Rewind

She stopped in front of the neem tree to catch some breath. It was not daybreak yet. The cool breeze was refreshing. The mud track from the main road was absolutely deserted. She gulped down some water and switched on the FM radio. Some old Tamil song was on air. She closed her eyes and let the breeze enter her soul. It was a divine experience.

Five minutes later, she started jogging again - away from the main road towards the dense woods. She was not worried about her safety. She just wanted to get away from orderliness and follow her instincts. She would deal with the situations as and when they arose.

Nitya, twenty five - a software professional in one of the countless software firms of India had two goals. The first was to become a software engineer. The second was to get out of the software career. She could easily attain the first one. The crazy deadlines, unreasonable work demands, politics and messy lifestyle made her insomniac. She just couldn't sleep. And she refused to submit herself to sleeping tablets. She would dictate her body. It shouldn't dictate her.

She wouldn't think about her health. She wanted to live life the way she wanted - the way she enjoyed. Death was not in her control and tomorrow may not even be written in her destiny. Hence she wouldn't worry about it.

Her first goal was a colossal miscalculation. She did not want to get bogged down by the requirements of this profession. She wanted to quit it and be a free bird. The second goal was not that easy because her family was dependent on her.

The night was tranquil. Only her footsteps were heard. It was music to her ears. She loved such nocturnal experiences.

"Are you crazy?"

She stopped instantly. The voice was that of a kid. Maybe five or six years old.

The girl was looking at Nitya curiously. Dressed in a white frock she was leaning against a tree fifteen yards from there.

Nitya checked her watch. It was four fifteen in the morning and she was at least four kilometers from the main road. As far as she knew there were no villages in the vicinity.

The girl was well dressed and polished. She spoke English. And she was calm.

Nitya clutched the pepper spray tightly and walked slowly towards the girl. "Hi, what are you doing here?"

The girl didn't reply. She just stared at Nitya.

"Where is your house?" Nitya asked her again.

"Up there" the girl showed the stars. Nitya nodded. "Well, long way back home!"

"For you, yes. For me it is just a thought away." The girl spoke serenely.

Nitya didn't want to prolong the conversation. "Goodbye then." She started jogging.

There was no response.

Nitya did not think much about this incident. She had accepted that life was full of uncertainties. People encountered mysteries at every corner. They remained mysteries or dried up like mirages. Most of them did not affect the flow of life. They were merely incidents. They did not influence anything. Nitya had learnt over the years to ignore such incidents.

She had always been a loner. She had a shell protecting her from people. She wanted to be a part of the nature. She wanted to blend with it. She didn't like humanity because human beings tried to take control of nature.

The forest was terrifying. The animals did not disturb her because she did not venture into their marked territories. She respected them. They understood her. The barrier separating human beings from the wonder of Mother Nature simply disappeared in her case.

"You think so?"

The girl was smiling. She was riding a buffalo.

Nitya stared at her.

"You are confused?" The girl jumped off the buffalo and went on to climb a tree.

Nitya nodded.

"Why?" the girl wanted to know.

"Why not?" Nitya asked her.

"You are Nature! You should know what is going on here." The girl kept on climbing the tree.

Nitya followed the girl with her eyes. When the girl disappeared into the unknown world behind the leaves, Nitya decided to resume her journey.

Since a kid, Nitya had always been talking to Nature. She would talk to the bushes. She would laugh with the lilies. She would dance with the sunflowers and deal with the bison. She had an uncanny knack of establishing a communication channel with her eyes. The animals, plants and inanimate rocks listened to her - followed her and helped her.

Her father was a clerk in one of the nationalized banks of the country and had to work mostly in villages. She loved that atmosphere. She played in the forest - with the animals and got along really well with Nature. She was just like the little girl she had just met.

Nitya stopped in her tracks and stared at the little girl.

The girl laughed, "Now you know! Close your eyes."

Nitya closed her eyes. It was a picture perfect Moon enhanced by a serene night. She could see everything beneath her clearly in moonlight. She could catch the expressions on the woman's face. She was tired but inspired. She was lost in her thoughts. It was as if she were sleeping.

Nitya could almost see the curvature of Earth from there. However her thoughts were fixated on the woman below. She remembered a lot of things. They were vague. She could remember jogging. She could remember growing up. She could remember her future.

Nitya climbed down from the tree and faced the woman. "What is this?"

The woman opened her eyes and smiled, "Future."

Nitya didn't understand, "What happened to me?"

The woman drank the remaining water and started jogging, "You have a chance to correct your mistakes now. Chase your dreams."

Nitya stood rooted there. Her memories were fast receding. Her job, her graduation, her love failure, her goals - all felt like they were part of a distant dream. The incidents had slowly been wiped off her memory but the knowledge imparted stayed on.

Nitya ran back from the fields excitedly to tell her mother off the strange meeting with a jogging lady.

The End.