Varuna

I ran through the thick, lush Indian forest. Breathing hard, perspiration ran down my neck as my lungs screamed for me to stop. I groaned and halted. I plopped my back across a mossy tree and wiped my face. My hair clung to my head as if for dear life.

I paused as I heard a low growl behind me. I froze then turned to look around a tree to see the thing I had been running from. My heart skipped a beat and I stopped breathing. A huge panther stalked out from behind the trees, snarling a deep, menacing growl. It silently advanced toward me. The outcome of this was inevitable. I closed my eyes and waited for the strike.

I heard a gentle purring. I opened my eyes and saw an adorable, tiny panther cub rubbing against my legs. I froze and looked up at its mom. She was in a position to pounce but her eyes were fixed on her baby. I slowly got up and backed away. The huge panther's eyes darted back to me and it softly growled then stalked toward her cub. After we stared at each other for what seemed five minutes, the huge animal grabbed the cub by its scruff and carried it off into the forest. I plopped down on a mossy log that was behind me and thought What in the world just happened to me? Oh no that did not just happen.

I jumped up as a furry hand touched my back. I slowly turned around to see an Arunachal Macaque staring at me. It was making funny "oo oo aa aa" sounds. I stopped in my tracks, got a huge rock and threw it in the air as hard as I could, attempting to distract it. Wow. I am so glad I took that softball camp when I was younger. The rock flew through the branches. I couldn't see it anymore. I heard a soft thud. The monkey didn't move except to waddle closer to me. I stepped back only to fall because a vine was tangled around my ankle. Everything went black.

I felt like I was being pulled out of a deep pit of water. It was as if peace was restored over my limbs. I heard a calm but hard voice calling my name. "Varuna. VARUNA." I snapped out of my trance and was suddenly in my psychiatrist's office where she was standing over me.

"Varuna," the psychiatrist said. "What just happened to you?"

I murmured, "I was in India and a monkey was in front of me in the forest." My psychiatrist had a very concerned look on her face. She walked out of the room. I could just hear her voice. My psychiatrist was on the phone. "She's been doing this every time she comes here. She needs help that I cannot provide."

A week later I was in a hospital. I had my own bed and room all to myself. I thought about what my doctor said in our sessions. How it was a dream world that I created inside of my mind. I thought, Then I can control this world. This is a world that seems so real, so why can't it be real?.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, transporting myself back to the forest. I was back. This time I controlled everything. The plants, the animals, the life. The heartbeat of the forest. Everything. But there was something there that I could never get rid of: the beeping of the monitors. In my world, they became the endless chirps of the tree frogs.