"...Is this a Dream?"

Date: Unknown

I am Rishabh Paul, and the words I am about to write might seem unbelievable to some. But it all happened, and here I am, writing everything down so I don't forget a single detail. Every moment, every event, is etched starkly in my memory, and I want to preserve it all, not just for myself, but for anyone willing to know about things that one cannot explain through science. These things occur in broad daylight and vanish into the darkness of our endless memory, leaving behind only whispers of their existence.

It all started on a rainy, bleak Sunday morning during the lockdown that stumbled upon us, bringing problems we had never faced before. Suddenly, we were locked up twenty-four hours a day with our families, stripped of the daily worries about our jobs. The world outside seemed to stand still, but inside our homes, emotions and tensions ran high, piling up on each other like dirty laundry. The mundane became overwhelming, and the familiar turned strange. 

But for me, things were weird. Unlucky as I was, I had no family to share my small, solitary cage in Varanasi. I was a student stranded far from home, isolated by the nationwide shutdown of railways. After three hours of online lectures on my laptop, there was little to do in that ten-by-ten room. The days stretched endlessly, each hour blurring into the next, with nothing to break the monotony of my confined existence.

My only solace during this time was my peculiar fascination with China and its captivating history, which bore intriguing parallels to our Indian history. After all, both nations had seen invasions by formidable conquerors like Genghis Khan and the Mughals, who, after their conquests, became deeply enmeshed in the fabric of these mighty civilizations. As a result, When I wasn't attending lectures or racking up victories in online games, I drowned myself in the world of Chinese history. I spent days learning the language and exploring the rich tapestry of its culture, finding comfort and intrigue in the distant echoes of a land I had never seen but felt inexplicably drawn to.

It was a similar rainy Sunday morning when I was sixteen episodes deep into a Chinese drama that had completely hooked me. It was only when a sudden flash of lightning with a crackling sound crashed on my window, that I became aware of my surroundings and jolted back to my senses.

The clock showed was almost five in the morning. Seeing the darkness slowly retreating through my window, I realised I was awake the whole night, and my mind sluggish from the lack of sleep, scolded me as harshly as it could have. "Bruh, You forgot to sleep!", I muttered to myself, throwing in a few choice expletives. My limbs, now coldly numb and tingling with the pins and needles of poor circulation, seemed to protest in unison. The hours of immobility had left them feeling betrayed, and they were making their discomfort known.

Struggling with my uncooperative limbs, I slowly managed to throw my body against the wall next to my bed. The effort was a battle of will against the stubborn stiffness that had set in. Using the wall for support, I inched my way towards the water bottle perched on the far end of the bed, near the window. Each step was a minor victory over the numbness, and as I finally grasped the bottle, It almost felt as if I had my hands on a trophy.

Still sluggish, I took a long, refreshing gulp of water. The rain outside was still in its rhythm, bringing a soothing backdrop to the occasional crackle of lightning in the distant sky. I sighed, feeling a mix of contentment and exhaustion wash over me. I felt the cold breeze of air that was flowing from the open windows. There was something oddly reassuring about this moment, even as my thoughts and movements remained sluggish.

As I stood there letting the rainy morning soak my senses, my mind wandered to a place that always gave me a bittersweet feeling. Some memories flashed upon my mind, hitting me with a dull ache. It felt like a wound that had healed but still throbbed on rainy days. I remembered sitting by the window, much like I was now, watching the raindrops race each other down the glass, carrying both my hope and despair with them.

I shook my head, trying to dispel the heavy thoughts. I stared outside the window, my eyes fixed on the distant horizon, lost in the thoughts of past and present alike. My flat was on the third floor, facing the highway between it and the city. From this vantage point, I could tell the town was still sleeping.

The highway glistened with rainwater, and as the occasional cars and trucks passed by, they left ripples behind them. The rooftops of the nearby buildings seemed to float in a sea of mist, creating an ethereal, almost dreamlike scene. That mist soon started to drown me in my thoughts.

The rain brought out memories, making them feel as fresh as the drops hitting my windowpane, losing their existence in the small streams that raced down painting irregular patterns on the glass. I took a deep breath, letting the cool, damp air fill my lungs. Though the morning was still growing, I found the clouds darkening the scene again. The sky that once promised a new day, now seemed to conspire with my drowsiness, urging me back to bed. I was sleepy.

Aided by the steady patter of rain against the window and the distant hum of the city in its slumber, It almost felt like I was hearing a strangely soothing lullaby. Suddenly, I found the heaviness of my eyelids impossible to ignore. As my vision blurred out slowly, I felt my body moving away from the window, each step feeling heavier than the last. 

The last thing I remember was the sound of the rain, its rhythm matching the beat of my heart, slowly fading into a kind of lull I had never experienced in my life. Just as I succumbed to the pull of sleep, a tinge of green light flashed over my blurry eyes, casting an eerie glow that danced on the edge of my consciousness.

Suddenly, I started feeling very light, and it almost seemed like I was being lifted by some strange force. The sensation was both exhilarating and terrifying, as I felt my senses being carried away by a strong current. The world around me seemed to blur and darken until I finally passed out, unable to comprehend what was happening.

After this, what happened is still unclear to me. No matter how many times I have tried to remember this moment, I have been always utterly betrayed by my memory. It was as if Time had lost its hold on me for a while, as I drifted in a state of unconsciousness. I often think that I felt myself floating in a void, unaware of anything but a distant hollow echo that seemed to come from within my own mind.

Slowly, the weight of the darkness receded from my eyes. My limbs felt heavy but responsive as I tried to move. With great effort, I finally managed to open my eyes, blinking against the sudden influx of light and colour.

As I struggled to open my eyes, I could not give a single word of reason to my mind to explain what I was seeing. I looked up and saw that the ceiling, which normally had an old creaky electric fan, had vanished. Instead, there was a gorgeously decorated ceiling adorned with intricate patterns and vibrant colours, unlike anything I recognized. My mind struggled to process the unfamiliar sight, and for a moment, I thought that this was all a dream. I slowly got up, dragging the blanket with me as I waded through the room. Still in a state of semi-consciousness, I stumbled toward one of the windows, drawn by the stream of light pouring into the room.

As I reached the window and looked out with my still-groggy eyes, It would be less to say that I was shocked by what I saw. The familiar urban landscape was gone, replaced by a scene straight out of a painting. Before me, was the scenery of a crystal-clear, heavenly lake, its waters shimmering under the golden light of the emerging sun. Pinkish trees, with vibrant blossoms that seemed almost unreal, lined the lake's edges. Behind the trees, some mountains loomed in the distance, their peaks reaching toward the sky, blocking the sight of the horizon. And, as the sun slowly emerged through them with all its might, A deep chill ran down my spine as I took in the unimaginable scenario before my eyes, visible through the windowpane. My mind kept questioning me, "Is this real? Or am I still dreaming?"

For some time, I stood frozen in awe, captured by the unparalleled scenery shaped by nature in front of my eyes. It was all too much for me to take in, from the rising sun on the horizon to the serene lake in between; All seemed too unreal to my senses. 

"What the heck...Where am I?"