Aami slowly rose from the bed. Gathering her loose, tumbling hair into a bunch, she held it with her chin as she looked outside. She was wearing a oversized t-shirt that slipped down from her shoulder toward her arm. It was a habit of hers to swipe any banyan she liked from either Arthur's or Alfi's closet—and they knew it too. This one, too, certainly belonged to one of them.
She got up from the bed, took a blanket, and walked toward the balcony. There, she curled up inside the large swing.
It was very cold. She lay there, huddled, pressing a pillow tightly against her body. But sleep wouldn't come; her mind was entirely filled with that dream.
Why did a memory she hadn't thought of until today suddenly appear as a dream tonight? That thought consumed her. She checked her phone; it was 4:15 AM. As that dream flooded back into her mind, she felt like she had become that seven-year-old girl again. Those moments from long ago now felt as fresh as if they had happened yesterday. She remembered the deep sorrow of waking up inside that forest and not being able to find "him"... how she had cried until she was exhausted.
Back then, she had to abandon the trekking trail halfway and return. For many days, that sadness stayed with her, but slowly, she had made peace with it as time passed.
When you think about it, it wasn't a relationship that lasted for a long time... just a bond of a few hours. That too, with a Wolf—a creature humans fear. After that incident, she hadn't carried it as a constant memory. But now, she felt a profound soul-connection to it in her heart. A sudden, deep longing to see it again... if they met again, would it even remember her? She wasn't a little child anymore.
Still, why did it come to her as a dream tonight? Perhaps it was because she had been thinking about Ameliya. Or maybe it was because that story was still lingering in her mind... or perhaps because she had seen a wolf on her way home.
When she thought about it, she remembered its eyes and its body... a wolf with terrifying cream, brown, and black mixed fur. The glisten in its blue eyes... wasn't it just like the one she saw in her childhood? Could they both be the same? At that thought, her heart raced. Her mind filled with a strange curiosity... and then, a smile touched her lips.
Even as she slowly drifted into sleep, her mind remained filled with those blue eyes.
Aami woke up in the morning to Vysh calling her. Everyone was in a hurry to get to work. Because she hadn't come down even though it was quite late, they had come looking for her... and she even got a scolding for sleeping on the balcony.
After showering and freshening up, she went to the dining area where everyone was gathered. She went to her Dad, hugged him, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He, in turn, placed his hand affectionately on the back of her head and kissed her forehead. She then sat down beside him.
"When did you come home yesterday, Aami?"
His sudden question caught her off guard. Ammi bit her tongue and looked at Alfi, who was sitting there sternly, and her sister-in-laws, who were stifling their laughter. Then she looked at her Daddy...
"Sorry Dad, I was a little late... there was some urgent work... I didn't realize how the time went by..." she said.
"Work... you are a psychologist, right? It's not like you're a businesswoman or a techie... and you're certainly not doctors like us..."
It was olivia who spoke, sitting opposite Aami.
"So what? Is it written anywhere that I can't have urgent work? I can be busy with my patients too!" was Aami's retort.
Olivia had learned about Indian culture from being with jagannath. Because of that, its more task to handle olivia than jagannath... and this was Aami's reply to that.
"Let me tell everyone a story... it's something very mysterious... thinking about it yesterday even made me feel like I was going crazy..."
As soon as Aami said this, everyone looked at her with anticipation. Because Aami was a psychologist, she would often share many of her hospital experiences with her family. Those were usually the most interesting stories. But behind this, Aami had another intention... when she shared things with her family, she would receive various opinions on matters she couldn't resolve herself. And it will help her reach a conclusion.
"And so, she shared Ameliya's story—or rather, not just a story, but her very life itself. Everyone sat there, completely stunned, after hearing it."
"Aami, look... there are so many stories being written with this same theme now,"
Vyshnavi said.
"Reading them over and over might have affected that girl's mind... I mean, when we read a story, don't we sometimes fall in love with the characters or the life described there? When she starts imagining that those characters are part of her own life, what else can happen?"
Vyshnavi added, "Maybe this girl just ended up in a situation like that, we don't know.
Aami, you're a doctor—shouldn't you know what kind of mental state she's in?"
Aami looked up thoughtfully and replied, "Vysh... what you said is a possibility. I thought about that too. But honestly, this feels like it has many more mysteries. If it's exactly as you said...
then where did she go?"....
Miya chimed in, "She might have just followed her imagination. Look Aami... I don't think that girl is satisfied with her real life. It must be as Vysh said.
Moreover, Aami, most girls today are addicted to these kinds of fantasy creatures. First it was vampires, then dragons, and now it's werewolves... and among them, werewolves are the most interesting."
"Why is that?"
Aami asked, curious.
Miya began sharing her knowledge: "It is said that these werewolves can live as both humans and wolves. They have only one true mate in their entire life... they will wander and find them, mark them, and then mate. Then, for their whole life, they live only for that love and passion. They belong only to each other. There is no escape from that bond; it is that deep and strong..."
"Not only that," Miya continued, "they are possessive to an extreme level. They can't stand another person even looking at or touching their mate. And because they are part animal, there is a certain 'wildness' mixed into their romance..."
Aami sat in silence, lost in thought as she processed Miya's words.