Hannah resided near a lake. On her way back from school, she usually finds solitude in its banks, which she loved frantically. The lucid water and the fishes in it always fascinated her mind. Many birds visited this lake but ‘Blue herons’ were the one she liked the most. As she sits quietly, she had seen them catch its prey with vigour and excellence. Hannah always wished to have a pet like Kit but taming a wild heron into her custody could be an ordeal. She always wanted to visit Annie and her world. Her only means of meeting Annie is through her dreams. It all started when Hannah was around six, after the loss of her father. In one of her dreams, she met Annie, who is of her own age.
Annie had beautiful brown straight hair which extended up to her knees. Such a pretty thing! Her eyes switched from blue to emerald at times. So Hannah could not define her eye colour, because the cornea kept on changing. In the beginning, they only smiled and stayed together as they wandered together in the strange land they met. Annie as well as Hannah could not explain, whether their dreams were real or fantasy.
When years passed by, they understood. It’s real but can’t be explained to anyone. As kids, they tried to express it to their dear and near, but they took it as feverish blabbering’s. Then they started to talk in their dreams, they took a vow to keep it as a secret. Earlier they met only in dreams but recently they started hearing their voices in the day time too. This made them select a solitary mode of life and keep aloof from others since they loved each other’s company. In dreams when they meet, they found themselves in strange or rather bizarre backgrounds. These places resembled more or less like a fantasy land. So sometimes Hannah assumed it as hers or Annie believed took it as hers. Anyways their world and their friendship cannot be explained to no common man.
Hannah had started to jot down points inside her notepad as she does not wish to miss any important incidents from sharing with Annie. Hannah knew that ‘The Herons’ migrated during summer and winter, to a distance land just like her thoughts travelling to Annie. One day I will find Annie, if she ever exists on this planet earth”. Hannah had made her decision and had also started planning for her mission.
“I will wait for you here itself or else, if both of us move in search of each other and then Hannah it’s gonna be a never ending story”.
Annie laughed and said this in one of their dreams.
“A friend beyond the physical world.” One could say so.
“Do you have ‘Blue herons’ in your land?” Hannah asked.
“Blue herons! What are they?”
“Don’t you have internet or technology at your place?”
“Mind it city girl.” Annie got irritated. “We live in a forest. Remember?”
“No offence please, they are migratory birds just like your kit. I hope they visit your land too Annie.”
“Oh in that case, you just dream a blue heron.”
“Okay…..Why?” Annie asked surprisingly.
“When you dream then I could see it too. If I see them in our land, then probably I could tag a letter on one of its wing or leg for you.”
“Annie… That’s a good idea. I will do the same or keep a GPS tracker……”
“Wow…. Hold on Hannah…… too many ideas. I can’t understand.”
“No need. I will give it a try from here itself.”
“We both really wanted to meet each other don’t we Hannah ?”
“Is that a question to ask?”
“Mm” Annie agreed in silence.
“You know Hannah; I still can’t make it out whether you are my dream or a reality”.
“Sometimes me too….” Annie smiled and said “Anyway In both ways, I love it”.
…….
As Hannah sat near the lake, she watched the Blue Herons carefully.
“How to catch one and then tag a letter to its feet?” She thought
The water was cold, as the winter is about to come. Before the lake freezes and the birds fly away, Hannah must get on to a bird. She pulled out a plastic bag from her backpack. It had fresh salmon.
Hannah kept the fish on her palm in hope of attracting a bird. She had to slowly step into the shallow lake. But the birds kept ignoring her. Carefully she moved and then stayed still in the waters.
Among the flock, a little one seemed interested in her salmon. The chick might have recently fledged out of its nest. It moved closer but never near her hand. After all wild is wild, hard to tame unless you have mastered the art of taming.
Hannah thought of grabbing it.
“How foolish!” She dashed but just fell onto bottoms.
Swimming was never a problem for her but her legs got strangled somewhere in between the rocky bottom.
“ Hannah are you in danger?”
She heard Annie’s voice from nowhere.
Since the water started gushing into her mouth, Hannah could not answer back. Then Hannah took all her energy and pushed herself out of the water.
There ….. in a faraway distant land… Annie rushed out of her classroom, which was completely placed inside a huge tree trunk. Annie then started spitting water out of her mouth.
