The Architecture of Stolen Time
FISSION
In the beginning, before time wore down mountains and divided the oceans, there was a tiny speck of cosmic energy breathing since time immemorial. It was a realm where time didn't exist and love was as natural as breathing. But higher realms are places of absolute peace, and a soul cannot grow without being tested.
For reasons unknown, the infinite wisdom of universe decided to split that energy into two. They had to choose the ultimate trial.
The Earth.
They accepted the contract of forgetfulness, knowing they would be separated but the origin of their single cosmic consciousness resulting in love would always pull them back.
Their first descent into this beautifully torturous human realm happened millennia ago.
MAGNETIC NORTH.
The morning was no longer new, but it possessed quiet magic. It had been a while since the sun had risen and its golden rays lay placed so gently upon the garden lawns of the palace. Every blade of grass seemed to catch the warmth, slowly letting go of the morning dew which had placed itself softly earlier. It was as if nature was welcoming Her with a golden carpet laid across the sunflower garden.
She had the most striking, expressive brown eyes that seemed to hold a quiet universe. Her dark wet hair, fresh from the bath, absorbing the warmth of nature, fell like midnight silk over her shoulders. Her lips were soft, natural pink, and she wore a gentle smile that could completely disarm an army.
She possessed the kind of breathtaking effortless charm, that a writer like P G Wodehouse would have spilled ink trying to capture it.
Her presence was so radiant that she thoroughly confused the sunflowers, leaving them unsure whether to face the sun or her.
He was a traveller from the distant land, brought to the palace on matters of state. Tired from riding overnight, he had entered the palace a few moments earlier and taken refuge under the shadows of the stone corridor.
From there he watched her disrupt the very rhythm of the earth, the very fabric of nature, and his consciousness; awakening something ancient in his soul.
And then it happened. Their eyes locked across the courtyard.
Nature, noticing it was not its time and place to carry on with its flow, stopped.
The idling breeze, died suddenly. The warm gentle rays of light froze upon the golden carpet of the lawn. The rustle of leaves slowed and the birds fell silent.
The outer world became an absolute breathless vacuum.
But within them, it wasn't gradual realisation. It was a violent, cosmic shockwave.
Inside, it felt like the walls of the great glacier broke, releasing torrent of waters, that had been frozen through centuries of waiting.
It was like a collision of tectonic plates, shifting the entire geography of their existence, giving rise to mountains and oceans.
High and Deep.
As the initial shockwave settled, he finally crossed the courtyard and drew near her. Their eyes were still locked, as if connected by an invisible cosmic thread.
With his heart pounding against his ribs, he offered a brief introduction. It was a fragile attempt to bring life into the stillness.
He waited breathlessly for her response.
She did not answer with words. She simply smiled.
It was a slow, pleasant smile that struck him like a blow and made him weak in his knees.
Before he could regain his composure, she turned and began to walk away.
He felt like watching the sun set slowly in the hills, carrying all the light with him.
He was anchored to the spot, his heart letting out a silent cry.
But just before she stepped through the small palace door, she paused and turned back.
This time, her smile changed. It was deeper, more knowing smile.
A silent acknowledgement of a soul that remembered the promise.
Then she slipped inside.
For the next month, during his stay within the palace walls, they lived a kaleidoscope of stolen time.
In the early mornings, they returned to the sunflower garden, bathed in that golden carpet.
After lunch, they met in the cool shadows of the courtyard, their hands fitting into each other so perfectly, as if Time had solved a centuries old jigsaw puzzle.
At night they travelled further from the palace restrictions, to watch the stars.
If the sun had ignited the yearning, the moon watched over it gently.
One night, they escaped to the plain fields lying flat on their backs upon a warm rung beneath the vast array of stars. They could trace the Milky Way flowing like Amazon through the rainforest.
The crescent moon shone quietly, as if pulled straight from a sacred deck. A couple of dogs emerged form the shadows, sitting quietly beside them.
It was as if the universe had sent these silent creatures to watch guard over the landscape so that no human could disturb the cosmic soul union.
Locked in each other's presence, they watched the moon float through the dark, the ascent and descent of the Pleiades, her favourite constellation. The stars mirrored the map of their own cosmic journey.
But they were no longer in the peaceful higher realms. The human world is governed by cycles.
He had to return. His time at the palace had expired.
For now.
TBC...