Chapter 7


    Chapter 7: Desert Snow


    Abhay''s P.O.V


    It was snowing


    The ground waspletely white. It had snowed overnight and now the tiny yellow blossoms that looked like miniature sunflowers were buried under


    three feet of fresh snow, their petals crushed under the heavy weight. It was going to be a long, cold year ahead and the snow has only just begun.


    I looked at the waterfall in front of me, untouched by the winter chill. Jnarna, that was what we called it. The literal Hindi trantion of a waterfall, but it


    just sounded right to us. It was freezing outside but I knew it would be nice and warm inside the pack house. It would also be noisy. But I liked that


    noise. It was weing. It was home.


    Something dropped to the ground in front of my feet. I looked down to see what it was. It was only a speck in the vast sea of snow but it stood out


    amongst the white. It was in the shape of a tiny drop but the warmthing from it melted the snow a little, caused a slight dent as it was absorbed


    into the snow. Blood. It was a drop of blood


    The temperature suddenly dropped by at least ten degrees as another drop of blood fell on the ground to join the other droplet. Then another. And


    another. The drops weren''ting from the sky and I realized with a start that the blood was actually dripping down my fingertips.


    I raised my hands in front of my face to inspect the blood and saw that there was blood everywhere. It was running down my arm as it colored my


    sleeves. Confusion swarm in my head as I tried to register why I was bleeding. The only thing I felt was cold, there was no pain. I looked down at the


    ground and watched in shock as the ground beneath me turnedpletely red. It was like I was standing in a river of blood. It flowed freely in the


    snow, heading towards the slope before taking the plunge downward to meet the waters of the Jharna, turning it a dark pink it color.


    I felt something trickle down my forehead and I raised my bloody hands to wipe it away, only toe up with more blood. I felt a sad smile form on


    my lips. This was it then, this was how it all ends.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    My vision blurred, ck spots danced in front of my eyes and I knew I didn’t have my time left. I only wished I could hold her once again. Just this one


    last time before I was gone.


    I turned back to look at the vast fields of snow that were now drenched in blood. And there she was, in her white fur and soulful blue eyes. There was


    blood in her coat but that didn''t diminish her beauty; she would always be the most beautiful woman I''ve ever seen, no matter what form she took.


    She was running towards me with all her might but she was too far. It was of no use. It was already toote


    I raised my hand towards her as if to say goodbye, but my vision blurred further, the dark spots increased...and then I was falling back, into the


    turbulent waters of Jharna. This was it.


    A mournful howl filled the air a split secondter...and my vision went nk.


    I sprang up in bed in cold sweat. My heart was beating like a hummingbird and I was gulping in huge gasps of air. The clock on the opposite wall


    showed 4.45 in the morning but my mind was racing with a thousand questions.


    What was all that about? I''d never been to a mountain before, especially because of my fear of heights and yet I was dreaming about the mountains.


    And what was with all that blood and snow? Why was I bleeding? Was someone trying te kill me? And that wolf.


    Those eyes! I’d seen them before. That white wolf in my dreams was so familiar. I knew it was a woman and I also seemed to know that wolf. She, I


    called it a ‘she’. How did I even know that the wolf was a female? What was my connecting to it? Whatever it was, it went very deep. It felt like I


    wanted to hold her onest time before I died...


    I shook my head. I was a twenty seven year old male in the prime of my life and yet here I was, dreaming about dying and blood and a white wolf with


    icy blue eyes-wait, icy blue eyes?


    I remembered with a start, it was the woman I''d seen today, in that dhaba this afternoon. For a second I remember thinking of her as a white wolf.


    What was wrong with me? I''ve been obsessing about that woman whole day! So what if she was a foreigner? It wasn''t like she was the first foreigner


    I''ve ever seen. But she certainly was a unique woman if I was obsessing with her this much.


    Sighing. I got out of bed and pulling my balcony door open. stepped into the veranda. The sun hadn''t risen yet and the sky was still dark with only


    specks of light visible on the horizon. One thing about the desert was that the days were extremely hot and the nights were cool like the autumn. It all


    depended upon the sand’s absorption and release of heat. That''s something we learned in school.


    I knew I was filling my mind with


    baseless thoughts to distract myself


    because I was too shaken up by the


    dream. Ever since I was little, my


    mom alwaystold me that subha ke


    \


    sapne hamésha sach hote hain; the.


    dreams that we see inthe early <


    morning.dlwayse true. So for


    me obe dreaming about my_death


    at 445 in the morning wasn''t


    something I was too excited about. I


    could just call my mom and ask her


    what my dream even meant, but


    being a superstitious Indian mother


    that she was, she would just freak


    out and want me toe home


    immediately. I tried not to be as


    superstitious as my family could be


    sometimes, but when you''ve been


    raised in superstition your entire


    childhood, it’s hard not to pick up a


    few things.


    I''m a native of Delhi and I was


    currently based in Bombay as a


    photographer-have never been to a


    hill station before in my entire life,


    not even far work and I didn’t see >>


    any future ns that involved hilly


    areas<t preferred="" the="" sea="" and="" that''s="" where="" my="" work="" often="" took="" me.="" asriwini="" mehta="" was="" woman="" who="" mostly="" got="" hilly="" assignments="" in="" our="" department="" she="" almost="" same="" age,="" if="" not="" younger="" than="" i="" don’t="" see="" her="" quitting="" job="" or="" moving="" away="" so="" don''t="" ever="" have="" to="" worry="" that="" i''ll="" take="" ce.="" content="" belongs="" noveldrama.org<="" p=""></t>


    The vige was slowlying to life


    as I stood on my hotel balcony and


    watched. Some of the lights had


    been turnedvon in several houses,


    shops were being open and meni


    colorfuf turbans were lighting their


    chtis and puttingrge a


    sauéepans of water on boikso they


    c6uld start making tea apd groups


    of women were heading towards the


    tube wells with their earthen pot to


    collect water for their days work.


    Everything was buzzing around me but my mind was restless, it was filled with thoughts about that snow covered mountain and of a woman that my


    mind kept thinking of as a wolf. Maybe I really was going insane or maybe some higher power was trying to send me a message, tell me something


    that was about to happen


    Yeah, right! With my luck, I’d bet on the former.