The wind on her face, the sweet air. Breathing would feel this blessed, Meran never thought.
The city and its smoke and materialism had subdued the nature inside of her. Every day that
she lived there after that night, she felt herself dying a little.
Kausani was a small town, but it made her feel bigger than she ever did. Delhi was not much
for, she should have come here earlier. It would have made her feel free, escaped. But it was
too late now. No matter where she went, she still felt trapped, helpless under the weight. Every
street, every lane, they all looked the same to her- merciless, deadly, shameful.
At night, the nightmares would not let her sleep. The soft mattress under her would turn solid
concrete. So, she would sit on the balcony, overlooking the forest. The air smelt sweeter at
midnight and she would always feel that the forest called to her; luring her, as if it needed her.
Most people did not camp in the woods because the main tourist attractions were elsewhere.
Thursday she decided to go camping. She had come here alone to detach from all possible
human interactions. The fact that many people do not camp here gave her some semblance of
relief.
By the time she decided to start setting her camp, darkness had gathered. The forest felt
hauntingly beautiful. There was so much silence, even the wind stood still. It looked dead. But
Meran found solace in it.
Suddenly, a sound, a rustle in the leaves stopped Meran’s actions. Her heart beat thundered.
There were snow leopards and tigers around the area, but they would not come here. After what
felt like a whole minute, a face emerged from between the trees.
“Oh, hi,” the face cried, a little breathless. It was a young girl. She could not have been older
than twenty.
“What are you doing here alone at this time?”, Meran asked, a little suspicious now. Girls her
age usually camp with friends. And she looked like she had a lot of friends.
“I could ask you the same,” the girl said, coming closer. She had a beautiful face with round doe
eyes and long brown hair that looked wild.
“Can I spend the night with you?” the girl asked innocently. Meran’s first thought should have
been ‘no’ but something about the girl intrigued her.
“Tell me your name first” Meran did not want any chirpy little teenager to ruin the quiet but the
urge to let her stay was strong.

The girl’s face broke out in a striking smile “I am Adiba,” she said.
Meran let Adiba stay and asked her to help her set up the camp.
“Okay,” said Adiba, but she did not move. She kept sitting and started humming a musical note.
Meran thought that she must be a pampered daughter, not used to working, so she did not
press the matter. Once in a while Meran would sneak a glance at Adiba only to find her eyes
close and a silent smile on her lips, humming.
Adiba had the kind of beauty that people wrote poetries on. She was glowing like some ethereal
being. Meran wondered if there still would be light if she put off the bonfire because it appeared
as if the light was pouring out of Adiba.
In the course of the night, they would talk sometimes and sometimes there would be silence.
When asked about anything Adiba would launch into a detailed explanation. She talked so
animatedly, with her hands and expressions.
After an hour Meran felt her eyes closing. She was so sleepy! It surprised her. Lying down, she
looked up at the treetops and realized something. The forest was quiet but since Adiba’s
appearance a gentle breeze started blowing as if she had breathed life into the forest.
After an hour Meran felt her eyes closing. She was so sleepy! It surprised her. Lying down, she
looked up at the treetops and realized something. The forest was quiet but since Adiba’s
appearance a gentle breeze started blowing as if she had breathed life into the forest.
She turned to look at Adiba “Where is your backpack?” suddenly asked Meran.
“What do you mean?” asked Adiba, smiling.
“Are you not here to camp? You must have a backpack with essentials for it,” Meran pointed
out.
Adiba only kept smiling and said, “I never said I was here to camp”. Saying this she lay down
beside Meran, not touching her, and closed her eyes.
Meran was now so sleepy that she could not argue. Within seconds of closing her eyes, she
passed out, getting pulled into a deep dreamless sleep.
The bright rays of the sun woke her up. She noticed she was alone now; there was no sign of
Adiba to be seen. Meran waited an hour for Adiba to come back, but she never did. She had
disappeared just like she had appeared; like magic.

She did not know who Adiba was or where she had come from. Or even if she were real. After a
long time, she felt light, like boulders were lifted from her shoulders. In her heart, Meran knew,
Adiba had saved her from herself.

Author:- Anubhuti Bhowmik