THE PORTAL'S CALL

In the city of Delhi, it was the night of Diwali, the festival of lights. In this festival all of one's family and loved ones gathered to gift each other sweets and money, prayed together and at the end enjoyed bursting firecrackers together and filling the sky with glitter. Everyone lit their houses with lots of candles and decorated their homes. Instead of enjoying the view of the well lit homes and enjoying the firecrackers, Arjun was going away from them.

He was going to the same spot on the outskirts of the city where he went since he was a child to find solace. it was a beautiful place with a river and hills surrounding them. He sat on a hill under a banyan tree, rested his head on its trunk and just when he closed his eyes, tears ran down his cheeks. 

He cried as he hated this festival. In this festival that everyone enjoyed with their loved ones, Arjun had no one.

left outside an orphanage when he was born, Arjun was raised there. Growing up he was a quiet and well behaved kid, but he was bullied a lot which broke his confidence and increased his distrust in people. 

He had no friends and he found peace in books and the quiet corners of the city where he could lose himself in study. His days were marked by the rhythm of school and then straightaway avoiding any interaction and going to his spot where he would spend the rest of his day reading or 'reading'.

The worst part was it was his 18th birthday that day and no one cared. He once again thought about going to bridge above the river and giving in, and sarcastically smiled as no one will care. This was not the first time he thought about it, but somehow in the boy who didn't have much there was still a glimmer of hope that things will get better. "I might meet my parents", "I might make some friends"-he thought!. he consoled himself by thinking that even though my life is not great i am still grateful to have a life.

The firecrackers had stopped now, it was late night, a strange silence had shadowed after the constant noise. Arjun decided that he should start returning to his orphanage. As he stood up he saw a figure, barely a silhouette against the river, walking towards the bridge's edge and then standing precariously on it.

The "Figure" standing on the bridge's edge didn't move at all for quite some time there, as if it was making an important decision. 'The decision of life or death.'

Arjun's heart quickened as he recognized the familiar ache of empathy stirring within him. He had seen the signs before—the desperation masked by a façade of indifference, the silent plea for someone, anyone, to notice and care.

Without hesitation, Arjun ran towards the silhouette which became more and more clearer to be a boy not much older than him. "Hey, don't do it!," he shouted, his voice carried across by gentle breeze that swept through the arches of the bridge.

The figure turned, revealing a face full of confidence and an otherworldly level of calmness. Their eyes locked for a fleeting moment and to Arjun's disbelief the figure looked at Arjun and gave him a smile, definitely not something a sane person would do standing on a bridge's edge.

Arjun filled with a quiet resolve, was perplexed on seeing the other boy's calmness not matching his actions. He shouted "get down right now, don't waste your life, whatever it is you can make it right!!!" 

The boy in front of him almost ignored Arjun and said " Dammit!, why the heck couldn't i sense you" with confusion. He added " OHH, you don't need to worry about me!"

Arjun thought maybe he was a madmen and there was no explaining him. He was thinking about plans on how to convince the boy to step down the bridge's edge and not do something insane. Just when the boy did a goodbye sign to Arjun with his hands as if he was saluting him, which made Arjun even more nervous.

And then, as if in slow motion, the boy leaped backwards like they do in a spy movie jumping off skyscrapers, only he didn't have a parachute.

Without thinking anything, Instinct propelled Arjun forward, his agile frame springing into action. He didn't think of the consequences, all he wanted was to save the boy!, he vaulted over the stone railing, his fingers grazing the cool surface of the ancient stones as he plummeted towards the river below.

He saw the boy splash into the river on his back with no grief or shock on his face, and then Arjun embraced himself for impact. Just when he was about to hit the river, instead of the anticipated impact of water, a strange sensation gripped Arjun-- a pulling, swirling vortex that seemed to swallow him whole. It felt as if he was moving in circles really fast, getting all dizzy. Colors blurred, reality fragmented and consciousness slipped away as darkness claimed him.

"Well this is it, the end of my meaningless life!" thought Arjun, he thought that at least he wouldn't have to suffer anymore and closed his eyes.

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"Hey, dude wake up!!!", this constant sound kept on ringing in Arjun's ears as he was being slapped and water being splashed on his face. Arjun slowly opening his eyes, still feeling dizzy and tired wondering that this is what a hangover would feel like, though he had never had a drink. Opened his eyes to see a boy, no! the same 'boy on the bridge' trying to wake him up.

A figure materialized before him—a boy, not much older than himself, with eyes that held a depth of knowledge far beyond his years. He extended a hand, strong and steady, and said "its good that you woke up, you are quite the sleeper!" with a smile on his face.