Luck, by chance

She woke up to the tingling sensation of the cool breeze and the sounds of the birds chirping, which tempted her to take a morning stroll around the block. She walked like she usually does, extremely slow, taking in the pleasure of the cool weather for she knew it'd be hot and humid in a few hours when dawn breaks. The roads were mildly lit. There was only the occasional paperboy or milkman on the roads at this hour of the day. It was a Sunday!

She knew these roads like the back of her hand. Every road sign on every street, every bump on the footpath, there was a zero percent chance of her feeling lost in this area. As she came to a junction (which is usually packed with bumper-to-bumper traffic at other times of the day), she felt a sudden reckless urge to walk on the road. As she disembarked the footpath, barely 3/10ths of a second had passed when she was blinded by headlights. She stood motionless. Her mind sensed a car approaching, but her body couldn't move. Sounds of screeching brakes filled the air around her. The driver tried to come to a complete halt, but she knew inertia wouldn't work her way. "This is what happens when you decide to do something out of routine", she thought to herself. "All I wanted to do was take a walk. One wrong decision and here I am, alive for now ... possibly dead in a few minutes ... this is not how the day was supposed to go".

Dhristi was an ace swimmer. She was envied by all her peers at district and national level swimming competitions. Not only was she immensely skilled, she was confident and determined. And that took her places. Lines of trophies on the wall and photoframes spoke of all the times she was applauded (which were many). From the outside, Dhristi's life seemed perfect. Unfortunately, it was far from !

Although Dhristi was extremely talented, something always stood in her way. And this was an obstacle that couldn't be tackled - Luck. Was her luck bad from the start or did she acquire it after her naming ceremony, no one knows. Dhristi always had a fixed routine. After years of experience of what works for her and what doesnt, Dhristi and her parents set up a hassle-free routine for her. This ensured that nothing drastic would happen. There still was a large possibility that something could go wrong, but having followed the same routine every week instiled a sense of belief that maybe tomorrow will be like today - With an absence of bad. Over the years, Dhristi stopped indulging in her impulsive cravings and stuck to her routine to ensure that her swimming career doesnt drown. She didn't mind foregoing a social life, there were worse situations at hand. She soon grew afraid of breaking free from the routine - her mind swam around thoughts of losing a limb or two - nothing was worth that.

Sunday morning, 6 am, she should've been in her 18th or 19th lap in the pool. But here she was, blinded by the headlights, thinking about why she had such ill luck. In that moment of chaos, she couldn't help but smile! Life wasn't quite a challenge for her, Luck was :) Here she was, away from her world, away from her routine, away from the possibility of seeing a tomorrow, yet she was happy. Happy that she finally gave in to her craving. She finally knew how it felt to be free. Above her, a white bird flew high across the sky...

Dhristi was a fun person. Her sister, Poorvika, carries forward her swimming legacy.