"Juniper & Kirca"

   Juniper drew back the curtains & peeped out of the window, her breath misting the pane. She gazed out into the oppressive, unfriendly night, its darkness dense & forbidding. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, forming a pool on the window sill. She stood there for a long time, unaware of the passage of time & unseeing of the sun’s arrival…




   "You have now reached a state of maturity, Kirca! We can no longer harbor you in our homes. The time has come for you to seek out your destiny, to search for a heart that is willing to welcome you into itself. You must now set out in your search for your soul mate…Farewell, Kirca, till we meet again!”
Thus began Kirca’s journey, and his search for his true mate, one who would complete him, make him whole.  

I seek you in every nook & cranny, in every room of every house.

You, within whom every passion I shall arouse!

This waiting period shall soon be over, oh mate of mine

& then thou shall be mine & this Kirca shall be thine!

And so Kirca set out of his ancestral home, away from his people & away from the city that had housed his race since the beginning of creation. His banishment comprised an ancient tradition peculiar to his race & so, instead of teary farewells, he was met with congratulatory greetings & relieved parents as he bade all of them goodbye forever…



   Juniper looked forlornly at her ruined assignment, ruined because of her inability to think straight. She tore it up in frustration & flung away the bits. She stomped out of the room, angry tears mingling with the rains as she ran, ran till she could escape no more…




   Kirca looked at a new world, a world hitherto unseen by him. He smiled with contentment & felt a feverish, anticipatory excitement course through him! He took his first steps into the world, his soul mate’s world.    

I come for you, filled with anticipation, nervousness, & filled with excitement,

I come with expectations, impatiently awaiting enjoyment, enlightenment.

I am close, very close to you; I can feel your presence 

in the song of the blossoms & the joy of the rain,

I sense you in the dance of the wind, in the growth of spring & in its refrain!

Fuelled by this exhilaration, he eagerly moved towards his goal, barely registering his surroundings in his haste to reach the destination…




   Juniper lay on the couch, shuffling through the various television channels, looking for something, anything to distract her, to make her forget her problems, if only momentarily. She stopped, her attention suddenly caught by a song…
“Fill me with your love, o beloved! Quench my hunger for affection with your company.
Sing with me, dance with me, live with me, simply complete me.
Make me human once again, teach me to love
Let me become a part of your soul. Let me be your heartbeat, your treasure trove!
Teach me, o companion of mine…teach me!!!”




   Kirca stopped, suddenly noticing a distortion nearby

A friend or a foe…who are you? O fellow traveler, reveal yourself to me!

Should I be afraid of you or in your awe; what should my emotions for you be?

“Do not be afraid of me, oh brother of mine! I’m a friend, but one who nears his end.

And you, you are a seeker of your destiny, are you not? Among our kind, it is but a trend!”

You are right, o wise one! I seek the one who would complete me, 

& we shall then travel together, as halves of a whole!

We shall be a part of each other, & to conquer the world together, that shall be our goal!!

“You are hopeful, yes, o conqueror, but listen to a story & listen with care

For it is better to be prepared for what is surely the worst of destinies, do you hear?

Sometime before, I forget exactly when, I too was a young, fresh seeker like you.

I was on the lookout for my beloved, the completer of my soul, too.

For it’s true for our race, is it not? We cannot hope to grow into 

rulers of the world without our soul mates,

We search for our ultimate goals & are able to fulfill it only through them, that’s our trait!

Thus, I set out for mine, optimistic at heart & full of eagerness & hope

I was so full of anticipation that it never struck me that in the future, I may have to mope!

I searched high & low, looking, searching, feeling any & everywhere…

I looked in mansions, in forests, in broken huts, in gardens 

& even in houses meant for wares!

I was ever hopeful, but I didn’t have much luck.

Then one day, I sensed a presence in a city full of muck!

I was elated, and I sang & danced out of sheer joy,

I felt the presence grow stronger as I moved near the river. I was so excited, oh boy!

And then, I finally found my soul mate, 

sleeping peacefully into the early hours of the morning.

We became a part of each other & that was how I was nicknamed ‘my darling’!”

But if you found your soul mate, O dying one, why did you warn me?

