Chapter 1 - A Foreboding Dream
“Meditate.
Live purely. Be quiet.
Do your work with mastery.
Like the moon, come out
from behind the clouds!
Shine”
― Siddhārtha Gautama
In India, in a small village near the India-Bangladesh border...
Asha climbed the temple steps, clutching her mother's hand tightly. Terrifying figures adorned the temple's exterior, their grotesque forms meant to ward off evil spirits. Inside, the air was thick with incense. Candlelight bathed the space in a soft glow, accompanied by the murmur of whispered prayers. Asha's mother knelt and began her devotions—Asha followed, kneeling beside her. The cool stone floor offered a welcome relief from the sweltering heat outside. Before them sat a giant golden Buddha, its eyes closed in serene meditation.
As her mother prayed in hushed tones, Asha did her best to imitate her. But she was too young to know the words, too young to understand what to say. She closed her eyes and sensed powerful, unseen forces swirling around her. She glanced at her mother, wondering if she, too, could sense them.
Asha fidgeted, trying to remain calm, but the sense of an overwhelming, otherworldly presence grew stronger. The statues appeared to flicker to life, their eyes seeming to follow her, their forms shifting in the candlelight.
Asha lay down beside her mother, rested her head on her folded arms, and closed her eyes. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she soon drifted asleep, her soft breaths mingling with her mother's prayers.
In her dream, Asha stood alone in a strange, unfamiliar land. The sky churned with dark clouds that carried a menacing fury. She searched desperately for her mother, her sisters, anyone—but no one was there. The temple, her village, and her family had all vanished.
An invisible force seemed to pull her forward, and she began to walk. In the distance, a village lay submerged under floodwaters, with only rooftops peeking out. People were being swept away by the rising, raging waters. Some reached out in desperation, but many disappeared beneath the surface.
Asha wanted to cry for help, but no sound escaped her lips. The scene shifted, yet she kept walking, drawn forward without knowing where or why.
Suddenly, a massive presence loomed on the horizon. It wasn't human nor divine—a cold, indifferent force observing the devastation below. The people raised their hands, pleading for salvation. "Help them," Asha whispered in her mind. There was no answer to her plea.
The dream shifted once more. As she walked, she saw farmers struggling in the scorching heat, desperately trying to save their withering crops. In the distance, funeral pyres burned, sending plumes of smoke into the crimson sky. The sun, sinking into the smoky horizon, set the world aglow as if on fire.
Voices filled with urgency and anger spoke of revolution, justice, and a new world order. They argued over technologies and tools, their voices blending hope and desperation.
Through the shifting landscapes, she walked, and a strange device hovered beside her, amplifying her voice for the world to hear. She was strong, resolute, yet a deep sense of loneliness tugged at her, a longing for something lost.
Faces flashed before her—some filled with greed, others with ambition and lust. They watched her and plotted in silence. Another face appeared—warm, kind, protective. It vanished, dissolving like a mirage in the desert.
Asha woke with a start, her heart racing. The temple was dark, and the candlelight flickered softly around her. Her mother remained beside her, deep in prayer, unaware of Asha's troubled dreams. Asha stared at the intricate ceiling; the vivid images of her dream still fresh in her mind. Fear mingled with curiosity as if she had glimpsed a vision of her destiny.
She rubbed her eyes, sat up, and looked toward her mother, hoping she could sense the turmoil and offer comfort. But her mother simply smiled and continued her prayers. Turning back to the Buddha, Asha gazed at its tranquil face and felt a strange power beginning to stir within her...
Continue to Chapter 2 - Whistling Past the Warnings