The Falling Dream

Even in the most beautiful dream, there is always a story waiting to unfold. For Geetha, the source of all beauty and light in her life had always been her mother.

It started like a gentle lullaby. Her mother was singing. Safe in the warm curve of her mother’s lap, Geetha lay curled like a newborn, holding tight to a soft hand, every worry in the world erased by the melody. Her mother’s voice was the only sound she could hear, a beautiful, comforting symphony. As the melody grew richer and more profound, Geetha held on to that hand with even deeper longing.

Then, the singing stopped.

A sudden, jarring silence pulled Geetha from her comfort. Disoriented, she opened her eyes to look at her mother.

"What if, Geetha," her mother asked softly, her eyes holding an unreadable shadow, "what if Amma isn’t with you one day? What would you do?"

"I would find you," Geetha said instantly, wrapping her arms around her. "No matter where you are, I will run to you."

A dark shape appeared behind them. Her father stepped forward, his expression grave, extending a rough hand toward her. "Let's go, Geetha."

Geetha pulled away, clinging to her mother’s side. "No. I am staying with Amma."

But as her fingers tightened around her mother’s hand, the familiar form began to fracture. In a horrifying heartbeat, her mother dissolved into thin air, leaving Geetha grasping at empty space. Before she could react, her father grabbed her wrist, his grip like iron, and yanked her away from where her mother had just been.

"Nanna! Nanna, stop!" Geetha cried out, "You’re hurting me!"

But he didn't slow down. He dragged her forward with indifferent strength. There was no pity on his face, not a trace of hesitation.

"I won't go!" Geetha sobbed, fighting against his grip with all her might. "Nanna, I won't!" Still, his gaze remained fixed forward, cold and vacant. He continued dragging her across the dirt floor of the cave.

Geetha twisted in his grasp, fighting to look back toward where her mother had vanished. But as she looked down at the ground where she was walking, her heart stopped.

Red footprints. Every step she took left a bloody mark behind her.

Her eyes went wide, absolute horror paralyzing her for a second. The air grew impossibly thick. Sweat poured down her face. Panic set in, her breath coming in ragged, terrified gasps as she realized the bloody marks weren't just following her—they were leading somewhere.

A monstrous shadow solidified in the darkness.

It was immense, a towering abomination in the form of a great wild bear, a beast born of shadow and malice. The nightmare recognized her. It locked onto her, letting out a deafening, predatory roar that rattled her bones, and then it charged, tearing through the darkness straight toward them.

"Nanna!" Geetha screamed, "Look! The beast! It’s coming right for us!"

The creature closed the distance with horrifying speed. In a frantic, desperate burst of energy, Geetha threw herself in front of her father, shoving at his chest, screaming for him to turn and run.

Suddenly, her father jerked awake—or perhaps she did. He was there, but he wasn't running. He stood frozen, stared down at the ground, his posture defeated.

"Nanna! Please! Please, we have to go!" Geetha yelled, tugging fiercely at his hand, begging, screaming, fighting to wake him from his trance.

He didn't move an inch.

The nightmare was nearly upon them.

Behind them, the sound of a roaring river surged. On the opposite bank, tied tightly to an ancient, gnarly tree, Orange was fighting. The great dog let out sharp, panicked barks, jerking with all his strength against the thick rope, tearing at the wood, trying desperately to break free and get to them.

The beast lunged forward with explosive fury, its vast maw open, red rage burning in its eyes.

No, no, no. Every instinct in Geetha’s body screamed. Her hair stood on end. "Nanna! Please! I don’t want to die!"

Her father’s eyes slowly opened. He raised his head, finally looking at her.

Geetha stopped fighting, completely stunned into silence. Because in his eyes... there were tears.

Panic, confusion, and fear swirled in her head, paralyzing her mind. "Come on, Nanna! Please! We have to go!" She begged again, a soft whisper this time, all her energy spent.

The beast threw itself through the final stretch of darkness.

With a definitive movement, her father ripped his hand free from hers. Before the shock of the rejection could even set in, he dropped to his knees in front of her. He placed his rough hands firmly on her shoulders and said something... but the deafening roar of the river drowned out his words.

"Nanna! I can't hear you!" Geetha cried, struggling to understand.

But she would never know what he said. In a single, swift motion, he shoved her hard.

Geetha tumbled backward, off balance, falling. In that single fraction of a second, as gravity seized her, she looked at him one last time. There was a tiny, sad smile breaking across his tear-stained face.

Behind him, the beast lunged. The nightmare slammed into him, its mouth dripping with gore as it brutally savaged him.

Orange let out a heartbroken, anguished bark. He threw every remaining ounce of strength into one final, desperate jerk. The rope snapped with a sound like a gunshot. The hound didn't even slow down; he bolted, throwing himself into the raging river after Geetha.

As the vicious current dragged her downstream, Geetha’s whole world centered only on her father. "Nanna! NANNA!" she screamed over the roar of the water, fighting the massive waves, her eyes locked onto the distant shadow.

Before the current dragged her around the bend, out of sight forever, she saw it clearly. She watched the beast tear into him.

Total, crushing panic seized her. She couldn't breathe. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. She gasped, desperately clawing at the air, suffocating on her own terror.

She took one last, massive gulp of air and bolt upright.

A dream.

