Amara fulfils her dream
Amara fulfils her dream
Megha Bajaj tells a delightful story about a little girl whose father made her dream come true—one step at a time!
Amara was a beautiful little girl. She had a wild mop of hair which seemed to have a life of its own. Her eyes were huge—always filled with a sense of wonder, and she loved to sing for all the people around her. Her mommy and daddy loved her to the moon and back. Everything was perfect in Amara’s life, and yet, Amara was not happy.
Amara’s room overlooked the sea. She loved to stand in her balcony and watch the waves. There was a lighthouse in the middle of the sea, and Amara dreamt of being at the top.
However, she knew this was a dream that could never come true.
Why?
Amara was petrified of heights.
There was no way that she would ever be able to climb those steep steps of the lighthouse. There was no way that she would reach the top, cross her legs, unknot the wild mop of hair and watch the world from that tall a tower.
And yet, she wanted to.
Oh yes, she wanted to.
There is nothing more saddening than a dream that cannot be fulfilled, isn’t it?
When her mommy and daddy saw how sad little Amara had become, they tried to find out the reason.
One of those nights, as Daddy kissed Amara’s forehead he saw a tear slip out of Amara’s eyes. Unable to bear his little girl in pain he asked, yet again, “What is wrong with my Amara?” She opened her eyes and said to him, “Daddy, it is my dream to go on top of the lighthouse and see the world from that height, but as you know, Amara has a fear of heights and she cannot reach there.”
Daddy smiled at his little girl and tousled her curls. He said, “Is it okay if I call mommy and tell her that this is what has made you so sad? She has been worried about you!” Amara nodded.
Daddy and Mommy spoke in hushed tones and told Amara that they had a surprise planned for her the next day. Amara cheered up.
The next morning, daddy told her, “Darling, today we shall climb the lighthouse!” Amara’s heart started beating widly. She said, “No Daddy, you know I can’t!” “Oh yes baby, you can,” was his simple promise.
They took a ferry and went to the lighthouse. As Amara stood at the bottom and saw the ominous structure before her, she started crying and said, “Daddy, I can’t!” He then went ahead of her and said, “Come, just walk a step.” Amara took a step. He then went to the next step and said, “One more step, Amara!” She took the next one.
At a certain point, she looked down and felt dizzy. It was crazy. She could never do it. She just knew it and she stopped. But the warm, large, comforting hand of Daddy held on, and he said, “One more step, Amara!” Amara kept going. On and on. One step after the other. She had no choice. There was no stopping, no looking back. Despite the fear, on she went.
Finally, Daddy said, “Amara, there are no more steps to climb now.”
Amara could not believe it. Just one step at a time, and here she was at the top of the lighthouse, from where the sea looked deep and blue and the sky looked just a hand’s reach away. Amara was mesmerised. She unknotted her hair, allowing the breeze to flow through. She smiled, she cried, and wished her mommy was there too. She hummed and sang—and knew she was finally home.
Life looked beautiful, from up there.