Chapter 51: chapter 51

SRUTHII am in a place that is surrounded by lush green trees. It seems like I  am in some kind of forest. My mind which is usually chaotic is at peace for once. I feel very alive as I look around me. I am not troubled by anything though I knew I should be. I walk through the place in a daze wondering where in the world I am. I don’t remember travelling here. “Sruthi”Someone calls me. It is a voice I haven’t heard in years. I run in the direction of that voice. Memories of that voice singing me to sleep and saying comforting words to me when I was sick in bed surface in my mind. I can’t believe my eyes as I take in the form of the woman sitting in a swing. She looks the same as she did when I saw her the last time. Her face has the same warm and sweet look. I can’t believe my eyes as I walk towards her. I trudge in slow steps afraid of her vanishing into thin air. She smiles at me and beckons me to her. I pick up my pace and when I am standing next to her, she throws her hands around me in a hug.My mother. I miss her even after all these years. I miss the warmth of her hugs and her guidance. Tears of joy stream down my face at seeing her again. But it can't be real, right? She died. Then how is it possible for me to see her like this? I breathe in her all-so-familiar rose scent, “Are you for real, ma?” Her laugh is warm and rich as she takes my face in her hands, “I am as real as the dreams you have.”“You mean to say that I am dreaming?” I ask.“You could say that,” she says with a casual shrug. “What is this place?” I ask looking around me in awe. I am in a pleasant landscape that seems to exist only on the internet and not in real life. The kind of place that I wish I lived in when the chaos of the capital city becomes too much to handle.“Something out of your imagination,” she answers. “You have two paths in front of you Sruthi.” She motions in a distance and I see a pivot point with two paths on either side. “Where will those paths take me?” I ask.“You have two choices in front of you. I have watched you suffer a great deal all these years. You can choose to come with me or else you can stay in this world. You can leave behind all these baggage and come to me for a life of eternal rest or you can choose to stay back here in this world with your brother and husband.”I understand what she is implying with her words. She is asking me to choose between life and death. “Does everyone get this chance?” I ask in curiosity.My mother shakes her head, “Some do. Some don’t. It depends on the circumstances of their destiny. Anyway, I can’t give you a clear answer since I don’t understand it. Besides, you will forget this conversation once you choose to continue your worldly life.”I take a deep breath and think about it. I have a choice before me to quit my tedious and dangerous life. I can be free of the tension and fear that I constantly live with. I can find the peace that I have been looking for all these years. I don’t have to worry about anything if I choose to go with my mother. The offer seems tempting enough to make to abandon all the worldly pleasures and walk away with her at this moment without looking back.But, on the other hand, a part of me wants to stay and continue living the life I lived. The attack on me was so sudden and abrupt that there are still many resolved things left for me to do. As I think it through, memories of my life flash in my mind. All the good and bad ones.  Moments of happiness, sorrow, joy, wistfulness, love, passion and resilience. I think of all those people who stayed with me through thick and thin. I think of how lonely my brother would be without me. Something tells me that my brother is not the only person who would be lonely if I were to leave this world. Madhav’s flashes in my mind and I choose without hesitation.With a determined resolve, I look up at my mother to find her smiling at me, “I choose to stay, ma. I still have a lot of things left to do. If I am coming with you now, then, that means I am afraid of living the life that was destined for me. I don’t want to be a coward. I am done running away from my life. I think it is high time, I faced my fears and lived my life to its fullest.”A soft smile tilts her lip upward as a mixture of pride and love makes her eyes gleam in the sunlight, “I knew you would make the right choice.”She pulls me into an embrace and I cling to her tightly. I am sure this is going to be the last time I get to see and touch her like this. “You are an Ariyian. Remember that. Conquer your fears..”A sense of peace washes over me at her words. I know the fight against my fear is going to be a long one but I have comrades who would aid me in it. I am not going to give up easily. With a renewed determination, I turn away from my mother and walk towards the path that would take to my life. I turn back to find my mother smiling at me with a happy look on her. I may not remember this once I wake up but I will always cherish this moment. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