THE DREAMER

In the relentless and torrential downpour, the two souls stood under a broken wooden shade which was shakily supported by four decaying logs. Prying on them were the thick greens which veiled them from the world. His constant gaze piercing through the smoke of his cigarette did not affect her indifference; instead her resigned persona challenged all the treacheries of the earth.

She had been a prisoner of life and its adversity. The relics of her failed relationship and the lifeless furniture of her house were the constant reminder of her loneliness which was devouring her brutally every day. Each dawn took away a slice of her vigor. On a voyage of losing herself, she no more feared the calamitous earth that day as she had nothing more left to be robbed.

She became aware of the spine chilling wet breeze around her when he offered her a cigarette standing at a foot’s distance with an outstretched hand holding a pack. Grabbing one she retreated to a heap of hay and amid the torrential rain watched the smoke puffs escaping her pale pink lips. Thereafter, a little time elapsed in their introduction which revealed that she lost her way while tracing the path to the jeep and her friends after a casual stroll around; while his purpose of a photographic project brought him there.

The rainwater was brimming up and was about to reach the rocky platform where they had taken refuge. Noticing her lack of enthusiasm to talk, he soon engaged himself in capturing the forest rain with his professional camera.

“What makes you this delightful in life? You may be stuck here for hours till the rain, hunger or some wild beasts suck the life out of you” she called out.

A little taken aback he examined her for a moment and then responded “I would be delightful that my life ended while I was cherishing it instead of making depressing remarks” With a mischievous smile he added “Well instead of warning me you must be worrying about your life. I may be a rapist or a dangerous criminal on a breakout.”

“A rapist with a DSLR camera?” she raised an eyebrow.

“You never know. I may use it for making your MMS” he winked.

A genuine laugh escaped her and marked the beginning of an amicable conversation between them. In a quick succession of words the stranger unshackled her heart. Her desires, sorrows and longings found expression and he became her confiding friend. She confessed how the excruciating pain of being ditched in a relationship still stabbed her everyday and how the words of masked acquaintances around suffocated her. She expressed her deepest desires to explore the world and how the loneliness fed on her making her weak. She admitted how difficult it became for her to move on after her dreams came down thrashing on the floor leaving behind a scar as a constant reminder to her failure. She narrated how much monotonous her posh life was and how she wished to flee. Throughout, he was just a calm and understanding listener to whom she poured her heart out.

It was only when she finished they both realized that the rain had finally stopped and the most enchanting hue that existed on earth that moment was green that encased them in its riveting innocence. The raindrops lay pearled on the leaves, some dropping off them. Twittering birds and some scattered silver clouds completed the sketch of a paradise. When they both set off together to find their way back to the world, she wished to stay behind for a few more hours or perhaps days.

On the way back she discovered his profound love for photography. Throughout the way he was engrossed in clicking pictures and explaining her random things about it. Sometimes she was amused by his gestures while at others she envied him for being so pleased with life. When she saw the earth through his frames it looked resplendent.

“What do you love the most to capture?” She asked.

“Ummm...mountain peaks, snow capped, against the gliding silver clouds. Sometimes veiled by mist and sometimes towering high overlooking every creation of the earth” he replied imaginatively.

“How far do you wish to go with photography in life?” she questioned him.

“Surely to the zenith where I’ll have a famed studio, perhaps a training center too and….let’s see” he concluded with a smile.

“And what if someday you lose your way to reach your dream…like forever?” she inquired.

“Life has numerous ways ma'm….and if you are planning to block them all for me in your next question then I’ll find another dream for life. While you desire to explore world…I desire to explore life” he said with a triumphant smile. 

She expressed her wish to be clicked by the "world’s-would-be-greatest-photographer", as she had tagged him, and handed him a card with her the address for mailing the same. A few more hours of walk, laughter and sharing anecdotes of life brought them to the highway which, although earlier threatened her to engulf in a saddening monotony, unfolded a mystic contentment. Before parting ways and bidding adieu the two strangers only wished each other good luck.

Her anxiety ended within a fortnight when finally after returning home she received an envelope which she instantaneously guessed contained her picture clicked by the "world’s-would-be-greatest-photographer". Her smile widened when her guess turned out to be appropriate and her own snap transported her to the magical day which had strangely unburdened her heart, in ways inexplicable to her. The envelope also enclosed a note within which read:

‘That day when you reached the edge of life to fearlessly embrace your destiny, whatsoever it be, life catered a new spirit to you which sparkled through your eyes just as I have captured in this picture. When you lose a dream life serves you many more to pick up and cherish so much that the world around you blurs. Let go of the scars, pains and words of the masked acquaintances and pick up a new dream to live.  A few years back I was a professional trekker, in love with snow capped mountains. But I lost that dream to a bike accident after which one of my legs had to be amputated. It became impossible for me to climb up with a wooden leg so I picked up a new dream, photography, and loved it ardently and honestly. I rented camera for projects that paid me little in terms of money and huge in terms of joy. You know the masked acquaintances around me used to say that my life needs stability first as dreams won’t appease my starved nights for long. Little they knew about what fed my soul.  Yesterday, I finally managed to buy an SLR camera and felt a little closer to the zenith I told you about. Today I am heading towards another deep wood for a new project with another rented DSLR camera. But this time I am even more exhilarated as I will bring home some of the frames of my dreams with me, captured in my own camera.’