CREATIVE FICTION : The Lost Lioness by Arthika Saseendranath

'Maaa! Maaaa! Maaa! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!'
 'I cannot come right now because I am feeding the twins. You will need to wait please," she said, ignoring the whiny but demanding tone in her toddler's voice. A few more bellows and she sighed wearily in resignation. With a baby hooked on her hip she slowly stood up to see to yet another toddler demand, while the twins showed their protest of having an unwanted break in their mealtime by setting up a chorus of tear-stained shrieks that could wake up even the neighbour's deaf dog, if they had one. 

At 4 p.m. she finally sat down after having fed the kids, cleaning up the kitchen, putting the twins down to a much awaited siesta and sneakily getting the toddler to sit still for some screen time. Guilt gnawed at the back of her mind for falling into the trap of gadgets and cartoons but her body creaked in protest, wanting to get a few minutes of rest before the whole cycle began again. 

Yet again her heart moved to that deep, dark place, forcing her to open up and dwell upon the vortex of confused thoughts. From a strong, independent working woman her life had changed 360degrees to being a stay-at-home mum of three - a toddler and twin babies. From reviewing documents to tearing pages for paper boats; from managing a large team to managing a team of 3 mewling little humans; from inspecting the work done to inspecting human crevices for little critters; from barking down orders to taking orders from three little versions of herself. 

It had been a year since she had stepped into her workplace. Career. It had been a part of her, yet completed her. Without it she felt unmoored, drifting away into the unknown that chipped away at her identity. She was a mother, a daughter, a wife - yet she was nobody. Her real self seemed to have dissolved into nothingness while she wore her different roles and let life glide by, slipping through her fingers while she desperately struggled to regain control. 

Her weary sleep deprived eyes finally gave into yet another urge and opened the floodgates. She let the tears take over, washing away the dark thoughts, the loneliness, the burden and responsibilities, the weariness until there was nothing left but a deep calm that soothed her very core.

The powers that be seemed to turn the tide against her at every turn, trying to bury her deep into the earth, but she would rise up once again. The calmness brought on a sense of determination once forgotten. She felt energized, finding peace in the chaos, in the present, knowing that the day would soon come when she found herself again; that one day she would stand tall and make a difference and the world would hear her roar again!

About the Writer:
Arthika Saseendranath is woman, mother, wife, daughter. A super sloth when not busy mothering a toddler and an infant whilst balancing a career. She considers her writing to be the ramblings of a working mother on her 2^nd maternity leave.