As I sipped the hot cup of Nescafe coffee on the balcony of my room, the cold Mukhteshwar air bit into my skin. The morning was still young, with the sun casting a golden hue over the distant Himalayan ranges, changing colour with every passing moment. Winter was still far away, but the chill in the air hinted at its eventual arrival. As I stood there, lost in thought, I saw Sumi (Smitakshi) jogging towards the resort. As she crossed the porch, her path passed near my balcony.
She waved at me and smiled, her cheeks flushed from the run. “Good morning!” she called out, her cheerful voice having a different tingling warmth despite the cold. Would you join me for breakfast?”
I nodded, setting my cup down on the balcony railing. “Sure,” I replied. She looked at her Apple watch and signalled to catch you in 15 minutes at the restaurant.
I took my time getting ready and reaching the restaurant, and there she was waiting. This was the first time any girl was earlier than me for a meeting. I noted her fondness for punctuality and settled at the table. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and toasted bread filled the room. I picked up the cup of coffee and looked at her with curiosity.
“Do you jog every day?” I asked, taking a sip.
She shook her head, and I could see her expression change. “No, not every day. But I like to jog and clear my mind when I wake up early from a dream. The beauty of the morning and the view of the ranges were also inviting enough.”
I nodded, understanding the allure of the serene landscape. “You mentioned a dream. What was it about?”
She hesitated for a moment, then after a thoughtful stare at her coffee cup, she looked up and began sharing. “Last night, I dreamt I was like a caged queen in a zoo. It was unsettling. There were letters- some legal papers floating around me in the cage. And then the alarm I set yesterday to catch the Shatabdi from Delhi rang, and I couldn’t go back to sleep.”
I listened intently, bookmarking the thought to explore it later. “Interesting,” I said, trying to piece together the significance of the dream. “Do you often have dreams like that?”
“Not often, but they feel very vivid when I do.”
I took another sip of his coffee, deep in thought. “Dreams can sometimes reflect our innermost fears and desires. It sounds like there’s something important your mind is trying to tell you. Maybe it is something subconscious you must be fighting.”
She nodded, her eyes distant as if trying to grasp the elusive meaning of her dream. “Perhaps. It’s just… strange to feel so trapped. It’s like the letters were trying to communicate something, and maybe the dream could have told me more if the alarm had not gone off.”
I stopped myself from opening up to her and restrained myself from telling her I was a dream reader and could help induce lucid dreams. I reached out, gently placing my hand on hers. “We’ll figure it out. Sometimes, talking about it helps bring clarity.”
She smiled appreciatively. “Thank you. It does feel good to talk about it.”
As we continued our breakfast, trying to taste almost everything on that buffet spread, the conversation shifted to lighter topics, but the mystery of her dream lingered in my mind. I knew it had nothing to do with last night’s encounter, but then I could not be sure. I was determined to help her unravel it, believing that understanding it might reveal something significant about her and our growing bond. This bond thing was a unilateral thought.
As we parted, we decided to try having lunch at the Nirvana Café, two bends away from the resort. She agreed and promised to be at the lobby at 2 PM. I noted how she said the time- signalling she meant 2 PM as 2 PM.
The rest of the day unfolded lazily, with the sun playing hide-and-seek behind the clouds. I couldn’t help but think about the layers of her personality, the enigmatic dream, and the caged queen. There was a story there, one I was eager to uncover, and I knew this was just the beginning.
Here is Chapter 1—Rainy evening in a resort at Mukhteshwar of the story with an undisclosed destination. Chapter II—The beach and whispering Mukhteshwar. Chapter, III—Mukhteshwar Encounter. And Chapter V—e5—the first move at Nirvana cage.
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This post is part of the #BlogChatterBlogHop #BlogChatter . It gives a word cloud to write weekly. I am trying to see if I can use the weekly word cloud to write a story in continuity. The word cloud was Subconscious, Zoo, Fear, Dreams, Dawn, Black, Winter, Adventure, Letters, Lights, Queen, Alarm-clock, Beauty, Bookmark. 12/14 this time.
