Chapter 11: A Beauty in The Night
It was already seven o'clock. Office hours had ended. Krish picked up his bag and stepped out with the rest of the employees. He had planned today's evening well in advance—he was going to visit that old garden built during the British Empire era. As soon as he stepped outside, he spotted Ruby, but from a distance, he simply waved goodbye to her, hopped on his bike, and headed toward the garden.
As night fell, the chill in the air grew stronger, though compared to the usual days, tonight's cold was quite mild. A half-moon had begun to appear in the sky. A little later, Krish stopped in front of the garden. The market outside was bustling with crowds at this hour; the entire area was alive and glowing with the hustle and bustle of people. Inside the garden, too, many visitors were strolling around. Krish parked his bike and walked in. Just then, a gust of cool breeze hit him, forcing him to shiver. For the past day, he had felt strangely drawn to this garden. Now, finally, he had the time to explore it fully and wander around—but he regretted that he was here alone.
Krish moved forward, admiring the garden's trees, plants, and beautiful flowers. Under the yellow lights illuminating them at night, they looked even more stunning. A bit further ahead, he spotted a large fountain in front of him. Decorated with colorful lights, it appeared even more beautiful. Krish approached it, wanting to sit nearby, but he saw a young couple on a bench close by, lost in a deep kiss, lips pressed together. He decided it was better to move elsewhere and continued walking.
As he wandered deeper into the garden, he began to hear the sound of ocean waves. Krish followed the sound. Getting closer, he saw quite a few people gathered there. He moved even nearer. From that spot, the sea looked breathtaking—a shoreline connected to this beautiful garden, creating an incredibly scenic view that Krish was now witnessing. The moonlight made it even more enchanting. At that moment, many people present there were soaking in this beautiful sight with their own eyes.
A little while later, Krish found an empty bench, sat down, and started gazing at the sea from there. Now, only a handful of people—two or three—were visible around him. Krish hadn't slept well the previous night, so he was feeling tired. Sleep was creeping in, but he didn't want to go home. He wanted to stay right there, enjoying the moonlit night and the beautiful sea view. To rest a bit, he lay down on the bench, and soon his eyes closed. He fell asleep right there.
Some time later, his eyes suddenly opened. He sat up, checked his phone—it was almost nine o'clock. He looked around; now, there was no one else there except him. Everyone had gone home. Krish sat back on the bench, gazing at the sea again, and began thinking about the strange calling he had felt in the garden the day before. What kind of voice was that?
A little later, Krish turned to his right and looked. Just a short distance away, a girl was sitting alone on a bench. She was wearing a white and red dress and was staring out at the sea. Krish glanced around—besides the two of them, no one else was there. They were both alone, sitting on benches just a little apart, looking at the sea. Krish's attention had shifted; now, instead of the sea shimmering under the moonlight, he was looking more at the girl.
It felt strange to Krish that a girl was sitting there all alone. Why? Was she in some trouble? Was she waiting for someone? Or was she just alone like this? Did she have no friends? Or did she prefer being alone? Probably not—who likes being alone, after all? So why was this beautiful girl alone? So many questions swirled in Krish's mind. Only she could answer them. Krish hesitated to talk to an unknown girl at night, but after waiting a bit, he saw she was truly alone, sitting there quietly, lost in thought. He decided to go over and speak to her.
Krish walked slowly toward her. Getting closer, he saw how incredibly beautiful and endearing she looked. And strangely enough, this girl resembled exactly the one from his dream last night. Her face matched the girl from his dream even more than the one on the office poster. This felt odd to Krish. Now he had a real reason to talk to her. He moved even closer.
Softly, Krish said,
"Hey! What's your name?"
The girl turned and looked at him. Krish gazed into her eyes and sensed a strange pain on her face, in her eyes.
The girl:
"I'm Vanshika. And who are you?"
Krish:
"Nice name. I'm Krish. May I ask what you're doing here alone so late at night?"
Vanshika:
"I'm just enjoying the view of the sea."
Krish:
"But it's not safe for a girl to be alone in such a deserted place this late at night. There are a lot of bad people roaming around."
Vanshika:
"Thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself."
Krish:
"Hey... you probably don't know the kind of incidents that happen these days with girls who wander alone."
Vanshika:
"I'm not afraid of anyone."
Krish:
"Being fearless is good, but everyone should act wisely."
Vanshika:
"Oh! So you're quite wise, are you?"
Krish:
"Maybe, yes. Can I ask you one question?"
Vanshika:
"You've already asked me several questions. Go ahead—what else do you want to ask?"
Krish:
"This question is a bit strange, but..."
Vanshika:
"You can ask anything."
Hesitating, Krish said:
"Are you the girl who came into my dream last night?"
Hearing this, Vanshika began to smile. Krish felt a little embarrassed.
Krish:
"Sorry... I don't know what I'm saying. It does sound strange, but it's the truth. I hope you'll understand!"
Next Chapter....