Written by: Saurav Dhakal - 20125, Grade XII
Posted on: 19 March, 2020
“You have to stop singing. You have throat cancer. If you insist on continuing so, you might die”, the doctor said to her but she wasn’t the one to agree to it quite easily. All she ever wanted to become was a singer from the time she could barely speak. What she had for music couldn’t be described by the word “passion”, she felt connected to music every time she heard it. Violin was her choice for instrument and with the beautiful face and the sweetest voice, everyone who had ever listened to her performing went crazy for her. It really was a wonder why she wasn’t famous already. Maybe it was because she was too young to be recognized anywhere outside of her family or high school. After all, she was only 15 years old. It’s nearly impossible for a person of that age to be recognized anywhere else.
How could such a person give up such a feeling? She replied to the doctor, “Perhaps if I continue singing, I might die one day soon but if I give the only thing that pushed me forward till this day then I will die every second of every day. The regret will just eat me up that I didn’t live up to my capability.” The doctor said many things to convince her but she stood still on her decision. There was no changing of her mind. When she was about to leave the room, she stopped and said “Doctor, have a little faith in me. Soon you’ll hear my name on that T.V. Remember it. You’ll hear the encore for Sakshya Snow.” The doctor couldn’t say anything and let her leave.
After she went home she was tired and it would be nightfall soon. As she lay on her bed, she went to sleep quickly. She always seemed to be so cheerful and happy like she had no regrets or tension in the whole world but that night something happened. She dreamed of a tall, dark man wearing a black robe staring at her. All she saw in the dream was that man staring at her and nothing else. After she woke up the next morning she began to think about just who that man was? She had neither seen him nor known of anyone like that in her life. She thought, “It’s probably nothing. I shouldn’t keep my head stuck on some random dream.” As she looked at her phone she screamed and said, “Oh no, I’m late for class today as well. I was supposed to meet Harry like an hour earlier. He will kill me.” Saying this much she rushed out of the house without even breakfast and ran toward her school.
When she met Harry she told him everything about the other day and after hearing that, he freaked out and screamed at Sakshya. He said, “If you really have to just leave singing for your treatment then why don’t you? Why are you always so stubborn? Do you not realize what you’ll be giving up just because of your music?” After he lashed out all the information on her she began to cry. She was sobbing and said, “I’m not crying because you screamed at me but because I thought at least you might be the one to understand why I need to continue to sing. It’s not just a passion for me, it’s a part of me now that I can’t give in even if I want to and believe me I would never want to. Just try and understand that I have to keep on performing. When I go out to that stage and perform, the people that listen to me will never forget and that’s all I ever want in life. Even if it shortens my life, it will be worth it.” Harry still not convinced with it stormed out of there leaving her alone. She understood why he left. After all, anyone would if someone heard their friend was trying to kill themselves.
Shortly after that, she went to the Concert Hall for her performance. While she was preparing for it, the man from her dream again took place inside her head. It was so unusual for her. She normally wouldn’t think about anything else except for her performance when preparing for it. As she was lost on her though, she was called for her performance. When she went upon the stage and started playing everyone in the audience were so mesmerized that they were on a whole new world. All that just by listening to Sakshya. When the performance was over, the crowd stayed still, still lost in the music that was thrown to them. Moments later, she got a huge applause and the crowd started going crazy. They cheered her name and applauded for her. As she stood on that stage only one thought crossed her mind, “This is what I should feel for the rest of my life. This feeling is what matters me the most. Just by playing here I was able to touch this many people by just my music, I wonder what will happen if the world could listen to me. Will I ever reach them? I hope I can.”
When she was all packed up and was about to go home, a gentleman called for her. He told her that he was a music director and wanted to work with her. His exact words were, “Among many people in there, I was also the one to be mesmerized by your playing and all I want is to get to know you more.” She immediately agreed to it because it was a dream-come-true for her. She went home to tell her family the good news.
On the other hand, Harry still troubled with what Sakshya said, went to see her doctor. He was furious and slammed the door and screamed at him, “Why won’t you restrict Sakshya not to sing anymore? Why won’t you do anything to save her? She’s too young to face death.” The doctor got surprised at first then understood what was going on and said, “You must be her friend then. Well, I tried to talk some sense in her but she won’t listen.” “What do you mean she won’t listen? You must force her to listen. After it’s her….”, said Harry. The doctor remained calm and replied, “Now I won’t say anything to her. She said something to me and after hearing that I know she can’t be reasoned with.” Harry still with a red-hot face said, “What could she possibly have said for you to take this decision.” The doctor looked down and said, “ I believe her exact words were, “Perhaps if I continue singing, I might die one day soon but if I give the only thing that pushed me forward till this day then I will die every second of every day. The regret will just eat me up and I didn’t live up to my capability.” After that I knew she wouldn’t listen to anyone.” When Harry heard that, he froze for a while and without saying another word he left the room and went home. When he went home, he got a text from Saskshya. She said, “Hey you. I’m sorry to burden you with all the news today. But I’ve got some good news. A music director named Stan met me today and asked me to work with him. I’m offered to play my own music and record it. It’s going to be great.”
