I am Ashnah. I am 15 years old. My father went to work for the Master research department five years ago.

  My father didn't let me spend much time in the pre-school. He used to come there occasionally, secretly, and take me with him for hours. He taught me how I could do other things instead of just following the dream. We used to sneak in and out of there.

  At first, it was very difficult as sometimes he had to shake me to bring me back to the present.

  When I was 5 years old and got out of pre-school, my father used to take me to our garden where we had a tree house. There we used to play "Me time", in which I was allowed to do anything I wanted. I used to develop different hobbies there. Sometimes, I painted, I sang, I read books, all of these things which were not allowed in school.

  We follow some protocols and some routines. One is that we get a dream every day which shows the entire next day of our lives. It includes everything, from the moment we wake up to when we go to sleep. Whom we will meet, the decisions we will make, and how we will live our day. It contains everything. It is important for our survival.

  The dream is formed according to our nature and our true potential. Thus, it is unique to everyone and is said to be coming from the time one is born.

  The children when they are small, are to remain in the "Preschool" where they are taught the basic education essential for living, including speaking and writing. The children remain in the "Preschool" until they were ten years old, and during that time, they are occasionally allowed to meet their parents, but they are required to remain at the school all the time.

  After they cross ten years of age, they are given back to their parents, and then the parents get them into schools. I didn't have much memory of my preschool but in these schools, we learn language, basic grammar, and get some physical training. During this time, we are required to conduct a test that determines our potential for the service we were required to do in the future after school. Then we are divided into classes according to the service we are assigned to. At the age of sixteen, we have to start working to earn. The study that we get at the schools contains everything needed to work appropriately at our services or testing places, as they call it.

  For me, that predefined job is Chef. So, I learn basically that only in my school, apart from communication skills and physical activity classes, which are common for all. Our classes are also classified according to our future testing services.

  We go to school at 7:00 a.m. and got out of there at 7:00 p.m. We are required to stay in dorm after we are admitted into schools, we have to make our food, eat, and sleep. It is our full routine. As per my knowledge, there were seven days in a week, and this is our routine for all seven days.

  For parents, women and men both go to their jobs and come back at 9:00 p.m. After which either of them makes the food, they eat and sleep. That is the routine for them. Every person is required to do the services after they turn sixteen, and for food, they are required to prepare the food for themselves on a turn basis. Whose turn comes, has to prepare food and pack for all the people in the house for the morning.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  I live at dorm when my father last came to visit me that day to tell me. There was a sadness in his eyes, as if leaving wasn’t really his choice. That was the last time I ever saw him. From that time until now, I was lost. I don't remember much detail of my five years of life. It feels like I was sleeping the whole time.

  It is as he said for others one day, "They are not awake, they are unconsciously following their scheduled dreams which have been stomped upon them. They don't have a clue of their past or future or present. They are lost in a never-ending dream. They don't look left or right when they walk, they just let their body do the movements. Their brains are asleep and only the body is living every day, doing exactly what it did yesterday."

  Then he looked at me, "Ashnah, your name, do you know what it means?"

  He stopped for a second to look at the sky and then he continued,

  "It means 'Change'. A change is a continuous flow of altering the course of the flow.

  It means that every second, all the things if we compare are somewhat a little different from what they were a second ago.

  So, Ashnah there is so much to observe and see in this world considering there are more than 60 changes that are taking place in a minute. You have to live up to your name. Open your eyes and look at the street when you walk. Open your arms wide and feel the wind flowing. Hear the chirruping of the birds, the music of the rain, and try to smell the different phrases of the day. Look at the clouds, and see where they are heading. Ask, always ask. Don't hesitate to ask whatever you want from me. Be curious. But never, I say never, say a thing other than what that is in your dream to others. This is your safe house. You are always safe in here. You can be anything here."

  Then he left us five years ago and I myself became constant in this ever-changing world. How many changes have I missed for these years? If I were to count, it would be more than hundred million changes.

  But how did he do that? and why? And where did he go?

  My mother often spoke of how enchanting it was when she met my father like a sudden change of course. She would share fragments of the story during our talks, never in the right order, always a bit scattered. I join the pieces and I know now what she was hiding.

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  I open my eyes. Ave and Ahaan watch me anxiously.

  "Are you alright? You suddenly collapsed, I was so scared, you were out for a while,” Ave blurts out. He brushes his hand against my forehead, checking my temperature.

  “Are you ok now?" He asks again.

  I nod.

  He continues, "I know you have the world collapse around you. But please don’t... I exactly know this feeling. Please say something." His words falter halfway. He falls silent and then looks at Ahaan.

  "We will find you Dad. We will..", Ahaan starts.

  "I am so sorry to disturb you both but we need to go to that hospital, the one they are taking my mom to."

  "But why? You will suffer more only to see her in that condition", Ave’s voice wavers as his emotions start to surface.

  "Thank you, Ave, I respect your concern, but I need to go there and see my mom."

  "She wants to go the hospital to see her mom", By now, Ave seems to have gotten used to relaying everything I say to Ahaan.

  After a brief pause of contemplation, Ahaan finally speaks in a quiet voice. "Do you believe that your mom…"

  He is interrupted halfway by Ave.

  "What? What are you two implying? Will someone care to explain to me?", Ave impatiently demands answers.

  "Look Ave, it might sound a little hard for you to believe but I think my mom is alive, and she may have faked her death. Ahaan had his suspicions, and now I’m starting to believe that my mom is a disturber."

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