ALL CHANGE - SHAILEE ADKE

Sid was fast asleep. The alarm went off at 5:30 am. He set it on snooze and tried hard to go back to sleep. It had started to get cold and he wanted to keep sleeping, wrapped inside the cozy quilt. He lay with his eyes shut for 10 minutes and again heard the shrill beeping of the alarm which kept growing louder with each beep; so he finally decided to wake up. Sid had a flight that morning and did not want to begin the day by being lazy. He sat up on the edge of the bed and wore his slippers. He rubbed his eyes and tried adjusting to the light that was now coming through the window. He stood up and walked towards it.

Sid went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a shower. As he looked in the mirror, he saw himself looking back at him. He smiled, but he doubted the smile. When was the last time he actually had a big smile on his face? The dream that Sid had last night had been haunting him for quite some time. Why was it haunting him? It scared him like hell. He tried hard to think about it. But it just didn’t mean anything to him. It was not a very comfortable feeling. Dreams like these definitely have a reason to them. Something was definitely worrying Sid. But what was it? Was it just one thing or many? He decided to think about it later, and went ahead with getting ready for the flight.

It was a long journey and he finally arrived. They were all waiting for him at the airport’s international arrivals lounge. His parents, his brother and two really close friends. And along with all of them, there was Joanne - the girl who had waited so long to see him. She had waited too long and could not bear to wait anymore. Sid had been away for more than two years. He walked towards them. He was really happy to see all of them after such a long time. They were all so excited to see him too. Joanne flung herself into his arms the moment he reached her.

Sid suddenly realized that there had been a drastic change somewhere. Nothing seemed the same anymore. Joanne sensed it too. After being away from his home, his country for the first time and for so long, he was back; back with his family, his friends and the love of his life. But he realized that something still kept him away from all of them. He was quite confused about what was happening. He sensed that something was terribly wrong. Everybody looked very happy to see him, but there was something that was troubling them all, including him. Joanne looked the most troubled. When Sid looked her in the eyes, he knew it. She had realized that he had changed. She had revealed the fear, the anxiety and the hatred that was hidden behind the happy smiling face.

Joanne had got to know that Sid had not been honest with her while he was away. She had found out about all that he had been up to, while he was away from his loved ones. Sid had been feeling guilty about everything since a long time but hadn’t expected Joanne to know about it. He had committed too many crimes and she would never forgive him for them. It was all over. He suddenly felt the world around him come to a standstill.
(END)

avy comments:
It is succinct. Can do with some tightening up. Like a short and powerful episode. Where does it fail? I think the emotional moments have to be ramped up - between Sid and Joanne. Because the moment of returning to each other is also the moment of their parting. You are also ready for the sci-fi story now.