Lila flipped through a random page of the book and started reading it until the sudden rays of light fell on her eyes, diverting her gaze from the book to the surroundings.
She was dumbfounded to know that where she was sitting now, was on a sofa with vintage cravings inside a big hall-like room that had all sorts of lavish and exaggerated decorations.
Lila never would've expected this even in her wildest dreams that a situation as such would unfold in her life.
"This...this... where am I...where is this..." Startled yet curious, Lila got up, looking around with anxious eyes.
Touching the walls with her fingertips and feeling the intricate designs and patterns drawn, similar to what one would find in an ancient royal palace.
"Am I in a palace?... Wow, I will write about this dream in my diary...It...it almost feels like real."
Just when Lila was having her moment alone with this ever so sweet dream, the door of the room opened with a loud 'bam,' with two women coming in straight towards her.
"WOW... she is gorgeous," Lila thought. One of the ladies was wearing a heavy red 'lehenga' with lots of designs like a hand-woven calligraphy with jewels attached to it. She was so gorgeous that many of the actresses she knew of were pale in front of her, the olive tone of her skin with the oh-so-complementing jewels and the brunette hair—a walking goddess indeed.
"But why do they seem angry...wait is she coming towards me?" Lila was confused yet allured by the sudden coming of this goddess.
"Hello ma'am-
"What...what just happened to me..." Lila was still in shock, unable to comprehend how this sudden meeting was unfolding.
"Excuse me ma'am-
"Ma'am? You are calling your mother, the head of this family ma'am?" The lady beside the goddess said.
"I must have been lenient on you, for you to be this outrageous and insolent," the goddess said.
"Mother?... How is she, my mother? My mother is at home, I mean in the real world, not in the dream world... wait...first of all why does it hurt so much if it is a dream?" Lila thought.
"Speak up," The goddess shouted with anger.
"Ye...yes ma'am... I mean mother," Lila spoke submissively.
"Anu, ready her up. It is time for the dinner, and I don't want to be late for the dinner by 'hitting my head in a useless wall.'"
"Yes mistress," the lady with the mother replied with a bow.
"And you, you better be ready on time or else just you wait."
"Do you get it?" Lila's mother yelled.
"Ye...yes Mother."
The mistress left the room. Shortly after, 'Anu,' the maid in attendance, also left after saying some other harsh words to Lila and ordering her to get ready herself because she had other things to do.
"Haa...what is happening to me? Ouch, it still hurts." Lila was in disbelief about the situation she was in, the slap all felt real, the pain still lingering within her cheeks, it was clear that this wasn't what she thought was a dream.
"Haa..haaa...it's...it must be a dream, yeah a dream. It's just I am unable to wake up from it...haahaaa was an unusual dream, but now let's wake up," Lila thought, slapping her other cheek.
But she was still there, she was not waking up, It's almost like the reality she was in earlier was the dream and this was all real.
"Why am I not waking up, why.." Lila started to slap herself harder and harder until both her cheeks and palms became blood red, she cried in pain and dismay but it all was no use
"Why...why...." This dream hit Lila really hard.
"If...if it's not working, then...then might water work, yeah let's wash my face, maybe no it would definitely work."
Lila headed inside her bathroom and removed the lid of a passageway where slowly water started filling the bathtub.
"Why it's not working, why... okay last...last time let's just submerge into the water a bit, then the shock might wake me up, yeah that would absolutely wake me up."
Lila stepped inside the bathtub, which was filled up to the brim, and slipped into it, submerging herself in it, but it was still not working. She held her breath underwater, but she was still not waking up.
Slowly her breath faded, and she was out of breath, but she kept holding onto the bathtub, submerging herself. She was sure that fainting in the dream would definitely wake her up in reality.
But her holding capacity reached out, forcing her mouth to open up to inhale air as an instinct, but she held onto the bathtub tightly, not giving it up. Finally, she fainted, motionless, not an ounce of breath seemed to be left in her body.
"Oh shit, it is late, and that stubborn girl still isn't ready," Anu was nervous as the mistress had instructed her to get Lila ready before the family dinner.
"Haven't I told you to get ready—hm she is not here!"
"Lila! Lila!" Anu searched the room, but Lila was not there.
"Where is she? Is she in the bathroom? Let me check..."
"Lila—" and just as she opened the door of the bathroom, she screamed.
All the maids and knights outside the room came running upon hearing this scream.
But all were startled by what they saw, and then the mistress came.
"Anu, why are you screaming? What happened?" the mistress yelled at Anu.
"Milady," the knights gave way to the mistress as she entered the bathroom.
"Anu, what happened—Lilaaa!" the mistress screamed, seeing the lifeless body floating in the bathtub, and that body was of Lila.