Chapter 1
Part 1: The Start of the Morning
The alarm rings... cold wind is blowing outside. Anish’s eyes open in the dim light. He looks up at the ceiling and asks himself — will today be the same routine again..? It was the beginning of a new day, but for Anish, every day felt the same — same people, same paths, same feelings. As if something was missing in life... but he couldn’t figure out what. After breakfast, he got ready for college, grabbing his diary — the one where he used to write poetry or just the events of the day. He opened it and wrote:.."Life is a constant journey, where there are no destinations... just roads. Maybe someday, at some turn, I’ll find my destination."He wrote these lines and closed the diary.Anish was an average guy — not too outgoing, not much of a talker, mostly lost in his thoughts. He lived a middle-class life. Every day was college and back home. Anish’s strongest connection was with his dreams.Though he was an engineering student, his heart was somewhere else — in poetry, in stories, in the emotions hidden behind people’s faces. Maybe that’s why the world felt a bit strange to him — or maybe he himself was strange to the world. He only had coffee for breakfast. Even when his mother insisted, he left without eating anything. He felt something different today. As if the wind was trying to say something, as if life was about to open a new chapter. It was time for college. He picked up his grey backpack, which had a notebook, a pen, and a novel. He walked out, passing through the lanes, heading on foot toward the bus stand. But in Anish’s life, a sense of peace was still missing. He didn’t know yet — today would change his life forever.
Part 2: Love at First Sight
The bus stand was as crowded as ever. Horns blaring, hawkers shouting offers, and among the chaos sat Anish on a bench, lost in his own world — phone in hand, eyes elsewhere Like every day, his face bore that same sadness — earphones in his ears, but no music reflected in his expression. Maybe just an excuse to mute the noise. And then he heard a soft laugh — a sound that instantly lightened the air.He felt someone walk past — a girl. Simple salwar suit, dupatta flowing lightly in the breeze, eyes glowing, a face so luminous it stole Anish’s heart — Shara. Her smile embedded itself in Anish’s mind like a melody. He knew instantly — this meeting was special. Shara glanced once at him and smiled — as if she had read the secret of his heart.Anish stared at her for a moment, as if time had frozen. He thought to himself — “Who was she?” He removed his earphones, pocketed his phone, and searched for her with his eyes. Maybe she was waiting for a bus or had come to see someone off — but whatever it was, she left in just a few moments. But her smile, her eyes, her walk — they all echoed in Anish’s heart like a whisper: Maybe someone has knocked on the door of my silent life.”That day, Anish made a vow —“If I ever see her again, I’ll ask her name. If we meet again… I’ll take things forward He didn’t know then — this wasn’t the end. It was only the beginning.
Part 3: Conversations That Touch the Heart
For the next few days, Anish spent his mornings at the same bus stand — the same bench, same earphones, but his attention wasn’t on the music anymore. He was searching for the face that had left a mark on his soul. Every day, he arrived early — just in the hope that she might come again... the girl who had stirred something deep within him. And then — one day, everything changed in a moment. It was morning, the sunlight was mild. Anish shielded his eyes, looking for someone.Then he saw her — Shara. Today, she wore a navy-blue suit with a dupatta draped over her shoulder. Her face looked like it was smiling even without a smile.She walked up to him and sat on the other side of the bench. Anish’s heart skipped a beat. For a few seconds, there was only silence between them. But it was a beautiful silence — as if both wanted to speak, but didn’t need words.Then, for the first time, Shara looked at him and said: “Do you sit here every day?”Anish, slightly nervous but smiling, replied: Yes… or maybe just for you.” Shara looked surprised, then couldn’t help but laugh.“Oh… so you’re a stalker?”Anish laughed,“No… but ever since I saw you, time seems to have paused.” And with that, their conversation began — which college, what’s your name, your hobbies. Shara said she studied psychology. Anish shared he was in mechanical engineering but wrote poetry.Are you a poet?” she asked. No… I just hide my pain in words,” he replied.Shara went quiet for a moment. Then she said: Share some with me someday. Maybe I, too, am part of some pain.” Something changed in that moment — like something bloomed in the heart, a strange connection without reason. That day, they took the same bus. And got off at the same stop — as if destiny had written: One path, one destination. Then the days began to change. Morning tea-coffee, evening walks after college, conversations, laughter, small fights — and in between, a relationship built not on words, but on feelings. People say love takes time. But between Anish and Shara, time wasn’t needed. Their love was in their smiles, the sparkle in their eyes, and the unspoken things between them. It was as if Shara had brought Anish back to life. And Anish… became the book of Shara’s heart, which she read every day — without turning a single page.
