Agent N

The clouds were going low over the Indian subcontinent and the angry skies were almost ready to cry in frustration. Agent N wondered why they never could see the cloud kingdoms from down there. The greyness of the atmosphere seemed to be plunging all moods into grey.

She kicked aside the still warm wood left over from the night's bonfire. The powdery black soot coated her sneakers as she made her way to the edge of the path. Leaning against the trees, she looked down at a narrow ravine beneath. Beyond that stretched out fields of rice. Their stalks were half-submerged in the muddy rainwater and the whole pace smelt funny.

She had never seen cultivation in her life. They always use to live in the poorer overcrowded districts, surrounded by concrete jungles.

"Whom are you dreaming of?" the all too familiar voice asked. The heavily punctuated accent which was once difficult for her to decipher, was now the sweetest and the most satisfying thing in the world.

She mixed up some letters while speaking, but whenever she spoke, something got mixed up in N's head.

"I'm dreaming of freedom," N replied, taking her hand, drawing her closer, until her willowy figure fit perfectly on N's little curves.

M hugged her tighter as N continued, "How good would it be if we could just escape into the wild and live our lives, without the threat of the extermination bothering us."

"Well, I don't believe in the extermination news," M bit her lips, "I mean, how desperate can someone get to try to eliminate masses of people who're of no threat to him?"

"Well. I don't know how his mind works, but seriously I don't understand his wish to finish off the rest of us. I mean, we're a peaceful group and we're doing him a favour by getting off the cloud. It'll be less headache for him to manage, unless..." N widened her eyes as realization dawns on her.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking," she turned to M.

"He considers us as a threat, doesn't he?" M shrugged.

"Because he can't keep a watch on our operations at the earth base."

"You know what?" M sighed, pushing N against the tree as her back touched the rough bark. M nuzzled closer, placing her head on her chest, "I wouldn't be here and helping the clouds, unless I saw a ray of hope in the plans they're trying to execute."

"Had it not been for this, I would've just left all this drama and eloped with you long ago," N sighed, encircling M in her arms.

"I know babe. I love you," M crooned, before reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss N. M's lips felt soft like petals, supple and hungry as N devoured her mouth with a fevered frenzy. She felt like the hiraeth of hope. Her smell was earth and marigolds, blended with the petrichor in the atmosphere. The kiss felt fresh and all so needed. N ignored the jouska that played out all so familiarly in her head.

M's hands knotted through her hair in an ineffable frenzy of desire as they entwined in each other's arms. She pulled back for a while, panting hard.

"I wanted to show you something special," M took her hand, gently pulling her deeper into the forest of the Himalayas. Evergreen oaks, poplars and elms spread out in little clusters which thickened with elms, laurels and sissoo.

The sweet smell of maple arose in the air as they scaled further up the mountain terrain. The forest grew darker even in the daylight. M stopped in front of a little cove created by an assortment of trees clumped together. There was a swing made of stout wood seats and a boat mooring line that was fastened so high that it disappeared forever into the canopy of a huge black oak. The swing swayed gently in the breeze. M beckoned to her as N sat down on it, still in a daze.

"Happy Birthday, my love," M whispered in her ears.

A shiver of pleasure ran through her spine as M gently gave her a push. N strengthened her hold on the ropes and felt herself soar above the wet, green earth. When she came down. She felt another greater push. The wind soared past her ears as she rose even higher.

Her grandfather used to make little swings for her as a child, in their small cramped backyard. Swinging in the embrace of nature with a girl she loved was just beyond her dreams. She had remembered her birthday.

N expected her eyes to tear up, but a laugh bubbled from deep down her throat. The gloom of the day was floating away in the effervescence of happiness.

"Come, join me," she forcefully stopped the swing.

"There's no space for me," M laughed.

"Well, I see a lot of it," N wiggled her thighs.
M giggled as she climbed up on her lover's lap.

"Hold tight," N screamed, using her legs to push off the ground.

"Woohoo," M screamed in delight, wrapping her arms around N's neck.

N took the opportunity to kiss her neck as they launched into the air again. M laughed and held on tighter as they continued swinging there for a while. It was a moment of chrysalism and they both longed to forever melt in the oblivion of bliss.

M's phone hooted at the opportune moment. N slowed down the swing as M fumbled for her phone and put it to her ear.

Her eyes turned wide and her lips trembled at whatever the other side said. N could see little drops of tears springing up at the corners of her eyes as she tossed the phone wordlessly into her embroidered jacket.

"What?" N was too afraid to even ask.

"The inventors are dead. The guards tried to ambush them in sleep and they blew the whole place upon themselves," M replied groggily.

"That heightens the stakes in the game. Doesn't it?" N asked, bringing the swing to a halt.

"That means the frigging bastards have to die," M's voice was unnaturally sharp.

"We're doing what we can do, sitting here and keeping ourselves invisible, Koko," N winced. M just nodded in silence as they sat there, drowning in their own heavy thoughts.