To Heaven and Back(Fantasy)_ Shivika SS_Chapter 6_(25.11.18)_Page 20 - Page 2

She had feared darkness when she was young. She used to cling to her father's body whenever there was a power failure. Her mother used to fan her with an old handmade palm leaf fan. She couldn't tolerate heat. Now, neither did she have to fear darkness nor she had to bear heat. Now, she was a blind young captive of a middle aged influential underworld Don, living beneath a snow covered hill.

There was always some guard at her doorstep. She had to ask for permission even if she wanted to shift the curtain a little. She lost her parents in an accident, in which she lost her eyesight too. She wished, she had died with them.

That night she stealthily opened the window like everyday hoping the guard at the door had slept. She wished she could see the stars, people say dead persons become stars, what if her parents were there in the sky smiling at her! She stood there at the window, letting the cool breeze play with her soft curls. To her eyes the lonely street looked heavenly, flooded with moonlight. She stood near the window all night. As the first sun ray touched her face, causing her to see a rainbow of colors in bubbles, she blinked her eyes and then the dark in front of her eyes turned gray. She closed the window hastily, limped towards her bed and lay on that. She snuggled into the pillow to suppress the sound of her racing heart-beat.

She slept till eleven in the morning, until it got interrupted with a knocking sound on the door. She sat up rubbing her eyes, "Come in." she barked.

"You should get ready. We have an appointment with the doctor after twelve," the guard on duty narrated.

"You go outside. I will go, freshen up and then come," she instructed.

**

Doctor told, her leg injury would take another couple of months to cure. The damage was too deep to heal as per Mr. Underworld Don's convenience. Anika didn't understand the man. Someone who didn't care to meet her in person for a day and yet cared so much for her broken leg! It was half past two and she didn't want to return to be caged inside the room this early. But she was afraid to ask the guard knowing his temper after getting a large amount of verbal abuse just a minute ago from his boss.

They were walking down the lane; she was holding the guard's wrist, limping taking a little more time. After few minutes she realized the muscles of the guard's wrist relax and she sighed in relief.

"I want to go to the library. May I? She asked.

"We already crossed your library. He said.

"No problem. Let's walk back."

"You haven't eaten anything!"

"What if we buy something from the canteen, there?"

There was no more option to discuss. They changed their path and walked back.

**

Shivay hadn't ever stepped down on Earth before! He tried to float on the air but unlike back in his abode, here he felt a strange pull towards the ground. He remembered it was Gravitational pull, which was absent in Heaven. With faltering steps, he roamed around the hillside, around her house. It was still noon, not the right time to approach her.

**

Anika wasn't born blind. It took her more than six months to learn basics of Braille. She loved to read, but that was not the reason she was there in the library sitting in the Braille section. She wanted fresh air to breathe; she wanted to hear the little sounds people made in the library. The smell of those people, the sound of the footsteps, sound of their clothing rubbing together while they moved, she wanted to feel that all. It could give her a sense of courage to fight back her loneliness. Here, she could stretch out her hand to hold someone, someone less robotic, more human than her guard. She wanted to collect the courage as strength in her heart as much as she could. She had to fight many more lonely nights.

**

Sunrays were never so scorching back there in heaven. Shivay let his translucent form loosen a bit more, allowing him to change shapes. He changed himself into a tiny blue butterfly and wandered along the twisted paths of the foothill. Roaming around he entered a forest and found an algae covered tree branch to sit on. The unknown colorful flowers were pretty and were providing a contrast in the green forest. The smell was not so sweet unlike heaven; it was a bit acrid, a little musky and more earthly. Suddenly it turned dark, he feared. He was asked to meet Anika at dusk. He left the forest and saw it was still not evening. In heaven, it was always lit inside a forest too, he had to be more careful, he thought. As he entered her room through the ventilation hole, he saw a blind, young woman limping inside the room. Anika, he whispered. Chitragupta indeed had shown this woman's picture. He looked at her acutely.

She had beautiful features, by human standards! He had seen many pretty faces in heaven, heavenly ones. Those faces were always reflecting a soothing light, those eyes serene and content. He had never thought a gloomy face could look beautiful, he has never thought those vacant eyes could be so breath-taking! His heavenly heart skipped a bit.

Oblivious to his presence, she started shedding her clothes. Letting the day's wear lie at her feet, she quickly took the night wear and started changing. It was too sudden to bring any reaction out from him. He had never seen any semi-naked human being before. She sat on the bed and inspected the wound on her leg, feeling around it with her finger tips. He flew towards her and sat on her Braille book placed on the bed. Finishing the dressing, she half-lay on the bed and took the book. Her fingers brushed her wings. Feeling him still, she poked his wings again. "Fly? A butterfly! She whispered. He flew up escaping from her reach and sat on the ventilation hole. It was a starry night, he saw. There was something in her touch, he couldn't make out. He flew towards her thinking what would be the best way to take her soul! She smelled of medicine, sweat and something unknown which was adamant to not leave his nostrils. He sighed.

Making sure she couldn't see him, he tried to dense his form and in minutes revived his older semi transparent form. He sat on a cot near the window. Minutes later, he realized his body was getting denser giving him an opaque shape. He looked at the mirror beside the bed, he was looking more human. Losing one's own identity was not a good sign; he needed to talk to someone from heaven. He tried to reach anyone with telepathic connection.

****************************

Thank You so much for appreciating a different concept ! Really means a lot ! Keep the love coming by comments and likes. Please share you views! Your feedback is needed.

P.S. Twerping(Ri) I don't have enough words to thank you ! 🤗 ❤️

Chapter : 2 (Letters)

a. The First Letter 142248537