What is the first thing you do when you feel thirsty? You pour yourself a glass of water and drink. Ever thought of the correlation between your need and the water? You didnât, right? Neither did I. Not until I met her.
Last December, I was holidaying with my friends in the North East of India. We were walking back after visiting a waterfall. I was walking slightly behind, stopping on my track to click pictures. The environment was divine. It was past mid-day. Birds chirped, and sunlight trickling though the foliage of the surrounding trees making it a perfect setting for a movie scene. It had rained the last night thus making the path a tad slippery. With utmost care, I treaded along the steep hilly terrain. A few steps ahead, I noticed a girl, her back towards me, taking pictures on her mobile. She also tried taking a few selfies, thatâs when I went up to her and said â âDo you want me to take a picture of yours?â
She turned to face me. She was of my height, with dark brown skin, big dark brown eyes, black crisp waves for hair. Â She was dressed in a grey tee, blue jeans, and wore sneakers. A beige cap sat on top of her head. She carried a trendy red sling bag. She gave me the brightest smile I had ever seen.
âSure!â she said. I took a couple of pictures for her.
âYou look like youâre travelling solo, are you?â I asked, not quite being able to hide my curiosity.
She threw her head back, laughing.
âIs that written all over my face?â
âNo, I just...â
She held her hand up, stopping me midsentence.
âYes, I am travelling alone. You?â
âWith friends, they are just a few steps aheadâ.
She nodded.
âSo what do you do?â she asked me.
I shrugged. âWell, I have just given up my job...and I am now taking a break for myself.â
âAh, exploring!â she said knowingly. âGood!â
âAnd you?â I asked her back.
âI am an observerâ.
I gave her a blank stare. Did I hear it wrong? âExplorer, did you say?â
âNo.â She looked intently at me. âYou heard me right. I observe. But you could call me an explorer too. Kind of the same thing!â
She half-laughed, half-giggled at her own joke. I simply nodded, and smiled, just because not smiling would seem rude.
She looked at my camera. âYou like taking pictures?â
I was taken aback by the sudden change of topic.
âHuh? Oh, yes, very much! I am a writer as well. In fact, I have just launched my website!â I blurted out.
âWow! Whatâs it about? Let me guess, your photography?â
âYeah!â I suddenly felt embarrassed, like I was blowing my own trumpet.
Sensing my uneasiness, she asked me the name of my website. I told her. She instantly looked up on her mobile and found it. Around a minute later, she sighed and looked back at me.
âHmmm...the main page picture â it is named as âInto the Unknownâ. Nice. You like adventure, donât you?â
âWell,â I shrugged again. âYeah, I guess so. Isnât life itself an adventure?â
She nodded. Her brows rose a bit; I think it was a look of admiration.
âYeah, so just relax and allow things to unfold. Just as you breathe in, you breathe out. You trust the process, right?â She said.
We looked at each other briefly. She was the one to break the silence.
âSo what next?â she asked.
I smiled and replied âThatâs my favourite phraseâ.
She laughed and said â âHey, I kinda like you. Would you like to do something for me, if I request you?â
âMe? What can I possibly do for you?â
âWrite my stories.â
âSorry?â I looked at her quizzically.
âYeah, I mean it. I want you to tell my stories to the world. How you wish to do it, will be your call. Donât worry, I wonât ask for credits or anything!â
I shook my head.
âWhat kind of stories?â
âMoments. Anecdotes. About life. Love. Lessons.â
âWell, I am sorry to say this, but would people read?â
She placed a hand on my shoulder. âI like your curiosity. Good, keep that up. We all need to take leaps of Faith sometime or the other. Into the Unknown, your words, remember?â
I got her point. I smiled back and nodded in agreement.
âWhy donât you share about them yourself?â I asked.
She took a deep breath, looked around at the sky above, the trees around, as if to take in the fragrant air.
âI am too busy observing, my dear. And I know youâll do a great job. You can take this as your âWhat nextâ...she winked.
âI am Tiara,â I said, extending my hand.
âTrishaâ, she said. We shook hands and exchanged email IDâs.
âLetâs go back upâ, I said to her.
âWell, you go ahead Tiara. I wish to spend some more time here, taking pictures. Go, join your friends.â
âAre you sure?â
âYeah, please!â
âIt was amazing to meet you, Trisha. Can I get a hug?â I was blunt enough, but I did say that.
We hugged for a brief moment. Some strangers, I tell you.
âJust be careful okay? Itâs quite steep in hereâ I said.
âHow does it matter, when you know youâre on the right track?â she said, softly. The twinkle in her eyes suddenly enveloped me in tranquil confidence.
We said goodbyes and parted. As I walked ahead, I felt a sudden surge of hope gushing through me. Was it the embrace? Or her smile? Or her words? I suddenly recalled I never asked her where she stayed. I stopped and turned back to ask.
She was not there.
I looked around. She was nowhere to be seen.
âTrisha!â I called out. There was no answer.
I was nearly getting worried, when her words came back to my mind.
âHow does it matter, when youâre on the right track?â
I smiled. I donât know how, but I knew she was okay.
A moment later, my phone beeped. It was her email, as if she had read my thoughts of concern that she was fine or not. The email had an attachment. It was one of the pictures that she had clicked a while back. She wrote a message â âHereâs my picture, whether you want to include it or not, how to include it, itâs your call. It is always your call.â
I walked back, smiling at the picture. She was a bit weird, somewhat like me. I was happy with the encounter. My curiosity heightened but comfortably calmed at the same time. To me, meeting Trisha was like the water that my Soul had been thirsting for, since a very long time.
(Note :- This is a work of fiction and does not mean to resemble anyone in real life. Images and story are copyright to the author.)