Fallen leaves

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire with the death of Avinash. The blood was still sprinkling from his neck. He was under that old cherry tree. Winter leaves were falling from the tree. People were already gathered around him in the early morning.

I never thought it would end like this. He was a neighbour of mine, a very dear one.

It started with his longing for money. He had been too greedy. He never thought where he was heading. A vicious circle of friends had acquired him by preaching the overnight rich method but he didn't understand that nobody can be successful overnight without doing any illegal jobs.

His father was very proud of him. One educated boy he was. Every demand was fulfilled by his parents. I can say he was a very pampered boy in his childhood and young age also. He was the only child of his parents. They thought their children would be a respected man in this neighbourhood. In fact, he was already in the right direction. He was known as a good boy in our locality.

We came here 2 years ago. Our locality is very peaceful. Small houses are surrounded by small gardens. Even the colour of every house was lightly painted. In front of our house, there is a small Cherry tree which looks so beautiful in spring. I heard that this is older than the others. No horns, no hustling and bustling of the city, though it is not a village. We enjoy the place. This place is remarkable at the time of spring when new leaves bloom on every branch. Birds chirping in the morning give this a different dimension.

Though I was a little jealous about his good boy image in the locality, we were good friends. He used to live just beside our house. His father was an engineer by profession and mother was a teacher. His upbringing had been well nurtured. I remember when I first went to his house.

I remember I went with Avinash. Aunty opened the door.

Aunty - Hi Atul, how are you? So, how's your new home?

I – good, aunty, it's been a great place for us. Very peaceful it is. How are you?

Aunty - good, how're your parents?

I - they are good.

With asking the question, she went to her kitchen. Their house is well decorated. Avinash told me to sit on the sofa and he sat on a chair. We were conversing about a function which was going to happen soon in our area. She came out with a plate full of sweets and snacks and put it in front of us.

Aunty - You have just shifted here, right? Avinash told me a little about you. You both have been good friends within a few days.

I - yeah, just a 2 weeks ago. Actually, my dad is a railway employee and has a transferrable job. So, we have to migrate frequently.

I am a very shy person, so couldn't eat anything but a bit of the snack and coffee.

I met Avinash just 2 days after we came here. He has really been a very kind friend.

Aunty - what are you doing then? Studying?

I – yes, aunty. I'm still studying. This is my last year in graduation.

Aunty - oh, that's great to hear.

We had already finished our snacks. Avinash was silent in our conversation. He didn't say anything. Now it was his turn.

He said, let's go to my room.

I have already been accustomed to his chain-smoking habit. His room also was well decorated. It seemed to me he was a very creative person. Everywhere was paintings, writings.

I asked, "Is this yours?"

Avinash – Yes, I like to do this in my spare time. Do you like arts??

I said, yeah, of course. I know the value it gives us.

We became very good friends within a few months. I used to be their regular guest. We were already accustomed to each other’s behaviour. He was already confronted with my calm attitude. He saw my aggressive side also.

One day he told me why I hit my head at an aggressive time. I told him that was my childhood habit. It can't be changed easily. It was already concreted in me.

A long year passed. In the meantime, I saw some changes in his behaviour. He was being aggressive for little matter. His frustration was not hidden from his family also. I found that he had started to take marijuana. Within a few months, he got too much addicted to heroin. His interests started to change. There were no creative activities. His mind diverted.

The most important thing in our broken friendship which departed us is a lady. I fell in love with the same person he loved. She lives near our house. It is just a 5 minutes walking distance. I didn't even talk to that lady but felt a terrific longing for her. My desire for her grew rapidly. I tried to express my love but failed. The manifestation of love was not an easy task for me. Our friendship broke within a few days when he came to know about this matter. We had already stopped talking, though our parents would communicate with each other.

I knew that he was running after money. He was being involved with a smuggling gang. I could understand his changed personality. As he passed out, he wasn't interested in jobs. He wanted to start his own business as an artist. It was not possible overnight. His dream was not being successful and finally, there was a friend who supplied the first marijuana to him. I knew the person. When I came to know that he had been accepted by the lady I became more jealous. Avinash started to come back to his good life. He was rehabilitating himself. He never thought the future of his destiny was in my hands.

Nobody knew about his exact activities but me. Still, there is no trace of the killers. Everybody suspects that he was killed by one of his gang members, though I knew the truth. Hahaha! I felt an eternal happiness.

The police came to know later about the murder within a few days. So, I had to go behind the bars.