As the pallid winter sun shone on the
frozen river, the ice started to crackle producing a rather satisfying sound.
The wintery trees stood as ballet dancers boasting about their grace and
strength showing us how they remain still in the seasonal gusts. Since autumn
had recently gone by, the leaves had fallen off the trees leaving behind only
some fruits scattered here and there. They pretended as if the mottled silver
and brown coat was their skin.
Even in such extreme conditions a
young and financially weak girl lived without anyone’s support independently.
Unlike us, she only survived on wild berries and fish. She lived in a cave. Her
parents used to adore her to the core but sadly they passed away while they
were boat riding. Their boat had drowned in the deep waters of Lake Michigan.
Her name was well, we don’t know, it’s a mystery. However, she referred to
herself as “Purse”. You probably would be thinking that “Purse” is a lame and
insane name but she gave herself this name for a reason, a reason very close to
her heart. The very last gift that her parents gave her was a purse.
The timid girl had made the
forest her home. She adapted her body to the tough conditions of life in a rare
place to live, a cave amidst the forest. She had to master all the survival
techniques like building a fire, purifying water, fishing and to overcome her
fears.
She
had morphed into an emaciated figure, her face beset with stress as she missed
her parents dearly. She missed her mother braiding her hair with her delicate
hands and her lap which was the safest place. Her father’s meticulous
nurturing. All days were the same to her now and Sundays, which used to be so
special because of her parents just dwindled into an ordinary day. She would
spend most of her day crouched in the corner of her cave with her hands wrapped
around her knees, her face clenched with the effort of not giving way to tears.
Her legs and arms throbbed in tiredness and a gnawing pain she hadn’t known. She
was strong enough to cope up with the harsh reality but quite weak to face the
void which no one could fill for her. Silence was her best pal and she was at
the mercy of the glorious sky to embrace her. Her father would tell her a
different bedtime story each day, and now, the sounds of the jungle would lull
her to sleep.
On
an unfortunate night the jungle was plunged into complete darkness, when wild
animals surrounded her cave. She was frightened and relieved in equal measure
in the hope to reunite with her loved ones. She knew there was no escape. Her
lower lip quivered and trepidation flickered in her eyes. She was very close to
her death. As she prepared for it, a sudden bolt of lightning struck the cave,
which was ablaze with light. She heard a voice that bore an astounding resemblance
to her mother’s voice- “ Dispel your fears and own this place. No one can harm
you, my child, as I am always watching over you… So build an extraordinary life
as you can be anything you like. I might not be physically there to hold your
hand but just look up in the sky when you need me around.”
Purse
froze and looked towards the sky with her mouth agape desperately trying to
make sense of everything. She exhaled her fears and inhaled confidence.
The forest came alive with gorgeous waterfalls, the
lilies bloomed in the rainbow colours , the plump fish danced in and out of
water, the frogs set up a chorus and the
animals became her friends. She was not alone any longer….
