A Memory Unvarnished
It was a mundane afternoon. The sun shone brightly on the yellow pages of my diary. A soft breeze hurled all the loose pages of poetry written throughout my train journey to the office and back. My eyes caught the little chaos in front of me, while the sunlight seemed to be getting fierce. The yellow light penetrated through the pages of the diary, transcending me to a land of magical forest, usually imagined by Enid Blyton.
A whitewashed cottage by the woods, entwined with creepers all over. The roof of the cottage was filled with a thick cover of velvety moss. A small fairy sat on the roof looking down the chimney pipe, talking to someone. She then stood up to spread some pixie dust down the pipe saying, “There you go, now it won’t clog for a while”. A sweet-looking girl came out of the cylindrical wooden door to thank the friendly fairy who whizzed off in a spin. Big black inquisitive eyes and golden brown tresses adorned the girl’s beautiful face. Plucking out a few herbs from her garden, she returned to her apothecary table. A row of apothecary bottles and recipes of magic spells crowded the table. The mellow sunshine fell on the cozy bed through a huge glass window facing the western sky. Opposite the table stood a huge library covering all the other three walls of the room. Creepers such as bougainvillea, the string of pearls, money plant, golden trumpet, and sweet potato vine made an uncannily beautiful mess across the stone walls of the cottage. The girl pulled the ruffles of her kirtles, exposing her chemise to climb up the bamboo stairs of the library. She looked for something from a shelf full of green antique books. She picked out an antique dairy dated 1324. It was a half-written manuscript. The girl had found it while sweeping her chimney when a huge pile of unwanted ash and debris fell through the fireplace, hence the blockage. “Whosoever finds this diary, must continue with the manuscript”, the calligraphic instructions dazzled on the first page.
While she turned over its pages, a bright light flashed, and bam! I woke up from what I believe was a reverie! Although it was a dream my brain staged in 2024, I have hesitatingly accepted it as my happiest memory. Maybe, from a few lifetimes ago!
