The first time I saw him in Rishikesh, he looked at me like I was someone he had already lost."She hadn't just run away… she had disappeared.
Years ago, after that incident — the one no one ever spoke about — she became convinced that her own mother would hand her over to the police. So one night, without a word, she left everything behind.
And now… her mother was in Rishikesh, searching for her.
But the girl didn't know that.
All she felt was an unexplainable pull — something deep, almost haunting — drawing her towards the Ganges.
As if the river remembered her.
The morning was wrapped in a thin veil of fog when she stepped closer to the water. The air felt heavy… too quiet.
That's when she saw him.
A boy, standing in a small wooden boat, rowing slowly across the river. There was something strange about him — something that didn't belong to this world.
For a moment, he stopped.
His eyes locked onto hers.
Not curious.
Not surprised.
As if… he had been waiting.
Before she could process that unsettling feeling, she moved forward — and collided straight into him as he stepped off the boat.
The impact made her lose balance.
"Watch where you're going," he said sharply.
She frowned, irritation instantly rising. "Maybe you should look where you're coming from."
Both of them stood there, staring — neither willing to back down.
"Can you stop croaking like a frog?" she snapped.
For a second, he didn't react.
Then slowly… a faint, almost knowing smile appeared on his face.
"A frog?" he repeated softly.
Something about his tone made her uneasy.
"Strange," he murmured, stepping a little closer. "You used to say that too."
Her heartbeat skipped.
"What?" she asked, confused.
But he didn't answer.
Instead, he leaned in just enough to whisper—
"Looks like… you still don't remember me."
A sudden chill ran down her spine.
Because deep inside…
something felt horribly familiar.