My friend Kavya suggested, “Maybe we should go right.” Her eyes squinted as she tried to understand all the tangled routes displayed by the device in our hands. The map seemed as perplexed as we were, a chaotic mixture of different routes swirling around that spoke confusion rather than clarity.

“I don’t think so,” I whispered, checking the map again, my voice barely audible. My eyes kept looking at the different lines that jumbled around, but again, I couldn’t understand anything. “Maybe we should go left,” my uncertain voice matched our confused look. I wasn’t sure where I was anymore, and the different alleys of Patan seemed to pull us deeper into its labyrinth.

“Let’s just go right, Aaradhya,” Kavya spoke with certainty, giving me a firm pull with a determined tug. She seemed confident in her path, and despite my doubts, I followed her.

I looked around, walking between the hustle and bustle of Patan, navigating through my phone to find the place I was meant to be—the Patan Museum. The people around me moved to places they were meant to be with a certain purpose while I looked around, unfamiliar.

With the phone buzzing with notifications, I followed the friend I was with. I looked around, observing all the beauty in front of me. The scent of different street foods, fragrant spice markets, rhythmic footsteps, and the trail of incense from the temples lingered in the air around us. Street vendors called out, inviting nearly everyone to taste their food. Children played around as the elderly spoke about the news that circled the world of politics. Patan was a place that thrived in duality, sacred and mundane, bustling yet calm, chaotic but filled with beauty.

As we walked through all the different routes, the streets narrowed, drawing us close to the city of heart. Historical buildings, ancient sculptures, and monuments seemed to get closer with every step we took. From all the details and designs engraved deep within the stone and wood, they recited their own stories of the past, reflecting the significance they unveiled to make this place filled with culture and beauty.

The beauty of Patan grabbed my attention. Pictures after pictures were clicked of the children playing with a bicycle’s tyre rolling on the road. The intricate and beautiful designs of the windows and doors told us about all the beauty that art held at that age. Kavya and I stood in front of various temples and streets, capturing all the moments we could look back on after we returned home or in the future.

“We’re close,” Kavya spoke, her voice slightly pitched, breaking me from my trance. Her confidence grew with each step we took, and her certainty that we were close to our destination relieved me. I refocused on the path ahead but abruptly collided with something before I could react.

Or maybe someone.

“Oh! I’m so sorry,” I exclaimed, looking up to find a man standing before me. He had been walking in the opposite direction, his gaze absorbed in the serene beauty of the city around him. His dark, curly hair, moving smoothly from the breeze, framed a face marked by a subtle hint of moustache and beard. But his eyes seemed to capture my attention, brown and gleaming, catching the sunlight in a way that drew me in.

“It’s fine.”

He smiled lightly, looking right at me.

“It’s easy to get lost here.”

He said, his voice filled with amusement.

“Yeah, the map isn’t much of a help,” I said, accepting. He peeked at the phone that glowed in my hand and then up at the road ahead. “Patan museum, right? You’re almost there. Just keep on going straight, and you’ll see it.” I blink, looking at him confusedly. How did he know? He laughed at the uncertain expression on my face, which he had noticed.

“How did you know...”

“This city has a way of drawing in the curious, especially the one who seemed out of place; besides, it’s the most visited spot here,” he added, nodding to an entrance ahead of us.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling awkwardly, still caught off guard from the certain encounter. “No problem,” he smiled brightly, his eyes looking at me for a moment before he moved past me, heading in his direction.

I turned around, looking at him, disappearing slowly and seamlessly. I stood there for a second, anticipating what had happened right now. There seemed to be something about his presence that had drawn me, but as the wind blew softly around me, he had disappeared out of my sight.

“Aaradhya,” Kavya called, already a few steps ahead of me.

Shaking off the encounter. I hurried towards her, but my heart captured a person I couldn’t forget. I couldn’t help but look back one last time, searching for the man in the crowd who had just given us directions.

My attention had already disappeared; he had seemed to take every bit of it, drawing it towards him. My eyes kept looking for him, trying to spot him for one last time. But he was gone, lost in the whispers of the wind of Patan.

I looked in front of me at the golden gate of the Patan Museum. The golden gate loomed larger now, its beauty undeniable, but my thoughts still clung to the fleeting moment. I could make out Kavya’s footsteps up ahead, but her voice was drowned out by the noise of the busy streets while everything else around me sounded muted. My heart raced unexpectedly upon meeting a stranger, his presence leaving an unexplainable impression, much like the lingering scent of incense.

Entering the Patan Museum, we immersed ourselves in a realm filled with history, art, and echoes of ancient times, yet my thoughts lingered outside, where he had vanished into the labyrinth of streets.

Kavya’s voice brought me back to the present, pointing out artefacts and statues, but it all felt distant. “Are you okay?” she asked, her brow furrowed in concern as she noticed my distraction.

“Yeah,” I forced a smile. “Just... still thinking about how easily we got lost out there.” She laughed, shaking her head. “Well, at least we made it. That guy saved us some time, huh?”

I nodded in agreement, but my eyes did not reflect the smile. An unusual feeling of emptiness lingered, a dangling thread that had not yet been secured. Maybe it was the way he spoke as if he knew more than just the directions to the museum. Or maybe it was how he had looked at me, like he could see through my uncertainty, offering more than just guidance, but something unspoken, a kind of familiarity that didn’t make sense.

I let out a quiet breath and focused on the exhibits around us: the intricately carved statues of deities, the vibrant Thangka paintings, and the delicate metalwork that had survived centuries. The museum was a treasure trove of stories, each artefact telling a piece of Nepal's rich history, yet I couldn’t fully immerse myself in it. My mind kept wandering back to that moment in the street.

Kavya was engrossed in taking pictures, excitingly moving from one exhibit to another. I trailed behind, slower, lost in my thoughts. As I walked past a large stone carving of a goddess, something caught my eye—a flash of movement near one of the open windows.

I looked back, briefly holding my breath, certain it was him. However, nobody was present, only the flag fluttering outside, swaying in the wind. I nodded in embarrassment, feeling stupid. Though only a little time had passed, it felt like I had known him for much longer, as if his presence had left a deep mark on me. I sighed, trying to push the thought away. The museum was beautiful, but I wandered through it in a haze, unable to truly absorb what was around me.

The harder I attempted to concentrate, the stronger I sensed the attraction of the urban surroundings, the close alleys, the sounds, the enigma of a stranger who had suddenly shown up and vanished just as fast. Kavya motioned for me to come closer to a huge bronze statue, her face filled with joy. “This one is amazing, Aaradhya! Come check it out!”

I walked over, but even as I admired the craftsmanship, my heart was still out there in the winding alleys of Patan, chasing after a moment that had already slipped through my fingers.

____

Adhikari is a fine arts student.