Deepest Fears!

He got out of their car and looked ahead. The weather was stormy, drizzle was a constant and the night had started stepping in the horizon; yet he could see the vastness and depths of Baoli step wells slowly unfolding in front of him. His mesmerized expressions matched with the friends accompanying him, as they slowly approached this man-made wonder.

He took his first step towards that depth. The stairs were indeed not in their best shape – broken, dusty and slippery, just like the steps of life he has been taking in the past few years.

He moved a couple of steps down and realized, that the way down is very narrow, and is surrounded by open veranda’s and closed chambers, all surrounded by a thick mud wall – a classic chess black-and-white board of beautiful memories filled by suffocating emotions.

Could this place be as haunted as his dreams were? Could he expect a sudden scream and a shivering revolt in his body here as well?

He was almost half-way down now – or that’s what he’d thought at least. The goblet of bottomless depth in front of him was filled till the rim with a weird combination of darkness – half of which came from the depth itself, and the other half poured by the crawling night.

Though light was leaving in his company, but the sound was in for a very weird game. Every step he took with his hard-bottomed shoes would create a faint echo, keeping his already goose-bumped body alert and resonating with his heavy breathing – which was not a sign of the fatigue, but something more tiring.

He was just scared, of what he could see clearly in the darkness ahead depicted – it had a humane form now – his deepest fears were extending a hand towards him, with a visible smug on their faces.

He wondered, if everyone could see their deepest fear in the darkness ahead too. The silence of all the souls walking with him were affirming his hypothesis. And they were all as afraid as he was – nobody wanted to embrace their deepest fears too.

What if I lose my job? Should I take that leap of faith? How can I survive the death of my close ones? What will happen to my loved ones when I die? Or simply, can I get through the day? His fears were much simpler, but he could only imagine what others were thinking about.

And that put a sudden smile on his face – he was afraid, but he wasn’t the only one with this fear.

The entire world was standing with him. Looking at their own worst fears. In their own humane forms – extended arms and faint smug.

He turned around and started climbing back. “Not today!” He kept saying to himself. Today is not the day he embraces his deepest fears. He still has a long way to go. He’s not ready yet.

But when the time will be right, he knows what he needs to do – just climb down, till the last step, and embrace that extended arm – and ensure, that he has a smug on his face too!!!