Not sure how long, I was living there as long as I could recall. I knew no other place. It was my heaven. My home. It was big in area and I could get all that I wished for, any time, on time. A temple of peace, garden of love. So fragrant, so beautiful. I never felt alone, although I was. Until a point.
My happiness dint last long. One sudden day, a stranger started settling down at the other end of my room, right opposite to my bed which was on this side of the room!
“It’s my room” I yelled at her with the roughest stare I could gather.
“Who said it is your’s?” she reflected my arrogance, magnified.
“This room belongs to me. I have been living here all my life.” I tried to assert.
“So, am I” she dint recede.
I shouted desperately, “I have never seen you here. Don’t lie to me you cheater!”.
“That’s your problem. You..! are the cheater. Stay quiet or get lost. Don’t spoil the sanctity of this place” she struck back, stronger. I ran out of questions and answers.
I was alarmed at her claim and confidence. Who and where did she come from, I wondered. Had nothing to prove her wrong. At the same time, she seemed to be genuine and true. I dint want to take the fight to her. And as she rightly pointed out, this place was not meant to fight. With no options left, I decided to control myself, while continuing to stare at her.
Days went past, she never bothered me. She had her own things to do, silently without disturbing me in any way. I realized it was wrong on me to have shouted at her. Gradually, hostility faded.
I liked her grace, saintly calmness and angelic beauty. Started admiring her. Wanted to befriend her. I was so attracted that at times, I even tried to impersonate her.
“Hi buddy. I should not have shouted at you. I am sorry” I started the conversation with a regret.
“It’s ok dear. I am happy that you have at least started liking me now. Haven’t you?” she replied with a gorgeous tiny smile.
“Of course buddy. I like you a lot. I want to be your friend and spend time with you. I think we were meant to be together” I loved her more as we started interacting.
She took our friendship to the next level when she said “Great! I always liked you. Even before you shouted at me. Let’s stay united forever and share all that we have. I too think we are destined to be together all our lives.”
With great interest to hear her response, I asked with some seriousness “Where did you come from? How did you reach this place?”
She started explaining,
“I don’t remember where I came from. I was utterly helpless but full on energy. Finding a good place to stay was my first priority. We were a group, belligerent to find a place to thrive, like droplets of rain, rushing with unbelievable energy. And here I am, talking with you” she ended abruptly and without a gap, returned the question back to me. “So, what’s your story?”
“Mine is amazingly similar to your’s” I explained to my own surprise. “The only difference being, I reached the place before you. Only one was allowed to be in this place, I strongly believed. You were an unpleasant surprise”
She couldn’t let me continue. “Oh, come on! Enough of this” she said with a gentle smile.
After a brief giggle, I had to mention “But this home gave me a new life I never expected.”
“Exactly, me too. Felt like a freaked out, wandering senseless” She added meaning to my explanation.
“Yeah. Our stories are so similar. We have gone through the same rugged path to reach this point. We are a miracle!” I said, attached to her more than ever.
We were empathetic towards each other. This was not just friendship. It was much more. Never in my life had I liked someone so much. It was a special feeling. I had been with myself all my life till now. She introduced me to love. Clearly, she was wiser. We were two young souls getting closer, literally.
Food was never a shortage. Even if it had been, I was ready to sacrifice mine for her. Once in a while, we got to hear soothing music. And I never knew she was a dancer! Her beauty improved as she danced. So elegant, so smooth.
In excitement, I asked “Hey…you are one fantastic dancer! You never told me?!”
“Am I? I never knew” she replied while dancing unassumingly.
“You are one prodigy!” I acknowledged.
“To me, dancing is just moving around with inner joy” she defined dance in pure terms.
“It’s beautiful, will you teach me some moves?” I requested.
“Dear, it’s you who taught me a few moves. Enough of your acting” she refused to accept.
We learnt to dance synchronized, like tiny fishes in a pond. It was all getting better, as time flew. We had no one else in our lives, nobody to disturb. We got closer and closer.
But slowly, we had a problem to face. As days and months passed, our needs grew and we needed more space in the room. The room which initially appeared huge, started to become insufficient. Although it wasn’t bad just yet, we felt it could create a serious problem in the near future. We managed the coming days, courtesy love.
Gradually, we felt the drops of pressure seeping in. All the love and friendship couldn’t help to crop the irritation. Swelling frustration started to take over.
“Hey buddy, I am starting to feel fussy. Will you stop pushing me around dear?” I conveyed a cordial warning.
“After all these days of understanding, do you think I would do this to you? Even I am feeling the pressure from you. Did you care to stop?” She got the better of me in this argument.
“This was traditionally my home. I allowed you to stay here since I liked you. Now, it is not fair on you to start disrupting my privacy” I took the argument to a more serious level.
With no mood to help, she replied “This is not your home! And I am not in a position to help you now since I myself am a victim of this problem”
I got nasty and said “Enough is enough. Time for you to move out of this place. You better listen”
With an anger I had never witnessed before, she growls “For god sake, will you now shut up! Just shut up! Stop adding salt to my wound”
The fight got fierce. And for the first time, it turned physical. We started pushing each other and all of a sudden, the most unexpected happened! A very powerful jolt! It lasted just a few seconds and she went missing.
I searched for her impatiently and found her hanging out of the small window. The face was sticking out of the window and she couldn’t get back. She must have fainted, I feared. I was terribly ashamed to have fought with her. I tried to pull her back but I could not. I just couldn’t. It was beyond me. I could only pray. After a few seconds of desperation, it was all over. She slipped out of the window. And for the first time, I heard her cry, fading with the fall. It pierced me.
I was torn apart. It suddenly looked like a haunted house inside. Bathing in pain and cursing myself, I wanted to get out of this place which was the reason behind the final fight. I couldn’t stay there any longer. I moved around violently and it happened again! Another jolt and I ended up in the same window. I felt a great force pulling me out of the window. As I slipped out, cried out as loud as I can, out of fear and pain.
Outside, it was a whole new world which I never knew existed. Too bright, noisy and crowded. I was terribly confused and it wasn’t really painful. After a while, I saw myself next to her, my dear and cried out in happiness. She was wrapped around, her eyes seemed brighter even ever.
I loved it when they introduced me to her as her elder sister!! But, I dint like that tongue twisting term they tagged us with, ‘Fraternal Twins’. We were indeed, destined to be together, forever!
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