Prabodh Bhag
A short story by Prabhanjan Sharma
The stormy nights had increased, and the intensity of the rainfall was not reducing at all. Life post-COVID had drained everyone. The shift from having a vocal lifestyle to a deeply introverted one had impacted everyone. The effect in the lifestyle was universal, and it was no different in the life of Sanna.
However, Sanna did enjoy this phase. Sanna was a middle-aged woman who had loved the lockdown period because she was behind closed doors and hadn’t met anyone during that time. Her parents stayed in their hometown, while she was working as a Senior Software Developer for a startup focused on mental health and self-realization. She was happy with the pay they offered, but most importantly, she wanted to help people face their own demons. During the entire lockdown, she was stuck with her work and mostly by herself, but she never realized it. What helped her pass the time was her work, football when it resumed, and, mostly, some songs.
Being a girl, she never dared to dream, but no one stopped her from playing football either. She was equally good. An introvert at heart, she expressed herself as an extroverted soul—she wanted to be there for her people, but, unfortunately, she was never there for herself.
On one stormy night, she was on her way back from a conference titled Can Technology Be a Healer for Depression? She was representing her company and had given a pretty good presentation. Many were impressed by her thoughts, and she had even received a couple of job offers willing to pay her a good fat paycheck.
Sanna was driving back from the luxurious Vivanta Taj while talking to her mom. Her mother was quite worried about her well-being, which was easily noticeable in her tone. Sanna was trying hard to convince her mother about everything—most importantly, how she didn’t want to marry. The AC in the car was warm enough to clear the fog from the window but was not enough to melt the cold weight in her heart. She was stressed, worried about the heavy rain outside—and the storm inside her mind as well—but she shielded herself with her work and other activities.
Her mom, mildly angry, shouted, "Sanna, you need to get married, or else no one will accept you!" But Sanna was lost in her own thoughts when she saw a board that read, "You are accepted here for one night." She smiled a little and was about to answer her mother when the car broke down. The network was fading, and she could only hear the crackling yet caring voice of her mother. She picked up her phone in anxiety and told her mom she would call her back—but didn’t mention the car breakdown.
Grabbing her umbrella, she stepped out and tried to open the bonnet to check what was wrong, but she wasn’t able to figure it out due to the heavy thunderstorms and rain. Again, she saw the board that read, "You are accepted here for one night." She hesitated but had no choice. She checked her phone, but there was no signal to figure out where she was.
Hesitantly, she decided to go inside. She knocked on the door, and a bright-looking man opened it. He was handsome and welcomed Sanna with a smile. Sanna smiled back and told him about her car breaking down. She was worried about not finding a mechanic at this time.
The young, charismatic man reassured her, "No worries, you can stay at my hotel."
Sanna glanced at the board again and felt a bit uneasy. The establishment looked old and rusty, more like an ancient hut than a proper hotel. But the young man assured her that the rooms were clean and well-maintained. He even showed her reviews from MakeMyTrip and other websites, but oddly, she couldn’t find any pictures of the rooms.
With no other choice and no working internet, she had to force herself to stay at the hotel. She told him she would get her bag and other things, but the gentleman refused, saying, "Everything will be provided in the room."
That statement surprised her, but it didn’t stop her from stepping inside. However, she was taken aback when she entered—it was a whole new world. Stunned, she looked around. The place had multiple different entries, almost like a maze, but everything was perfectly arranged. The walls were adorned with books, posters of movie quotes, football players, Indian heroes—everything she loved.
It was a dream place for her because it had everything she liked. She was totally taken aback. She went to the reception and tried to start a conversation with the young man. He smiled at her and signaled to someone inside. Slowly, a robot entered, carrying hot tea and a cigarette.
This was a total shock to her. The young man smiled and offered her the tea and the smoke. Sanna couldn’t refuse either—she wanted them both badly. Very few people knew about her smoking habit. She thought to herself that maybe everyone knew sutta and chai made a deadly combo, which is why he offered them.
The young man led her to a sofa, perfectly positioned towards a window with a tremendous view of the moon, its dark spots visible, and the rain adding a different kind of beauty to it. In the background, an old gramophone played:
"Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisar,
Kisi ka dard mil sake toh le udhaar,
Kisi ke vaste ho tere dil mein pyaar,
Jeena isi ka naam hai..."
This brought a huge smile to her face. It was the perfect combo. She thoroughly enjoyed her tea, her sutta, the music, and the rhythmic sound of raindrops, which added a lo-fi filter to the song.
For the next five minutes, she was in a different world—just with herself, enjoying everything she loved.
