Man in terrarium

In the dead of night, my thoughts often ignite flames of curiosity. One such thought is about terrariums.

Driven by an eagerness to create a terrarium, I devoured every type of video I could find on YouTube. I even delved into its history. The first terrarium, as I learned, was created to protect a plant during a six-month-long sea voyage. Here in Kerala, many people make terrariums. Yet, some of the videos I watched left me dissatisfied. What they claimed to be terrariums often felt like something else entirely—a mere glass container. Perhaps these creators find their desired audience on YouTube, but misleading people to make money has unfortunately become a trend.

Regardless, let them be. It's their livelihood, after all. With that thought, I decided to make a terrarium myself. I gathered some understanding of the materials required.

I had an old aquarium pot lying around. I started by placing a layer of charcoal at the bottom. Above that, I added pebbles, followed by soil mixed to a muddy consistency. Then, I planted some greenery and sprayed a bit of water on them. Finally, I sealed the pot with cling film and set it aside.

The next morning, I woke up to find water droplets clinging to the glass, forming condensation like tiny raindrops. Inside the container, it felt as though it were raining—like a miniature rain forest. From then on, every time it "rained" in my terrarium, I found myself gazing at it in awe.

That night, as I drifted off to sleep, I lost track of the moment I slipped into unconsciousness.

Suddenly, I felt as though I couldn't breathe—as if water droplets were falling on me. I had the sensation of being trapped inside a glass bowl. All around me was darkness.

I jolted awake.

No, I was still in bed.

I shut my eyes again, trying to calm myself, but the feeling returned—the breathlessness, the falling droplets. This time, I wasn’t asleep; I had simply closed my eyes.

When I opened them again, I grabbed the water bottle by my side and gulped down a mouthful in one go. Returning to bed, I lay there unable to sleep. Fear gripped me each time I tried to close my eyes. And so, I sat awake, watching the night turn into dawn.