Short Story: Love is an instinct

Veera Raghavan (Veeru) had dark skin and sharp eyes. Eyes that seemed like they could scathe if stared into. Eyes that sparkled. His hirsutism gave him a particular masculine charm. But he was a slave. He was violent. His violence was welcome as long as as it was directed towards the enemies who dared to break into the walls of his empire, Thandavas.

Veeru's upbringing, like any of his peers', was steeped in loyalty. Loyalty was as natural to him as was his hatred towards the armies of enemies. At the prime of his life, he was the most efficient warrior in his legion. But, he also wanted to find personal happiness apart from the satisfaction that his loyal warrior self bestowed upon him. A youth that he was, he wanted to find the love of his life, a girl whose lineage was of utmost importance and whose loyalty would measure up to his.

Nirmala (Nimmy) was a beautiful girl in the neighboring kingdom, Cowravas, allies of the Thandavas. She was fair and softspoken. Loyal she was, but being a girl, did not have to serve conscription as men in kingdom had to. She was an orphan and her foster parents showered enough love to pamper her. She was a perfect example of a spoilt rich kid. But she was soft within. She was emotional. Though her foster parents were loving and all that, she knew that they had bought her from an orphanage. This was a splinter that kept burning in her mind. She wanted love that was pure and that was not paid for. So, she was looking for someone who would accept her for the rest of her life for who she was.


One day, when Veeru was guarding the boundaries of his empire, he laid eyes on Nimmy. Their eyes locked and the connection was electric. They were lit with love, at first sight. She approached the border between their empires and they played and pranced for a while. A few days flit past and they decided to escalate the matter, Veeru to his king and Nimmy to her parents. The king invited Nimmy's parents over for a dinner, obliging Veeru. The King said, "Veeru is my farourite and is very loyal. He'd make a perfect match for your Nimmy." Nimmy's mom replied, "Yes. We realise the depth of their love and have seen them meet a few times on the border. We thought we'd officially unite their love. My girl is very docile and will perfectly fit the bill. Their horoscopes match too. If you don't have any objection, let's unfetter them."

And so, the king let Veeru go free as Nimmy's parents watched on. Veeru and Nimmy ran towards each other, in slow motion. Like Kamal and Sri Devi. Like Surya and Jyothika. When they came close to each other, Veeru and Nimmy wagged their tails and happy "BowWow"s filled the air.

Love is an instinct. An animal instinct.

This story is inspired from a short story by Jeffery Archer in the book "A Twist in the Tale".