As soon as the song ended, the young man returned and asked her for documents for verification. Sanna, still smiling, followed him and said she only had her card. She also cross-checked the sanitization measures of the place. He answered all her questions, and Sanna was satisfied.
She then took the T&C letter for the accommodation and was surprised to see that there was just one condition: she couldn't tell anyone about this place.
Astonished, Sanna questioned why such a strange condition existed.
The young man replied, "I’m an inventor, and I have some really cool inventions that could be misused by others."
Sanna, completely taken aback, was eager to explore more. She wanted to see all the innovations and experience them. She signed the paper, and on the letterhead, it read:
"PrabodhaBhag – You are accepted here."
She smiled and grew even more excited to see her room.
The young man took the paper and guided her to the entrance. He instructed her to stand in front of a mirror-like object, which began scanning her body. She got a bit scared, but he reassured her that there was nothing to worry about. Though hesitant to trust him, she had no other choice.
The door opened, and as she stepped inside, she was completely shell-shocked by what she saw.
As she walked through, images began appearing—memories from her childhood. She saw herself taking her first steps, smiling, crying, playing, fighting with her parents, facing the loss of a loved one, her first victory, her first love, her love for football—every significant "first" of her life.
She didn’t know how to react. She had no words. She was completely freaked out by what she was witnessing.
She turned around to look for him, but he wasn’t there.
Just as she turned back—boom!—he was standing right in front of her.
Startled, she screamed.
He gently held her hand, preventing her from falling.
"What is this place?" she asked.
He smiled and replied, "It’s just an innovative hotel—built with technology but designed with heart and brain. The mirror scans your mind and projects a pictorial representation of your memories."
Seeing her disbelief, he added, "This idea is patented, and many people are ready to invest in it."
Sanna was amazed by the concept. She was completely impressed by him.
She thought to herself—maybe he is someone who thinks like her.
The pictures were a mixed bag of emotions—some brought a huge smile, while others faded that smile away. But she kept moving forward.
Curiously, she asked him, "These moments, these memories—we cherish them, but slowly, they fade away. Our best childhood memories don’t come back to haunt us, but the memories we try to forget always stay with us. Why is that?"
The young man smiled confidently and told her, “We, as humans, immortalize pain. We are hurt because we give a little more of ourselves than we should. In the process of making good memories, we tend to give away pieces of ourselves, and when something unpleasant happens, we feel the loss of those pieces. Our mind fixates on the lost parts, the ones tied to bad memories, often forgetting the good ones in the process.
This happens because of the excess love we receive in childhood. We are nurtured, protected, and ensured happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment of our desires. However, in this process, we are not taught how to handle loss, sadness, or acceptance. Moreover, with the influence of excessive technology and social platforms, stories and movies, we are promoting and normalizing the idea of making pain pleasurable, turning it into a habit. We focus more on romantisizing pain rather than treating it as a mortal emotion, just like happiness.”
Sanna was already in shock, but after hearing this, she didn’t know what to say. The young man, still smiling, swayed her and said, “My lady, sorry for boring you. Please get into your suite and have a pleasant stay. Your dress will be sent in, and the hot water tub is ready for you to relax. Please, go ahead.”
Sanna stepped inside, and the room was breathtakingly beautiful. She rejoiced in its elegance before heading to the bathroom. As she approached, the bathtub sensed her footsteps and adjusted itself for her entry. In a soft, electronically developed voice, the tub welcomed her and began giving instructions. She felt like she was in heaven, enjoying the best time of her life. The tub guided her on how to massage herself to relieve stress and even provided the finest cosmetics to enhance her appearance.
After an hour-long bath, she stepped out to find a stunning dress laid out for her. She instantly fell in love with it. She put it on, made herself look even more beautiful, and stepped out. The soothing melody of Roja played in the background as she was guided to a mirror. Tu Hi Re, Tu Hi Re, tere bina main kaise jiyoon played, and as she looked into the mirror, she felt beautiful—happy, radiant, and content.
Her meal was served by him, and it was her favorite. A glass of gin cocktail accompanied it, which she accepted gracefully, cherishing every bite of her meal. It had been a long, tiring day, and she felt she truly deserved every bit of happiness she was experiencing.
After dinner, the young man handed her a bowl filled with chits and asked her to pick one. Excited, she chose a chit and handed it over to him. He smiled wickedly, let out a whistle, and suddenly, the lights went out. Panic set in—fear gripped her, and her mind was filled with thoughts of something going wrong. She shut her eyes, trembling. Before she could react, the young man gently guided her to a chair. She wanted to scream, to run, but somewhere deep down, she also wanted to stay. Yet, her mind urged her to escape.
