As she cried, energy drained out from her body, along with all her tumultuous emotions.
As Kumud drifted to sleep, the weight of her newfound reality pressed heavily upon her. Her gaze became heavy, as each familiar sight was now tinged with a sense of surrealism, that left her feeling disoriented and adrift.
"How.... could this be? How could she find herself inhabiting a body that is not her own.... living a life that belonged to another?" Uncontrollable thoughts flooded her unconscious mind.
Memories of her past life flickered through her mind,like fragments of a dream, elusive and fragmented. She recalled the fateful day in the forest, the sting of the snake's bite, and the overwhelming darkness that consumed her. And then... nothing. Until now.
But.... But she never went to the forest! Who was this! Padmini? Kumud? Or her delusion?
As the moon cast its silvery glow upon the sleeping world, Kumud drifted into a realm of dreams, where reality intertwined with the echoes of the past.
She found herself standing in a vast expanse of darkness, a place devoid of form or substance, yet pulsating with a strange sense of familiarity.
Amidst the shadows, a figure emerged—a specter of the past, adorned in the guise of the previous Kumud. Her features were ethereal, bathed in an otherworldly glow that seemed to emanate from within.
This was the original Kumud, while she? She was Padmini! who had occupied her body! Like a leech!
Padmini was ashamed. Her heart quickened at the sight of Kumud , a rush of emotions flooded her senses.
"Kumud? " the apparition spoke, her voice a gentle whisper that stirred the depths of Padmini, now Kumud's soul.
"I have been waiting for you......" That ethereal apparition spoke.
Kumud's eyes widened in astonishment, her gaze locked with the spectral form before her.
"Who... Who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling with uncertainty. " And... And Who am I? What am I?"
The apparition smiled—a warm, radiant expression that seemed to melt away the darkness that surrounded them. "I am the one whose place you now inhabit," she replied, her voice resonating with a sense of peace and serenity. "I am the soul of the previous Kumud, grateful for the opportunity to thank you."
Padmini who was now Kumud was astonished.
Her brows furrowed in confusion, "Thank me? But.... for what?"
The spectral Kumud's smile widened, her eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. "For fulfilling a promise made long ago," she explained.
" You not remember, dear Padmini? Do you? " She said gently.
Kumud still looked at her filled with confusion. Her eyes glazed with a jumble of emotions and memories, some belonging to her, and some belonging to her new self.....
"In echoes of past, debts entwined,
A life for a life, the fates remind." The apparition's voice sounded.
Recognition dawned upon Kumud as fragments of memories flooded her mind—a distant echo of a childhood vow made in innocence and sincerity. She had long forgotten the promise, buried beneath the weight of time and circumstance. Yet here, in the depths of her dreams, the truth shimmered like a beacon of light amidst the darkness.......
"I saved your life?" Kumud murmured, her voice tinged with confusion. " But when....? How?" she asked in bewilderment.
The spectral Kumud nodded, her gaze unwavering. "You'll remember Padmini.... when the time is right, and fate allows it.... You shall know....." she affirmed. " For now, through the twist of fate's design, you have been given the chance to fulfill my debt...... You are the vessel through which my gratitude flows, the guardian of a promise made in the innocence of youth......"
YOU ARE READING
Lotus among the Roses
Historical Fiction'I cried that night.....so much that it numbed me to my core' Padmini sobbed hard. Her life came crashing down at her when she found that her husband had a mistress....... " Gulbahar" this name signified the woman he loves......just like her name wa...
