Haunting Dreams

Aditya Lotia
Nov 8 · 2 min read

I am at the office, sitting among a group of people. They are all chatting about their usual stuff. They are talking about job cuts, promotions, survival, salaries, and whatnot. It doesn’t interest me a bit.

Eyes Closed. I am running. Towards a cliff. My legs ache badly. My muscles are worn out. My hands are moving in a rhythm with my legs, left hand matching the right leg. It is perfect. Like sweet music. I am sweating from all possible parts of my body. But as my wet skin touches the cold passing breeze, it’s sweet music again.

Eyes Open. People around are still chatting. They are worried if they can go home early today or if they will meet the milestone this time around. They are worried if they would have to start looking for a job again, in this recession time. They are worried… Oh, forget it.

Eyes Closed. I am still running. My body still hurts. But I enjoy every moment of the pain. It somehow gets sweeter with every step I take. I have increased the pace now. The cliff is closer, I guess. And suddenly there is a rush of blood in my legs. I run at a speed I have never reached before. And then, I close my eyes without breaking my speed. As I open my eyes, I scream at the maximum volume I can. My throat has become sore, but I don’t stop screaming. And then I see it. The end of the cliff. No land is visible beyond it. Only void space. And the blue sky. It’s so damn beautiful.

Eyes open. People are still around. They are still talking if they can meet the deadline. I have a smile on my face as a drop of sweat trickles down my temples. I am about to jump the deadline. I want to do this. No, I am going to do this!

Eyes Closed. Again. I am still running. My heartbeats have become louder than my screams now. I can feel my heart beating right up my throat. My brain says, “Don’t”, my heart says, “this is what you live for”. I listen to the latter and I jump. Yes, I jump. Off the cliff. My hands outstretched like a bird. All the sweat has disappeared by the passing wind. I am suspended, floating in the air. My body doesn’t ache anymore. I see down and I cannot see a thing. No land, no animals, no people, no worries, no fear, no regrets. This is how I wanted it to be. And then it goes blank.

Aditya Lotia
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