Lost Among the Ruins !

 Short Story - Lost Among the Ruins

It was a warm afternoon when we visited the old farm that had been in our family for generations. I would have been around five or six years old, though I’m not quite sure, as memories from that time are a little blurry. I walked behind as I overheard voices ahead, talking about selling off the place. The discussion had been going on for a while now, as it seemed they no longer had the time to visit it. Life in the city was so demanding, with daily chores and work filling up every moment, leaving little time for anything else, not even to visit the farm as much as they would have liked. The farm, once a symbol of family heritage, alive with lush crops and the melodies of birds, was now slowly fading into oblivion. They sighed, and I could hear the sadness in their voices as they spoke about how they might have to let it go.

I wandered off a little, curious about everything around me, when I spotted an old well at the edge of the field. It wasn’t a proper well, just a deep pit with uneven mud walls, lined with broken, cracked bricks that had weathered with time. Vines had grown wild, creeping over the edges, as if nature itself was slowly reclaiming it. The air was calm, and all I could hear was the faint rustling of leaves far off in the distance. The well’s deep shadow seemed to call to me, and I couldn’t help but feel drawn to it. What is this place? I thought to myself, feeling a strange pull. It felt as though the well had a secret to tell, something that had been buried there for years. Without thinking, I walked closer, peering down into the dark water.

As I leaned over the edge, my foot slipped, and before I could stop myself, I fell. The cold water rushed up to meet me, and everything went black. What’s happening? I wondered in panic. I could feel myself sinking, lost in the dark, and slowly, everything started to fade away. Panic surged through me as I flailed my arms, trying to push myself upward, but all in vain. A powerful force seemed to pull me down and down with every passing moment, dragging me deeper into the darkness of the unknown. There was no help, no hope of anyone hearing my desperate cries. No lifeline, no way out—only the cold, dark water swallowing me, pulling me further into its depths.

I thought of my parents. They must be frantic right now, I thought. They would be searching for me, their hearts breaking with worry, calling my name with tears in their eyes. I could feel their love even in the darkness, and I wished more than anything to be with them again.

For what felt like an eternity, everything was dark, and I drifted in and out of consciousness. Then, a soft, white light appeared, slowly growing brighter, surrounding me like a warm embrace. It engulfed me completely, and in an instant, I felt myself waking up to a completely different world.

In front of me stood a broken-down house. Oh no… I thought, my heart sinking at the sight of it. The house looked old, with walls made of mud clay and reused bricks, most of them cracked and crumbling. The wooden roof logs, like a tired soul, had cracked under time’s weight, just as the house’s owner seemed to have succumbed to its unforgiving grasp. The roof was barely standing, held together by what seemed like sheer will. The door hung crookedly on its hinges, and the shattered windows were cloaked in a tangle of vines, as if nature itself was quietly reclaiming the house.

Who could have lived here? I wondered, filled with curiosity about who might have once called this place home and when it had stood at its best. Why had the house been abandoned, left to crumble in silence? The walls seemed to weep, as if crying out for the ones who once called it home. Was there anyone left to hear its sorrowful cry?

I forgot all that had happened to me and felt a strong pull toward the house. Curiosity took over as I stood before the broken windows. They seemed to whisper stories of the past, and I couldn’t resist the urge to look inside—perhaps hidden memories still lingered within.

"I once held laughter, warm and bright,
Now silence fills the endless night.
The walls you see were once alive,
Through sorrow and pain, I did survive.

But time has worn me, piece by piece,
My strength has gone, my tears won’t cease.
Come, child, look close, for you will see,
A past that's lost, yet lives in me."

This is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental.

- A Siddiqui

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