Elysian

To all the dreamers, this one of is for you . To the ones who cry under the tap , to the ones who wish upon the stars, keep wishing . You never know when the universe and listens to your whispers.

Elysian

Stuttered by the world’s expectations ,

The little girl was weighed down by the blasphemous atrocities of the world

To the stars she conspired the breath of the galaxies,

To the skies she filled the air with purity and innocence,

To her dreams, she lived in them , the reason she felt alive.

And to her mother and father, she was their pride.

This is the story about a girl with dreams in her eyes and wishes to touch the skies.

A girl whose dreams where once shattered and torn apart by the shady truths of the deception,

But she was no ordinary girl, she was a warrior who wore her scars like warpaint.

CHAPTER 1

The beautiful sky adorned itself in moonlight as the stars felt alive in the presence of the iridescent heavenly body. Norway danced in the colors of its beauty , the ones that dipped it in the radiant cacophonies of dazzling melodies of their goddess coming to visit their home.

Aurora , the goddess of the northern lights graced everyone with her presence every night . It was pitch dark as the sky was about to sleep and every villager waited to bless their eyes with the presence of the eternal enchantress.

The villagers waited for hours and yet no sight of the eternal deity. Most of them abandoned the idea of the deity’s sight, But Sia, a fourteen year old waited for the goddess. Hours past and the sky bosomed midnight and death laid its icy hands on the scanty warmth that was left for the little girl.

As she stood there alone, she looked up and whispered to the stars. Stars if you are listening , please tell the goddess to visit me. I want to tell her about my family , I need her help.

And zuppppp!

There was a sudden strike of ligtening and bam the goddess appeared.

Sia was stunned and tears welled up in her eyes.

As she saw the ethereal being before her very eyes.

Sia mustered her courage and treaded her steps towards the goddess.

Aurora as she stood on the winged chariot, wearing her green layers of clothing that waved an aura of elegance , grace and ethereal serenity. The time came to a standstill as the goddess embraced the little girl. Wiping her tears , she replied.” Dear Sia, my lovely child , don’t be afraid of what lies ahead, for time is a rite of passage. A passage from darkness to light, from love to hate , from dejection to a ray of hope.

Whenever you feel the hammered wheeling of time have plonked you into an eternity of darkness, remember life is a chariot , the chariot is driven by time, so if the wheels are stuck in the penumbra of hoplessness, remember to hold on to hope. The ray of hope will guide you to the right path.

And have faith in the universe for it deifinelty listens to your whispers.

Sia sobbed with a heavy heart, her eyes throbbed with dejection as she heard the goddess.

Sia painstakingly replied , “My family is on the brink of ruin.”

Aurora replied ,” I am aware of your circumstances my love.”

And yet you are telling me to keep hope, instead of helping me out.

Sia blurted out in anger.

Aurora smiled and said , “Let me tell you a tale , the one which answers all your questions , the one that answers what destiny holds for you.”

Chapter 2

The magic that thy heart beholds,

Let it flow, for the first in forever.

You will set yourself free,

And embrace the power ,

That you uphold.

Aurora smiled at sia who looked intently.

The tale starts when a young girl not more than your age falls into the trap of the unknown.

Sia looked perplexed at the goddess.

Aurora continued,´”There was a village in the far lands of Finland where beauty herself resided.

In the heart of the valley and the soul of the mountains resided a beautiful village named Amourella ,

It was named that because it was believed that the dawn cracked its very first crackle in the village.

The land was blessed with enriched soil, good food supplies and enough resources to sustain an eternity .

But as a wise man nothing lasts forever and every beautiful thing in this world has a darkside to it.

So did this village.

Sia intrigued by the story asked, “ what was the darkest secret of this village?

Step by step , word by word. Syllable by syllable

I will unearth the story that encompasses the land of amourella.

to the plight of my misery ,

I found my love in erratic ecastasy.

The village was known for its beautiful landscapes and picturesque sights.

Iraya was the youngest girl in the village and was the most beautiful girl in the village.

The tales of her beauty and wit went far and wide.

She was not only known for her beauty but also her generosity and kindness.

The world regarded her as a glass of porcelain , dainty and pure.

Iraya belonged to the most influential family of the town, her father was the mayor of the village.

She was the eldest daughter of the clan , and she had two younger sisters.

But with every aspect of beauty comes a light of darkness.

The darkness that surmounts the depth of beauty.

Chapter 3

Iraya was thirteen and her fourteenth birthday was approaching in a few days.

It was the ritual of her family to visit the temple of Arindelle , her mother’s native place on their respective birthdays.

Following the ritual , Iraya went to Arindelle on the birthday

As she travelled in the darkness, looms of darkness covered her chariot .

