A ray of hope

By: Samridhi Anand

“Everybody has darkness within them, but you can see just how much they let out. If you want to know who you are, you have to look at your real self and acknowledge what you see.”

The doctor leaves the room in which I was admitted. With a disappointed look on his face, he meets my parents to tell them the news. “I am sorry, we tried our best… now it’s all in her hands.” My parents are devastated upon hearing this news. With tears in their eyes and faith in their hearts, they pray for me. Inside the hospital room, I lie on the bed unconscious. As I open my eyes, all I can see is darkness everywhere. “Where am I?” I try to move forward, but I am unable to. I notice that I am held back by black chains tied to my hands and legs. I struggle to break free from them, but I can’t. The chains keep dragging me behind into a void of darkness.

Suddenly, a voice speaks, “Hello, little girl. You’re inside your mind, at the point where you are on the verge of life and death.” “What do you mean? How do I escape from here?” I ask. “Oh, I’m afraid that even if you wanted to, you can’t escape from here. You’re a disappointment and not needed in the real world. You can’t even live up to everyone’s expectations. You’re not good enough and can’t do anything correctly. I have seen it all. I have seen you crying and breaking down all the time. This is your chance to give up on all of that.” I become speechless. I have nothing to say because, deep down, she is right. I feel like I can’t do anything, and this seems like my chance to leave it all behind. “You’re right…” I say with tears in my eyes, and I let go of my efforts, allowing the chains to pull me into disappearance. The suffocating thoughts overwhelm me even more.

Just then, a ray of light shines brightly in front of me. I look up, and the voice speaks up again, “What are you doing? Are you just going to give up like this?” I mutter, “Yes… I am not needed in the real world. I am useless.” “That’s what you think! Not your family or your friends. They all believe in you; that’s why they have expectations from you. So what if you’re not good enough? It doesn’t mean you’re useless or that you’re not needed. Every human being is unique in their own way, and that’s what makes them different from others. You can’t live up to everyone’s expectations, so just be the best version of yourself. You don’t need to be perfect. I know you have failed many times, but that is no excuse to give up like this. What if someone else’s life depends on you in the future? This is your life, and you have to fight your own battles. You haven’t seen the whole world, and you want to give up like that?” Those words hit me hard and bring me back to my senses. The voice is right; I have failed many times, but I shouldn’t give up like that. I have a lot of dreams to fulfill and memories to make with my loved ones. “No, I am not going to give up.” I say with determination, and I give everything I have to break free from those chains.

Finally, I set myself free. “Yes, I did it!” I open my eyes in the real world and let out a sigh of relief. The doctor delivers the news to my parents, and they come running to me, hugging me tightly. “Oh, my dear child, what would we have done without you?” they say with relief and joy. I smile and close my eyes. Whoever that voice was, she was a great person. The same voice then chuckles and says, “That’s because I am a part of you.”