Chapter -1: The Night Iyarkai Ended
The room was dark except for the faint glow of the television screen.
Outside, the moon hung silently in the night sky, casting silver light through the half-open window.
Veesha sat alone on her bed, her eyes fixed on the climax scene of Iyarkai.
The movie had ended years ago for the world.
Yet somehow, every time she watched it, it felt different.
Perhaps because she no longer watched it as a movie.
She watched it as a memory.
As the final scene played, her eyes filled with tears.
Not because of the characters.
Not because of the story.
But because somewhere between the dialogues, the music, and the heartbreak, she always found pieces of herself.
The credits began to roll.
The room fell silent.
Slowly, she reached for the remote and switched off the television.
Darkness wrapped around the room.
Only the moon remained.
For a few moments, she sat there motionless.
Then her eyes drifted toward the study table.
The diary was waiting.
It always was.
Its cover had faded over the years.
Its corners were worn.
Its pages carried memories no one else knew existed.
Memories of a boy named Samuel.
Veesha swallowed hard.
Her fingers trembled as she picked it up.
Some people preserved photographs.
Some people preserved gifts.
She had preserved an entire love story.
A love story that was never spoken.
She opened the diary.
The first page carried a date.
And beneath it, a single sentence.
"Everything began in church."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
Outside, the moon continued watching.