Part 4: Two Hearts, One World… But the World Was Different
Anish and Shara’s relationship had now found a definition. Every day brought new conversations, deeper feelings, and a unique connection. Whenever Shara laughed, Anish felt all his sorrows vanish. One evening after college, Anish asked her: “Do you ever think about what lies ahead for us?” Shara smiled gently and said: “I do… every day. But I trust you.” But trust in love only lives in two hearts — the world has its own colors… That evening, when Anish came home, his face was glowing — eyes sparkling with thoughts of his time with Shara. His father looked at him angrily: “Where were you all this time?” “Just at college… working on an assignment,” Anish lied, trying to hide his feelings. But his father picked up his diary and read the lines: “Even after parting from her, I live in her, She appears in every dream of mine…” “Who do you write this for?” Anish stayed silent. In his father’s eyes, he saw a hatred he had never felt before. > “Love... all this nonsense has no place in our home. Learn to stay on your path. From tomorrow, you’ll come straight home.” On the other side, things weren’t different at Shara’s home. Her mother saw her phone — where Anish’s name was saved as “My Prayer.” Her mother threw the phone at her: “What is this, Shara? Who do you talk to for so long?”“Mom... he’s my friend.” “Friend? There’s no such thing as just friendship between a boy and a girl. We’ll decide who you marry.” Tears welled up in Shara’s eyes, but she said nothing. Only one thought echoed inside her: “What wrong have we done? We just loved…” After that day, they began meeting in secret — sometimes in a library corner, sometimes on a park bench. Every meeting carried a fear…“What if someone sees us?” one day, Anish said: Love is like sunlight — but when a shadow comes in between, either the light dims, or the path gets hidden.” shara asked.. “What do you mean?” Anish replied, It’s been years meeting like this. I’m tired, Shara. Every moment feels like we’re doing something wrong. But my heart says… you are mine.” Shara held his hand: “Anish, maybe the world will take time to understand us, but I won’t leave your side.” But their world was getting smaller One day, Anish forgot his phone at home — someone read their chats. Shara’s family found out too. And a new war began in both homes — in the name of values, reputation, society, and ‘what will people say’. But the two had decided — whatever happens now, they wouldn’t part.
Part 5: The Last Night
The evening sky was painted in shades of orange. The bench at the bus stand, where Anish usually sat alone scrolling through his phone, was still there… but today, his eyes held something else — anticipation. He kept scrolling through Shara’s last seen, waiting for her message to say “typing…”Every second felt like a year. Despite the cold, his palms were sweaty. And then… a girl in hijab approached, her face glowing with divine light. Shara. Anish’s breath stopped. As if time had frozen. Their eyes met, and everything was understood without a word. You came…” Anish said, smiling softly. “And you were waiting, like always,” Shara replied. For a moment, they just looked at each other. Anish stepped forward and held her hand — for the first time, they had touched each other without fear. Shara’s hand trembled slightly, but her fingers melted into his — like a prayer being answered. “Let’s go somewhere far away, where it’s just you and me, and no one else,” Anish said. Shara nodded — a yes, ready to fight the world then they went to a small madrasa in an old lane. In front of the Maulana, Anish and Shara recited their nikah. With tears in her eyes, Shara said ‘Qubool hai’, and then Anish. It was a new life — without family, without the world — just love. After the nikah, Shara was applying mehndi to her hands. Anish looked at her and said: “I can’t tell if your mehndi is more beautiful… or you.” Shara smiled at his words. That night, they stayed in a small rented room, a lamp glowing in one corner. It was raining outside, the wind was cold… but for them, it was a shower of a new life. Anish held Shara’s hand. She rested her head on his chest and fell asleep.
Part- 6 Facing the truth.
The next morning, when Anish woke up, everything felt different. He looked around — the bed was different, the window was different, even the lamp was gone. It felt like he was in another room. Anish was confused. He called out loudly for Shara. The door opened — and his elder brother Jishan entered. His face showed surprise, and a strange joy. He called the rest of the family into the room. They stood shocked, staring at Anish. Anish asked, “Where’s Shara??” No one answered. He asked again, louder, “Where is Shara??” Everyone looked at each other in disbelief and said, “Who, son? Who are you talking about?” Angrily, Anish said,.. Shara! My wife! Where is she?? I know you all never approved of our relationship — that’s why you’ve done something to her. Tell me, where have you hidden my Shara?” Jishan left the room and returned with Dr. Rehana. She entered with a file in hand and asked everyone to leave. “Anish,” she said calmly, “I know this is hard to understand, but it’s important.” She opened the file and placed a report in front of him. “Two years ago, you had an accident. After that, you entered a Minimally Conscious State — a condition where your brain stays active, reacts, thinks… but your body is inactive. In other words, you were in a coma.” Anish was speechless. “You were in this state for two years. Not conscious, but your mind kept working. And to ease your pain, your mind created a world — one where there was a girl, Shara. Your love. Your marriage. Your life.” Tears welled up in Anish’s eyes. “So… all that…?” “It was all part of your mind. Shara… wasn’t real.” The room was silent. She closed the file and added, “Somewhere inside you, there was a memory of a Shara. Maybe a childhood love… maybe someone you lost. Your mind wrote a story to fill that void… and while in coma, you lived it like it was real.” Tears streamed down Anish’s face. His mind couldn’t accept the truth. He had woken from the coma, but not from the pain. Her memories, her face, her smile — all remained etched in his soul.One day, Anish sat in a garden with his diary. He looked up at the sky, smiled, and wrote: > “I know you weren’t real…But the love I felt for you was.” Just like the title — Anish “Woke Up.” Not just from sleep, but from the truth of life.
3 Months Later.. Anish was in a library reading hall. A girl passed by… holding the same book Shara once had. Her name was on her ID card: “Shara Khan”Anish (smiling): Are you really here…? Or am I dreaming again?” To be continued...
[The End — Wake Up]
Written by Md Anish
