To Love A Murderer | ✔

15 | Speaking Through Dreams

Lilavati shifted in her sleep, hoping that she would not face yet another nightmare tonight as Nidra Devi beckoned her into her sweet embrace.

Her breathing evened out quickly.

She began to dream.

~

Images danced in her unconscious mind's eye like the fractals of a crystal forming.

There was the dance of divinity in her mind, the tinkling of anklets, the shuffling of clothes and feet on the wet grass, and a music beyond comprehension. The music which sounded like the flute yet otherworldly emanated from a source that shone as bright as a star exploding. There was the impression of dark skin against golden skin, a love brighter than the sun and sweeter than honey.

There was the playful shriek of a child's voice, silvery anklets chiming a sweet melody and the soft footfalls of a child as they ran from their mother. The warning call of a mother so full of adoration beyond explanation and yet gentle exasperation echoed in her ears.

There was the soft laugh of two friends in sync, the impression of two dark-skinned men walking hand in hand, one robed in his characteristic yellow and the other in silvery-white as they walked the gardens, the love they held resounding through their every motion.

"Come on, come on, hurry before Maiyya comes here!" the impish voice of a young boy whispered as there was the shattering of a pot on the floor, and the delighted hums and clamour of young boys as they licked their fingers.

The images and impressions faded in and out of her mind's eye, like the flicker of sight if you blinked too many times. Then it blinked out of existence, and the dancing fractaled flower burst like a star exploding, fading all too soon.

And suddenly, she felt something pressing against her head and she blinked awake. Her head was resting against a gently swaying garden swing, the support entwined by creepers and tiny flowers akin to stars.

The moon showered his rays freely on the garden, and she saw her husband standing with his back to her, looking up into the sky. His unbound curls moved gently with the night breeze and she could make out that his shoulders were somewhat stiff with tension, although it was a lot less than what he must have had during the day.

A sense of serenity and peacefulness pervaded the entire atmosphere, suffusing the air with a simple joy.

The address slipped out of her lips before she could register what she herself had said.

"Praneshvara."

His head inclined by slight angles at her call, and with a languid grace, he turned towards her, spinning on his heel.

"Lilavati."

She rose, her hands hesitantly brushing against the soft flowers and leaves that twined their way through the swing.

"Am I dreaming? This seems all too vivid, Natha."

His lips quirked upwards.

"Simply because it is a dream, does not mean that it need not be real."

Her feet brushed against the dewy grass as she moved to stand beside him, looking up at the empyrean.

"I am here... because I wanted to speak to you."

When Lilavati caught his hidden meaning, her eyes snapped up to his, where he was regarding her with a patient gaze, and she let her own wander slowly until they came to rest on the dewdrops shining in the moonlight beneath their feet.