:)

The sun had begun to set over the lake that connected two sister cities, sending a strong, cold breeze in Shruti's direction, collecting moisture along the surface of the water on it's way. At first, she had trouble inhaling; it was freezing cold. She paused for a second and forced herself through a wholesome, deep breath, trying to ignore the hindrance the knot in her chest was offering. The mist air from the air struck her skin, giving rise to tiny goosebumps on her arm. Shruti closed her eyes and took one more deep breath, a step closer to unfastening that painful knot.

The melancholy that had been ruling over Shruti's life of late had begun to subside. 'You don't have any friends,' a voice in her head told her. The only peculiar thing about this insight was that it wasn't accompanied by a sharp pang of pain as it usually was. 'Your parents are not happy with you. You can never match up to their expectations,' the voice persisted. It wanted to push her indifference to it's limit. But there seemed to be none at all. 'You hardly get good grades anymore,' it said next. 'All the people who used to call you a "genius" once, are now far ahead of you.' Shruti simply nodded. The girl who would've cried at the thought seemed so distant. It wasn't that she didn't care; it was just that she believed in herself to take care of it. 'You are so much more than what you show,' she remembered her so-called best friend's accusation. Shruti actually laughed now. I'll pray for you, she said to her. I'll pray that some day, you'll open your eyes to the truth. That you'll atleast gather the courage to stop lying to yourself.

Shruti didn't know what it was about the place that made it so significant, but it changed everything about her. She felt herself surpass her old fears; she felt a new feeling of audacity in her. She wished she could pause her life right there. She wanted to live in this moment forever.