At sharp 6 am, the sound of an alarm started ringing, breaking the silence. Again it rang after 5 minutes. The rings continued till 6.30 am. But the person who had set the alarms has not even tried to reach the phone yet.
And the alarm stopped ringing as if it had given up on waking her up.
As if on que Garima moved slowly, still under the blanket, her arms stretching out and reaching the book beside her pillow. Instead of getting up she spilled the book towards her and wrapped herself around its weight instead of getting up.
But beyond her bedroom doorway, morning had already taken hold.
"Garima!'' A shout came followed with continuous banging at the door. Garima groaned and tugged the blanket up. Hiding beneath its weight.
But few things worked when facing an Indian Mother's stubborn care. Here children are even not allowed to lock their rooms, so what will the covers do?
A shadow crept across the room. And shook her awake. " Arrey...ma" a muffled voice came out. And a shape began to unfold under the covers as she sat and shook herself out of the covers. Her hair sticking out in all directions. Eye squinted looking at the figure in front of her.
"It's already Six-Thirthy, aur madam abhi bhi so rahi hain" her mother said as she stood beside the bed. Arms crossed tight across her chest.
Garima rubbed her eyes and looked at her mother "Kya mummy. I was already awake. I was just resting a little" she said smiling.
The women looked at the heavy books lying around the mattress. She counted. A total of seven books. "Tum phir raat bhar novel padh rahi this na?" she asked.
Garima smiled. "Research"
"Research?"
"Yes"
"Beta, what about your eyes, think about your skin. You will get dark circles. Who will marry you then?."
"Mummy, You already know my dream. I won't get married without my own best-selling novel"
The woman felt a slight pain in her head, and she applied pressure with her fingertips against her forehead.
"He Bhagwan, every morning she has to give me a headache. Now come and have breakfast. I have to go to office"
So 26 years old unemployed Garima, a Master Degree Holder of English literature got up from her bed to freeload on her parents. Her parents and relatives had thought that she would become a teacher, i.e. a respectable job. Prepare to get married and behave like a responsible adult. But she wasn't on board with that idea. She had already mapped out a different route. Becoming a writer. That and selling a best seller novel
Which required Reading novels, Lots of them. Endless
Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, even strange books where folks become blades.
No one understood her love for the fantasy genre. She tried explaining but what she meant never reached them.
It was her family who indulged her even if they didn't understand. And her younger brother used it as a weapon to tease her.
And that's how every morning starts. She saw her brother as he propped himself in the doorway.
"Oh look, the great author is awake!" he said "ready to grace us with her presence."
Brothers are always a menace. And they always attach when you are vulnerable. Garima glared at him, if she could shoot beams with her eyes like superman. Her brother would have turned to dust by now. Just thinking about it gave her pleasure. She let out a laugh. He He He. Not like the girly hehehehe but Heh Heh Heh with an expression that meant evil.
"Mummy look at your crazy daughter, she has gone crazy" He shouted.
"Who is crazy, you are crazy, your whole lineage is crazy" she shouted back.
"Mummy, she is calling you and Papa crazy too" He shouted grinning.
Garima grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him with all her might.
"Go away, Harami kahika!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.
Her brother dodged it easily and ran away. Shouting "Violence"
And suddenly she felt tired again. She tiredly pulled her out of the bed. Still sleep deprived she tripped and got up huffing and puffing. And made her way to freshen up.
By the time she reached the dining table. It was already 7. Her parents and brother were already at the table. Dressed up for work. Only she was in her pajamas.
Looking at her State made her parents let out heavy sighs.
"Look at this girl. Who will believe that you are a Master Degree holder? All you do is read story books like a kid"
"Mummy those are novels, and they are for inspiration"
"Inspiration doesn't feed you" Her mom said.
"Behen, this is India, now you are just a burden at home" He brother said as he laughed.
Her father smiled too. "Leave her be, you too. It's fine, let her do what she wants" He said smiling softly.
"Oh Papa! Only you care about me" Garima said, eating her meal heartily. Not that she minds her mother's concern and her brother's teasing.
She just laughed and ate and then waved when they left for work. Her brother also left for school.
And now after a fresh morning meal. Garima sat down with her laptop on her desk.
It was her comfort zone. Her corner. Walls covered with handsome and beautiful actor actresses. Shelves full of books. Small figurines of fantasy creatures like dragons, mermaids were on her table. With normal cute creatures like Pandas and cats. A forest wallpaper that almost covered her whole room. It felt like she was inside a meadow. She liked to imagine being transported in a fantasy meadow.
