Year
1864
The Lake District in the North Pennines Area
abounds in natural beauty and exotic landscapes. The village, on the confluence
of South Tyne, is remote and sparsely populated. It is surrounded by some
of the highest fells in the Pennine Chain, those which water the great trio of
northern rivers, the Tyne, Wear and Tees.
Alston, at an altitude of a thousand feet is said to be the
highest market town inEngland. The rugged and
diverse land of Alston Moor is rich in mineral wealth and,
therefore, the richest lead mining areas have been set up there. A single line
stretches from Alston Station in Cumbria to Kirkhaugh in
Northumberland, carrying passengers who earn their bread from the flourishing
mines.
In a small village near the Moor, lived Angela, a divine
beauty, a wondrous art of nature, those angelic eyes, luscious lips, golden
brown locks and saintly nature- a stark contrast to her impoverished household,
having debilitated parents and languid siblings.
A despondent damsel, Angela, on her lonesome way to the
fields for routine chores, used to spend some time sitting on the benches of
Alston Station, waiting for the steam engine to arrive at sharp seven in the
morning.
She observed the swarm of the boisterous mob who came from
the neighbouring villages of Blagill and Ayle, to work in the mines.
The cacophony of wheels and unfettered discourses of that
particular hour invigorated her dull spirits, illumined her bleak existence.
She felt some capacity for hope which provided her with a sense of destination
and the energy to get started for the day.
A mid-September morning, the rain had been coming in bits
and starts, sometimes it sprinkled, sometimes it showered and at times it
thrashed along so thick with a blast of wind. At quarter past seven, after the
usual crowd almost vacated the station, Angela rose languorously from her seat
to proceed, when suddenly, she collided with a violent rusher, her lunch pack
scattering all its belongings.
With annoyance, she looked at the stranger, her eyes meeting
his, for the first time. One could hear the roar of thunder in the northern
sky, followed by heavy downpour. A very shabby and dirty ruffian, staring at
her, a heavenly beauty against scrofulous society. He stood in awe-struck
wonder.
The first encounter was like the realization of an
imagination that had always haunted her. She felt a kind of inner tranquillity
from her succeeding passions. While he was helping her to collect the strewed
items from the ground, she felt the touch of his coarse hands, the first ever
virile stroke on her delicate soul.
As for him, his mind was set aflame. A winged fairy took him
out of his ignominious domain and flew him to the moonlit orchards in an
infinitesimal fairy land, to shower upon him amorous propositions to mark an
entree into a delightful world of love, which, he was so far, unaware of.
“Hurry up Ellison”, a voice called from behind, “we’re getting late for work.
The gate will be shut and we have to spend the day out in the cold, and there
is no train down till evening”. It was Jennie, a fellow passenger.
Their reverie was fragmented into pieces. He jerked back to staunch reality,
but couldn’t take his eyes off Angela, a look eloquent with compassion. In his
twenty-two years, he had never encountered such a celestial beauty.
The rain beat on her head like silver liquid drops.
She, too,
wished to hold him back for some time, wanting to speak, but he instantly
rushed out of the station.
The mischievous Cupid’s arrow pierced through the hearts of
Ellison and Angela. Their insignificant existence made them feel an innate need
for redundant love. Their impatience translated itself into an urge for
mutual possession.
Arrival of the regular train marked the dawn of a new era.
At the station, met daily, the lovable duo, welcoming the thunder and lightning
with a sweet exchange of smile, a shy look of hesitance, a pre-meditated
approach followed by a blithesome saunter to the workstation.
They passed
through the lush green steeps, the cobbled streets, the hidden courtyards and
the quaint old shops, with the accompaniment of the melodious note of the
moorland birds. Even during his days of rest, he came just to meet her, to be
united in the lonesome valleys, amidst the sweet essence of alpine flowers.
Her
features were like a poet’s lyrical artistry, which filtered into his mind. The
look in her eyes entrapped his desire to be devoured in totality. She could
feel the pulse of his allurement and reciprocated with tantamount eagerness.
The splendour of the intoxicated touch of lips, the holy fornication of virgin
souls, each approach was a unique exploration of mind and body, the absolutely
inseparable entities.
The valleys and shores reverberated with the convivial
atmosphere at their union - the happiest couple ever, longing to be tied
forever in matrimonial sermon. Seeking the blessings of the Almighty, he vowed
to marry her in the succeeding year, after the Twelfth Night celebration of
Christmas.
The third week of December, the festive fervour was
obviously apparent among the villagers. The market place was over-crowded with
vibrant multitude. He promised to meet her there, to offer her a Christmas
gift, the first Christmas that she ever anticipated to celebrate after nineteen
years of her birth. She was overjoyed with enthusiasm and was anxiously waiting
for her beloved.
She waited all day, watching the frenzied crowd squandering
with excitement. With the fall of evening, despair of the world grew in her
again. She became weary with anxiety and fear. The concluding day brought to
her mind the unconquerable premonition of an abominable weather.
Unfortunately, Ellison had not arrived. With a heavy heart,
she marched homeward, expecting to see him the following day. Six days elapsed
in utter disbelief and worriment. Amidst the jubilant masses, she sat alone at
a corner, without the sight or sound of beauty, contemplating the mysterious
absence of Ellison. There was still no trace of him, nor anyone at the station
knew about his whereabouts. She was desperate. Her spirit grew numb with the
fear of the unknown. She bitterly sobbed.
It was the seventh day of her consistent presence at the
station during the morning rush hours. The usual crowd resumed work after the
celebration. Ellison was not to be found anywhere.
A
pathetic figure she was, hovering around the platform every day, with the
single hope that Ellison would certainly keep his promise. With the lapse of
time, her faith in him gradually germinated a powerful resistance to impending
jeopardy. As she rose from her seat, she felt two amicable hands firmly
gripping her shoulders. She turned around to recognize a familiar face. It was
Jennie, Ellison’s friend and co-passenger who worked in the mines. She drew
closer to Angela.
With dolorous eyes she gazed at Angela’s intent countenance,
stretched her arms to embrace the wretched woman. With a morose and stammering
voice she mourned the stupefying tragedy of Ellison’s untimely demise by a
fatal accident, just the day preceding their meeting at the marketplace.
The sky was overcast by dark, ‘noctilucent’ clouds. The
archfiend seized her blissful world in an instant. Perhaps her meeting with
Ellison was just a chimera. She stood still with eyes tumescent, lips parched
and gaped. Jennie’s voice jerked her out of trance.
She said that when his incapacitated body was brought to the
village, he was breathing his last. He significantly uttered Angela’s name to
convey that she must accomplish his last wish.
His death was not the end, but an entry to the empyrean
world of immortality. His heavenly abode would be illuminated with her
incessant smile. Though they were corporeally disunited, yet his spiritual self
was embedded in her being. His everlasting love would be her protective shield
forever.
Jennie then lifted a small packet out of a sooty bag. She
unfolded the wrap, holding up a glittering metal of gold, a wedding ring, the
Christmas gift for Angela.
Having placed the ring on her shivering palm, she kissed
Angela’s frosted forehead and reluctantly proceeded towards the mines, leaving
behind the crestfallen damsel in petrified quiescence.
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