Ana could not believe herself.17 years, 3 months and 2 days is what it had taken life to come full circle for her. Still vivid in her memoirs, the mauve dress that she had worn for the graduation ceremony at college fest and stood beside the chosen one or rather the chosen ones – Mr and Ms springdale. The evening was full of smiles and squinted eyes, more squinted than smiling, for not everyone gets to be crowned the winner of the talent show at springdale. Leave alone the winning, the selection into the top 15 itself is something to savior for decades to come. Springdale is home to best of the minds in the country and at least 10000 students graduate at the end of the year, every year. A carefully chosen criteria, brings together the best of the mental and physical abilities to the surface of the culmination event, where Ana stood raising her hand like a celebrity besides, Heath. Yes, that was his name – Heath maven. Rumour had it that he belonged to the royal Maven family of Scotland and was the heir to the aristocracy.
Heath, a charming young prince at 18 did live upto the rumours,
dark blue eyes, chiseled jawbone with thin lips. His nose was very straight and
complimented his royalty perfectly well. It wasn’t news that oblivious to his
looks, Heath was actually more interested in stars and mathematics, while also
being able to go hours on social and economic history of the mortals. Someone like
him, was destined to make a mark at the honorary alumni board of springdale,
which boasted of former presidents and business stalwarts and Nobel laurates.
“Mam! Your time is up. Could you please leave now. It is not
safe” – as if they were the quantum key of the time travel which had brought back
Ana from the world lit with celebrations to the dungeon, the dark alley of
which kept the fiercest criminals of this century.
Ana reluctantly closed her eyes to go back to the stage, but
all she could see was, the long brown hair, the cheek bones which had martyred
to age giving way to wrinkles and a scar which ran right across his royal nose.
Everything seemed different, but the eyes – the blue eyes were the same and
still resembled the 17 year old who had taken her heart away on that stage.
She turned and asked a question, almost as if it was her
last – Heath, what happened to you? The reply was instantaneous – a blink of
his blue eyes looking directly at her, almost as if making a bridge or reaching
out, before the eyelids closed.
“I have to find out what happened here” – The top journalist
of the BBC made a resolve here as she walked out of the dungeon into the
blinding lights and clamor of the world, where we live in !
