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The sound of a grand piano echoed through the auditorium, each note crisp and clear, filling the room with a sense of awe. Every time Aarohi’s fingers danced across the keys, it was as if the music came alive. People often said that when she played, it wasn’t just music; it was a conversation, a dialogue between the notes and the soul. The young prodigy had been playing since the age of six, and by twenty, she had already become a sensation in the world of classical music.
But the world Aarohi knew, the world built on the delicate harmonies and rhythms of her talent, came crashing down on an ordinary afternoon.
She had been walking home from a rehearsal, her mind still replaying the chords of Beethoven’s Sonata in her head, when the accident happened. A speeding car, a screech of tires, and the sound of shattering glass. The next few moments were a blur of pain and confusion. When Aarohi woke up in the hospital, the world had changed.
At first, she couldn’t understand why the voices around her sounded distant, like they were trapped behind a wall. The doctors’ mouths moved, but the sounds didn’t reach her the way they used to. It was only when her parents stood by her bed, tears streaming down their faces, that she realised the truth. She had lost her hearing.
The days that followed were a nightmare. Aarohi refused to believe it. How could someone whose entire life had been defined by sound lose the very thing that made them who they were? She lashed out, pushing away everyone who tried to help her. The doctors suggested hearing aids, surgery, anything that might restore some semblance of sound, but nothing seemed to work. Every time she touched the piano, her fingers would freeze, paralyzed by the silence that now surrounded her.
The loss wasn’t just physical; it was spiritual. Music had been her identity, her solace, and her escape. Without it, she felt like a shadow of herself, empty and incomplete. The world became a prison of silence, and Aarohi locked herself away in her small apartment, refusing to face the reality that had been forced upon her.
Her parents were devastated, watching their once-brilliant daughter withdraw into a shell. They tried everything to lift her spirits—visiting doctors, therapists, and even musicians who had faced similar struggles. But Aarohi’s pain ran deeper than they could understand. Every morning she would sit at the piano, her fingers hovering over the keys, but she couldn’t bring herself to play a single note. The silence mocked her, a constant reminder of everything she had lost.
( TO BE CONTINUED)
Rajat Chandra Sarmah
Guwahati , Assam , India
04/11/2024
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