Amaris

By Palaash Jadav

In a small town nestled between mountains and rivers, resided a sweet and reserved girl named Anisa. She had long golden locks, which twisted and turned in the wind. She had eyes as grey as the thunderclouds that roared and clashed during the monsoons and lips as red as blood.

She was a part of two worlds. One, far more superior than the other, filled with eccentric characters with their quirks, a world where dragons roared, towering giants wreaked havoc and pixies would zip from one destination to another. This was the world of books. The second world was a world populated by real people. People are made of flesh and bones. They were far less idiosyncratic than the characters in her books, but they were unique in their ways.

She attended a distinguished college, which was a ten-minute walk from her house, on the outskirts of the town. You would always find her engulfed by a book whenever you would see her. Waking her from this trance was a task.

One day, she caught the attention of a striking young man. They were both in college, and their paths crossed one day in the campus library. Orion was an extrovert. Everyone knew him, and he knew everyone. He had jet-black eyes and was a pleasant person. He was the kind of person who you would always end up having intellectual conversations with. He

was studying for a history exam at the far end of the library. Anisa was lost in the pages of a novel. At that moment, she was on a sad train ride with Anne Frank. What was fascinating, was that when Orion saw her from the corner of his eye, he failed to recognise her. She had bewitched him and he just couldn't take his eyes off her.

he stood up, walked towards her and mustered up the courage to introduce himself, and before they knew it, they were talking for hours. They bonded over their love of literature, their shared passion for music, and their dreams of travelling the world. Orion was smitten with Anisa, and she was equally enamoured with him.

As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, Orion and Anisa's relationship deepened. Their love for each other flourished and flowered. They went on long walks in the park, cooked meals together, and explored the town's hidden corners. They were each other's closest and only confidantes, support systems, and best friends. They laughed and cried together, and they couldn't imagine their lives without each other.

One day, as they were sitting on the rooftop of Anisa's apartment building, she turned to Orion and said, "I have someone I want you to meet." Orion was in a conundrum. No sooner was he about to question her further than he saw Anisa's gaze turn upward, toward the sky. "She is my friend," she said, "the moon."

Every night, the moon visited Anisa. The moon visited her in her dreams. However, her bond with the moon was so strong, that the spirit of the moon escaped its crater-filled, stony

vesture and materialised as a person. The moon or Amaris, in her human form, would chat all night long. This happened every night. When the clock struck five in the morning, the moon returned to the sky, and rested, just so she could return to Anisa.

Orion looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. "I've always felt a connection with the moon," said Anisa. She felt the moon was a part of her, and she was a part of the moon. Now that they were head over heels in love, she wanted to introduce the moon to Orion.

Orion was dubious at first, but then he saw the way Anisa's eyes lit up as she gazed at the moon. He saw the way the moon seemed to glow with a brighter light like it was acknowledging their presence.

Anisa told Orion about her friend, the moon and how she would return to her every night. Just as she was about to end her story, the clock struck twelve. Orion was sleepy and his eyelids were as heavy as rocks. Suddenly, he felt a cold whoosh behind him. He could feel a mighty, yet petite force around him, almost surrounding him from all sides, welcoming him with open arms.

He looked back.

Nothing.

When he turned his head, he quickly saw a beautiful girl, with a pale countenance, eyes that shone bright, like a diamond in the sky, like the stars that twinkled along the Milky Way and silky smooth, crisp, silver hair. When she spoke, her voice was like a choir of angels, celebrating.

From that day on, Orion and Anisa would go up to the rooftop every night, just to sit and stare at the moon. Soon, they would feel the moon sitting right next to them and they would chat, and then chat some more for hours. They would talk about their dreams, their insecurities and doubts, and she would sit there, listening, an omniscient presence, an all knowing body. The moon listened patiently to their words, her face peaceful. She seemed to understand their every thought and feeling, and her presence brought a sense of calm to Anisa and Orion's hearts. They would whisper secrets to her, and she would whisper back, but her whispers felt like gentle breezes and shimmering reflections.

As time passed, Orion came to understand Anisa's connection to the moon. She was a living entity, a force of nature that existed beyond their human understanding.

So, every night, Orion and Anisa would sit on the rooftop, waiting for the moon to appear and they would feel a sense of unity, love and belonging. They knew that they were not alone, that they were part of something larger than themselves.

As Anisa and Orion sat on the rooftop, staring up at the night sky, they felt a sudden shift in the air. It was as if the world around them had halted, and all they could hear was the sound of their heart beating. Then, with a bright wakening light, the moon appeared right beside them.

As the seasons changed and the years passed, Anisa and Orion's love only grew deeper and stronger. They knew that they had been blessed with a special gift, a love that was built on a deep sense of connection. They knew that the moon would always be there to guide them on their odyssey, and to remind them of the mysteries of the world, of the unknown and the undiscovered.

By Palaash Jadav