Chapter 7

The moment I reached my destination I started texting her till the time we both would fall asleep. It was quite crowded at my grandmother’s home; everyone was gathered at the same place like any other year. Being between them still wasn't helping; I was craving Harmony’s presence badly. The first 2 days I managed to live by only texting her every second but the third day Harmony sent a message which made me worried.

Hey Axel. I have a bad fever so I wouldn’t be able to reply. Just wanted to inform you to not get worried If I don’t reply. Take care. ❤  

Ending the message with a little rabbit sticker sending flying kisses, she didn’t reply or texted anymore. That was her last message. I texted her the next day but she didn’t reply again, not even seeing the message, I called her but still no reply. Her mother wasn’t answering her phone either. A feeling of uneasiness was forming inside me, I wanted to run back home and make sure she was ok but for my mom’s death anniversary I had to stay one more day. 

By each minute the sense of restlessness and uneasiness was growing like a dark hole trying to pull me inside itself. I wanted to keep myself from thinking about the worst scenario but I couldn’t. This whole time I was praying she would be ok. Dad sensed my anxiety too. When we were done from visiting mama, dad rushed us both back home. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a ticket to fly back home so we had to leave by car. It was time consuming but it was the only way.

Every minute we were getting close to Harmony’s house my heart was thumping, hardly trying to get out of my chest. Dad wanted to ease my nerves with all his will power but any amount of assurance wasn’t enough. I had to see her with my own eyes to see that she was all right.

Their house came into view but the situation around the house was making me more worried than ever. There were a bunch of cars parked in front of their house, some were leaving and some were newly parking their car. When I saw all that I knew something wasn’t right at all. 

When dad parked the car at an available space in their neighborhood I quickly ran out of the car trying to reach faster to their doorstep. Not caring about the people I bump with, I step ahead unapologetically entering the house. Everyone present in their house were clothed in black, some were crying and some others were just staring blankly at the space. My eyes were searching for Harmony in between the crowd of people but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Breathing heavily, I was looking around again and again as if I was lost in a desert where there wasn’t a trace of a path to find my way.  

Going further I reached their living room checking if I could find her there but instead I saw someone else. Her mother was seated on the ground hugging her legs to herself, looking blankly at the photo frame to the side of her. Her face was void of any emotion like a living dead sitting at the ground. Running toward her I knelt in front of her. 

“Miss Louisa?” Calling her name, I waited for her response but her eyes were still on the frame. It was Harmony’s photo along with her mom. 

Getting impatient I shook her from her shoulders, to bring her out of her haze. Her eyes met mine, as soon realization hit her that it was me her eyes tear up again, big fat tears rolling down her face. 

“Axel.” She said above a whisper, her voice breaking. Miss Louisa dropped herself in my embrace, dropping tears of pain and agony.

“What- what happened? Harmony… where is she?” I was panicked by her reaction. 

“She- she’s gone…” She said with a pained voice, her cries were coming muffled from my embrace. Coming out of my embrace she unclutched her hand which was holding a necklace in it. It was Harmony’s chain. It dropped out of her hand but I got it before it hit the ground. 

I couldn’t breathe, every single breath was painful. Looking down in my palm I was staring at her necklace, my mind not able to process properly.

“What yo… you mean; it can’t be...” Miss Louisa was crying loudly with my dad sitting beside her to support her body. When he came in, I didn’t even realize? I couldn’t do anything, my mind and my consciousness were all numb.

Looking at my palm then at Miss Louisa and dad, I wanted one of them to tell me it’s a lie that Harmony wanted to tease me again. Dad had a blank expression not knowing what to do. It was the first time my dad was left clueless about how I was going to react to all that.

“She hasn't gone anywhere… nowhere… she- promised.” 

I will wait for you under the same tree. Her words were ringing in my head again and again. Not wasting another single second I run. I run like I did years back when I lost my mother. Dad was shouting my name but I didn’t stop just like that time. I was running again.

Running as fast as I could , I reached the same garden to look for her under the same tree she promised me but she wasn’t there. She was gone. I dropped to my knees helplessly under the same tree. I couldn’t cry that day; I didn’t shed a single tear. All I could feel was the pain in my chest that was forcing my breath like a painful heave out of me. I screamed in agony at the top of my lungs trying to substitute the pain but it was of no use.

There wasn’t the sound of her laughs anymore nor was she sitting next to the lake where she used to, no sound of her melody, except… for the sound of wind chime which was dangling from the branch of the tree. She left, leaving behind another source of melody instead of herself. A white little paper was dangling from the end of the wind chime. Immediately standing on my leg I got close to where the wind chime was. Slowly untangling the paper, I opened it to see what was inside. A hand drawn violin was at the side of the paper with a little note beside it. 

“Last goodbye.” It was the name of the melody she played the last time we saw each other. Just like that she left. She left forever.