordy Wednesday 4 #barwowe

Basic guidelines:

Use the prompt in your posts.
Write a minimum of 100 words on the prompt.

Tattered

 

Jude lived in a well turned out home with his beautiful family of four. Life had been good to him. He had worked his way to provide his family with the much-needed, non-negotiable comforts. He had started off as a Fireman, and because of his sheer grit, determination, and diligence; he had managed to climb the ranks of a Chief Officer at the Fire station. Jude had saved innumerable lives, bravely fighting various infernos. Women, men, old and young, cats, dogs, all of them looked upon him with much gratitude and love. After all, he had given them all a fresh new lease of life.

Jude’s was picture perfect family- an attractive wife, Alicia who was vibrant and optimistic, come rain or shine and a great mother and partner rolled into one. His twins, both girls, all of 11 months were his lifelines. He looked forward to getting back home just in time to play peek-a-boo, feed the babies their supper, give them a warm bubble bath and then with Mozart playing softly in the background, both Alicia and he would rock the babies to sleep. Once the babies were fast asleep Jude and Alicia would have a night-cap and share the proceedings of their day, Alicia would laugh and narrate anecdotes like how one of the twins had put the other’s thumb into her mouth and sucked at it, thinking it was hers. Jude would talk about his day, much animatedly, describing how his Fireman were making him proud day after day, or how on days when they did not have work; they would huddle up together during lunch hour to play Rummy. 

One night, when the twins had been tucked into bed and Alicia-Jude after their regular teˆte a′ teˆte were about to retire to bed themselves, they heard the smoke alarm go off. Before they knew it they saw a smoky haze emerge from the twins room. The room had caught fire that was billowing into the living room. Alicia screamed a horrific cry and before Jude could intervene himself she ran into the twins room. The huge flames were enveloping the babies cot and the floor was burning a sinister yellow as the sparks impatiently flew across the room and Alicia’s clothes caught fire. Jude rushed to her rescue and tried to douse the fire with buckets of water. He then dragged Alicia by her shoulders to the outside porch. She had severe 4th-degree burns on her legs and arms. Jude himself had a narrow escape. He ran back to rescue the babies in the blazing room but there was a stunned silence, only the sound of the raging fire. The fire had already  engulfed them and what remained were two charred bodies. By now the fire had spread to the other rooms and Jude was at the porch trying to call the fire station and Red cross, as Alicia continued to howl in pain and anguish. Before they knew it their home burst into a conflagration. Within minutes everything was gone, their precious babies, their home.

Jude howled and screamed in despair like a madman, holding Alicia close to him, tears streaming down his sooty face. He had lost his lifelines, he had been rendered homeless, and as he looked at Alicia hopefully yet helplessly the fire brigade and the Red cross ambulance siren could be heard in the background. But Alicia stopped breathing in his arms. 

2 Year Later, 25 January 2017

Jude hasn’t come to terms with this irreparable loss. The loss of his beloveds has him cave into a shell. He doesn’t look after himself, bathe or even eat for days together. He walks around town aimlessly; looking into some unknown blank spaces. He continues to wear the same trouser and shirt he has worn ever since one can remember. By now they are tattered all over. Just like his soul that has been shattered, battered and tattered to pieces. He lives in a small, unkempt one-room studio. Alone. In silence. He has left his job. He was unable to work anymore. He only looks forward to mornings, after endless days of sleepless nights. He goes looking for Alicia and his twins every single day at the crack of the dawn, to the now abandoned remains of the house where they had happily lived; hoping they will suddenly come to life and rush gleefully into his arms. 

This post is written for Wordy Wednesday # 4– January 2017 #BARWoWe

http://blogarythmblog.wordpress.com Really enjoyed this prompt.  Tina http://tinabasu.com,  Amrita http://healthwealthbridge.com, Shalini http://shalzmojo.in and May http://www.sirimiri.in would love to hear your stories too. Over to you.