Geetha’s eyes snapped open. She wasn't in the river. She wasn't in the dark cave. She was in the thick, humid jungle. She lay on a bed of leaves, safe and dry.

She stared straight ahead, a thick layer of sweat covering her body, her breath ragged and wild. Panic still clawed at her throat. It was just a dream... wasn't it?

A soft, low whine sounded next to her. It wasn't until she heard his voice that she realized Orange was right there, lying beside her.

Her hand trembled as she reached out, running it through his thick fur. Tears filled her eyes, hot and fast, blurring her vision as the crushing weight of reality crashed down. She couldn't hold it back anymore.

"If you weren't here, Orange..." she choked out, her voice breaking. "If you weren't here... I would never have survived this long. Not in this jungle, among these mountains. We are the only ones left... from all our families... we are the only ones."

The dam broke. She completely collapsed, burying her face into her knees, trying to wipe away the endless tears with dirty sleeves.

"I just want to see Amma..." she cried, her voice barely a whisper as her fingers desperately grasped the silver locket around her neck. "I just want to see her... I want to tell her I'm sorry... for everything. I want to sleep in her lap again and hear her stories. It's too much... knowing I can never see her again... it’s too much."

Another sob tore from her chest, raw and absolute. "I want to tell Nanna I’m sorry too. I want to tell him... why? Why didn't he come with me? Why did he have to stay? Why...?" She trailed off, clutching her hands together, remembering the final touch. "I just want to hold his hand again. I just want to walk with them one more time... just to hear them talk..."

Geetha curled into herself, shivering violently as her whole body shook with grief. Orange whined softly, pushing his nose against her shoulder, doing everything he could to comfort his broken friend. Finally, she collapsed against him, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face into his fur, letting her heartbreak bleed out until she had nothing left.

How much further can I run?

A distant, terrifying ROAR resonated through the forest, cutting through her sorrow like a knife. The sound was still far away, but unmistakable. The same nightmare she had just woken from was out there, hunting her.

ROF! Orange's mood snapped instantly. He stood alert, dropping his head low, his hackles rising, placing himself like a shield directly in front of Geetha.

She fiercely wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, her panic returning. She scrambled to her feet, grabbing Orange’s collar. "No, Orange. We have to go. Now. I can't lose you too. I can't lose anything else."

Understanding his command, Orange reluctantly stepped back. They knew they had to find a way to escape before the beast tracked them down. Geetha’s eyes darted around, looking for a way out.

"If we can make it to the vertical cliff and climb it," Geetha said, pointing, "it might lose our scent. It can't follow us up there. We just have to climb it faster than it can reach us. But..."

She stared up at the sheer rock face looming before them. The mountain wall rose a terrifying 1,000 feet, straight up, smooth and relentless. And to make matters worse, she could see massive silhouettes circling at the very top—Condors. Rabid, mutated rabandhuvulu—massive carrion birds, waiting specifically for them.

"We have only one choice," she whispered, her resolve hardening.

Geetha pulled a long piece of cloth from her frayed dress and wrapped it around Orange’s muzzle, gently but firmly securing it so he couldn't make a sound. Then, she pulled off her large weapons harness and carefully helped the massive dog climb inside. She buckled him securely to her back, the familiar weight providing a strange comfort.

She took a deep, grounding breath, centering her focus. It was time.

Geetha grabbed the first ledge.

She hauled herself up, one hand over the other, finding grip after precious grip, her movement smooth and precise. The fear that had paralyzed her earlier now became her fuel, driving her upward.

At 50 feet, the pain flared through her fingers. The relentless vertical climb was already tearing at her grip. She reached into her quiver and grabbed her strongest arrow, jamming the arrowhead into a narrow crack in the soft rock. Levering against it, she propelled herself upward.

By the time she reached 100 feet, her muscles were failing. Her arms shivered violently. Sweat caked her face, blinding her eyes. Her body screamed at her to stop, but her mind refused to listen. Just one more grip. Just one more arrow. She hauled herself up, higher and higher, her mind refusing to look down at the dizzying drop below. I can't feel my hands... just one more.

Frantically, she pulled another arrow, jamming it into the next weakness. With a sickening CRACK, the arrow splintered and broke under her weight. Her hand slipped instantly.

The 1,000-foot drop yawned below her.

Desperately, she grabbed at the cliff, her fingers finding only a single, splintering arrow that was already starting to fail. The crack was widening. Sweat poured down her face. Panic flared in her mind, stealing her breath.

Behind her, she felt the weight shift and heard a low, soft growl—a warning from Orange.

She struggled against the rising panic, her other hand frantically clawing at her quiver, searching for her last strong arrow.

But at that same moment, Orange was issuing a new, violent warning. They weren't just battling the cliff and the drop. The Condors had spotted them. The massive, rabid birds screeched, diving through the open air, their razor-sharp talons outstretched, aiming directly for Geetha and Orange.

Orange twisted in his harness, growling fiercely and trying to snap through the muzzle at the massive wings flapping around him.

The birds lunged again, their powerful talons gripping the weapons pack on her back, screeching with rage as they tried to rip the massive weight of Orange free from Geetha. The birds flapped their huge wings, pulling with relentless force.

As the Condors yanked violently at her back and the fragile arrow crackled in her failing hand, Geetha’s eyes went to the thin silver chain around her neck. She grabbed the silver locket and held it tight. She closed her eyes for one final second, remembering all the stories, all the love, and all the courage.