Run. That’s all Harini could think of then. Twisted and fallen twigs crushed beneath her feet, leaves crumpled, and the sky was getting darker as clouds assembled to perform an orchestra. Thunder boomed above as if in affirmation with the clouds. The earth was wet, dampened by the rainfall that occurred the day before. Trees and shrubs were a green blur as she looked past the corners of her eyes. A flash of light lit up the grey sky. Running always came easy to her, as it was how she started her day for the past three years. But now her legs felt like lead and her knees would buckle at any moment, her mind caged and thoughts cluttered.
This isn’t supposed to happen. She thought to herself.
I’ve been running every day for the past 8 months, but why is my body betraying me now? Harini came to a sudden stop and had to prevent herself from tripping over as she slowed down her momentum.
She realised that she had come to a part of the forest she hadn’t been before. Way to go! Now you’ve lost your way. She thought.
Something cool and moist touched her face and she noticed that it had started raining. Birds perched on branches flew away for shelter as squirrels took cover inside the bark of a decaying tree.
Harini knew better than to get drenched by the rain as she was susceptible to the flu. Her head was pounding with the emotions and feelings bottled up inside of her, memories flashed fresh in her mind as if the events from the past had taken place yesterday.
She gathered her composure and staggered forward. Despite being nearly out of breath, she began running deeper into the forest in search of a place to get cover. A gaping hole loomed behind the trees, widening as she came closer. It was a tunnel, pitch black inside except for the walls that appeared to be shimmering.
Thorny vines crept up the walls beside the opening of the tunnel, a woven spider’s web adorning the rocky archway. Harini felt uneasy about the thought of entering a tunnel without any passage for light.
Do I really have to go in there?
It’s just drizzling, the shade from the canopy would do for now.
She moved towards the trees and as if in response to her thoughts, lightning cracked the sky in half and it started pouring rain.
Things couldn’t have gotten any worse, she brooded.
With not much of a choice left, she retraced her steps and was swallowed by the darkness of the tunnel.
Alone inside the tunnel, it took a while for her eyes to get adjusted to the dark. She stood still with her arms crossed and felt the hair on her arm rise. It was quiet inside except for the sound of the pitter-patter of the rain. Suddenly, a loud noise echoed through the passage. It seemed to be coming from above- Boom. A large boulder hit the ground, blocking the entrance and burying her in the dark. Harini’s stomach sank.
“Noo!” she screamed.
She tried to push the boulder with all her might, but as expected it didn’t budge. She slid to the ground and threw her hands up in despair. A feeling of numbness overcame her, as scars of the past haunted her mind, still unhealed like open wounds. She felt like the world was on her shoulders, a burden she thought that only Atlas bore.
Is this how it’s going to end? Her heart ached in despair.
Sweating profusely, her heart palpitating at an unusually fast rate, she felt she was going to pass out. She heard the twittering of birds coming from outside the tunnel as a ray of sunlight entered through a hole above, which meant that it had stopped raining. The temperature rose by several degrees and a gust of wind came from behind. Her thoughts wandered as to how she ended up here—wait,
a gust of wind came from behind? Which could mean another entrance, Harini realised.
In the dimness of the tunnel, she could only make out the silhouette of the boulder and the cracks on the walls extending towards a long dark passage. Harini didn’t like where this was going, but she knew she couldn’t back out now. She stood up, leaned on the wall for support and held the walls of the passage to steer her in the direction of the other end of the tunnel.
The path inside the passage was a bit bumpy and she felt the sharp grooves of stones against the outsoles of her shoes. Her sixth sense told her something was inside the tunnel with her.
She looked around anxiously, but to no avail; she couldn’t see much of her surroundings. It seemed to her as if the tunnel was breathing, and there was someone watching her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She had to get away from there as soon as possible, she thought.
Harini picked up her pace touching the walls as she hurried. The tunnel was getting brighter and finally she could see the other end of it. Just as she was about to step out, something caught her attention on the wall. An engraving in the shape of a tree with its branches and roots connected. Underneath the symbol were the words,
“Dum Spiro, Spero”
While I breathe, I hope.
Those words echoed in her head.
She had taken a Latin course over the summer for her history major.
Wait till Bo hears about this.
She thought of her brother, who teased her for taking a “useless” course.
She walked outside and felt lighter. It had ceased raining and the sun was peeking from the clouds. Being inside that tunnel stirred feelings of faith and ease within her. She looked around and recognised the pillar behind the trees.
Harini knew it was not a long walk from where she came from and had only one word on her mind, this time with a sense of familiarity:
Run.
By Rtr. Aadhila Nasir
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