The mannequin

It was six in the morning, fan running at its top speed. Something was weighing in the area of chest, mostly by the side where the heart resides, and it was nothing related to any ailments. From somewhere around the bed, the phone rang. It was a call for meet-up with friends, the friends who cannot perceive the troubled mind with in me. 

Everyone was in a jovial mood, and being present as one among them reduced the intensity of heaviness I felt. 

As we reached a mall, everyone split up, promising to meet back at the exact spot after half an hour. When everyone went separate ways, I stood there with a heavy heart, perplexed and with no mood for any kind of shopping. After few minutes, my legs too started moving without any idea of where to go with this state of mind. Finally I ended up in a clothing shop.

The shop had less crowd when compared to others. It was well lighted with lots of mirrors and mannequins. I took a stride through the shop, and while doing that, something caught my attention. It was a mannequin, oddly placed, all alone. I observed it for a minute. Both of us had so many similarities, and felt like it needed a hug. After some seconds I hugged the mannequin slowly. Suddenly, my eyes were wet, something inside cracked. Tears rolled down to the cheeks and to the mannequin’s shoulder. For a moment, it felt like the mannequin has indeed come to life. After some minutes, my phone rang, it was my friends calling me back at the spot where we split up. I left the mannequin, and walked back. On taking the final step out of the shop, I looked back at that lifeless object that came to life when I hugged. I felt like it was smiling. For a moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I glanced at it once again, this time it was just a lifeless mannequin. With that I returned to my friends, feeling some kind of new energy running through my veins. Maybe it was a hug which I needed the most.