A New End

He sat on the beach with the waves washing his feet every time they came rushing ahead. He wasn’t in the perfect state, slightly drunk, perfectly in his senses though. It was quite strange that he was alone there. He had never pictured himself this way, ever. But now was different. He was unguarded for once and just had to go on with it. A voice echoed in his ears, getting louder by the second. For the first time in months, it was more than just noise to him, waiting for him to unclog his ears, to let it in, to at least try and understand her. He chose to ignore still, pushing the buds deeper in, it seemed. It wasn’t for her that he was doing it, it was for him. He knew it would ruin what he had, for him it was golden. His feet were sinking deeper into the wet sand, he didn’t even seem to care, realize even. He casually digged into his pocket, it was his last stick. He had gone a little overboard with them last night; more than a couple of packs, still this was special. It being the last of the lot made, maybe. He lit it up with his lighter, a gift from a friend. He placed his priceless possession on his lap softly and held the lit stick right in front of his eyes. It gave him a sense of immense pleasure to just watch it burn out, go down into ashes. The waves with their sheer cruelty were washing away the proof of its existence. He hated it for he loved watching the ashes settle on the floor, every time forming a different yet intriguing pattern. He had always believed that the least they deserved was a mark of their own, had struggled enough to provide him with all his highs. A forgotten existence is what he had always feared, be it whatever. But here he had no choice. The water was hell bent on his task. He stubbed the stick half way through, for the insult for him was unbearable. He buried the piece in the depression of his left foot, he owed it that. As he got up from his place the lighter fell off his lap. He picked it up, wiped it off the sand, held it carefully in his right palm for a brief moment and then in a fierce burst of emotion threw it into the Sea, as far as he could. A tear trickled down his eye, a smile escaped his lips. He knew at once, it was the beginning of a new end.