CREATIVE WRITING
SWIPE RIGHT
Parnika Trivedi
She stepped into the room,
Dark and dusty.
The door creaked behind her,
Old and rusty.
A hint of must in the air
Took her back to all the times she had been here before.
She heard the light tap of her footsteps
As they led her to the place where all the memories lived.
Dusting the old box, her hands pulled out the paper.
The rustling of the sheets in her ear
Warmed her heart.
Opening the torn letter carefully,
Her eyes eagerly drank in the words she had read over and over:
“For forever shall our love lie
Beneath these two lines.
For shall I write you again,
As these words bring you to me
And carry me to you.
No distance seems too far away
With every letter you wrote me.
I feel you here with me,
Hint of light fragrance of you,
And spatter of tears on the paper.
At night, I make your face in the stars,
For forever they will stay.
With that, forever you and our love would stay,
Till I meet you again.
Promise—
I will write you again.”
Her eyes left the paper,
Her heart brimming with love.
She took out her phone that vibrated,
Scanning the screen.
Joy greeted her,
But the feeling that warmed her heart minutes ago faded.
She was happy,
But the warmth she felt minutes ago left her heart,
Leaving her hollow inside.
She read the notification again—
Swiped right.
Visiting the past made her feel more alive.
The faint scent of ink on paper
Comforted her heart with true love.
Yet, the letter in her hand felt heavier.
She placed it back where it belonged,
In her grandmother’s chest—
That’s where it would rest.