The morning light grew softer over the fields of Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden.
The colors seemed brighter now.
Red.
Yellow.
Purple.
Life—unfiltered.
And in the middle of it—
Two children.
Little Depabali and Asha.
They had met only moments ago.
No history.
No hesitation.
No unspoken past.
“Come!” little Depabali said, pulling Asha toward a row of tulips.
Asha followed.
Smiling.
And just like that—
They became friends.
Running between the flower beds.
Laughing.
Talking about nothing—
And everything.
No introductions needed.
No careful words.
No boundaries to maintain.
Just… connection.
Akash stood watching them.
Beside him—
Ananya.
A little distance away—
Depabali.
All three—
Silent.
Because what they were seeing—
Was simple.
And yet—
Unreachable.
“They didn’t even think twice,” Akash said softly.
Ananya smiled faintly.
“They don’t need to,” she replied.
Depabali’s eyes followed the girls.
A strange warmth filled her.
And a quiet ache.
“They don’t carry anything,” she said.
“No past to measure against.”
No fear of losing something.
No hesitation.
Akash nodded.
“We were like that once,” he said.
The statement lingered.
All three knew—
It was true.
There was a time—
When everything was easy.
Before choices.
Before consequences.
Before silence became permanent.
The laughter of the two girls echoed across the garden.
Pure.
Unfiltered.
Unaffected.
Ananya watched them closely.
“Maybe that’s why it feels different,” she said.
Akash looked at her.
“They are not trying to protect anything.”
Depabali added quietly—
“They are not afraid of breaking something.”
A long pause followed.
Because that—
Was exactly what they had been afraid of.
Years ago.
Akash looked down briefly.
Then back at the children.
“Do you think…” he began—
Then stopped.
Depabali finished it for him.
“…that things would have been different?”
Akash didn’t answer.
Because there was no answer.
Only possibility.
And possibility—
Belonged to the past.
Ananya watched both of them.
Calm.
Understanding.
“Maybe,” she said gently.
“But we are not them.”
Her eyes moved toward the girls.
“And that’s okay.”
The simplicity of her words settled something inside both of them.
Because she was right.
They were not children anymore.
They carried lives.
Responsibilities.
Decisions that couldn’t be undone.
And yet—
Watching the girls—
Something softened.
Not regret.
Not longing.
Just… acceptance.
Little Depabali and Asha ran back toward them.
Breathless.
Happy.
“Can we go there?” they asked together.
Pointing in opposite directions.
The three adults exchanged a brief glance.
And for the first time—
They smiled.
Together.
“Slowly,” Ananya said.
“Don’t run too far,” Akash added.
Depabali nodded quietly.
The girls ran off again.
And the garden felt lighter.
Because sometimes—
Life doesn’t resolve through words.
It finds its balance—
Through moments.
Small.
Unexpected.
And honest.
Like the laughter of children—
Who don’t yet know—
What it means to hold back.
❄️ To Be Continued…
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