Born With A Curse

**Chapter 13: The Innocent Days**

**10 Years Ago…**

The classroom was filled with the chatter of children, their laughter echoing off the walls. Meera, a young girl of seven, sat at her desk, her feet swinging beneath her chair. Beside her was Reyansh, her best friend since the early days of childhood. Their bond had been instantaneous, as if the universe had decided that they were meant to find each other in the sea of other students.

They sat together every day, sharing lunch, trading pencils, and whispering secrets during class. The two were inseparable, always finding each other’s company more interesting than the lessons being taught. While the other children were rowdy, running through the halls and playing during recess, Meera and Reyansh found comfort in simply sitting and talking. They had built a world of their own within those school walls—a world where nothing could touch them.

“Look at this,” Reyansh whispered one afternoon, showing her a drawing he had made. It was a clumsy sketch of the two of them, holding hands, smiling. Meera laughed, her eyes bright as she admired it.

“We look funny,” she giggled, pointing at their round faces and stick-like bodies in the drawing.

“I’ll make a better one next time,” Reyansh promised, grinning. “One that’s perfect.”

But that perfect drawing would never come.

As the end of the school semester approached, the excitement of summer break buzzed through the classroom. But for Meera, the happiness was short-lived. One day, as the bell rang and the children gathered their bags, Reyansh turned to her with a strange look on his face.

“I won’t be coming back next year,” he said quietly, his voice tinged with sadness. “My family’s moving away.”

Meera felt her heart drop. “But… where are you going? Can’t you stay?”

Reyansh shook his head. “My dad got a job in another city. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

They didn’t have phones or any other way to stay in touch. They were just children, too young to understand the full weight of goodbye. Meera had no words, no way to express the overwhelming sadness she felt. The classroom, which had once been filled with laughter and light, now felt empty and cold.

The last day of school came, and Reyansh left. There were no promises of keeping in touch, no way to reconnect. He simply vanished from her life, leaving only memories behind. For weeks, Meera would sit in her usual spot, hoping that one day he would return, but he never did. Life moved on, but the hole in her heart remained.

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