When Sakshya was about to sleep she again thought about the man from her dreams. Thinking about the man she dozed up to sleep and a surprising thing happened. She saw the same dream again that night but the man was a little closer to her. When she woke up she thought, “That’s strange. Same dream again. Perhaps it was because I thought about it before I fell asleep. But no worries, it’s a new day today and I have my song to record.” With this excitement she got out of bed and went straight to the studio. She was more excited than nervous to be there. Stan introduced her to everybody and without delaying she went to do what she came to do. She sang so beautifully that all the people listening to her were amazed with her voice. Everyone congratulated her. She was so glad to have finally recorded a song. She felt like being in paradise. She went home fully tired but happy and went to bed straight away. She said, “It was the best day.” and went to sleep. The same things happened again. She saw the same dream and again the man a little closer to her. The next morning when she woke up she got a little worried. Same dream for 3 straight nights. Anyone would freak out.
Pretty soon, the song was released and was a hit all over the world. With only one song she got recognized all over the world. When she was walking in the streets also, people used to come to speak with her and praise her. She felt so happy about it. The way she was in everyone’s mouth, she was really having the time of her life. She began going to the studio frequently and recorded quite a few songs within 2 weeks. Soon, she was a celebrity. Who would have thought, a 15 years old girl would be recognized globally. With the best songs, she really was a rising star. Her happiness was accelerating every day but she was hiding something from everyone. She had the same dreams, again and again, every day. Every day the man came closer and closer. She always was so terrified the next morning. The only thing that kept her calm was her admirers because of her music. The same day Stan called her and said that he had good news. She went to the studio and saw everyone smiling. She said, “So, what is the big surprise?” Stan said, “You have been invited to perform in a concert in front of a live audience. There will thousands of people and it will air on every music channel on TV. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I don’t think any person of your age ever had an opportunity like this. It’s in a concert place in Manhattan. Are you ready for this?” She completely lost her mind with excitement and said, “I’m disappointed that you even have to ask. Let’s go and prepare for it. When is it? Will there be anyone else performing? Sorry I’m asking all these questions but I’m just so excited that I can’t even catch my breath.” Stan replied, “It’s exactly 1 month from today. No one will be performing but you. I know you’ll be awesome out there.”
She rushed home told her parents about what happened and went straight to bed. Her parents were worried about her health but they couldn’t say anything. She would still die soon because of cancer it was only sensible that she died doing what she loved. So they held tears in their eyes and let her do what she wanted to before it was too late.
When Sakshya was in the bed she began to think about the recurring dream. She’s couldn’t stop wondering who exactly that person was. Soon after that, her bed started shaking and she saw a person walking in the room but not through the door. He walked straight through the walls and as he turned around she was shocked to see the same person from her dreams. Her jaw dropped and she remained silent for a while. Then after about 10 minutes, she spoke, “Who are you? Why do I see you again and again in my dreams?” The tall, dark man replied, “I’m dying. I come to inform you that you aren’t going to live so long. I don’t normally go and warn people beforehand but there was something special about you. I don’t know what. But I just had to inform you that you must come with me exactly 3 weeks from now.” Hearing this she began to cry. The death said, “I know this must be a lot of information and you must be freaked out but there’s nothing that can change fate. Everyone must die one day. You just have to die a little soon than others. I’m sorry.” With tears on her eyes, she replied, “I’m not crying because I’m about to die. I actually knew that for a while. And I don’t fear death. I would have died peacefully if I got to perform. By singing continuously I’ve invited my death myself. But I have this performance in a month from today and that is the most important thing in my life. It’s so hard to know that you won’t live long to achieve the thing that you have dreamed about since you can even remember. It’s just not fair.” The death just said, “Well there’s nothing you can do” and left.
From the next day the death kept close eyes on Sakshya. He saw her every activity to find out what was so special in her. She didn’t have the same dream that night. She saw Harry in her dream and thought she should meet him so she left him a text. She wrote, “Hey you. You must be mad at me till now as well but please know that I have to meet you. I need to tell you something. It's good news” After that she just started her day with breakfast. She went to the studio and practiced for her performance. She gave everything in her practice. The death was quite amazed seeing her like that. “Even though she knew she was dying before the concert, she’s still preparing for it. She’s so determined in her singing that she can’t care about anything else in the world. Not even her death”, such though revolved around his head. When Sakshya went to the park, many people gathered there just to see her. It soon became a crowd. She talked with everyone there. She shared conversation, food, with all of them. She played with the kids there. She sang because of their request. She was adored by everyone there. The death observed that carefully and finally came to the conclusion, “I think I’m starting to realize why she’s so special. She is so precious for the world. Everyone wants to see her singing. They will literally throw their lives to see her. And she also fulfills all their expectations. I know what I have to do, even if I don’t like it”, whispering this much he left Sakshya’s watch. She went home and realized she didn’t have a reply from Harry.