Your story is replete with promises of hope, companionship & joy. 

Hopeful, how then could I not be?

“Do you not see how your eagerness threatens to destroy you forever?

My story has not yet reached its conclusion. Never rush things, never!”

I apologize for my haste, I really do!

Please continue with your story. Forgive me for being foolish & naïve too!!

“I forgive you! Now let’s continue with the story, & immerse ourselves in it.

I was content with the companionship of my soul mate & often said to myself, 

this is so wonderful, innit?

But then, disaster struck one morning when a competitor arrived on the scene.

He vied for my companion’s attention…made to feel so bad, I’ve never been!

And horror of horrors, my soul mate chose him over me.

I was banished like an irate man would a bee!

I lost myself…lost all hope!

He took my life away from me, that dope!!

Hence, I say do not be so optimistic, young one.

To not be prepared for consequences, that’s just not done!”

Your story gives me the creeps!

I feel so sorry for you, you poor dream!!

Kirca stayed with his new-found friend until the latter disintegrated into nothing, his mind still on the story… 




   Juniper dipped her feet into the cool water, feeling relief, contentment flood through her. She felt uncharacteristically positive, almost as if the very air had changed its hues to more lively ones! Her mind buzzed with joyous thoughts & she felt like beaming at everyone who passed her…




   Kirca continued his journey, sensing a decrease in the separation between himself & his companion with every passing moment. 

I feel you to be close, closer than ever to my heart, my soul.

I feel as if you’re a hole in the ground & I’m the soil that completes that hole!

Inching slowly, but surely, nearer to you, I can sense a ripple in the air

This anticipation is destroying me, this separation, this longingness I can no longer bear!

Soon, Kirca reached the edge of a narrow valley. Following the much used dirt tracks, he came upon a towering cliff. Looking out over it, he saw a vast expanse of beautiful, green fields, dotted with red-roofed houses & dense green trees. Suddenly, the view changed as the landscape got obscured by thick, rolling mist…




   Juniper felt a sudden drop in the temperature & rushed inside. She carefully closed all the doors & windows. Making herself a cup of hot, delicious chocolate, she snuggled on the couch. 
Sometime later, she rushed to her terrace & took in the beauty of the scene as the mists rolled out of the valley towards the cliff…Wait, what was that? She peered into the distance, trying to decipher what she just saw…there it was again, that flash of warm orange! All of a sudden, the mists around the cliff cleared away & she saw, perched on the cliff…hang on, how could a bubble of color be “perched” atop a cliff? She squinted at the cliff, feeling puzzled & strangely content. She continued to stare at the colored bubble as it swirled in a non-existent breeze, constantly changing its shape & hue. Streaks of red, gold, yellow flashed through the bubble. She gazed in rapturous wonder at it, feeling a powerful emotion coursing through her veins…




   Kirca could no longer sense anything & as the mists thickened, his hopes diminished. He was about to lose all sense of himself & turn a permanent grey when a powerful beam of joy sliced through the air. He gazed in the distance & again felt the presence, this time stronger than before. The mists thinned & he felt rather than saw his destiny seeking him, calling out to him. At that moment, he was absolutely sure of one thing; his soul mate was gazing at him with the same intensity as he was. His emotions burst, flashing out in bursts of joy & forming a riot of color. He got a hold of his senses & desires once more as his goal seemingly floated in front of him, inviting him to accomplish it! 

I know now that you seek me too,

That you desire me as much as I do.

I can feel the connection between us, this powerful surge of emotions is overwhelming!

I’m coming for you, baby, I’m coming!!

And thus, he set out to accomplish the same…he set out to become a part of his soul mate…




   Juniper felt an unexpected disappointment as the bubble disappeared from view. It was then that she recognized the emotion she had been feeling; longing, deep, uninhibited longing for that bubble.


And then, everything went blank.


She woke up a few hours later, & the first thing she felt was a foreign sensation she’d never felt before; she finally felt complete!!




   And Kirca, the one to be banished from the ‘Kingdom of Dreams’? He found a permanent home, as a Dream, in the heart of Juniper. 
His fate was not like that of the other.