The young man held her gently and whispered, “Relax. There’s nothing to worry about. Just open your eyes.”
What she saw next was mesmerizing—the room was filled with stars, and a huge screen had been set up. She was speechless. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming, but a quick pinch confirmed she wasn’t. The young man handed her a remote and said, “You can change the channels as you wish, but at exactly 1:00 AM, channel number 11 will be played.”
Curious, she asked, “Why?”
He smiled wickedly again and replied, “Because it’s the devil’s hour.”
She didn’t think much of it—she still had an hour. She started watching from channel 1 and was overjoyed to see a BFC match playing. BFC was her favorite team, and she relished every moment of it. As she switched channels, she realized that everything being played consisted of her happiest memories.
Then it struck her—at 1:00 AM, all her bad memories would play on channel 11. Panic set in. She quickly switched off the TV and looked around for the young man, but he was nowhere to be found. Lost in thought, she began procrastinating, eventually forgetting what she had been doing.
Then, her mind spiraled—her breakups, her failures, the loss of trust—everything resurfaced, replaying over and over in her mind. She felt unworthy of happiness. She began to believe she didn’t deserve to live. She was drowning in self-doubt, convincing herself that she was shallow, that she was meant for pain. In that moment, she forgot all the good memories she had just relived.
All that remained was the overwhelming thought that she was nothing more than a vessel for suffering.
She was just not willing to switch on the TV at all. The time showed 1:00 A.M., and she was frightened. She didn’t know what to do. The TV automatically switched on, and she expected all the bad moments to start playing. She didn’t know what to do. She just started to live the longest hour of her life.
All her bad moments started playing—she was just living through them. For all the scars she had, she was reliving them by either crying or simply accepting them. She didn’t know what else she could do. For one hour, it was hell for her. It was a mess. Thank God, by 2:00 A.M., it stopped.
The young man came next to her, and she just wanted to slap him—and she did.
“Why did you do this? Why did you show me a world filled only with my downfalls and flaws? Why?”
He replied, “So that you can live through it. Your wrist suggests that you want to commit suicide. Your search history suggests that you are lonely. Your Facebook and Instagram messages completely contradict your search history. Why is that? It’s you. It’s your flaw—to only focus on and think about the things that hurt you. Your thoughts of eternal pain are what keep you trapped in this mess. The one dreadful hour you just experienced happened because you chose to immortalize your pain. You just kept focusing on what happened.”
“Yes, because I felt bad at that moment. It scarred me. It left me without hope. It made me numb. It made me alone. So what else can I think about other than the things that are no longer with me? Like it or not, all memories will eventually trigger you to think about those moments—that’s just how it is.”
He smiled, understanding her.
“Okay, I agree with you. But every problem has a solution. You know the solution, yet you still cling to things that have already passed. Sometimes, some things just aren’t meant to be. Your faults and mistakes shape you, but life is much bigger than those mistakes. It’s about your choices. You choose to help others, but you ignore yourself. Life isn’t all bad either. You were so happy just a while ago, cherishing your photos. You were filled with pride when everyone praised you today, and you were proud of yourself. But still, you choose to ignore all that and focus on things that don’t matter anymore.
You just lived through the most dreadful hour of your life. Do you want to relive that same long hour again and again? It’s all your choice. You have two roads ahead of you now: either dwell on the pain and go to sleep, or walk through the opposite door of your room.”
She was confused. She didn’t know what to do. She closed her eyes. The young man held her hand and said,
“You have lived through the pain, and now it has passed. You don’t deserve to keep reliving it. Open your eyes and choose what your heart says.”
She opened her eyes, shocked and happy at what she saw. A beautiful football pitch stretched before her, with a ball in the middle. She ran into the dressing room and found a jersey waiting for her. She wore it and lived the moment. She ran across the field, thinking of nothing but being present. She was alone, running, but in her mind, she was dribbling past her emotions and shallowness, making space for herself to score a goal.
She scored every goal and rejoiced. She was fouled, she got hurt, but she picked herself up and kept going. She was at peace. She looked at the young man, walked up to him, and asked,
“Who are you?”
He smiled and said, “I am you.”
She was confused, but before she could say anything, she collapsed onto the pitch. The next thing she saw was her car—nothing else. She watched a beautiful sunrise, and a board read: Be the sunrise you want to see.
She was confused. The hut, the board—everything had disappeared. But then she remembered something, that she shouldn’t talk about this with anyone. Was it magical or was it her mind palace? She accepted it and enjoyed her sunrise.
Just then, a message popped up: Your account has been debited ₹10000 for the stay.
She smiled and left PrabodhBhag to start her new day.