(A short story)
As Noah opened his eyes, his gaze fixing on each individual (eyes bulging out). His arms and hands positioned backwards, as if pushing something in that direction. Slowly, lowering his head and gaze towards the school ground he just entered into, sweating, panting and
started caressing a bizarre locket hanging around his neck. His long hair hanging down from his face and he murmured quietly,“It worked.” Then he stood up straight and looked back at the crowd. It felt like nothing was unfamiliar anymore and that he has been there all the
time. The tension, fear, awe and wonder; all vaporised at once. And now, as he walked he owned every step he took, as if he was finally home.The school bell started ringing and all the students including Noah started going inside the school. Noah’s stare started caressing eachletteronthehugeboardhangingonthetopoftheschoolbuildingwhichwere,“WEST COAST HIGH SCHOOL”.Walking in the hallway he started whispering to himself, “I am a highschooler, again. And Ava…. Ava would be alive!”. And then suddenly, he started rushing towards his classroom.Walking through the benches, his eyes desperately in search of Ava Rose. But, Ava wasn’t there. He even enquired about it but found out, his Ava never existed.He felt the same feeling that he felt fifteen years back. As if someone was crumbling his heart with fist, squeezing all the love out of it leaving it with pain and agony. His soul froze and he sobbed, softly. Ava was the only person who actually understood him and cared about him. She was the only person to whom he ever opened up to and the only person he felt love for. Ava rose passed away when he was seventeen years old due to coronary artery disease. It had no cure. But things changed when five years later a cure was developed. This was disturbing the comfort of his spirit. The thought that if and only if the curative existed few years back, Ava would be living, breathing and existing. All he wanted was a reversion. But, somewhere he believed with his fervor in physics, he could understand nature.Thinking, he could go back in time. Nine years of research and trying to create a possibility to make time travel as a concept, actually happen. And for the first time, he was so close to make everything acceptable again; with the help of his invention of the time travel locket which actually worked. But, took Noah to a period where Ava Rose didn’t even exist. Rotating his locket counterclockwise, he went back in his time. “ Noah? Noah?”[silent voices] called Leo, tensely. Noah opened his, eyes abruptly and said,” I couldn’t save Ava, again.”(Pause) He stood up and took a chalk in his hands and began elucidating to Leo. {Leo, was Ava Rose’s only brother. Noah and Leo had been best friends since she passed away. The friendliness they had wasn’t the conventional concept of fellowship, preferably; because of the common torment they shared and that, only they could hear each other’s heart mourning.} “Saviour! (Noah had named the time travel locked as Saviour) doesn’t just make one travel in time even so, the realities swap. Essentially , reality travel! Affirms, time travel between Parallel Universes. Simply, going back in time besides the reality keeps changing with it. Accordingly, the odds with which I can enter this particular reality, where I can save Ava by curing her with this certain medicine of this era. It might revive her to the present time. Yet, the realities are infinite. Moreover, one upon infinity is zero. Hence, my chances of entering the Reality is zero…nearly zero.” He started walking towards the window. His gaze demanding to fall, immeasurably. Adding to his statement, he stated,“honestly, I don’t care, if I am not able to change anything in my reality. All I want to know is whether or not Ava is happy and living in any single reality.” For the rest of the week, Noah was on his eternal Voyage to find Ava. One reality after another, his quest would never end. And finally, he entered one reality where he found Ava sitting right on her endearing seat. He just kept observing every move she made even if she stood still.During recess, as usual they went to the canteen and Noah asked about her well-being rather her torment .He wasn’t even able acknowledge the actuality that while he was immediate to help Ava recover, but felt impotent again, As ,in this time she was suffering from some other disease and of no cure. And when Noah recovered from the breakdown, he had already been returned back to his era. Moreover, he noticed that he could only live one day in single reality and that he would be returned back, beyond his control.Eventually , he was lucky enough to enter this utopian reality where Ava was exactly how Noah wanted her to be; “existent and happy”.Apart, from all the physical, emotional and mental harm; radiating the same energy as the warmth of the Sunlight. Noah wanted to cry out to all the Universes, that here, Ava wasn’t just drawing breaths but living. He wanted to say a lot of things. But, all he did was remained silent. By virtue of it, she was out of the whirlpool of affliction. Moreover, she was doing all the things that she ever wanted to. But, in this reality Ava rose didn’t even recognise Noah even so he was mere nothingness in the stated time.However, after a long time he felt love in rhythm with his beating heart despite that Ava didn’t even know him. His veins throbbing against his face, beaming liveliness. “What have you done to yourself, Noh,” cried Zohran, softly. He was Noah’s classmate during highschool. As Noah opened his eyes; he was sweating but calm, smiling and sobbing at the same time and he murmured “the jewelled Voyage.”
“Noah, started behaving this way, not when Ava Rose deceased; but immediately after the curative of the same disease was discovered. Afterwards, Noah began spending hours writing up equations and creating bizarre machines. Soon, after he started imagining different circumstances, eras and time; thinking he is actualising it all. Everytime, he begins visualising he loses his consciousness. Moreover, after regaining consciousness Noah starts narrating bizzare happenings. I feel so helpless, all this is harming and even destroying Noah’s Brain cells and all the doctors are saying it can be fatal.Nothing is working out,” Leo elucidated to Zohran. Listening to it, Zohran remarked, “ I have heard about a therapist that she has managed to cure all people with the worst disorders possible, I think she may be of great help. All I know is she is from LA. I suggest to contact her.” And in few weeks they got her contacts, yet, an eerie aura spread from all dimensions when they got to know her name was “Ava. Ava Rose!.” Nobody knew, was it just a coincidence or the realities collided or whatsoever but everyone felt a halt in each dimension but their hearts racing.
Noah, had been in Coma for 6 days when Dr. Ava Rose arrived. Leo elucidated Noah’s past to her. Afterwards, she started collecting his research papers and she submitted them to MIT.In few months, his work got nominated for Oscar. The equations which Noah had derived during his insanely passionate research was introduced in Aerospace and lot of problems were being solved due it. Even so, because of the unique pattern of the derivations; on introducing them in other sectors like business, data science also led to a raise and development of the economics sector. After a month, Noah recovered from Coma. On the Award ceremony day, Leo carried Noah on the wheelchair; and when Noah went on to the stage to take the honour. The only word he could utter was,”Voyage?”
(The author is Secretary Life Foundation and Chief Co-ordinator of Sheikh ul Alam Centre of Peace and Spirituality)