Clockwork

They stared at him as he walked towards the private ward with a familiar mantelpiece clock in his hands. Her mother rose to her feet and shook her head as she held back tears behind a strained and convoluted visage. He kept walking towards them.
"Vijay, don't go in there. You know..."
He knocked on the door and walked in. She was lying there on the bed with the only coloured garment on her body being the bandages around her wrist. She seemed to be sleeping but he wasn't sure. She was often lost to this world while her eyes watched nothing and was in its midst with them shut. He placed the clock on the metal trolley and the slight clanging of metal against metal and the pendulum against the inner walls, bounced off all the hard surfaces,which now seemed to include her heart, in the room. She slowly opened her eyes and saw him. He gave her a brief smile before turning to key the clock. She pursed her lips and let it stretch into the most helpless smile she could ever conjure. He checked his watch and moved the hands on the clock. 5 minutes to 12.
He sat down beside her and breathed in deeply before letting his reluctant eyes slide down her arm. He had coined the word Marblesque for her skin.... and now it was stained, and so was her skin. He shuddered visibly before reaching out to touch her scars. Before he could touch them she let out an "Aaaaaah" and he recoiled, only to find her laughing softly before crystallising them into coughs and spasms. When he shot up to get her water,
she shook her head vigorously throwing coughs on either side.
"Why the clock, Vijay? You want to show me some new act in your play?"
He shook his head and said, "I can't write plays till you are back on stage."
Her face darkened under the clouds of untold memories, looming and rolling all around her, threatening to strike with the searing white streaks of passion best forgotten and drummed to the deafening beats of soft whispers that faceless mouths shout down hesitant, defeated hearts.
"Vijay, I cannot return to the stage. Never..."
And as the clock went BING---BANG for each hour that had passed, the conversed without moving their lips...
Why? ............................................................... Love
Why this? ............................................................... Hurts less
Than what? ............................................................... Life without him
But Life... ............................................................... Is him
Life is more ............................................................... Painful without him
Why hurt yourself? ............................................................... I can't feel it
Not worth it ............................................................... Nothing is
Living is ............................................................... Not anymore
People are ............................................................... Not anymore
Family is ............................................................... Not anymore
He isn't ............................................................... Always will be
Why? ............................................................... Love

tick-tock... tick-tock... tick-tock... tick-tock