While the world outside the window glowed in the morning light, Natasha stared at her basket of fruits with an expression close to awe. When you stay in a room with no colours other than some shades of white, even the faintest of colour attracts you to it. And that basket of fruits was shouting for Natasha's attention.

She saw how some strokes of white had infiltrated the light-red of her apple. She noticed how those oranges stared at her with a look of revenge. She had always hated them. But now, she was forced to eat them. She was about to turn her gaze away from the basket when her eyes hit a white wall. It was sitting there proudly, blocking the view of her favorite grapes. Extending her hand towards it, she opened the piece of paper.

Hey Nat!

Natasha recognized the handwriting instantly. There was just one person who stroked her exclamation mark like a nose. Riya!

Though, why her friend was writing a letter was still beyond her imagination.

I know it's pretty weird to get a hand-written letter in today's world. Trust me, it's weird for me, too.  The last time I had written a letter was during school and exams.

Natasha's face glowed with a smile as the childhood memories resurfaced. She and Riya would study in her room and then in that hour before the exam, she would transform into Riya's teacher. Those really were the days. Sometimes, she missed that innocence which they had as kids. But then, the determination to grow up made her forget it all.

This is, probably, my hundredth attempt at writing this and my room is full of paper. Yes, I know what you'd say right now. That it would've been better if I had just said it face to face. At least, that would have saved some paper. I agree Nat. In normal circumstances, even I would have done that. But, what I want to say today needs a lot of courage. And I don't know if I can do that while staring in your trusted eyes. Your love for our friendship would steal all my courage. And so, I've chosen this coward option. Forgive me for that.

That smile on Natasha's face vanished as fast as it had appeared. Initially, she had thought Riya was trying to cheer her up by reconciling those childhood memories, but she was wrong. She could sense a fear in those words. Scratching her head, she wondered if this was something about what happened last night. Was her stupid friend trying to apologize for that little thing? She even thought of teleporting Riya to some other planet for thinking of such a foolish thing. And for that tiny little moment, she argued whether to just keep the letter aside and go back to eating her fruits. But the next line forbade her from that.

Promise me Nat, you'll read the entire letter before letting any sort of thoughts cloud your mind.

I still remember that dreadful day a couple of months ago. You just wished to finish your favorite task and I dragged you to a class which could have waited. I still don't know how it happened, I really don't. We were making our way through the other students and the next thing I know is you were down the stairs, your head banging hard on the wall.

Natasha's hand reflexively went on to that spot on her hand. It still pained a bit when she touched it. But the important thing was that even she didn't know how she fell down the stairs. It was exactly as Riya said, they were running and then suddenly, black was the only colour in her world.

I can't remember how and when I happened to pick up your phone, but I had it when you were hospitalized. You might think why I'm talking about your phone all of a sudden, but believe me Nat, that little box of magic is at the root of this all. The treasure it held brought out the pirate in me.

You've always loved reading Nat. You've always been drenched in that rain. Books have always been the drops to nurture your plant. But then, one day, summer threatened to steal the clouds away from you. And that's when I showered the world of wattpad on you.

The use of that word, wattpad, triggered some lost thoughts in Natasha's mind. That word seemed familiar, but just vaguely.

You might not remember it much. It's an app that made your dream of reading stories come true. It's that magic land which you've always yearned for. I still remember that ecstasy in your eyes when you used to read on wattpad. And believe me or not, but soon you found a wizard in that wonderland. A wizard who swooned you with the magic of his words.

Nat, it's none other than MrAdventure.

Natasha sat up on her bed with a jerk. Mr Adventure? No wonder that name kept on repeating itself in her head when nothing else made sense. She tried to pin her thoughts on who this Mr Adventure really was and why he was featuring in her best friend's letter, but the sound of that name gave a soothing sensation to her heart. It was an unknown feeling. And she allowed it to remain that way.

You read his stories and you loved them to the core. The characters he made, Dev and Anjali, quickly became your friends like many other characters before them. What's worth noticing Nat is that you not only motivated him to write, but you became the spark he needed to ignite his fire. You were the oxygen that was keeping his flame alive.

And so, when the supply of oxygen disappeared all of a sudden, the flame started to extinguish.

She believed what happened with her was a pure accident. Nothing of it was purposeful. And so, Natasha didn't fail to notice how Riya had silently blamed her with that line. Yes, she felt bad for Mr Adventure. He was just an innocent victim of time. But then, it hard to feel the sympathy when you're blamed for the demise.

And that's where I come into picture Nat.

When you didn't show any signs of improvement, I resorted to the last option that I could think of. All I wanted to do was read some of his stories to you and hope that his words still possessed the magic you claimed to them to have. But that wasn't to happen. Apparently, the wizard had faltered in his tricks without his apprentice. Somehow he seemed to have forgot how to stuff a rabbit in his hat. He needed that spark once again.

That's when I tried to fill your shoes.

Natasha just couldn't understand why people did that. What joy did they get in trying to be someone else? Some holes are never meant to be filled. Sadly though, people never understood the meaning of it.

A hint of anger started to creep in her features. But she remembered the promise Riya had asked from her. She resolved not to allow any judgemental thoughts creep in the crevices of her brain. Was it that easy though?

Initially, I tried to take the same road you had travelled to reach the destination of his stage. Though, at that moment, it seemed annoyingly long and time consuming. And so that restless part of my mind compelled me to take a short cut. To know more about the guy I was supposed to get back on track, I opened the app in your phone and did something I shouldn't have done.

But it's not my fault too Nat. You have an equal share in this massacre. Turn back the gears of your brain and remember all those moments when I told you to set a password to your phone. Whenever I tried to explain you the benefits of locking your phone, you shied away from the discussion. "What's so important in it anyway?" you used to say every time.

Remember this Nat, when the situation calls, every little thing can be exploited from an empty vault. The worst thing is, even the best of friends can take advantage of it.

Natasha was absolutely clueless. She just didn't know how to react to that. On one hand, she was furious on Riya for accessing whatever she did from her phone, and on the other, she was angry on herself too. The mere fact that Riya was right hurt her even more. Why? She didn't know. But with every passing line, she was feeling even more confused.

A voice inside me told me that I couldn't let that happen. It reminded me that I shouldn't invade my best friend's privacy. But then, I've always been a rebel. You would know it better than you. And I proved it once again.

This time though, the crime is unpardonable. In the heat of moment, I read your personal messages. Yes, the messages which you had sent to MrAdventure. I still rue the moment I did that. But what's done is done. I have to live with it, and so do you.

Yes, fortunately, or unfortunately, Natasha knew she had to live with the repercussions of her friend's act. Now, even that would have been okay had been just the two of them. But this time, a third party was involved too.

At the end of it all, she knew that Mr Adventure would remain that actor who had no role in the skit and yet he was bestowed with an award of the best villain. And Natasha and Riya both knew what his famous dialogue would be.

When you're really into something, there's a chance you might get lost in it.

No Nat, it wasn't just by chance that this line was etched in your memory. That was the last message you sent to your wizard. Maybe that's why it got etched in my memory too. And unknowingly, I used that line in a message that I sent to him. I don't know what conclusions he has drawn from it. I'm just hoping he hasn't turned a wrong card. But trust me Nat, I will make everything right.

I may not be able to turn back the time, but I promise you that I'll try my best to bring back what has been lost.

Once again, I am sorry Nat, I really am.

Hopefully, still your best friend forever,
Riya

P.S. I've left your phone beneath your pillow.

And the next thing Natasha knew, she was lost in her phone. Yet again.

***

11th August 2017