Shadows of Aruna: The Journey of Ekadanta

In the silence of the night Eka sat pensively with teary eyes, what was wrong with Eka? Ya, she remembered her dark past that never imagined would happen. But suddenly her reverie was broken when her daughter Rara came.
“It's sunny tonight, Mom, the stars are twinkling. Why do you look sad?” she asked, standing beside the window, looking at her mother with an innocent face. “I remember the story of a village girl, she was cheerful, always smiling, full of love, and diligent in reciting the Quran. The girl was a village flower, her beauty was beautiful, her behavior was polite, and she was an adventurous Qur'an memorizer,” Eka sighed, her eyes dreamy as if through time and space. Her daughter looked attentive, interested in this story. “But one day, his world changed. There was an evil young man with bad intentions. He kidnapped the girl, and in an old hut in the middle of a rice field, he destroyed her life. She was tortured, and raped,” Eka stopped the story for a moment, swallowing the deep pain. “After that incident, she was afraid to tell about it. The young man kept threatening her, then manipulated the situation until bad news spread quickly in the village. The villagers believed that it was the girl who seduced the young man and believed the young man more because he was the son of the richest man in the village. They regarded her as an immoral girl. And to add insult to injury, her own family believed the lie, and she was expelled, losing her foothold and home.” 

She traveled to the other side of the island with a broken heart,” Eka continued, her voice low. “No one knew the pain she was carrying. Every night, the girl was haunted by disgusting events. Nightmares, fear, and guilt that never went away. Many times she thought of ending everything.” Eka's daughter touched her mother's arm, feeling the depth of sadness in the story. “But, there is one shadow that always comes to her,” Eka smiled slightly. “That shadow is named Aruna. It helped her when she almost gave up. Aruna is his hope and solace. Every time she felt unsteady, Aruna came and hugged her. It was Aruna who canceled her intention to commit suicide. From then on, Aruna's shadow was always by her side, helping her get up, healing her wounds slowly.” After 10 years, the girl finally began to rise. Although her wounds were not completely healed, but she learned to accept and let go of everything, sometimes she also often cried missing her family, but Aruna remained faithful to accompany her.” Eka looked far ahead, remembering those days. “Until one day, Aruna... disappeared. The shadow that always accompanied her left when the girl met a kind man. The man accepted her as she was, without judgment. And for the first time, the girl felt at peace. However, losing Aruna made her sad again. She felt empty without that shadow.” Eka's voice was getting quieter. “That man (her husband) couldn't bear to see his wife lose her best friend who he himself didn't know who Aruna was. The girl always calls Aruna's name, “Aruna, where are you? Look, I want to introduce you to my husband, he's a good person, Aruna where are you I'm happy now, I want us to be happy together, please come back Aruna” the sentence is always mentioned. Then he looked for a way for his wife to recover. Finally he took his wife to consult a psychologist. There, a reality that was difficult to accept was revealed. Aruna all this time was just a reflection of her fears, not a real figure she was just a shadow, Aruna was part of her own mind. The psychologist called it schizophrenia. The shadow that she always thought helped her turned out to be born from deep trauma that never healed.” Eka's son was silent, digesting the story. “So... Aruna is not real, Mom?” Eka smiled slightly. “Aruna remains in his heart. She exists as a strength, as a reflection of the girl herself who is trying to rise from the wound. Aruna may not be real, but she is part of the girl-part of the strength that allows her to survive until she finally finds happiness.”

Eka took a deep breath, then continued her story. “After parting with Aruna's shadow, at first the girl felt like she had lost a part of herself. Her husband, however, patiently and lovingly accompanied her through those empty days. He knew about all of her wounds, about the trauma and fear that had taken root in her, and even though it was hard, he was always willing to hear every story, every cry, every lingering anger.”
Eka paused, looked at her daughter who was now resting her head on her lap, then continued, “But however, the bad memories are not completely gone. There were times when the girl felt Aruna calling from the darkness of her mind, asking her to always look forward. The voice grew stronger when sadness and fear returned, when she felt the world did not offer her a safe haven. However, this time, she chose to look forward and hold on to her husband.”
Whenever Eka felt Aruna's shadow returning, her husband always said softly, “You are yourself, you are someone valuable without the need for a shadow or a protector. You can continue your life in peace.” Those words were like medicine, making her heart gradually return to wholeness. But there were days when night fell, and in her nightmares again, Aruna appeared again, more real, more painful than before. He witnessed the horrific events of that night again, but now, one thing was different, Aruna was no longer standing still. The image gave her the strength to fight the fear that had been imprisoning her.
Eka stared out the window, as if she was facing Aruna's figure in the distance. “That's when the girl finally understood, child. Aruna is not a protector, and neither is fear alone. She is her brave self, a part of her that is able to rise from all wounds. The girl finally made peace with her shadow, with her painful past, and what remained was the hope that she was strong and capable, that life would go on, even in deep pain.”
Eka smiled, and her daughter looked at her with emotion. “So Mom, is Aruna really gone?” she asked in a quiet voice.
Eka smiled gently. “No, Nak. Aruna is always there, but this time she is no longer a shadow or illusion. Aruna is now alive in spirit. She is part of the girl's courage, who now lives peacefully with those who love her.”
Her daughter hugged her mother tightly, feeling warm and safe in the embrace. In her little heart, she promised to be someone strong, like the girl her mother had told her about, who had weathered the storms of her life and remained steadfast.
That night, under the clear sky, Eka found a new peace. Although the wounds never fully disappeared, she now believes that she is not alone, that her story can be a strength for others, including her own daughter.
And, behind that serene smile, Eka saw Aruna who was smiling and laughing cheerfully and waving at her. She heard one sentence from Aruna “Eka, you are strong, you are great, thank you for surviving to this time”.