1 The Bird Sings And The Wind Blows

"What is life? What exactly I lived for?"

In a dark alley of a city, a figure covered in blood was stumbling while walking. With every step he took, dozens of drops of blood seeped out of his face. 

Xen was a happy-go-lucky kind of person. Like every normal person, his dream was to attend a good college, fall in love with someone, get a nice job, get married, and have kids. 

A wise man once said, the reality is often disappointing.

Thinking about all the choices he made in the past, Xen let out a bitter laugh. 

'Thump'

With a loud noise, he fell on the floor. The floor was the same as his heart, cold and immovable.

The sky was dark, clouds covering every inch of it. There was no thunder, nor any light from the stars or the moon. Just an eerie silence, which was enough to sink a man's heart into the darkness.

Looking at the sky, countless thoughts were going through his mind. There were some questions, some answers. There was a scene of him getting married to a girl, having a family, and then living happily. 

But fantasy is one thing while reality is another. Slowly closing his eyes, Xen drifted into sleep. Thinking about good things his lips curled upwards, giving an earnest smile. Perhaps this was the first time he smiled in all these years.

As soon as he closed his eyes, it started raining. Within seconds, it became a downpour. It was like the world itself was mourning his death. As time passed, the rain started to erase all the traces of blood. Remaining in the dark alley was a body silently lying down looking at the sky with a smile on its face.

........................

Twilight melted away, majestic sunrise, red-orange glow seeping over the horizon as if the light itself was being poured from a molten sun. Powerful rays flood over the landscape lighting every blade of grass, shining from each leaf.  

Inside a room, a young boy opened his eyes slowly. His eyes were blurry and there was a lot of confusion in them. The boy looked around himself for a while. 

"A dream? Or heaven?" 

"Whatever it is, it's better than before." After saying this, the boy slowly drifted into sleep.

One may often wonder if there is a chance of someone sleeping in their dreams. Maybe heaven is a dream, once you wake up from it, you find yourself on earth. Theoretically, every person has their version of heaven, and hell. Different definitions of good and evil. But all of this was still far away from the boy who was sleeping soundly in his bed.

"Hmm."

The boy opened his eyes, only to find himself in the same room he dreamt of earlier.

"What the? Where the hell am I?"

Looking around him in confusion, the boy got up and walked in front of the mirror.

"HUH?"

There was a shout of surprise, the boy looked at himself in the mirror. 

"What the? I became younger?" 

Touching his face over and over again, the boy pinched himself on the cheek, only to cry out in pain. 

"Wait, what date is it today?" 

He reached out for his phone. But, alas! There was no phone. Looking around himself, the boy looked at the calendar in front of him.

July 2010.

Looking at the calendar, the boy slowly collected his thoughts. He looked out of the window, only to find the view, which was long lost in his memories.

Slumping on the bed, many thoughts came to his mind. 

Was it a happy occasion? After all, who doesn't want to go back in time? Or, was it a sad occasion? Maybe, one will have to go through all the bitter experiences again.

There was no definite answer to this question that was raging in his mind right now. If there was anything that he could do, that was to focus on the future.

"Who would have thought, that I Xen would go back in time?"

After walking out of the bed, Xen washed his face and walked out of the house. Looking at his surroundings, he smiled. Everything is the same as I remember. 

Looking at the small village in front of him, Xen was filled with nostalgia. 

His village was located in the hilly region of the Himalayas. The village was built on top of the mountain. Lands for agriculture were carved on those steep hills. The top of the mountain was covered in forest. 

Even though it was the month of July, the temperature here was lukewarm. 

Looking at the scenery in front of him, Xen's heart was filled with feelings he couldn't explain. Sweet, sour, bitter, every emotion was filling his heart to the brim.

Slowly, Xen made his way towards the old woman who was working in the garden right now.

"Grandma."

Xen said in a hoarse voice. 

This was a small word, but it took his entire courage to speak it out loud. 

"Oh! Did you wake up? How are you feeling right now?"

Granny asked without looking back.

Looking at the back of his grandma, tears swelled in Xen's eyes. 

Time left innumerable marks on her. Her wrinkled skin, white hair, and weak body showed viscosities of life. It all told a tale of her life. 

"Yes. I am feeling alright. I will take a tour of the village. Maybe a little walk would do the trick."

Xen replied hoarsely. Walking around the village was but an excuse for him. Right now he just wanted to get away from there. His heart was filled with intense guilt, regret, longing. He just wanted to go somewhere far to control all these feelings.

"Okay. Be careful on your way. Also, bring half a dozen eggs. Take the money from the table."

Granny said while wiping away her sweat.

"Hmm."

With a nod, Xen rushed inside the house and then rushed towards the center of the village.

After running for a while, Xen suddenly came to a halt. He looked at the scenery around himself and murmured in a low voice:

"The birds sing, and the wind blows,

The stars shine. and the moon glows,

Here, I standeth once again,

Watching the river of life flows."