It came as a dream to Rani. A flickering memory of her childhood, a belief , a system, something she knew existed, something why she studied Physics, Maths.. 

From her childhood she always had vivid dreams. Once upon a time in her childhood, she had persistent dreams that Alpha Centauri, the star system that was called Mitra in Sanskrit sent her friends. She met many Mitrans in her dream and going to bed on time become a pleasure. As she tried to excel in her class, she relaxed into her dreams and her friends from Mitra called out to her. She got up and played with them. Yet they always stayed on earth. <Why not your planet > she asked in the dream ? 

<We have no beautiful home like yours, no playground. So since years, we visit you. You will always remain our friend.>

She explained to her mother, but her mother a woman of logic laughed it away. 

"Mitra means friend and your brain would have interpreted it subconsciously." 

But she was a fool then, her dream insisted. She shared most of the things with her mother who  took her to a psychiatrist. The Psychiatrist was reluctant to treat a child but at her mother's insistence, had year long sessions with her. Slowly her dreams receded. She still had not learnt to hide anything from her mother. It was a bitter lesson that she as a child remained a fool for the longest time. She in her dreams recalled her last encounter with the Mitrans. They came and played with her and sang to her and then waved a hand and said <Forget everything dear friend. Till you really need to remember this.. forget everything.>

And just like that she had forgotten everything of the magical childhood beyond the belief that there was some imaginary friends she made in childhood. But that day in deep and light sleep, her magical childhood played out to her. The Mitrans and the magical time they shared together. As she woke up she asked aloud, "Where are you my friends?" 

As if something shifted in that room as someone turned and looked at her in a piercing glance.  For a moment Rani felt her Mitrans are back. They were coloured in hues of the rainbow that rose from them and met the horizon. Hope they carried literally. She turned smiling like a child to face Rohim. He stood there, his eyes translucent, his chest was bare. There was no rainbow there but a play of shade where a snake seemed to move. He moved suddenly, as if realising she was awake, and not in dream and turned away. The snake seemed to slitter and rest near his spine. Dark , striped and majestic, it raised the head and hissed, possibly reminding Rani to maintain her distance. Then in the next moment it had disappeared. Rani rubbed her eyes. 

There was no one in the room, Rohim had disappeared in a spec of time. As she looked round the vacant room ..she was alone. She sat there quietly thinking, was it all in her mind. The snake and the rainbow , were they both in dream or were they both real.. ? Yet she had seen the snake on Rohim.. cohabitating as she had dreamt of rainbows only to wake to them. Was there a reason why she always saw rainbows in stray places, stranded water, streaming sunrays, dust particles or was it just her active brain. And then she knew.  Rohim was also a visitor. He was not of earth, he will not stay here for long, he was visiting. A tear formed in her eyes. "Rohim.." She called out. 

The door swung open and in walked Rohim , younger, handsome, cheerful as always. Then she added, and brilliant with potential, yet he stuck to her. He saved her from an impossible pileup to bring her to a safe place which had a telescope beyond anything she had noted in this world. 

She did not know why she knew but she did. She asked in her mind <Where are you from Rohim, Alpha Centauri .. Mitra ? Or way beyond that, into the dark unknown universe ? > 

If she was not observant , she would have missed the slight twitch in his fingers, his face remaining the same as he did not respond but kept walking to Rani. He came and hugged her. Suddenly a cool wave of comfort seemed to surround her. He breathed slowly into her hair and said, "Rani you are so precious to me you know. Really really precious. " 

Rani asked again under her breath < But where are you from.. Not Mitra ? From the associated star system Beta Centauri.. farther away than that ? Big Dipper ? Ursa Major ?>

"Speak loudly.." Spoke someone. 

Did Rohim speak she wondered. Or did she hear something in her mind. Her mother would have thought she was speaking to her imaginary friends. Suddenly her heart cried for her mother, all she had wanted was for Rani to be happy. She wondered if she would have a baby ever. Suddenly tears formed in her eyes. She looked up..<where are you Ma.. where are you. I will take a million sessions to have you beside me.> 

Someone whispered now, "Feel.. feel all the emotions, you are in a safe space." 

But as the tears formed in her eyes, she remembered she was not home. She was not in the safe place, she had built for herself, where she imagined living peacefully. A young man had appeared and caused her heart to break again. <Where are you Rohim> 

A warm hand touched her head, "Rani.. I am here." 

She looked up, tears brimming in her eyes and asked, "You can hear me even when I don't speak ?" 

Rohim did not answer but kept gently caressing her head in reassurance. 

"You are not from the earth Rohim ? You are from a star.."

Again Rohim did not answer but patted her back in soft rhythmic motion as if to let all her tension flow away. After some eternity of silence, Rani calmed down. Rohim whispered, "We are all from a star and a planet or a spaceship. Which star , which planet, which spaceship is irrelevant. Let us just live and be happy." 

 The closed door of the telescope room roared with some sound, but Rani put her tired head against Chris and closed her eyes.. let the sleep come..