By Vidarshana Prasad
She was someone who had trouble sleeping. It wasn't unknown to the people in her life. Her mother had tried making her herbal teas. Her father had tried to get her medications. But nothing worked. She lay awake every night, staring at the ceiling, staring at the wall. The soft glow of the candle the only source of light. She looked out of the window sometimes. Looking at the streets and wondering what their lives were like. What were their mornings like. How did the finish their days. Were there places the usually visited? Was there people they looked forward to seeing? It was not something she could comprehend or understand. As she understood it, people only connected to each other for a brief moment in time. There was no surety or definitive answer to if a person would remain by their side forever. So what was the point? What was the point of putting all that effort into caring about someone that deeply.
She stood by her window, watching late night passerby’s as usual. Some returning late from work, some drunkards and some teenagers messing around. It was the same as every day. The same thing again and again. Rinse and Repeat. She moved to blow the candle out and try to close her eyes. Her mother was growing worried and tried a new herbal tea. She did not want to let her down. Just as she was about to blow out the candle, she saw movement from the corner of her eyes. A regular passerby, walking unusually slowly. This was not uncommon and she had seen it happen quite a few times. But this time, something made her pause. The candle continued flickering. And she turned to the window again. The stranger was dressed unusually, he looked like he had come from a few decades ago. A cap was pulled low on his head and covered his face. A long coat was thrown over his shoulders with a satchel across his chest. She watched him move along the street, walking slowly, but somehow it felt meaningful. Like he had a destination he had to reach. A destination of importance. She watched him carefully.
Then he looked up. Directly at her. Their eyes met and she felt like time had stopped.
The candle was burning but it was still. A ladybug was stuck on the spot on the window. The droplet making its way down the glass had stopped. She felt like she wasn’t breathing anymore. She was at her house. Everything was in place but she felt like she was somewhere else.
She quickly looked down again to spot the unusual man but he was gone. Curiosity bubbled inside her. An anxiousness flowed its way down to her bones. She saw the glimpse of a shadow quickly pass the corner and she decided to open the window and step out of it, making her way down the emergency stairway. The droplet stayed in place and so did the little ladybug.
She turned around the corner she saw the shadow disappear to and walked with an urgency she had never felt for anything else in her life. After pacing forward, the shadow turned another corner. And then another. And then another.
She was going in circles; she was sure of it but she did not want to stop. Something wanted her to follow this shadow. Why was she so eager? She did not know it herself. It was a foreign feeling to her. But she embraced it and kept on following.
She kept following until she realized that she did not know where she was. The buildings and the architecture looked the same but she knows, she wasn’t in her city anymore. The shadow had disappeared and now all she could do was walk forward. And she did. For how long, she did not know. Until she saw a singular small building with bright yellow light. It was a stark contrast against the dark of the night.
She took curious steps towards the building. It was just two storied and the top two floors were dark. But there were steps leading down to the basement which glowed a comforting yellow. She was drawn to it. And decided to make the fist step.
And that changes everything for her. The first step down to the basement of a building that looked like it did not belong there.
Every step she took lower, and lower she felt her breath return. She felt her shoulders feel lighter.
Eight steps in total. Eight steps that changed her life.
The moment she entered she was astounded by the number of things that were hung up on the walls. Desks and shelves, filled with small trinkets, some that looked like they would cost a fortune, and some like pebbles that could have been picked up from the road. Each an every item was on full display, the warm lights making them glow and her fingers itched to touch. To feel each and every thing in her palms, to turn them round and round and feel every dent and crevice. She was so lost in the space she didn’t notice a young man sitting on a chair right behind her.
“Hello?” he said with a smile.
She jumped at the voice and turned around quickly to see the boy. He looked like he was about her age but his eyes were years older and all knowing. There was a strange glint in them that made her on edge.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, “I didn’t mean to trespass”
“Trespass,” he laughed. It was warm and sweet, unlike the glint in his eyes, “if everyone who entered here thought they were trespassing, I would be out of business!”
“Business? “
“Yes!” he spread his arms around the small area, “This is my shop. Are you interested in purchasing something.”
She pursed her lips in thought, “no I’m not.”
The boy smiled again, as he knew something that she didn’t, “Of course you are. Or you wouldn’t have ended up here.”
“What do you mean?” she asked in confusion. But the boy only smiled in return.
“Look around! And let me know if you find something interesting.”
Her eyes narrowed at his skeptical answers, but she chose to ignore it at the moment and turned around to look at all the things in display.
“You can touch them.” The boy said now leaning his elbow against his knee and hand on his chin, looking at her in amusement.
She chose to ignore him and turned towards the first thing that had caught her eye. A simple stone. Grey around the edges but with a bright red stone embedded in the center.
“What is this?” she asked finally able to turn it around in her hands and feel the roughness of the stone and the smoothness of the gem.
“Interesting choice,” the boy says finally standing up and walking up to her. He held out his hand. Gesturing to hand it over to him. She placed the stone in his waiting palm. “This is very rare eden stone.”
“Eden Stone?” She frowned, as far as she knew there wasn’t anything like that.
The boy nodded. “Its very rare.” His laugh was warm, “it was very difficult for me to get my hands on them.” He looks away in thought, and then laughs again. “so this is what you choose”
She frowned again, “I’m not here to buy anything”
The boy smiled again, and she felt something grow tighter in her every time he smiled like he knew something that she didn’t.
“Oh but you are.”
“I’m not!”
“Don’t worry,” he said gently, “First purchases are free.” He took her hand and placed the stone in her palm and covered it with his other hand. “First purchases are free.” He said again, and she looked at him in confusion.
“But you said this was rare and- “
“Yes,” he laughed again, “but I’m saying this now. Remember this: First purchases are free as long as you return.”
He guided her shoulders now and ushered her out of the ‘shop’. She protested but he did not stop and let her step out. She turned around to get answers to the many questions she had but she didn’t get the chance.
“First purchases are free,” he smiled again, “As long as you return.”
“But- “She begins to say, but the door is shut and the lights are out. The stone feels heavy in her hand but somehow gives her some form of comfort. When she looks up she’s back in front of her house.
She climbs the staircase and enters her room from the window. The candle has blown out now. The ladybug is nowhere to be seen and the drop of water has almost made its way down to the base. She sets the stone on her table and lays down on the bed.
This is the first time she has slept soundly throughout the night.
By Vidarshana Prasad
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