Within My Heart

"Please clear the way, it's an emergency!"

People were running around in a hurry, the environment had a dull feeling in it, the atmosphere no less than that of a funeral; however a noisy funeral, cries, screams, was all that was heard. I wasn't sure where I was; for the scenery ahead of me was fade and getting fader, as if the trailer of a movie was in fast motion before my eyes, not sure what was going on, but something was wrong. My head was heavy and I was feeling dizzy. I raised my hand to see some stains on it, but before I could see anything clearly I fell asleep. Does this happen when you are watching a dream or does this happen when you, die.....

Life and death are two inseparable companions. While life is sure to follow death; death may give rise to a new life as well, but it is up to fate to decide who to give the chance to live and die, and it is up to us to make that choice, whether to die in vain or to give life by your death. Fate has always been dominated by our choice.

Another monotonous day as always, only that little sparrow on the naked branch of the cherry blossom tree kept me company. It was so calm around, my parents were abroad, and I was in my final year of medical.

Our college was also one of the well-known hospitals in the city. Each day we would get to see patients being brought, with relatives having tears in their eyes, some of the joy while others of sorrow, and if we ever witnessed death, it was the most disturbing for us students, who had little experience in the profession. That day as well I saw a young girl being rushed in by her mother for she had met with an accident. I hoped for her survival. After the lectures, to cheer myself up, like always, I went to my favourite cafe with my friend Alex. The cafe was located right in front of the city bank, but today it was closed on some occasions. The two of us were having a great time together when we saw that the bank door suddenly burst open and there appeared a few masked people carrying some sacks and arms. One of them held a little elementary kid as a hostage with a pistol in his hand and warned everyone not to move. No doubt it was a robbery. My attention was fixed to that scene when a thought struck me. As a potential doctor, I have pledged to save lives whether it is in the hospital or elsewhere and I must do the same here, and save the little kid. I mentioned it to Alex.

"But Violet, it's dangerous, they are carrying arms!"

"Come on, where are we going to use the karate skills we learned last year?? " I replied. "Look at the little kid, he's scared, we just need a distraction and save the kid, the police around can manage the rest, right? We'll come out of nowhere; they would have never expected that!"

We ran back stealthily behind the robbers in opposite directions. While Alex made a surprise attack on the one carrying the little boy, I snatched away the boy from him, and kicked another one blocking my way. With two robbers down, the police had an upper hand, and soon as I ran with the little boy in my hands searching for a safe spot, I tripped over something, fell down and all went black before my eyes as if the sun was eclipsed to cover the world in utter darkness.

I woke up with the alarm in my room. Another monotonous day, I had no clue what happened yesterday, the day before or a week before. The little sparrow accompanied me in the morning tea and the beautiful cherry blossoms were falling and covering my lawn as if it just rained flowers. I checked the date for I cannot expect a medical student to have a track of time.

"6th December....." Did the calendar just read December? Do we have blossoms in December? I don't think the snowfall can support any budding. That was weird. That day like always in our college and hospital many patients were being brought in. A little girl, bleeding who had recently met with an accident was being rushed in by her mother. My eyes met with hers. Why did they seem familiar?

I was pretty disturbed that day so I didn't go to my favourite cafe. Instead I decided to head over to the hill top to make sure whether the flowers were blooming in December all around or if it was just in my garden, but I was right. The pink blossoms indeed had replaced the white snow on the hills. The pinkish white petals floating in the mild breeze, covering the entire hill top, the sight was more beautiful than the Christmas Snow or the naked trees; however the weird part was that no one was there to enjoy the scenery which surprised me. I roamed around and my eyes caught a little boy, a middle school student maybe, sitting on a tree branch, swinging his legs, watching the sky with an expressionless face and mournful eyes. I couldn't help but ask the boy.

"Violet!" He exclaimed with a sudden change in expression. He seemed excited with sparkling eyes.

But he knew my name. How is that possible, I haven't met him before!

"Who are you?"

"I...I- you don't remember me?" He asked with a sad look. "My name is Ariole, nice to meet you, Violet." He greeted with an innocent smile.

Where did that sadness he carried a while ago disappear to?

The boy jumped down the tree, he was as quick as a squirrel; squirrel because he was little and cute, fast and cheerful.

"Shall I take you home?" I couldn't help offering my assistance.

"Let us find it together...." He gave me an enigmatic reply.

His words made sense to me only after I had climbed down the hill. The city looked abandoned. The roads seemed like a maze. I thought I was lost. Where was this new place? It was my city I was certain, and yet not it. And no living soul was around. As if a tornado had passed away in my absence, leaving behind nothing but a ghostly town, however there were no signs of any invasions or rush, the city was just.......silent, a mournful silence, frightening silence, a world with infinite years of silence. It was so disturbing I ran for my home, but it was missing. In fact the entire street to my home was missing. The city was in a mess as if someone caused a sudden change in the city map, where were my favourite cafe, the bank, and my home! That boy, where was he?

I saw him standing behind me with a faint smile.

"Violet, shall we find your way back home?"

