The River Within


 

She was roused by the soft rapping at the door, the kind which did not ask—but begged—to be admitted.

She was expecting the reply to her inquiry from the Almighty.

As she opened the door, there was a small envelope on the ground—it had no name on it, just a symbol she had only encountered in her dreams.

She opened it carefully with full enthusiasm and found it was a letter with no name on it, just "Dear Thara."

Her fingers trembled as she read the first sentence: "The answers you seek are closer than you think, but first—you must remember what you chose to forget."

She smiled, saying, “Yes.”

She got up and went to her mirror, fetched the little drawer beneath it, and took out an old rusty key—one she had kept hidden along with the past.

She grabbed the key for a nearby river, the one whose hidden opening was way down beneath.

He stood on the riverbank and the water appeared to glitter abnormally, revealing a small opening where stone staircases descended—stairs only noticeable by the believing.

She s-l-o-w-l-y made her way toward the door, announcing the incantations of

The old door creaked open in a soft golden glow in response to her speech and revealed a hidden room packed with memories suspended in the air—moments from her life she had long forgotten.

She was aware of her pretentiousness towards herself, her brutal attitude towards her own soul.

A younger version of herself sat in the corner by herself with tear-stained eyes—“Why were you never kind to me?” the voice resonated in Thara’s mind and tore her heart in two the way nobody else had ever been able to accomplish.

She wiped the tears and spoke in a gentle voice, “Sorry.” As she stroked the face of the memory with her fingertips, the image became luminous—the young Thara smiled bashfully, and for the first time, the room was alive with heat instead of hurt.

Then she woke up from the dream and felt she had been too critical on herself. She understood it now—she should be kind to herself. Having bad days was permissible.

By adopting a slow breath and a peaceful smile, Thara uttered in a gentle voice, “I’m still learning,” and looked into the mirror—not critically but lovingly in order to see herself at last.

🌿 The End. and a New Beginning. 🌿

 

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