Echoes of Forgotten Lullabies

The start of the day was just like any other for Lila. Her alarm clock softly trilled, awakening her from sleep as morning began to unfold in a familiar manner. But today was different somehow, there was a slight change in the air that made everything seem tense. The sunlight which usually came into her room with golden warmth looked somehow hesitant; its glow had become softer and dreamier as though the whole world were caught between sleeping and waking up.

Go-through with your morning rituals like showering, dressing up or making coffee all carried out with a distant feeling of uneasiness. It had too much bitterness for a cup of coffee (in fact). Moreover, I don’t understand how keys that were always left on the counter in the kitchen ended up moving somewhere else. In spite of seeing everything unchanged outside her window, Lila cannot withstand the poignant realization that there was something she deeply lost in life without noticing it.

Upon stepping out onto the bustling streets, Lila sensed a change in atmosphere. The expressions of people around her which were usually indifferent now showed signs of tranquil sadness as if they too were searching for some lost item. She boarded the bus where there was no usual buzzing conversation instead; it was filled with heavy silence. Lila's attention was drawn by a young lady whose look was so far away that it seemed she was trying to remember something that was just beyond reach. The urge to talk to her came over Lila but she could not form any words because they have gotten stuck in her throat and gradually made her uneasy.

Strangeness deepened at work. The office that was initially teeming with life felt like a silent space. Colleagues roamed about like proverbs; their movements were robotic, smiles stiff. Even Lisa, her closest friend, seemed far away as though her usual brightness had been switched off. Lila approached Lisa, hesitated then spoke.

"Lisa," she started in a whisper, "do you happen to feel… different from others today?"

Lisa raised her eyes but was confused. "I do. Linnaus like… something is just eluding me. It’s right there on my tongue; only, I can’t remember it at all."

“Lila,” Lisa said, shivering at her friend’s sense of foreboding that regarded her words. She understood precisely what Lisa was talking about –that emptiness void inside us all that makes every person yearn for something or someone who was there and is no more. But where does it all start from?

With time, Lila’s mind wandered away from work and off to other things altogether (and that is how she lost her concentration). There was a piece of the puzzle missing and Lila was searching her thoughts for anything that might help her find it. And then it struck her like a flash—a lullaby! A gentle, soft song her mother used to sing when she was young. The memory was blurry but the feelings were unmistakable; happy moments came back with a lot of love plus some sleep and warmth. Even after several unsuccessful attempts to remember them, they still eluded her.

All night long Lila would hear this long forgotten lullaby echoing inside her head while lying in bed trying to recall it (yet she could not). It was such a beautiful but unfinished melody that remained hauntingly in the air around her (like people say). If she could only grab those words off from somewhere then everything will fall into place again. Unfortunately, they became further away the harder she strained at having them on tip of her tongue.

Day after day the world seemed like it was it’s declining age. The colors have vanished from everywhere; there was too much sadness in this atmosphere because all lives have been transformed into something else entirely. Everyone walked as if they were in a dream; their eyes were unaffecting and lips sounded like they were paralyzed.

Then one evening Lila listened closely while falling asleep, hearing out what remained of those old songs. They came as faint whispers on the wind, yet they were present like rain drops on grass blades. The words arrived whooshing like gusts of wind that united with nature’s melody; while doing so Lila started noticing how things changed around her. Color came back to almost everything, air became lighthearted again and her heart stopped being so heavy anymore again.

When Lila awoke the following morning, there was an unusual calmness in her life that she had not experienced for many days. It was the same world as before; only she had changed. The forgotten sweet melody from the cradlesong earlier had brought back something timeless; a bond with yesteryears’ affection and solace which she once lost. By recollecting them, she rediscovered herself.

At times, we get caught up in life’s frantic pace and forget about what is important—memories, love and comforting moments that define us. If only we could reconnect to those lost pieces of ourselves we would be able to achieve tranquility and comprehend ourselves better.

Thank you for taking the time to journey through this story. May it remind you to cherish the small, precious moments that make up the tapestry of your life.