At times, dreams and memories intertwine and it is hard to tell them apart. And at times, the difference changes life.
Shruti turned 22 this year and by all means she is a happy girl. She is the college topper, has a vast array of friends and is an ideal daughter to proud parents. Shruti was studying Psychology and though she would never admit it, she had chosen the subject hoping to unravel the truth behind a mysterious incident that occurred almost a decade ago.
There was little activity in the city suburbs on a balmy Sunday morning 10 years ago. Roads were empty, save for a vehicle or two.Tucked away on a small street that branched from the main road was a double storied house, or a part of it, as a wall divided the duplex into two homes, each with a separate entrance.
Twelve-year-old Shruti sat in the veranda of the left-side duplex, gazing out at the lawns, lost in thoughts. The veranda door opened to a circular lawn circumscribed by a cemented driveway, which in turn was surrounded by trees on both sides. It was a nice house. Shruti loved it. She was thinking about her upcoming birthday party.
Outside the door, on the right, would be a kiosk where she will keep prizes for the winners of different games. Maybe not. Towards the right, the driveway led to the garage and that’s where all the vehicles will be parked. So the kiosk can be put towards the left, under the porch. Perfect. She pictured it as she planned.
There will be several games. Musical chair, which can be arranged in the lawn. The music system can be put in the veranda, though speakers would be required. Sharmas have nice speakers, and will surely lend them for a day. She will ask her mother to see to it as soon as her parents return form shopping.
Then there would be dumb-charades. That would be fun! Shruti could hardly wait to see how Anshul, a really stupid kid in her class, would act. She laughed to herself. She can also organise a relay race. Circular lawns have so many advantages, she sighed.
Shruti was so engrossed in her thoughts that it was while before, with a jolt, she realized what she was seeing.
On the driveway towards the right, where the cars would be parked on her birthday, ambled a massive lion. It was followed by a wild boar and a grub, both of which were of the same size as the lion and strode at the same pace. The bizzare group circled the driveway on the far side of the lawn, leaped over the gate and disappeared in the alley.
Shruti, who stood frozen, was seized by a rush of adrenaline. She quickly shut the veranda door and rushed inside the house, bolting all the doors and windows and pulling up curtains.
When her parents returned in the afternoon, Shruti narrated the incident. As was to be expected, neither believed her story. They said she might have hallucinated. Nobody in the neighbourhood complained about seeing a massive lion or a wild boar or an unusually large grub. But Shruti was sure it wasn’t a hallucination or a dream, even 10 years after the incident.
She saw what she saw, though what she saw would always remain a mystery in the back of her memory. Even today, she sometimes woke up in the middle of the night with dreams of the memory. Or, perhaps, it was memory of a dream.
Shruti turned 22 this year and by all means she is a happy girl. She is the college topper, has a vast array of friends and is an ideal daughter to proud parents. Shruti was studying Psychology and though she would never admit it, she had chosen the subject hoping to unravel the truth behind a mysterious incident that occurred almost a decade ago.
There was little activity in the city suburbs on a balmy Sunday morning 10 years ago. Roads were empty, save for a vehicle or two.Tucked away on a small street that branched from the main road was a double storied house, or a part of it, as a wall divided the duplex into two homes, each with a separate entrance.
Twelve-year-old Shruti sat in the veranda of the left-side duplex, gazing out at the lawns, lost in thoughts. The veranda door opened to a circular lawn circumscribed by a cemented driveway, which in turn was surrounded by trees on both sides. It was a nice house. Shruti loved it. She was thinking about her upcoming birthday party.
Outside the door, on the right, would be a kiosk where she will keep prizes for the winners of different games. Maybe not. Towards the right, the driveway led to the garage and that’s where all the vehicles will be parked. So the kiosk can be put towards the left, under the porch. Perfect. She pictured it as she planned.
There will be several games. Musical chair, which can be arranged in the lawn. The music system can be put in the veranda, though speakers would be required. Sharmas have nice speakers, and will surely lend them for a day. She will ask her mother to see to it as soon as her parents return form shopping.
Then there would be dumb-charades. That would be fun! Shruti could hardly wait to see how Anshul, a really stupid kid in her class, would act. She laughed to herself. She can also organise a relay race. Circular lawns have so many advantages, she sighed.
Shruti was so engrossed in her thoughts that it was while before, with a jolt, she realized what she was seeing.
On the driveway towards the right, where the cars would be parked on her birthday, ambled a massive lion. It was followed by a wild boar and a grub, both of which were of the same size as the lion and strode at the same pace. The bizzare group circled the driveway on the far side of the lawn, leaped over the gate and disappeared in the alley.
Shruti, who stood frozen, was seized by a rush of adrenaline. She quickly shut the veranda door and rushed inside the house, bolting all the doors and windows and pulling up curtains.
When her parents returned in the afternoon, Shruti narrated the incident. As was to be expected, neither believed her story. They said she might have hallucinated. Nobody in the neighbourhood complained about seeing a massive lion or a wild boar or an unusually large grub. But Shruti was sure it wasn’t a hallucination or a dream, even 10 years after the incident.
She saw what she saw, though what she saw would always remain a mystery in the back of her memory. Even today, she sometimes woke up in the middle of the night with dreams of the memory. Or, perhaps, it was memory of a dream.
