And a miracle happened. This Garima woke up before the alarm. Never had she risen so early on instinct. Not even during her board exams. It was still dark outside. The sun had just begun to rise. The rays slowly cleared the black sky. And Garima sat up. She was shocked too.
She didn't wait for the alarm to ring. She got up, and took a bath. And she took her laptop. And started writing again. She still had 1.5 hours till it's 6.00
She didn't know when the time passed and the alarm started ringing. She was so engrossed in her story, that she almost screamed from shock. But it was worth it.
Suddenly she smiled. Her voice dropped low. A hush followed like some secret.
"I did it"
The laptop screen was bright.
And on the screen there was a file.
First Arc: The Logic Breaker - 85 chapters.
Completed.
She stared at the screen and read the words again.
Two.days. 85 chapters. And finally she could stop writing. Even now it was hard to comprehend what had happened. Only now she feels her hand paining. Or her eyes itching.
Yet her heart was beating loudly. dhak-dhak. dhak-dhak
She had written an entire arc. In just two days.
A story
An Adventure
A world.
She grinned. She truly adored this moment. And then. She screamed at the top of her lungs "Maaaa!!!!!"
She was off her seat. Running and screaming for an emergency family assembly. She tripped and even hit the sofa, which was not in her way. Just furniture standing in its allocated space.
She jumped on the said sofa. And started laughing while she waited.
Everyone made their way towards the living room in confusion. Her mother with a Spatula and her father with his shaving cream.
Only her brother looked irritated, maybe he was in the toilet.
She ignored their circumstances and spoke, her voice full of flair.
"Everyone" she spoke and paused for attention. Standing on the sofa
"I object," her brother raised his hand.
"Overruled" she spoke glaring at him.
"I insist" he raised his hand again.
"I wasn't talking to you"
And they started bickering.
"Accha, okay what happened, stop fighting now" her mother spoke in exhaustion.
"I finished one complete arc"
Her brother blinked
"Which one?"
" The new one!"
"Really?"
"Really!"
"In just 2 days"
"Well technically it's 2 and half"
"Still"
"Well I wrote 85 chapters"
"Ek saath!" This time her mother was astonished.
"Aree..waah" Her father laughed.
"Let me tell you…."
Footsteps tapping the tiles could be heard as Garima paced around telling the story. Excited with little jumps every now and then.
And her family sat across the sofa listening to her. Most importantly looking at her happy expression.
For almost 15 minutes. Her parents listened. And her brother is acting bored, as if he wasn't hearing a word. But his attention never wavered.
"Then the parties went around together for more adventurous"
"Party ?, as in Birthday Party?" Her father asked.
She face palmed "No, Papa it's.."
"They are adventure groups" her brother completed for her , still acting like he was bored.
Then she started talking about her hero and heroines.
"And marriage?" Her mother asked.
"WHAT? This is not your daily soap opera maa"
"Achha, I understand"
"Is the heroine beautiful?" Her brother asked.
"Yes"
"Bet you made the hero handsome too? He asked.
"So what, anyway it's a non romance genre"
"You don't have a boyfriend, so you want to make your characters single too. So selfish!"
And they started bickering again.
And suddenly their father's voice interrupted them. "Its interesting for me. Maybe because it's my first time hearing a story like this. But I like it? Are you saying there are lots of stories like this?" He asked.
" Yes there are, but wait, you like it" she asked. She hadn't expected her simple father to understand. She just wanted to share her joy.
"I like the adventure system, but I still think people should get married," her mother said, smiling at her.
"It's good, but the fantasy genre is competitive, you will be competing with lots of nerds" Her brother smirked.
She felt giddy. As her eyes watered a little.
Her mother hastily went into the kitchen to prepare something edible as fast as she could.
And she sat with her brother bickering as their father went to shave.
Later when her father was leaving for work. He surprised her.
"I searched about it a little," he said while wearing his shoes.
She just stood dumbfounded.
"It has competitions but still you should publish it" her father suggested.
"But take care of your health too" her mother said while packing the tiffins for her, her husband and her son.
"And don't forget about me, if you make it big" Her brother said as he stood by the door, in his school uniform.
Garima's eyes watered again. She has to stop herself from letting out a sob. So she could only nod. And say goodbye.
A while passed. And the home sat still, without a sound. And Garima sat at the table again with her laptop. Her mother had told her to sleep but she had never felt so energetic before.
She had some chips and yesterday's Jalebi Rabri by her side.
She smiled and started with the 2nd arc. Munching on the junks. Bouncing her legs. Humming. She was satisfied.
"Okay time to make History"
She popped her fingers loud on purpose.
And then she started taping the keys again.
This time the heroes explored new lands. New creatures appeared. Secrets got unravelled, when old ruins were uncovered.
Fighting the dark forces. And new Devil lords.
" The world is so huge," she whispered happily.
Her imagination kept on expanding.
More characters, adventures and mysteries. It felt like the story was breathing on its own.
Then something strange happened. And there was a subtle shift in the air.
Garima frowned. "Was the window open"
Normally her mother would lock all the windows before going. Their house even had Security Grills. Living in Mumbai meant pollution, high level dust, and prevention for burglary and theft. So it was unlikely for her mother to forget to lock the windows before going to work.
She looked around, but everything was closed. Everything was normal. Furniture sat where it always had. Nothing out of place. Yet a strange unease lingered.
Then the air shimmered. Garima rubbed her eyes
"I need sleep, mom was right"
She blinked.
Then everything changed.
And the walls disappeared. She scrambled to her feet, almost tripping.
"What in the wor…..ld"
Her eyes darted from one corner to the other. And then she stood still. And then followed her frantic scan of the room. It must be a hallucination.
She stood inside a room made of stone. It was so big that it felt like a hall. The walls stretched upward. The stone pillars supported a shimmering roof. Wait, why was it shimmering?
And the place felt ancient.
"Okay"
Her eyes moved across the room taking it piece by piece.
"Is it really a hallucina.."
Her words got stuck in her throat.
"Or I got isekaid?"
This place looked like a shrine and an enormous one at that. Tall walls with faint marking ran along the surface. Pattern in uneven streaks. They seemed old with secrets and coded meanings.
Garima stood still, confused and she looked scared as well as excited. Then she felt a small breeze brush past her.
Garima spinned. Making a full round.
"Hello" she let out a shout.
No answer. But the air shifted around her. It became colder.
Then suddenly- she felt a presence.
A shadow moved close and stood behind her.
Her body pivoted before she could stop herself. And then she froze.
A woman stood in front of her. Yet describing her just a woman felt off. She looked…..ethereal.
And just beauty wasn't it. She looked holy? Maybe? Garima isn't sure.
She was so beautiful, Garima forgot to breathe. She was tall. Towering Garima from above. And her presence filled the entire shrine. But she had a soft smile on her face.
Garima blinked and then she blinked again. She loved beautiful faces. Gender didn't matter. She got so lost that she didn't even remember she was not at home.
Out of nowhere she reached out her hand for a handshake.
But the women remained still. She looked graceful even standing tall. Her face showed a serene smile.
Garima's hand shook a little. It was awkward. But she held it still, a little unsure.
"Hi..umm…Hello"
The woman smiled again.
"Welcome, Creator