It seemed like a treasure hunt with no old maps, manuscripts, directions or even a dramatic "X" sign. We were aimlessly searching around the city in the hope to come across the street that would lead to my home.

"Violet, I am bored, can we go to an amusement park before we go back?"

As if we could go back anywhere! The day didn't seem to end like time had stopped. It was annoying but that boy gave me a relief that I wasn't alone. It didn't seem like a bad idea to go to the amusement park and burn away some of our anxiety. And since the city was empty, we didn't even have to pay for entry. I hadn't expected to have so much fun that day, even though he was just a child, he was a lot better company than a sparrow, a lot more eloquent than a cherry blossom tree. We rode on the merry-go-round, went into the haunted house, the house of mirrors, I had all fearful and fun moments with him. I had experienced all kinds of emotions in those few hours and so did that boy. How weird, even though something was wrong with the world, for a moment, we were having the best time of our lives.

Our final ride together, the Ferris wheel.

"Violet, do you enjoy it at your house?" He asked out of the blue.

"I don't....it's too lonely."

"Is that what you would call a home?"

I gave him a puzzled look.

"When you become a doctor, you'll spend your time in the hospital, right? Don't you enjoy the company of your friends more? Don't you enjoy it more at your college?"

"Y-yes, yes I do."

"Then what's more likely your real home?"

What was the boy trying to imply, is it what I was thinking? Had I been searching the wrong place all this while? Or was it just a small part of a truth, he just revealed to me? Why my home? So many questions my mind raised, and it felt like only my college could answer them all. I went running to my college, and looked into various rooms, for my friends, my teachers, anyone who could sort out this confusion. I went running through a corridor when a strange sensation gripped me as I went past a room. Weird, had I seen it before, it was just a ward, but I don't think I had seen it before. Should I look into it?

"Violet, welcome home." Came a voice. It was Ariole, standing right beside me and he opened the door for me. There inside lay 2 beds with 2 bodies, one with a blanket till the forehead, indicating a dead body and the other.......the other was that of a lady, still alive, but as pale as the water, cold as ice, the strangest part was that she had a mole in the neck, the same place as mine, and when I looked close, though she was a lot older, however she resembled me, was she my relative. That possibility struck itself out, when I saw a name tag on the lady and I was horrified to see it read "Violet".

What was this!!! I was standing right there, then who was this lady???

And whose is the dead body that lay beside? I reached out my hand for it but Ariole interrupted me.

"Violet, don't."

"Why?????"

"Would you lend me your ear for a while, I wish to say something."

I did, and he whispered something to me. Then he kissed my forehead and everything before me faded. All I could see was a bright white light. Voices were echoing in my ears.....but what did his words mean?

"Doctor Doctor!!!!"

"Violet, Violet she moved, Violet's awake!!!"

"Heart beats are normal, blood pressure is a little low, quick nurse..."

The guy in the white coat was helping me up.

"Take it slow Violet....slowly get up and open your eyes.....Welcome back!" Said that guy.

What was going on here, it was all so confusing, that boy's words were still revolving in my head. But where was I, and where is that boy??? Where did he go, what was his name again??

"Violet!" exclaimed a woman sitting beside me. I think she was my mother, but her eyes were swollen red, she looked far beyond her age. As soon as I got up she clung to me with tears. I looked closer; she didn't at all look like the fashionable lady she once used to be. So did my father, who I saw running towards this room, through the window. I was frustrated, when that guy in the white coat, my doctor came again and I think I recognized him.

"Alex??? If I am not mistaken right?"

"I am glad you remember me, Violet." He said with a warm smile.

"But....how...it's still our first year..."

"It has been seven years Violet...."

"Se-seven years???? Seven years to what???"

"Calm down, Violet, I'll tell you everything. Seven years back, you saved a little kid from a gang of robbers; however, you got shot in the process." He said. "The bullet went past your heart thus severely injuring it. Since then you had been in a coma."

And-and what about that dead body, I saw another bed beside mine, with a dead body on it, and I immediately got up to check on it. I couldn't believe my eyes. The scene was fading due to the water that started developing in my eyes.

"He was your donor." Said Alex, with a mournful look. "Your heart couldn't support your body anymore, and so we needed to transplant it. This is the very boy you saved that day, and ever since he had been coming daily to visit you, talking to you, praying for you to wake up, but a few days back, he failed to make it alive here, only did his injured body come here, he had met with an accident, and before we lost him, he agreed to donate his heart to you."

I was lost into my dream, or a vision was it? Everything was so confusing and yet so terrifyingly clear. I thought I was turning crazy. A drop of water dripped down my eye.

"Daily he regretted not to be able to meet you for real, not to be able to hear a single reply to his endless talks. The kid was amazing and yet I feel sorry for him." Continued Alex. "While he was alive, you were asleep and when you finally opened your eyes, he is asleep, forever....."

His words were ringing in my head. They made sense to me now.

"What was his name again?" Mumbled Alex looking into the documents.

"I have no regrets now, Violet; I was finally able to meet you...."

"Ariole......" Was all I could mutter.

Violet Hunt

6th December 20XX