Journey to the Heart

I couldn't sleep that night; the stress over the upcoming journey tormented me. Just the thought of seeing my ex-husband again made my nervous system act strangely, almost out of rhythm. Rhythm — so important in life, and when something disrupts it, everything starts to get complicated. I wanted to regain control over myself, over my daily routine, and conquer the procrastination that had left tasks abandoned, perhaps forever.

After an hour of staring at the wall, which wasn't even that interesting, I finally took the first steps to prepare for departure. This is how it is with journeys — small and large, easy and difficult. We look forward to them, but just before they begin, doubts and stomach issues creep in, making it harder to leave the house. I dashed to the car, driving off quickly, as if that would prevent me from changing my mind or turning back.

My hope that the journey would go smoothly quickly vanished when a huge truck hit me. A blindingly bright light engulfed me, transporting me to another magnificent land, certainly more colorful and joyous than Earth. I found myself in a place with turquoise, transparent water, white sand, and rows of tall palm trees adorned with coconuts. I had never been in such a beautiful place before, so I concluded that fate must be fair, at least after death. How could I not celebrate such a wonderful moment — the journey to paradise? I cracked open a coconut, as hard as a rock, sat on the pleasantly warm sand, and stared in awe at the clear water.

I thought it couldn't get any better, but it did. A man appeared before me, incredibly handsome and muscular, with darker skin, jet-black hair, and a look reminiscent of Native Americans. His hips were wrapped in some cloth, leaving the rest of his body enticingly exposed. I wanted to touch him, just to make sure he was real. I decided to pinch myself to see if it was a dream, but then I realized it didn't make sense since I was already dead.

– Aloha. – the stranger greeted me.

–Aloha. – I replied.

– Welcome to our heavenly land. How do you feel here?

–Wonderful – I answered.

–My name is Akshay, which means 'Immortal.' And you are Karen, right?

–That's correct. –I stammered, surprised  –But how do you know that?

–Oh, I know practically everything about you. When you were a child, you were afraid of the dark and slept with your parents for a long time. You love pasta and enjoy reading books. You loved men, but your ex-husband humiliated you so deeply that you can no longer open up to anyone. Am I right?

–Yes, but...

– I'm here, Karen, to help you. I know you wanted to visit your ex-husband to reclaim your heart. I have a proposition — if you help me recover something, I will make sure your heart returns to you, and you will be able to love again."

– I’ll try, but will it be beyond my abilities?

– I wouldn't place anything on your shoulders that you couldn't handle. I need you to help recover my manuscripts, which have belonged to my Bhuvi tribe for centuries. Some time ago, our enemies, the Satvari tribe, cunningly stole them from our temple and hid them in their own, guarded day and night."

– And how do we get there?

– You'll learn along the way. Now, let's go. We must swim to the location.-- After saying this, he whistled with two fingers. Suddenly, two dolphins swam up to the shore, joyfully leaping in the air.  

--This is our transport. – he said.

Not wanting to seem like a coward or ignorant, I pretended that this didn't surprise me at all, as if I rode dolphins daily. My guide smiled so disarmingly that I couldn't refuse him. So, a bit shakily, I climbed onto the dolphin, while Akshay did it gracefully, looking otherworldly in the process. Suddenly, I felt the wind in my hair, the dolphin sped up, and the water pleasantly splashed me up to my waist. Oh, how wonderful it was.

– We must watch out for sharks; I see one now. Lift your legs, Karen!

–But..

–Legs up! – Akshay shouted, and I felt my legs lift as if an invisible force compelled them. I decided not to panic and held onto my dolphin's dorsal fin tighter. It felt as if some superhuman calm and strength had taken over me, which was an incredible and entirely new sensation.

I noticed the shark heading our way, but when Akshay whistled again, the dolphins seemed to pick up speed and began to weave, distancing themselves from the shark. He whistled again when we encountered another, and so it went. Fortunately, our dolphins were swift and agile enough to avoid them and shake them off with ease.

– We ‘re  almost there – I heard him say at one point.

Before my eyes, a huge island appeared, shrouded in mist. There were no palm trees or white sand, only a shore lined with sharp rocks.

– I know what you're thinking. It's gloomy here. – Akshay said. – The island's appearance reflects the hearts of its inhabitants. Follow me; we need to get to the temple. On the way, I'll explain my plan."

We quickly moved toward the temple, pushing through thickets whose branches whipped us, leaving red marks. But there was no time to pay attention to that, as Akshay laid out his plan. It seemed absurd and dangerously risky, but I decided to trust the Immortal.

After a long and intense run through the trees, we finally reached the temple. It wasn't very tall — more flat, actually — and rectangular in shape. Massive columns surrounded the structure, and it spread out over a vast area of the forest. According to Akshay's instructions, no one patrolled the rear of the building. Two guards watched the front, and one guard was stationed on each side.

Akshay signaled that we needed to move away from the temple, so we pushed through the brush until we reached the back of the structure. Slowly, we crawled to a small window that was our passage to the underground. It turned out that the cloth wrapped around Akshay’s hips had an inner pocket, from which he pulled out a knife. This knife apparently could cut glass, as he carefully sliced out the entire pane and set it aside quietly. He slipped in first, and I followed, with him catching me to prevent a fall. When I was in his arms, I felt dizzy, and a warmth spread through my body as my heart began to beat faster. Ah, my heart — I felt something again, and it was wonderful. I longed for it to last, but Akshay set me down, and we slowly moved forward.

The room smelled of dampness and was quite dark, but we soon found ourselves in a corridor lit by the flames of gigantic candles. Curtains hung in the windows, tied with thick ropes, and Akshay, for reasons only he knew, untied one and took it with him. We carefully placed each step, hiding behind every column to remain unnoticed in case anyone passed by. Akshay looked at me and gestured for us to stop. We had reached the entrance to a large room that appeared to be the temple's heart. I understood without words that this was where our manuscripts were kept.

Akshay moved first, hugging the wall as he slowly made his way forward. I was to stay on watch and signal the Immortal if someone approached. Luckily, no one appeared, so Akshay could carry out his task. I watched as he swiftly overpowered a guard, tying him to a chair and gagging him with a cloth he snatched from a side altar. The manuscripts were on a raised platform behind glass. Akshay used his knife again to remove them. Carefully, he retrieved them and headed toward me. We then quietly moved back to the cellar with the window.

Somehow, no one noticed that we had intruded into the temple grounds. Once we crawled out of the window and back into the forest, we sprinted toward the shore. This time, no sharks attacked us, so we safely made it back to the island. Exhausted, I sat on the sand, and Akshay sat beside me.

– Tell me, please, what do those manuscripts contain?

They hold the fates of the world. It's better they remain in our hands. We swore to protect them, just as we vowed to protect the world from complete destruction.

After saying this, Akshay embraced me, and the feeling was so pleasant that in this bliss, I didn't even realize when I fell asleep.

– Karen, Karen... Please wake up.

When I opened my eyes, I saw his beautiful face again.

– Your time here is over.

– But how?

– You're not dying yet, but I promise you'll return when the time comes. I will be the keeper of your heart in the meantime. I promise to care for it and love it. Goodbye, until we meet again.

I woke up in a hospital. My ex-husband was sitting by the bed.

– Karen, finally! You sent me a message that you wanted to see me... I heard about the accident on TV... And here I am. What did you want to talk about?

– Ahh... How long have I been here?

– For two days.

– Too short...

– What? Well, tell me, what did you want to talk about?

– It doesn't matter anymore. And now, kindly get out of here because you're ruining my mood and mental health.

The end