The Lonely Coffin

Posted on by Reena Saxena

The curtain falls on a memorable performance.

She came from the wilderness and adapted to concrete reality. Dreams reinvented themselves as she tic-toc-ed her stilettoes on tiled pavements to carve new paths to success and luxury cars.

The determination to get things done was the hallmark of her existence. People often wondered if Rhett Butler lurked in the shadows admiring her resolve. But relationships were never highlighted, lest they overshadow the intricacies of her craft.

Unmatched excellence was born out of hard struggle, and she knew it was the only thing that would carry her forward.

And it did, but today, the coffin lies alone in the graveyard. A tiny news item misses readers’ attention on the last page.

City lilacs release their sweet, wild perfume then bow down, heavy with rain. A cemetery back home still calls with the name of her ancestors.

Prosery at dVerse

22 thoughts on “The Lonely Coffin”

  2. Mastefully written with such concrete, detailed imagery, especially “Dreams reinvented themselves as she tic-toc-ed her stilettoes on tiled pavements to carve new paths to success and luxury cars.” Great storytelling, Reena.

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  6. I like the way you began with an ending, Reena, and the curtain falling on a memorable performance, followed by the back story of
    struggle and determination. But what a sad ending, with no friends and family to mourn her, only the tiny news item on the last page, and a cemetery back home that ‘still calls with the name of her ancestors’.

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  8. “But relationships were never highlighted, lest they overshadow the intricacies of her craft.”

    Well, I guess there were no relationships to highlight to begin with. Winner takes all is indeed a fallacy.

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