Her mistress and her younger sisters were afraid of what was hovering over their chariot but Iraya knew it was nothing but the godly spirits who protected her from the evils of the world.

She ordered the horsemen to stop and she stepped outside the chariot. To her astonishment as soon as she set her foot on the grass , there were showers of lightening all over and the chariot lost its way into the darkness. Iraya was blinded by the sight and felt unconscious. As she woke up , to her astonishment , she awoke in the temple of Arindelle.

The same temple of Arindelle , which her mother so ecstatically narrated about. Her mother told her , that the temple of Arindelle was cast upon a spell by the deity. And she didn’t exactly know about the spell, but her mother knew one thing she told Iraya.

Only a true soul with a pure heart could see and witness the breathtaking beauty of the temple. As Iraya went forward, the door of the temple remained shut. Iraya could hear her heart pounding, but curiosity was the bane to her existence.

Grasping to her courage, she touched upon the gate of the holy place. As soon as she came in contact with the door, the temple doors opened. The night was falling on her shoulders, spirts of air , water , earth and fire surrounded as her shield. Marching forward , she was in awe of the beauty that was surmounted by.

Encircled by the waterfall on one side and the mountains on another, she gaped at the grace and elegance of the place. Moving forward , she stood at a standstill as there was a door which yet remained undiscovered. The door had a question that needed to be answered , the question read itself.

Thou shall think about me in every noon,

For I am ahead of you and when you embrace me,

I shall be gone too soon.

Perplexed and confused Iraya could not fathom what the answer was. But as she held herself , diving deep within,

Her heart answered . She repeated the answer aloud, it is the future. The door opened and it led to a beautiful chamber. The chamber was filled with riches, jewels, diamonds, rubies. Iraya was no ordinary girl to be swayed by these materialistic things of mortality.

She was attracted to the depth of life, something that cannot be replaced , that cannot be snatched from you no matter what games anyone plays. Show her your dedication, your love towards her that cannot be tamprered by evil monsters like envy, insecurity , doubt. As she marched forward , Iraya saw a beautiful painting that portrayed a deity with a wand in her hand and a handsome man next to her. Iraya gazed through the picture intently , to her astonishment she found a note on the base of the painting.

“ To the one who reads this note,

You are the future of this anecdote.

Iraya grew anxious and started questioning the note in her mind. There was a shower of lightening again and she fell unconscious again. When she woke up , she found herself back in the chariot. The mistress told iraya that they found her unconscious inside the chariot itself when they all where searching for her. Iraya jolted in her seat and thought to herself , was this all a dream. She reached Amorella and festivities began. It was her birthday and she felt bittersweetness towards it.

Though she was merry but a sense of uneasiness twitched in her heart. The entire town thrived and blossomed like a new rose flower out of its bud. Everyone was happy except for Iraya. Her parents loved her dearly but failed to notice the pain inside their beloved daughter’s eyes.

Iraya talked to her mother after the party. Her mother replied , “ you had a beautiful dream Iraya, don’t overthink it. Iraya knew in her heart, it was not a dream. Days passed and Iraya’s restlessness grew stronger. The nights grew longer and her anxiety threatened the very existence of her being

Chapter 4

As she walked her way in the village school, Iraya’s teacher noticed that she was restless. She asked her, “ My dear child , what is wrong.” Where has your smile vanished. Iraya narrated the entire incident to her teacher and she knew her beloved student was not lying.

Iraya asked her teacher ,” What will my future be?”

She replied ,” Whatever the future will be , will be , it is not ours to see.” With tears in her eyes, Iraya embraced her teacher, for she knew she had someone who would not judge her and invalidate her experience. Sometimes all we need is a ray of light from the end of the tunnel to know that there is light ahead.

That hope lies ahead.

She returned with a smile on her way back from school. For now she believed in herself no matter what the future held for her , she would not give up. As she returned home, her mother was crying . Seeing her mother cry , Iraya ran towards her mother what was going on. Her mother embraced her child and apologised for not believing her.

Iraya smiled and told her mother there was no need to apologise. She aksed her mother, “ Why did you believe me now and not earlier? Tears welled up in her mother’s eyes once again. She mustered courage and told her daughter , “ There is something I need to tell you.” Her mother stood up and took Iraya’s hand with her. They went to Iraya’s room where her mother kept a box.

The box had a similar pattern like the door of the temple. Iraya though agitated did not show it in front of her mother. Her mother removed an ancient scroll from the box and handed it to Iraya. The scroll had the picture of a crown and a ring, and had a message.

Whatever our souls are made of , yours and mine are the same.

