DISCLAIMER: The content presented here is a fiction and in the favour of public interest. It is no where connected to the current location and the current scenario.

The story is dated back to 1957 when this secret utopia of Nek Chand, the government official who started this garden in his spare time, was close.  Built on the government property, his work was illegal. But sitting near the Sukhna Lake, my home is composed of intermingling courtyards with over 2000 sculptures, swings, man-made waterfalls, mini-water streams,aquariums, mirror- room, narrow paths and small arcade doors to walk into an adventurous maze.

After a long period of 18 years, it was our home, our province and our land where every night we use to play, walk and run, talk and spend time. When I woke up again around 11:00 pm, I looked around to see the same hustle bustle of all the sculptures moving around to find another way of convincing the authorities from not demolishing us, but to my shock nobody moved! Not even a single sculpture, my mother, father, my sister and my best friend! It seemed as if they have been stuck at their positions.

I felt helpless and scared, looking around, everything was still. In order to control myself, I ran to my best friend, Rocky, who also stood still and silent. Talking to him for a while with no response I headed back helplessly.

 ‘Hey, stop! Complete your story!!’ I heard from my back and my face beamed with a smile! I kept walking without turning back and asked him to follow me as always!

‘The garden is now under the authorities of Chandigarh. Our fairyland is now a public property and is open to the visitors,thus paralyzing everybody’ my friend told me.

‘It is morning and even we are supposed to take our positions to welcome the visitors!’ He added.

 Waiting for tonight, my friend arrived at my position. We took a walk towards the ‘people in a village’ where there were human sculptures made of mosaic s or bangles or plastics were carved in different positions at different levels. Talking about how to bring back them to life; we walked towards ‘the protected forest’. The animals standing there truly inspired me with their dedication of not eating trash but created of plastic piles, ceramics or industrial wastes stand with pride the same way as yesterday!

Every night, when I use to walk with my friend who used to arrive so early at my place, I am the one who takes time to be ready! Today he told me to sit near the waterfall but a bit far. He is surely an aqua phobic!  But we sat on the stairs beside the small waterfalls. The gentleness of water with the surrounding landscapes and decorated peaceful pathways greeted us warmly that night.

Walking over to around 25 acres and discovering each part to be rehabilitated, I asked my friend to visit the Mirror-room and the aquarium as I heard some of the visitors saying ‘ It’s truly the best part of the garden.’ Moving through the narrow pathways and discovering the art works, waterfalls, statues and sculptures and picnic spots on the way, my friend got fascinated with swings which are planned in a circular fashion and each swing is in the middle of a gigantic arch with a sitting space inside. After spending hours swinging in the cool breeze and reaching close to the early morning clouds, we tried to go to the distorted mirror room and the aquarium which I wanted to visit.

Just a few minutes to morning, we raced to the aquarium and I asked my friend to wait outsidebecause of his aqua phobia. After looking at almost every species, floating with such an ease and comfort in their watery surroundings, I came out. My friend was nowhere to be seen. Ignoring him, I started walking towards the mirror- room, I heard him shouting from behind ‘I have to rush. Let me know when you come back’. Without even listening to me, he went!

 I entered the room myself and looked at my reflection. It didn’t react the same way I was posing! I tried turning around and making weird expressions, but my reflection remained same and still.

Struggling to understand what happened, I went to his spot, he looked pale but this time he didn’t move, didn’t respond, didn’t talk, and didn’t smile!

Trying to figure out what went wrong; I went to the mirror- room again. This time I was crying and I could feel my tears, but my reflection couldn’t. I tried harder to run and yell at the mirror but nothing happened! So I started walking and tapping every mirror I could!

‘Looking for me?’ heard a similar voice from behind. Turning towards to door excitedly, I couldn’t find my friend. With confused expressions on my face, I started walking again. A shrill of coldness shivered my body to turn towards the mirror where my reflection said again, ‘I am your Friend!’