Satsangi - (A Search For Truth)

CHAPTER 5

I heard soft hymns in the distance while I was still asleep. Half-conscious, I mumbled, "Mom, please let me sleep," pulling the blanket over my head, hoping to block out the noise. But then something struck me. I suddenly woke up and sat up in bed, my heart racing.

Thinking my mom and maybe others had come home already , I hurried downstairs, still groggy but alert. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I was met with an empty house. The sudden quiet felt almost deafening, and I realized the hymns I heard were coming from the nearby temple, not inside. My face fell as the brief excitement faded into a familiar sense of loneliness.

With a sigh, I went upstairs to freshen up, trying to shake off the weight of the morning. After splashing water on my face, I headed to the kitchen to make breakfast, hoping that the routine would ground me.

I whipped up some sandwiches and brewed a cup of coffee, going through the motions with a mental checklist in mind. As I reached for ingredients, I quickly realized I was running low on groceries. I made a note to do some shopping later, adding a few extra things to the list. After finishing breakfast, I cleaned up the dishes, wiped down the counters, and made sure everything was in order. Once the kitchen was clean, I locked all the doors and closed the gate behind me, heading out toward the shop.

As I walked down the street, I spotted Rehaan jogging towards me. He slowed down as he approached, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Hi, good morning, Officer," I greeted him, smiling.

"Good morning, Divya," he replied, catching his breath slightly. "Where are you off to?"

"I'm going shopping," I answered, adjusting the strap of my bag.

"Do you know where the shops are?" he asked, a teasing look in his eyes.

I hesitated, realizing I didn’t actually know where the shops were located. Biting my lip, I gave him a sheepish smile. "Um… not exactly."

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No worries, I’ll show you the way."

I smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Rehaan. That would be really helpful."

We started walking side by side, and I felt a bit more at ease with him leading the way. As the streets grew busier with people going about their day, I glanced over at Rehaan. "By the way, are you not going to the office today?"

He flashed a grin. "Off day, my lady," he said playfully. "Even officers get to take a break."

I laughed softly. "Lucky you. It’s nice to have someone familiar to navigate this place with."

"Happy to help," he said, shrugging. "Besides, it's a good excuse to keep walking after my jog."

The market was bustling with people, and I found myself struggling to keep pace with Rehaan. The sheer volume of the crowd and the busy atmosphere overwhelmed me, as I wasn’t accustomed to such environments. We managed to buy all the vegetables and groceries I needed, weaving through the sea of people as quickly as we could.

On our way back home, I noticed a dog trailing behind us. At first, I chose to ignore it and continued walking, but after a few moments, the dog began barking. A sudden rush of anxiety hit me—I've always been scared of dogs—so I instinctively grabbed Rehaan's arm for comfort.

“It’s just a dog, don’t worry,” Rehaan said softly, sensing my discomfort. He turned toward the dog and tried to calm it down, speaking in a gentle tone. "Go on, buddy, go home."

But the dog wasn’t having any of it. Instead of leaving, it trotted closer and grabbed the edge of my grocery bag with its mouth, tugging on it lightly. It was as if the dog was trying to guide us somewhere.

“Rehaan, what is it doing?” I asked nervously, unsure whether to trust the dog's strange behavior.

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem aggressive,” Rehaan replied, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Maybe we should follow it. It looks like it's trying to show us something.”

Reluctantly, I allowed the dog to lead us, still clutching Rehaan's arm as we followed it down the narrow street. After a few minutes, the dog stopped in front of a small Shiva temple. It glanced back at us once more, as if to make sure we had arrived, before darting off and disappearing around the corner.

“Well, that was… strange,” I muttered, still trying to process what had just happened.

“Do you want to go inside?” I asked Rehaan, glancing toward the temple.

Rehaan looked at the temple thoughtfully but then shook his head. “No, I’ll wait here. You go ahead if you want to pray.”

Nodding, I made my way into the temple, my curiosity piqued by the peculiar series of events.

I went inside the temple and knelt to pray, offering my thoughts to the divine in the peaceful space. The familiar scent of incense filled the air, and the quiet murmurs of other devotees created a comforting rhythm. After a few moments, I finished my prayer and stood up, feeling a little more at peace.

As I turned to leave, the priest approached me with a kind smile, placing his hand on my head in a gesture of blessing. "May Lord Shiva’s grace always be with you," he said softly.

"Thank you," I replied, offering a small nod of gratitude.

Before I could walk away, the priest spoke again. "Could you follow me for a moment, child?"

I hesitated, confused by his request. "Why?" I asked.

"I have something for you," he said, his voice calm and assured, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Curious and somewhat intrigued, I decided to follow him. We walked through a narrow passage beside the temple that led to a small house. It was modest but inviting, with soft lighting and the faint aroma of sandalwood filling the air. He gestured for me to sit in a chair near the doorway while he disappeared into another room.

As I sat there, I glanced around the space. Despite its simplicity, the house felt warm, almost homely. The soft rustling of leaves outside the window and the gentle breeze added to its serenity.

The priest soon returned, holding a worn leather journal in his hands. He extended it toward me with care. "Here, he forwarded that journal towards me.

I blinked in surprise, unsure of what was happening. "Why are you giving this to me?" I asked, staring at the journal in confusion.

The priest smiled softly, as though he already knew the questions swirling in my mind. "It’s your father’s," he explained. "He left it here some time ago, in a bit of a hurry. I believe he received an urgent phone call that day. I called out to him as he rushed off, but I think he didn’t hear me. I’ve been keeping it safe ever since, hoping I’d find a way to return it to him—or to you."

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of my father. A rush of memories flooded back, and my mind reeled with questions. "But how did you know I’m his daughter?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The priest's expression remained serene, his eyes filled with quiet understanding. He opened the journal to a page near the front and gently turned it toward me. Inside was a photograph of me and my father, one I hadn’t seen in years. The edges were slightly frayed, but the image itself was unmistakable—a moment frozen in time, capturing a memory I hadn’t expected to revisit today.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and blinked back the sudden sting of tears. "Thank you, sir," I managed to say, taking the journal from him with trembling hands.

The priest simply nodded, his smile never faltering. "May it bring you peace, child," he said before retreating back into the temple.

I walked out of the house, clutching the journal tightly, still processing the strange yet touching encounter. When I reached Rehaan, who had been waiting patiently, he looked at me curiously.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

I nodded, though my mind was still swimming with emotions. "Yeah, let’s go," I said quietly.

Together, we walked back home, the weight of the journal in my hands both comforting and bittersweet.