Now I know my dream....

Outside the library. I am sitting under a tree. It is a beautiful day. The sky is clear. Not a trace of cloud. The birds are flying. There is a squirrel on the thickest branch. My eyes watch it closely. And then as if on a cue, it jumps down onto the lush green grass. And hops around gleefully. The bushy tail waves. And the squirrel looks away from me. The squirrel has spotted something. And its subconscious tells it that something lies beyond. It see a nut. It picks it up. Both hands around it tightly. A sudden twitch and it jumps. And it is back onto the tree. I trace it all the way to the tree. And then, I look again towards the same place from where the squirrel gathered the nut. I do not believe it. I roll my eyes. No. It cannot be. It is only an illusion. No. It cannot be. But. I look around. I see cars go by. An elderly couple slowly walk by. A middle aged woman pleasantly continues to jog. And yet, none of them seem to notice. This strange sight. This strangest of sights that my eyes behold. There they are....

Three of them standing right in front of me. All of them smiling at me. All three women wearing white gossamer. The sun rays splitting wide behind them. It seemed as if they were the source of that dazzling light themselves. I keep asking myself. Is this real? Are they really there? And as if she is fully aware of the intense anxiety inside me, the lady in the center beckons me. She looks at the others. And then at me. She raises her hand. As if asking me to come with them. And that she wants to tell me something. More like show me something. I sense it too. I ask her if this is real. She says nothing. She simply smiles. The others smile as well. I get up. I do not bother to shake up the leaves clinging to my back. I am mesmerized. I walk upto them. I go upto them. They are more beautiful than I have ever seen anyone. Their is a certain inexplicable radiance on their brow. They emanate a glow of happiness and serenity. I can feel it in me. The lady in the middle stretches out her hand to me. I give out mine. And our fingers touch. Her fingers are slender. And her skin is tender. I hold her hand. The lady looks to the lady on her right. And then to the one on the left. And then back to me. And then everything turns misty. And then there is darkness. I feel my insides chill. I hold onto the hand tightly. I do not know what is going on. I close my eyes. I am scared. And then there is light.....

I open my eyes. I am on a hill. I see the three ladies in front of me. The look on their face is still the same. One of calm and assurance. I on the other hand am in a state of stunned silence. I do not know where I am. I do not know who are these people in front of me. I do not know how far I am from home. And I do not know how I have come here. Yet, the curious mind tells me to stay on. There is something here that I need to know. I have to know. I look around. There is emptiness. And I move to the edge of the hill. I can clearly see the vastness ahead of me. There is the sea below. And yet its vastness means nothing. Its depth does not scare me now. The wind is blowing gently. The blue waters glisten beautifully due to the splash of the orange rays of the sun. Underneath, the corals wave as if swaying to some cosmic tune. I stand on there at the edge. The wind comes and kisses my face. And it moves behind my ears. Asking me to listen. Listen to the wind. Listen to the waves. Listen to the rays. My heart is calm now. The incoming waves of the sea, the gentleness of the breeze and the resplendance of the sun rays have now become one with me. And I am calm. I turn around. I now look at the three of them with more confidence and strength....

I ask. Who are you? What are your names? Where am I? And why did you come to me? They seem to not hear me. There is an awkward pause. The air between us is pregnant with silence. I know. And then. The lady on the left speaks. "We are three sisters. We live here on the hill. We were sent to see you. And we are happy that you agreed to come with us." I turn to the lady on the right. She spoke. "We visit everyone. Not early. Not late. At the precise moment." I turned to the lady in the middle. The one whose hand I held onto on the way. She sighed. And then she spoke. "Each one of us will ask you a question. You must answer our questions. And if we are pleased with your answers, then you may ask us any one question. We know the answers to all questions. We know the past, the present and the future. Anything that you wish you may ask. Do you accept?" I am mildly surprised. But I agree. Who are these three women? And what would be their questions?

So, the lady on the left steps forward. "One drop of it drives away darkness. What is it? Answer me." I look down. I turn. I close my eyes. And memories swim through my eyes. My childhood. My family. My friends. Everything that has happened to me so far. I see myself with my family. I see myself among my friends. I cherish all those moments. I ask myself why? I know. Because I am happy. Yes. Because I am happy. I open my eyes. I speak. "One drop of joy drives away all the darkness in the world." The lady smiles. I think she likes my answer. She does not say anything. The lady on the right steps forward. "It is all around you. And yet you struggle to find it. What is it? Answer me." I am perplexed. What can it be? What is it that is all around me. And yet I struggle to find it. Something that I do not understand. Something whose presence I can feel and yet I cannot see. Various thoughts race through my mind. What does the human spirit strive for? Why does it struggle? And what happens to it when it fails? Does it stop? Does it give up? Does it yield to all the obstacles in its way? No. The human spirit does not yield. An unconquered will. A fierce determination. A relentless effort even in the midst of gloom and despair. Why? What drives it in the face of insurmountable opposition? I look at the lady who asked me the question. And I reply. "Hope. She is all around me. She is always there. And yet, I struggle to find her. But my struggle ends when I find her." I knew that I was right. My heart was beating fast now. One more question. What could it be? And my gaze moves towards the lady in the center. She towers over the others. And she speaks in a charming way. "Presence causes pain. Absence causes pain. And yet on its own relieves pain. What is it? Answer this decisively." I am struck. I do not know. How can anything cause pain in both its presence and absence. And more astonishingly, how can the thing that causes pain relieve it as well? I have no clue. I look at the three of them. I look down. I look at the horizon. The stars have started twinkling now. The waters of the sea are now beaming with a thousand little eyes. I look at my hands. I look at my feet. Looking for the answer. I look at myself. What has life taught me so far? What is it that I have? What is it that makes me happy? What is it that makes me hopeful? What is it that makes me wait for the rest of my life? What is it that stirs me? What is it that pains me? Those memories. Filled with tears and sadness. Poignant. Stirring. And yet, those memories bring a bloom of hope and joy in my heart. I wipe the tears in my eyes. I speak. "Love. It is the one thing that when present causes pain. It is one thing that when absent causes pain. And it is the only thing that can relieve the pain that it causes." The three ladies smile. And I know that they are pleased. The lady in the center speaks. "Ask your question. And you shall have the answer." I already knew in my heart what I wanted to ask. I ask. "Every night I have a dream. The same dream. Tell me what does it mean?" The lady in the center came forward. And whispered into my ears. And I knew it. I had my answer. I understood my dream atlast. I look around. And the three women have disappeared....

Outside the library. I am sitting under a tree. The squirrel is playing gleefully. I get up. And start walking towards my house. I dont know who they were. But atleast now I know my dream...