Days passed like they were nothing. Sakshya knew that death was coming nearer and nearer but she still gave her best in preparation for the concert. Soon enough the day she was finally going to die arrived. With a heavy heart, she accepted her fate. When death came to her he asked something, “Even though you knew you were going to die before the performance, why did you practice for it?” With a smile on her face she said, “To be honest, I don’t practice just for the performance. I just sing because it makes me happy. In the time that I sing, I feel no strings attached and couldn’t care about anything else. It’s like I’m connected to the music in the way that I don’t know how to express. It’s like the music itself is a part of me.” Hearing this much, The death said, “Well then there’s nothing else to do now, is there? I have to do what I have to.” Saying this much he put his hand on her head and spoke, “I finally figured out why you were so special. So, I’m making an exception. I’m not allowed to break the rules but I can bend the rules. I will let you live until your performance is over.” The girl standing in front of her became so happy that she cried out like never before. She just said, “Thank you. I’ll always be grateful for your actions today.” She went to bed and had a good sleep.
Next day she woke up and had a normal day just like she used to have before that. She practiced for the performance. She decided to text Harry one last time. She wrote, “I understand why you haven’t been replying back to me. But I have to meet you so soon or else I might not get to. The good news that I was talking about, let me tell you about it. I am going to play in Manhattan a 6 days from today and I really want to see you there. Please be there.” She didn’t get reply to that as well. She just thought that he was too mad at him so she was disappointed in herself.
Next few days passed easily. With each day passing, Sakshya’s excitement grew even more. She was one step closer from her dream. The day finally arrived. A dream which she had for her entire life was only few hours away from her. As she went upon that stage and saw thousands of people in front of her, all cheering her name, the small part of her that felt nervous was gone. The one who conducted the program said, “Let’s introduce the person for whom we are here today, “SAKSHYA SNOW” Please give a big hand for her.” When this was happening, in corner room of the hospital, the doctor smiled and said, “Well she really did it. She really kept her promise. As she started singing and the crowd singing together with her the day became more and more amazing. The whole area was in an uproar. The excitement in Sakshya’s and everyone else’s eyes sparkled clearly. She sang on that stage for 4 hours and every single second she caught all the audience’s attention by her voice. Each moment of those 4 magnificent hours, Sakshya felt like she was on the top of the world. That concert was over after those 4 hours but the echo that her singing had left would be in everyone’s ears for a long time. That she was sure of. After it was over, she said, “Thank you everyone for being here. You all have influenced my life in a way that I can’t even describe. It was an honor to sing with you. Farewell everyone.”
Tired from all that, Sakshya went to the backstage where she found everyone close to her giving her an applause. She was so happy at the moment. Then seconds late someone was screaming “Sakshya! Sakshya!” from the back. She knew exactly who he was. It was Harry. As she saw him they both held each other in their arms. In that moment Sakshya felt like she had everything. They were both speechless for about 5 minutes. Then Harry spoke, “I’m so glad of the person you’ve become. I’m sorry for not replying back to you. I’m so sorry. By the way what did you mean by, you might not get to meet me?” Sakshya smiled and said, “I meant that……….” Her body suddenly became heavy. She closed her eyes, fell on Harry’s arm and with that she took her final breath.
She stood up and saw her body lying in Harry’s arm. She realized she was dead and was in the spiritual realm. She saw “The death” in front of her. She just said, “Thank you for giving me time to live this moment. I’ve said my goodbye. Now I’m ready to go. My life is complete.” The death just said, “Just what I expected from you” and they both vanished.
Everyone in the backstage silenced because of what happened in front of them. All of them were taken by shock. A legendary icon laid dead in front of them. Sakshya’s Mother said, “Even though we knew that this day was coming, why does it hurt so much? Even though it’s not sudden news, why is there so much pain inside me?” Everyone there cried to have seen the last of Sakshya Snow. Harry was completely out of his mind. He understood what she meant by ‘I might not get to meet you’. He couldn’t speak.
He found a small paper in Sakshya’s hand. He thought it should be given to her Mom so he did so. When she opened the paper, she read the note out loud. It said, “Mom, I don’t know who will get this note but I hope you get to read it first. Please don’t be upset because of my action. I know I pushed myself to my death and I have made peace with that I hope you will too. I don’t know what to say that will make your pain go away but please don’t hurt yourself because of me. Dad must be devastated as well but I hope you have it in your heart to forgive me. Also could you do something for me? Please tell Harry that I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make him worry so much. Please tell him to hang on and be fine and cheerful even after I’m gone. I’m sorry to leave you everybody but I am gone now and I’m glad that I don’t have any regrets in life. Farewell.”
