Some trees do not grow from soil alone.....they bloom from memory, from longing, from wars left unfinished. And when the time is right, they call you back to fight.
~~~~~
An elderly woman and her granddaughter, Ahmaya, live in a traditional wooden house nestled among tall trees in the quiet village of Mawphlang, Meghalaya.
It's 8 a.m. and Ahmaya is awake, but she can't bring herself to get out of bed. Her body is not fatigued, but her mind and soul are.
She moved here from Delhi to live with her maternal grandma after her father died and her mother disappeared without a trace. Since arriving, she's been haunted by unsettling dreams and visions — each one stranger than the last. In her dreams, she often sees a tall, attractive lady— dark skinned, with black eyes and short, untidy, tousled auburn hair.
In her dream from the night before, the woman stood beneath the tall sandalwood tree just beyond the fence of her grandma's home, a tree known for its height and thick fragrant leaves.
The woman tries to speak, but Ahmaya can never hear her. Each time she moves closer, the woman drifts further away.
The day before , she dreamt of a spot in the middle of a forest. There, a group of old men and women sat together polishing enormous ceremonial swords. When they saw her, they rose and bowed before her.
Now lying in the bed, she replays every detail, each dream more cryptic than the last.
( Her Grandma calls from the ground floor.)
"Ahmaya, wake up! What do you want for breakfast?"
"I don't want to eat anything.... I'm not hungry," Ahmaya replies softly.
Ahmaya is unable to distinguish between reality and dream. Her dreams feel so real, but could that be real? She wants to tell everyone about this, but she is afraid. After what happened to her parents , people might think she has lost her mind.
And her grandma....she doesn't want to bother her.
She needs to prepare for her college applications, but the thoughts won't let her go. The visions wrap around her like vines, refusing to loosen.
Her Grandma walks in.
"Hey... are you not going to wash up? The first thing you should do after waking is clean up and pray..." She scolds lightly. "If you're too busy to do nothing but lie in bed, at least apply for a college."
"Please, amma, give me peace." Ahmaya mutters.
"Peas? If you want to eat peas, I will get some. First, wash up!" her grandma says frowning.
"Amma..." Ahmaya murmurs, pulling the blanket over her head in frustration. The moment she shuts her eyes, the tree appears, and so does the woman. It happens every time. She is afraid to even blink now.
By afternoon, Ahmaya, now freshly bathed, helps her grandmother clean the house. But her visions won't stop. When her grandma asks her to sweep the garden, she steps outside — she feels a strange pull, as if something...or someone is calling her. Her eyes drift to the tall sandalwood tree. Why does it always happen when I step out? Why that tree? She thinks.
"Ahmaya, is there something wrong?" granny inquires, noticing her distant stare.
"No," Ahmaya replies, her voice tight.
"Then why are you staring at that tree?"
Ahmaya hesitates "...No reason," she murmurs.
At night, Ahmaya eats dinner with her granny in silence. The television plays in the background, but her attention is elsewhere. She gazes out the window, lost again. Her grandmother watches her quietly, saying nothing.
After dinner, she heads upstairs. Sleep terrifies her now, what if that woman comes again? but her mind is too exhausted to resist. Eventually, sleep drags her under.
It is four in the morning. She jolts awake, her chest tight with anxiety. She tosses and turns, unable to calm the storm inside her. Furious and frustrated she throws off the blanket and opens her eyes. And then everything stills. The woman, from her dream is there, hovering just above her, inches from her face. Her wide black eyes stare deep into Ahmaya's soul. She floats, silently watching.
She jolts upright in bed, and the woman disappears. Sweat drips down her neck. Her heart pounds in her chest, and her breath comes in short bursts. Trembling, she grabs her phone and checks the time, 4:03 a.m. She throws it aside, presses both hands to her head. What was that? What did I just see?
Then, a whisper brushes her right ear, "I need your help," soft and urgent.
Ahmaya freezes. She turns toward the voice. No one is there.
She leaves her bed and run to her grandma's room.
Quietly, she opens the door. Her Grandma is fast asleep, unware.
Ahmaya slips under the blanket besider her, still shaken.
She lies there, staring at the ceiling, thinking about it all. The eyes. The whisper. Should she tell Amma? Would she even believe her?
Time passes unnoticed, when she finally galnces toward the window, the sun has risen.
Her granny stirs, sees her lying beside her, and assumes she is just resting. She says nothing.
.
Ahmaya gets out of bed, washes up, and sits in her room, quietly eating breakfast. She hasn't slept a wink since that encounter. Her mind is whirlwind of thoughts.
What if this happens again?
What if I see that woman whenever I will try to sleep?
Something about that tree keeps calling to her, pulling her in.
What is that woman? A ghost? Or just a hallucination born from everything I have been through?
Her thoughts interrupted as her grandma enters the room.
"Are you done with your breakfast?"
"Yes.....almost."
Her granny sits next to her, watching her face.
"You appear pale and scared; is something wrong?" she asks gently.
"You might think I'm too old to understand, but you can talk to me. After all, we're the only family left for each other."
Ahmaya forces a small smile, "Sure, Amma."
Her Grandma places a hand on hers.
"I've noticed you looking at the tree outside," she says. "Your mother loved that tree as a child. She used to sit beneath it for hours....talking to it, playing around it like it was a living friend." Her eyes soften with memory.
"If you ever miss her, go sit by that tree. You might just find a part of her there."
.
Ahmaya grows more confused. The visions of that tree returns, stronger this time as if it's continuosly calling her. The same tree her mother adored.
Where did my mother go?
Why does this all free connected?
She walks towards the tree, uncertain of what she is expecting.
At first nothing happens, but as she steps beneath its vast shadow, somthing shifts. The Sandalwood tree stands tall and dense, its branches, heavy with leaves that rustle like whispers. She reaches out and touches the bark.
A ache runs through her chest — sudden and sharp. She recoils, gasping. But curiosity overtakes fear, and she touches it again.
This time, the pain doesn't just ache….it burns through her chest like wildfire. She cries out, grabbing at her heart, as if trying to hold something together… something slipping away. A scream escapes her lips, raw, broken and then everything fades. She collapses.