METAMORPHOSIS

I kept tossing and turning on my bed trying to sleep. But I couldn’t. I cursed myself for the incident that happened two weeks ago. Even today, I regret it. Even my luck betrayed me that day. I wish I had a time machine to wipe out that incident. But I couldn’t. Poor me.

Three weeks ago…

Despite getting ready for college, I was busy watching the T.V. It was an interview given by a youngster who had changed his terrace into a beautiful garden. The interview was really inspiring. It gave me an idea to spend my semester holidays by indulging in gardening. I ran to the backyard of my house and started my gardening plan. I noticed tiny droplets in the rose plant which was moving. I went near it and observed it keenly. It was not the droplets but eggs. An egg broke and from it a caterpillar came. The caterpillar ate its own broken egg and started feeding on a leaf of the rose plant. I cut the leaf along with the caterpillar from the plant and placed it inside an open jar. I placed the jar near my window side table so that it can get air as well as a decent exposure from the Sun. The wall clock warned about my college.

I rushed to college as it was getting late to execute my plan. There she was, at the gates, entering the college with my pals. “Mounika”, is one of my close friends who is also well known to my parents as she often visits my home with my other friends in the college. My heart beat raced to its top speed and my body was shivering in fear. My poor heart nearly fainted on seeing her. So, I called off the proposal scene.

As days passed, not only the caterpillar but also my courage grew.

It was the penultimate day of the semester.

With all my courage packed, I went to the college quite early.

“Today! I will propose her”, my heart roared courageously.

“Not today!!”, my brain teased.

Just like every day, I saw her at the gates entering the college along with my pals.

Mustered all my courage, I waved a “Hi” to her to which she immediately waved back. With every step I moved forward, my courage dipped down slowly and my body started to tremble in fear.

Once again my poor heart procrastinated the proposal scene.

“Tomorrow I will propose”, it said succumbing to my fear.

In fear, I started muttering “Tomorrow I will propose” in low voice.

My muttering got everyone’s attention.

“What?” She asked.

“Tomorrow I will propose”, unknowingly I spat those words instantly.

Everyone bursted into laughter.

I felt really embarrassed not just at that moment but throughout the day. I returned home with embarrassment and fell as a log of wood on my bed. I noticed that I was added to a new WhatsApp group called “Happy Birthday Mounika”. It grasped my attention. Tomorrow was her birthday and everyone in that group unanimously agreed for a surprise cake cutting. To my luck, I was assigned to buy the cake for her birthday. All of a sudden, I got a crazy idea. I went to my bed early wishing that the Sun would rise early for me, so that I can execute my plan with any flaw.

It was the last day of the semester.

The classes got over and everyone gathered at the spot as planned. I was having the cake box. As soon as I opened the cake box, everyone was shell-shocked.

In the cake, it was written: “I love you, Mounika ♥”.

Without uttering a word, she walked away silently.

Everyone started to scold me for confessing my love stupidly.

I reached home and grieved about the whole incident. I observed the jar on the table. I found that the caterpillar had wrapped itself into a cocoon. I felt like a cocoon, reminiscing about that incident. To put a stop to this, I decided to write a letter to her. A letter is and will always be the best way to express love. So, I decided to write a letter every day until the next semester starts and hand it over to her on the reopening day. Luckily, the next semester starts within two weeks.

As the days passed by, I finished writing all my letters and compiled it on my table and jumped on my bed. I was brooding over that incident the whole night. I never knew when I fell asleep.

Today…

I felt like someone was standing near my bed. My vision was blurry and I guessed that it was my mom shouting at me for being late to the college. As soon as my vision got clear, I stood numb and dumb. It was Mounika. I didn’t know whether she was speaking or shouting at me but I found that she was holding my love letters in her hand. I realized that she had read it. All of a sudden, my eyes caught attention of the jar. Inside the jar, the cocoon broke. And from the cocoon, there emerged a beautiful butterfly. It flew from the jar and sat on her hand.

It pulled me back to reality.

The very first word I heard from her was,

“I love you”.