A girl’s dream of absolute freedom collides with the harsh reality of a world unbound, with devastating results, a micro story by Dr Ashish, for Different Truths.
There was once a girl who longed for freedom. Her parents, the voice of tradition, draped her in restrictions, warning her to cover herself in the proper traditional way, to hide her beauty from the eyes of the world. But she belonged to the age of obduracy, where restraint felt like chains and concealment was like exile.
In camera, under the warmth of her quilt, she had savoured fragments of liberty—yet private freedom soon tasted hollow. One midnight, she opened her window and saw the silent city glowing with a thousand lights, while the moon and stars competed in brilliance above. The sight stirred her heart: freedom, she thought, must be celebrated beneath the open sky.
She stepped out into the deserted street, her short-clothed body shining white in the moonlight. With each step, she felt like a kite cut loose, liberated and soaring without strings. The moon caressed her skin, turning her into a living statue of marble. She adored her reflection in nature’s gaze, and for a moment, she believed herself unearthly like goddesses Venus and Libertas.
But the sky, too, had moods. Clouds rushed in, swallowing the moon, silencing the stars. Darkness arrived. From its corners came the stray dogs—wild, lawless and hungry. They pounced upon her fragile freedom, tearing it apart. She cried for help, but the city of lights remained deaf.
Freedom is not without teeth. When deafening silence returned, she lay still, like a broken stone statue on the street. Her dream of absolute freedom had turned to dust, while the dogs roamed on—creatures of instinct, free in their own way.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
Dr. Ashish Kumar Gupta is an Assistant Professor of English at Allahabad Degree College, holding a D.Phil. from the University of Allahabad. A NET-qualified scholar, his research focuses on social issues, queer, gender, and diaspora studies. Dr. Gupta has authored three books and edited ten, including impactful works on gender and LGBTQ+ themes. With over thirty research papers published, he also serves as a peer reviewer for an international journal.
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