The Great Battle

My humble pranam to whoever made this picture. Found this on Twitter but do not know who the original artist is.

Just the right one I was looking for, down to the color of the girl's dress.

*The Great Battle*

I realise I have walked in to the deepest part of the forest. My own forest. 

I cannot find my way back now even if I wanted to. I have wandered too far away from any human help. 

It's like I am on a steep cliff  and I can never look beneath now as the only option seems to be to keep climbing no matter what.

This seems to be the most dangerous part of the trail that I have been on since I started...not sure when I started the journey though.

I am not really alone. There are ferocious presences watching me for just one mis-step.

They come in various forms and colors.

I panic at first, then remember the weaponry that I was presented with...

I take a deep breath and pull out a dagger with my shaking hands. 

I am not a trained fighter so I keep wasting my energy on what I can see.

Not calm enough for strategy , completely unaware of what hides ahead and...

...a stubborn  refusal to  take the time to actually face my demons...

Thus, I quickly tire out and score very little for the amount of energy I seem to be spending.

I slay some of them spending all that I have, only to find ahead of me, similar ones which seem more fierce. 

This goes on and on. 

Suddenly, I find myself without any of the weapons I started the journey with.

I am in a deep ditch ,all bloody and bruised. The demons are all around the ditch now.

 I didn't even know they came in so many forms ! 

Worse, I find myself thinking that a few of them are actually cute and I can keep them with me !

I don't even need external enemies anymore !

I seem to have lost whatever I had saved up and some more. How's that even possible ?.

Any moment now...

In utter despair, I cry out.

Suddenly , I remember the Guru.

No one else knows I am here. No one else knows I am fighting a battle I can't win.

No one but him can help me reach the  victory post .

I know when I am beaten.

I sob and ask for his help. 

A calm descends.

The thought comes, may be I should have asked for help sooner?

 He tells me from within, that I was provided with the weapons for a good reason.

The human effort counts. I had done my bit. 

I am that kid who saved money in her piggy bank as the grandpa said he'd match in money whatever that the child managed to save. 

I saved some,  lost some as I saw an ice-cream truck...

I went off ice creams ,saved more ,only to lose part of it on something else .

When I reached that 100 bucks mark after a long enough time, I found what I wanted to buy now cost 200 bucks...

Worse, I realised I had to pay a penalty of 125 bucks as I had bungled up some other things... 

A royal FAIL.

Too numb to cry, I thought of the Guru again.

I can't do this alone. Never. 

Please take my remaining strength and good deeds . I have just a pinch of it now, that's, if I have anything left at all.

Take my faults and bad deeds. They are many mighty mountains as you know very well. 

Everything I think of as mine is now at your feet.

I surrender.

I said this, closed my eyes and waited for the demons to pounce on me.

The scene changed suddenly and I find myself on the path again.

 There's peace and there's pleasant walking to do .

"I matched it, whatever you managed to save." He says .

I do the Math . How's that possible? 

"Did I ever say I'd match it rupee for rupee ?" He asks in amusement.

He has matched it, as he always does, a rupee for several hundred thousand Rupees ! 

Tears fall. This time ,they are sweet.