Summer was supposed to provide freedom, open skies, the fragrance of delicious mangoes, and laughter echoing off scorching sidewalks. But this time, it was met with silence. The type that hums low in your chest, wraps around you like a thick, heavy blanket even as the sun scorches your flesh.
Each morning came with light, but it only sharpened the shadows. Power outages lasted for hours, and tempers flared. Fires swept not just over woods, but also in people's hearts, scorching with rage, hunger, and grief. Even the youngsters, who previously raced around barefoot, now stood in corners, perspiring and silent, anticipating a breeze that never arrived.
The days passed way slowly, it was filled with smoke and anxiety. No music played anywhere, no peace in the prayers. Summer came, then not to have fun. It came to give us lesson. Even in the best of seasons, darkness can still find a place.