Iraya’s mother told her, this is the ancient scroll of our family that was passed from generations down. Noone has ever opened this box, but when you were born , the priest had told us that you will open this when you cross thirteen years of age. You are the chosen one by destiny my darling. You are destined to do be the faith of many.

Iraya was held aback by her mother’s words, she asked her mother how could she be the chosen one. Her mother replied,” This is your fate Iraya, the one god has chosen for you. Just have courage and look within for answers. And whenever the world tears you down, come to my embrace.

Iraya went back to her room and started writing in her diary When the night climbs over my window and peeks into my room, I find my solace in the darkness that ices my wounds with traces of serenity that we all so long to find. I embellish my sense of being in the silence,

As the unknown calls for me.

The hammered wheelings of time can turn even war into peace and peace into war.

a poem gives us hope to fight the hammered wheelings of time

A quest for purpose I am set on

I set on a journey

A journey into the unknown

Shuddered by the fear of debacle,

I was agonized by the sound of self-doubt

It symphonized like the sound of air

Bleating like a drum

A drum of despair

Reverting within the very ounce of my being

I no longer found anything fulfilling

There were days when I didn’t want to wake up

Where I wanted the nights to last forever

There was no joy in any of my endeavors

The sky through blue looked like a black cloud

I wished to rain like a storm every day

To pour the ocean out

Everything just turned into a shade of grey

The color of hopelessness hoped for a permanent stay.

Life is like a color pallet.

Every color in the pallet has a different story to tell

A different pictures to paint

And in life, every day has a different color to color us with

Happiness paints us with a moment of sunshine

Sadness leaves with grim and whine.

But often we forget that we are the painters of our life

The masters of this strife.

Then the sky embraced its resilience and kissed the mighty blue

Though it was a time I never wanted to remember

Now I yearned to make my every desire come true

The universe is like an echo

If you shout about misfortune and lack

It manifests and returns it back

Feed yourself with optimism and authenticity

Let the chapters of your life belong to the book called love

Were not the magic of love but the medicine of self-love

Heal your soul.

As the words poured out of her heart, she felt a sense of ease and held onto faith.

Chapter 5

Thou shall be tested,

Challenged in how strong your faih is rested.

Turmoil you face binds you to this strife,

Hold onto faith and you hold on to life.

Iraya jolted from her bed and sat on her bed.

Her room was beautifully decorated with white and European marble. It was colored in the hues of blue and violet. The beauty of the room was mainly adorned by the star shaped chandelier that represented alpha centori , the constellation of the seven stars.

Her mother opened the door and told Iraya , today is the ancient festival where their holy deites are worshipped. Iraya smiled and said,” I remember mother , I am aware that I have to perform the ritual. Iraya dressed up for the occasion, she wore a black gown and matched it with white shoes.

She really looked like a goddess herself that day . Iraya and her family went to the holy temple of Amorella , where the ancient festival was being held. Merriment was in the air. It was as if joy was overflowing from the gates,

But ahh

The sneaky master , the stellar of the universe, Called none other than the fate. It couldn’t bare for everything to remain the same , So it changed its game. Little did iraya know, The darkness that life would show.

Iraya went ahead , performing the ritual in her flare,

Unaware of the blasphemous stare.

As she perfomed the ritual , her family was away performing their rituals.

While chanting the prayers, the piousness of her heart,

The faith she had in goodness was torn apart.

In the manover of time , the priest laid his dirty hands on her. Iraya stood immbolized as she couldn’t recognize what was going on. The priest laid his dirty intentions on her and scarred her for life, And as her parents arrived he went away. Iraya couldn’t recognize what happended to her, Was it her fault or was his intentions a slur.

As they reached home, she bathed herself in the essences of the holy river but felt tossed into the dirt. Iraya went out and talked to her mistress, as her mother was out of town with her father. Her mistress told her you did the right thing as he was a man of authority , Iraya felt a sword rendered in her dignity.

Without speaking a word and tears in her eyes, She rushed outside. Looking up , she wanted be engulfed by the wind. She wanted to drown into the stars, but couldn’t . As she looked into the sky, She hoped for a reason for her existence to pass by.

Her face was covered in anger,

That day she made herself a promise.

In this patriarchal world filled with forgery,

She would let no one close to her,

Faith is something is still held onto.

But the idea of finding love she would bury,

As love was now no longer a part of her story .

She vowed to dedicate her existence to her purpose , to her family.

-To be continued

This is entirely a work of fiction and is not adapted or inspired from any culture or ethnicity. The story is excerpt from the novel I am working on, do let me know your thoughts on the story. If you would like me to continue the story, do let me know in the comments below:)

Awaiting your views;)

©Hridya Sharma