The First Storyteller by Varun Gwalani

Author:Varun Gwalani
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9789352016006
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd
Published: 2016-04-20T18:30:00+00:00

13

The Stranger Song

What if I was doing this all wrong?

The Path could not be just an expression or a balm for my darkest moments; it needed to bring joy and happiness as well. Could it be that I would reach the end of my journey, without ever having experienced anything of the Forest but its trials?

I was deeply dissatisfied with everything I had experienced on the Path lately, and it seemed like the perfect time to try something different. I was confident that I would manage to make my way back to it. All my roads led to the Path, after all.

So, for the first time, I willingly stepped off the Path and entered the Forest proper.

It was actually not as bad as I would’ve thought. I roamed for several cycles, discovering new varieties of wildlife, encountering things I probably never would have otherwise. The best part, however, was that this break helped me to heal. It was liberating to simply wander without worry, to let the heart soar and love at will. It felt like I could start to feel affection towards the Forest once more.

It did seem strange to feel that way after everything I had been through, but it was true. I felt more alive, more aware of myself and my surroundings than I had been in a long time. I could hear every chirp of every bird. I could hear the giggle of the leaves of as the wind tickled them when it brushed past. I could hear the sound of my footsteps resounding through the Forest, an echo which I had become as acquainted to as I had my breathing.

As I more consciously moved my limbs one after the other, as I heard my heart pumping away in my chest, I could feel myself finally moving away from the sense of isolation that had plagued me for so long. I was embracing the blade of solitude hanging over my head as another appendage to my body, instead of something that had to be escaped from.

The oddest event in that wandering was when I felt something on my head, and touched it to see that it was wet. The wild thought came to mind that it was blood before I looked up to have a drop of water plop right between my eyes. It was raining!

It had never rained before in the Forest! As I ran to find shelter, the trees dwindled until I emerged in a wide glade. That was where I saw her through the rain for the first time.

I remember her well, even the way she looked in that moment. Though I couldn’t see her clearly in the rain, I could see that she was tall, dark and even from that vantage point I knew she was beautiful. The most striking feature was the blue object that she was holding above her head to protect herself from the rain.

Without conscious effort, I found that I was running in her direction. She heard and turned around, whipping her wet, long, chestnut hair as she did so.

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