Lost in the Labyrinth

It was a lazy school afternoon when I found you buried deep inside a book huddled in a secret corner of the classroom. Being a sincere student, one might assume that you were prepping for the exam the next day, but the shiny emerald cover that hid between your note proved otherwise. I sauntered over to retrieve the shiny book perched between your notebook to catch you in the act, but you just smiled at me.

Curiosity kills the cat, yet I was a lovely victim. You saw me gazing at the book and said, "You wanna read it too, Achu ma?" You knew I would fall for it. Thus began the journey of two quirky teenagers getting lost in the depths of the universe only creative minds could conjure. It filled us with an exhilarating chill, like finding magic in a mundane world. You went from the person who was just present in the class to the person with who I shared this little world. No one knew the world we knew. No one wanted to explore the labyrinth we were in. No one got to experience the fun we had.

Days rolled. Months rolled. Years passed. We grew up and moved miles apart. We were not carefree teenagers anymore. Life took us to different places, and the lifeless box with technology kept us in touch. The conversations faded, but whenever we came across people who talked about the book once we got lost in it, it served as a reminder of me to you and of you to me. Until one day, you lay lifeless in a box. Even the screens that had once bridged the distance between us seemed powerless this time. You didn't like the world we lived in, but you have always loved the world we got lost in. I can never bring you back. I cannot look for you in the mirage we have built, but I'll always look for the remnants of you stuck in there. Even after you are gone, I'll never let the memories fade away, and that book will always bring you back to me in every way.