Once her brother commented that the room looked like an artificial garden. She has taken that as a compliment regardless of what he meant.
The screen blinked, and she opened a half-written word document. Named "My Fantasy Novel- Version 37"
Then there was silence. She glared at the screen and the screen glared back at her.
"Oh come on brain, think of Something, anything is fine" She said and groaned.
Then she started writing. " There was a dragon.....cut...a red dragon...who was also known as a disaster.....wait...black dragons are disasters....cut.....it didn't feel original. The tap-tap sound of the keyboard continued in the background. Regardless of her writing or deleting or writing again.
She deleted and wrote again. It repeated multiple times.
But she wrote again " A princess" tap-tap-tap"lost during a coup, everyone thought she was dead but fate had picked her, nobody knew it yet. A gentle and kind girl. But hidden beneath those quiet eyes was the truth - she carried what others searched life times for".
She kept writing. Her expression shifted and she smiled. "Nice, but Cliché"
She was satisfied.
Later that day. Her mother and brother had already returned from school. And a quiet moment found her tucked into the couch, in the living room. Fingers scrolling the phone and watching reels watching beautiful people.
Her brother sat on the table doing homework.
Her mother came with her arms full of washed clothes and sat beside her. Then she started folding them. The scent of clean clothes
And Garima quickly stopped watching reels and started reading a novel. With a slight tilt of her head. She moved fingers side to side as if turning the pages on a digital book. And she let out nothing but silence while doing so.
"Phir Novel?
"Research"
On the screen Garima was reading an Isekai story. A girl reincarnated into another world as a baby. Followed by magic, adventure, dragons, handsome knights and political intrigue.
Garima sighed dreamily.
"Why doesn't it happens to me, even I want to transported somewhere"
Her brother paused while writing. "It won't happen to you"
She glared at him " Why"
"Because other worlds also have standards"
She just got up and walked to her room. Anyway she was supposed to meet her friends this evening.
When she showed up at the cafe. Her friends teased her being a hermit. Her friends Maria,Aisha and Rohan. A medico student, A law student and an engineer. They lived in reality unlike her who still lived in her fantasy la la la land. It's not like she wanted to ignore them but being with them made her realise what a dream she was living. But still she wanted to give it a try. Give her all to be a writer.
"So how is your writing faring? Any progress?"
Maria asked, her eyes eager and anticipatory. Once upon a time. Yes, long back. Not so much though. Like 5 years back. Both were book nerds. And they were closer because of their love for books. And now she only had time to read medical books.
Garima's head moved slowly from side to side, a quiet refusal forming without words.
"Why, No inspiration?" Aisha asked nonchalantly while sipping her tea. Her hijab looked firm without a single crisp.
"You read 10-12 novels a day? And still nothing ?" She asked
"Reading is different from writing!" Garima snapped.
"You know what your problem is, Garima," Rohan said after some time.
Garima shook her head. Still irritated. She didn't want her friends preaching too. Her relatives do enough already.
"What?" She asked
"You are waiting for a miracle, don't deny it. You know it yourself"
It was a disaster. The whole meeting. And when she came back. She was still out of it.
She didn't eat dinner saying she was full. She crawled on her bed under the covers. Scrolling through her half-written discarded manuscripts.
She didn't notice when her mother came to her room. And night had already settled outside.
"Bas karo aab!" Her mother said " It's time to sleep, and remember to pray once in a while"
Fingers slide off the phone. And Garima looked at her mother.
"Maa.."
"Yes?"
"You pray for me"
"What"
"You do it, just like you did during my board exams"
"Why?"
"For Inspiration"
Her mother sighed and looked at her without speaking. After a pause she spoke.
"Why don't you do it yourself?"
"Because you are better at it!"
"Ye ladki, okay sure, now sleep"
Her mother switched off the lights and left.
But Garima laid awake. It was far past bedtime. Her parents must have slept, even her brother too. Only she was awake.
There was silence. And just shadow. As the dim light came from the windows. The moon was bright outside.
"I just need one good idea" she whispered into the silence.
"You know" she said to the universe or whoever is up there "if you want to help now would be a great time"
And nothing happened. It was expected. This is reality. Nothing arrived. No miracle.
Just her.
She sighed. And drifted off to sleep.