The Cave Among The Rocks

       You couldn't see it - The Cave Among The Rocks. It was well hidden. Away from prying eyes. Safely out of view. Only the rocks could be seen.

       The Rocks. They were famous. They'd always stood firm and tall in the face of adversity. It was this quality that people admired. It was this quality that inspired them. They seldom realised that it was The Cave that was the strength of The Rocks. The Rocks in themselves were nothing. But people only saw the Rocks. And then, they walked on. Nobody bothered to look beyond. They just accepted the Convenient Illusion and they walked on.

       It was a Buried Treasure - The Cave. Her Cave. It had always been her favourite place in the world. She would come there often. In Happiness and in Sorrow, in moments of War and in times of Peace, The Cave had been Her Constant Companion, Her Truest Friend. It was Her Strength and Her Weakness. And it was Her Fortress - the walls of which had never been breached. When the world became too noisy to handle or too quiet to figure out, she would retreat to Her Cave.

       The Cave belonged to Her. No one else knew of it's existence. Even the people close to Her had no idea. And She never told anyone. If they wanted to know, and if, at all, they were meant to know, they would have to find out for themselves.

       Occasionally, someone would catch a glimpse of something among The Rocks. But they were too caught up in their own lives to stop for a while and look closely. They were too busy to look for The Difference. The Difference between what met the eye and what didn't - to look for The Entire Picture - for the world always worked in bits and pieces, on spare parts. Spare parts, that usually did the job.

       Sometimes they were curious, but they never really had the time or the patience for silly things like Caves-Among-Rocks. It even sounded funny. Caves-Among-Rocks. Why on earth would someone bother about that? There was always work to do. Serious work. Important stuff. So important that Caves-Among-Rocks did not matter.

       It was Her Cave. And no one else was allowed. She never let anyone in. Because this was where she kept it all. Her Hopes and Her Dreams. Her Fears and Her Demons. Her Darkest Secrets, Her Wildest Desires. Her Silliest Joys and Her Deepest Sorrows. Her Care, Her Sacrifices. The Shadows of Everything that she held dear. And Her Wordless Love.

       It was Her Little Secret. She would carry it to the grave. Unless? Unless Someone discovered it first. Unless Someone broke down those walls and faced Her Soul. Would Anyone ever go to the trouble? Or were they so caught up in walking on and running away, that they tripped over their own toes?

       It would take Someone with another Cave Among The Rocks. Another Soul to face a Soul. Another Secret to discover a Secret. And another Reality to look beyond the Illusion. Someone. Could they? Would they?

- Gayatri Shejwal