I woke up and extended my hand to reach the source of the noise that woke me up — my phone, which was ringing and vibrating continuously. It was a call from Sam. I picked it up.
"Hey Sam, what happened?"
"What happened? Where were you? You didn't come online. Were you doing the assignment?"
"Online? What? I was just sleeping… had a weird dream."(I didn't tell Sam the details of the dream, or he'd start teasing me in some new way.)
"What?! You were sleeping? You know what time it is?"
"No, I don't. I just woke up from your call. How would I know?"
"Bro, it's almost 10 p.m."
"What? You're kidding me."
"Just see for yourself."
He was right — it was 9:47. I had slept for like 6–7 hours… in the evening.
"What happened to you, bro? Can't you just believe your friend? And who sleeps for 7 hours in the evening?"
"Yeah, I know. So stop nagging me."
"Okay, okay. By the way, have you done the assignment?"
"What assignment?"
"The one we got last week. Tomorrow's the last day for submission."
"Oh no… I completely forgot."
"You forgot it?"
"It slipped out of my head. I was so busy with a new game and series. What should I do now?"
"Alright, I'm sending it to you. Just copy it."
"Thank you, bro. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Okay, okay. Don't butter me up — you owe me one."
"I know. Alright, I'm hanging up. I've got an all-nighter ahead."
"Okay, and don't copy it exactly — make a few changes."
"Yes, yes. I know. Bye."
"Bye."
I hung up the phone. Even though I had woken up, my mind was still stuck in that dream.They say humans forget 50% of their dreams within five minutes of waking, and 90% after another five — but I remembered everything. It didn't feel like a dream. It felt like something I had actually seen… something I had lived.
"Ugh, my head hurts. What was that dream? Who was that girl? I didn't even get a clear look at her face. But her voice... it was so melodic. What was she singing?"
"Hmm hmm hmm... yeah, I'm terrible at singing. Definitely not my thing."
I was still thinking about the dream when I got a notification. It was a message from Sam — must be the assignment.
"I should start it. I need to finish it in one night."
Suddenly, my stomach made a sound.
"Oh right... I haven't eaten since the afternoon. Can't work with an empty stomach. But I don't have time to cook. I'll just order something."
I opened the app and started scrolling.
"Where's that restaurant? What was it called again… oh yeah, this one. I'll order something light. Fried rice and curry should be okay."
I placed the order, filled in the address, and saw that it would arrive in 15 minutes.
"That fast? I should take a bath in the meantime. I smell like sweat."
I went and took a quick bath. After that, I made myself a cup of coffee while I waited for the food. I had just sat down when the doorbell rang.
"Must be the delivery guy."
I put my cup down and walked to the door.
"Are you Dev?"
"Yes."
"Sir, did you order food?"
"Yeah."
"Can you tell me the PIN?"
"4023."
"Here's your meal, sir. Have a good day."
"Thanks."
I closed the door. The coffee had gone cold, so I reheated it. After eating my food and drinking the coffee, I sat down to work.
"Oh no, it's already past 11. I need to move fast."
I took my laptop out of my bag. It had a few scratches on the metal body, but it was new — a gift from my parents when I got into college.
"Ugh, battery's dead. I forgot to charge it. Where did I put the charger?"
"Oh, here it is. Just need to plug it in."
I plugged it in and started working. For the next 3–4 hours, I focused as best I could. But even as I typed, the dream kept replaying in my head.
Her voice echoed again and again.That lake. That tree. Her silhouette. The melody.
Unknowingly, I started humming it. My hands were moving, but my thoughts were still stuck there.
"Why did it feel so real?"
"What was that language? I didn't understand a word."
"Why can't I remember her face?"
Eventually, I had stopped typing. Without realizing it… I drifted off to sleep.
"Where am I? Wasn't I doing my assignment?"
It was the same place again — the lake, the big tree.
And that same voice… singing.
"It's her again. This time, I have to see who she is."
I ran toward the sound. The tree wasn't far.
"Should I interrupt? Or wait? No, I have to ask."
Even though I had close to zero experience talking to any girl — or even starting a conversation with anyone — I gathered what little courage I had.
"Hey… hello?"
She turned.
Her body glowed with white light. Her face was hazy, but her posture showed surprise and nervousness.
Then she spoke.
"#&!^ %*#^ @$"
"What are you saying?"
"!## &T@& $@% "
I didn't understand a single word.
I wanted to talk to her more than I had ever wanted to talk to anyone. But I couldn't.
She raised her hand, and suddenly an apple appeared.
She threw it toward me. I caught it.
Then she said something. I couldn't understand it — but I knew she was asking me to eat it.
I took a bite.
"Wow… it's sweet."
"Do you like it?"
"Like it? I love it. I've never eaten an apple this—"
I stopped.
I could understand her. The apple must have done something.
"Who are you?" she asked.
Just as I was about to answer—The alarm rang.
I opened my eyes, stared at the ceiling, and sighed.
"I didn't believe in dreams. But this one isn't letting me go."