Writing Wednesdays at Write Tribe
Prompt
“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” ― Maya Angelou
Pratha slipped inside quietly and willed her heart to beat softly. The run from the subway had left her gasping for breath; the cold winds hadn’t helped either. Even though she couldn’t spot anyone chasing her, she took no chances. Wasn’t it enough that she’d felt hounded and harassed?
Ever since her best friend had moved away, Pratha had been desolate and lonely. Her days had been devoid of joy and nights deprived of sleep. There was this constant fear of impending doom, a premonition of things to come.
A ray of light in her otherwise gloomy life had been a visit to her safe haven. Pratha knew she’d get news of her friend here. The forces of nature plotted to keep her away from her destination. Her guardians added to her misery by denying her permission to step outside. She defied all odds and made her way carefully across the bed of snow on the sidewalk. Nothing could stop her from uniting with her friend.
As Pratha stood panting in the huge room, her eyes scanned the surroundings for a glimpse of hope. She was already feeling a sense of calm and peace. The rows and rows of cupboards filled with friends, old and new, were assuaging her fears. She spotted her friend and a host of other acquaintances in the glass and wooden cabinets.
She was reunited with her friends in the heart of the local public library. She was home. 🙂
By Sulekha Rawat
Linking to Writing Wednesdays at Write Tribe
So sweet 🙂 that was unexpected. Never imagined that books would have feelings too.
Libraries with their vast collection of books are happy places for most of us. It’s so wonderful she found was at home there as well.
We both have written on the same theme… Great minds… 🙂
Shilpa, it was so nice meeting you in Delhi last month. We do think alike 🙂 Read your lovely story.
I was confused in the beginning as to what is happening, who is it from whom Pratha is running from. But the ending made me happy and the clouds of confusion dissipated.
Thank you for reading till the end 🙂 I love writing prompts, they make me think along new lines. Creative writing is fun, thanks.
Mahati, welcome to my blog 🙂 Yes, books are full of emotions and we connect to them because of the same.
Love the quote at the beginning of the post- home is where the heart is but sometimes we just cannot figure out where our heart wants to be!!! I find a lot of solace and comfort in my books too! Good one Su!!!
We think alike 🙂 Writers crave the company of books…thanks, Shalini
That was an unexpected twist! And I can so relate to Pratha. The library was my place of refuge, my best friend when I was in school. Really miss having a good public library close by!
Thanks for the visit. Loved your comment. I love going to the library, w have one closeby.
Sweet! No better place than the library!
BTW, did you know that the “ManyContacts” bar makes it a bit difficult for new visitors to know whether they’d want to subscribe to your blog if they haven’t already? It covers over your whole site with a big orange screen till you relent and “Subscribe via email.” Or figure out that if you double-click, you can temporarily make it go away.
Holly, thanks for the headsup. Removed the orange bar 🙂
Good! 🙂