ADIA

The feather

They walked through the woods for a long time. Neither of them uttered a word. Despite their loss for words they were entertained by the voice of birds and breeze.

The snow started reducing as they walked far away.
Soon, there was no snow at all as they reached at the end of the woods.

The wind got stronger. They both removed their boots as their feet started sinking into the sand. It felt good for them to stand on the sand at the beach, barefooted.

The sand indulging between their toes, both their eyes shining at the brightness of the sun who was about to drown in the Ocean.

A wreck of seabirds were wandering on the coast. Some of them walking on the hard huge rocks who were being hitten by the waves as the water splashed.

Adia could feel the cold and firmness of the sand as she moved closer to the ocean. She always admired the ocean, the way it lies beyond what we see telling that there is more than what you know. She liked it when the waves wet her feet.

"I am no Saint"

Adia turned back to see Aida standing behind her not so close not so far either.

"No one is, we all have got things that we regret" Aida stated staring at the sun.

"So, what is the story of your scar?" Adia asked faintly looking away from her at the sun as same as Aida.

"You still haven't understood, have you?" Aida said smiling slightly.

"Understand what?" Adia questioned, confused.

"You will"
Adia only became more confused after her assurance.

"Want to go for a ride?"

They were far away from the shore in a small motor boat. Adia had no experience of accessing a boat but Aida seemed pretty fine at it.

"Are you happy, Adia?"

They both were standing supporting themselves by holding the gunwale with their palms.

"I don't know" she sighed "atleast there is nothing to worry about"

"That doesn't make you happy, that makes you feel nothing" Adia listened as she felt like something is coming up.

"Here we have everything but at the same time nothing. We miss our loved ones wishing if we took a little while to say goodbye"

Adia didn't cry, she felt helpless. Every bone in her wished if she could change it. She could have tried.

"What can i do, i can't change anything" Adia finally said.

"I have made a mistake but atleast you can make it right" Aida moved and stood in front Adia and continued "It hasn't been too late for you" she concluded her words while holding Adia's hand.

"What do you mean?" Adia asked looking into her eyes not bothering to blink them.

Aida took the white feather out of her hair with the other hand as some of the strands of her long hair grimaced through her fingers until she finally pulled the feather and kept them in Adia's hand who looked at it befuddled. Aida closed her hand making Adia hold it. "To the most regretful soul, this feather will take you home"

"I don't understand"

"You don't have to know the answers of everything, Adia. Remember that". Aida resumed. "This feather is for you, it was sacred in the cave behind the waterfall i took you to. We can change it" Aida's eyes gleemed with hope.

Adia studied her as Aida took a flower from her pocket that she recognised as the flower from the castle, the book of Adia and the CD of her birthday video.

"But it has only one feather" she said anxiously.

"You still have a lot to say, don't you" Aida smiled holding her shoulder.

"No!"

Aida laid the flower above the water bending over the gunwale as it's petals detached itself and floated on the surface in a circular path as the path glowed.

"Why should I go back! I cant leave you."

"Why!" Aida sighed. "To feel all the things that you won't feel here, to cry, to laugh, to love, to hate, to be hurt, to heal, to live"

"I can't do it alone" Adia kept panicking while watching Aida as she kept babbling to her like a kid. She didn't wanted to leave her. After a long time she found something in herself because of Aida, she brought a little life in her hopeless world and to live that life in her absence is not something that she wanted.

Aida droped Adia's book and the CD into the depth of the circular pathway made by the petals floating on the surface of the ocean, a doorway to the invisible path which would change everything.

"I can't do it alone!" Adia repeated more harshly.

"You are not" Adia sighed in relief.
"If you don't have to do it without me, would you go back" Aida asked her.

"Yes" Aida nodded holding her lips tight.

"You promise?"

"I promise" she replied feeling hopeful.

"Inorder to serve the purpose of the feather you need to take an oath to replace it by a soul" she continued with a sigh "You won't be doing it alone" Aida stated as it took a moment for Adia to process her words.

"No, no, no! You are not doing it" Adia stood in front of Aida and in between the gunwale stopping Aida from doing furthermore with the circular path.

"Listen Aida, You are not going to let yourself replace it" she bargained as she let herself fall into Aida's chest as her hands made it's way to her back holding her steady.

"The feather is inevitable for that it must continue it's purpose"

Adia lifted herself from Aida as she heard her and pleaded "I can't let you do it, please don't."

Looking at Adia's pale face she held both of her shoulders ignoring the feeling how much she wanted to be with her and whispered her last words to her bringing her lips to her ear before pushing her into the depth of ocean "I am you".

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