Breaking Walls, Building Bonds!
Life has a strange way of revealing the truth, if only we’re patient enough to watch
closely.
As the days rolled by, I began to notice the little things
Mythili akka did, effortlessly, quietly, without expecting anything in return.
She would help someone carry heavy buckets of water without
being asked. She would share her medicines if someone fell ill. She would check
on the new scholars to make sure they didn’t feel lost.
None of it was grand or loud; it was in the soft, unnoticed
corners of everyday life.
And these small acts, more powerful than any words,
slowly caught my attention.
Without realizing it, I found myself loosening the walls I
had built around her.
We started talking more, laughing over silly hostel mishaps,
sharing small worries about research and life, exchanging little joys like
stolen tea breaks after long study hours.
She cared, really cared, in a way that felt genuine and rare.
Trust me, the kindness she showed was the kind that stayed
long after the words had ended.
Slowly, the picture I had painted of her, based on
second-hand stories and whispered warnings, began to blur and fade.
I took my own time, careful and slow, to see her for who she
really was.
And what I saw was not a monster, not a fighter, not a
destroyer of names, but a flawed, fierce, kind human being, just trying to
survive in the same tough world I was trying to survive in too.
Our small group started to become closer, little by little.
Every evening after a long day, we would all head to the
hostel mess for supper, often bumping into each other by accident at first, and
then by choice.
Those accidental meetings turned into a gentle routine, one
that felt like comfort after chaotic days.
Laughter, casual chats, sharing plates of food, it all
stitched us together without us even realizing it.
But not everyone was happy.
The girl who had first warned me against Mythili, the one
whose words I had once trusted without question, slowly grew distant.
I could sense the change even before it was spoken.
One day, without a word, she pulled herself away from the
group, leaving behind only a silence that said everything she didn’t.
It hurt, in a way.
But somewhere deep down, I knew this was necessary.
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