Falling. It is funny how that was the only thing I could think of for a long time. I experienced so many feelings then, and I could describe each of them vividly, for it is as fresh in my memory as the day it all started. I have heard many stories of you humans- your fantasies of being able to fly like those birds- to feel weightless and free -so listen to me now when I tell you what it truly felt like. There is only one word for that feeling. Bliss.

The feeling of falling- feeling empty and hurting towards the ground- is something you can only try to replicate, but unlike you, I felt no fear. There was only joy and enthusiasm, for I knew for a fact that the impact will not be the death of me. The birds fly to keep themselves aloft, but to me, the pleasure came not from putting up a fight and winning but from giving in. You, dear humans, too, should realize that you can not always have your way. Sometimes, it is better for everyone that you accept defeat gracefully. There is no shame in that. The sooner you learn that lesson, the better it is, not only for you but all of us too.

You give many names to my fall. You glorify it. Heaven's Blessing, Tears of the Gods, the list is endless. You basked in the pleasure that my fall, or rain, as you call it, gave you. I had felt blessed, too, knowing that I helped all of you. Knowing that my coming was the beginning of a new life for all your crops. Knowing that I quenched the thirst of the lands that the creator holds dear. Most of all, knowing that it made you feel happy. I got all that happiness by helping your kind. You humans seem to search longingly for happiness that seems to evade you. If only you learnt that the easiest way is to find happiness in others' joy, your search would prove less futile.

I did not find myself on your stones and settlements. I found myself among those I knew as kin. I found myself as a river that flowed in serpentine paths from the lands to the seas. Those days of freedom were incomparable. The love that coursed through me as I caressed the plants and stones in my path can only be compared to the love that a protector feels for his ward. The leaves and tendrils on the riverbank gave me as much comfort and pleasure. The rocks I caressed soon turned into rounded beauties, their rough edges smoothed to gentle curves. Little girls, I saw, who would come to me each day, and their tender fingers would move the fallen leaves to gather enough water for their home. The ladies often came to my banks, gossiping and frolicking, and I joined them as I babbled along.

Did you know that I am ticklish too? I'm not all that different! Those little shoots of grass on the sides? They tickled. The little fishes that lived within me? They tickled. Those branches whose leaves decide that brushing upon my surface is just fine? They tickled! However, I would never have those sensations taken away from me, for they had become endearing. I saw ample beauty as little creatures come to take a drink, and I hoped that I always remained brimming so they would never go away. Sometimes, I carried with me some fine silt. Unlike the stones, they were eager to see places near and far, and I was happy to help them, for it was no burden to either of us.

I recollect that the stones spoke to you of my 'cruelties', yet I beseech you to listen to me. I am not always a force to be reckoned with. It is true that I change all those that touch me, yet I am not always harsh- I can be gentle too. Ask the banks on either side- they will tell you they gave way to me of their own accord. Ask the wind that guided me- he will tell you it was his pleasure. Having your way is not always about taking the other, dear humans, and I hope I am not asking too much of you when I ask you to learn how. Kindness paves the way much more easily and a lot more quickly than brutality and anger do. Ask. There is neither shame nor harm in doing so. Love will always find a way to win. I am harsh only when I need to be. When nothing more can be done, and when love fails to win over, only then do I resort to my power, and the world will be a much happier place if you do so too.

Even when I have had to inflict pain, know that it was not out of my willingness but out of necessity. Our emotions have always mattered less on the larger scale of things, and if ever I have hurt anyone, it has only been to maintain the balance and keep the circle of life going. Hurting others for our own satisfaction will only come back to hurt us, and I know that you, too, would realize that someday. It is a burden not worth bearing.

I have weathered rocks, and yet, it was only a means to lead them to their next stage of life, but that is not the only act I am guilty of, for you too have suffered by my hands. Only, it was never out of my intention to help you move on. No. It was my desperate plea for freedom. I rose in all my wrath that day, yet unjustified it was not. The days of carefree joy were ending, and I knew I had to act before you went too far. It was but an act of admonishment, for you seem not to hear my soulful pleas. If only you had learnt your lesson that day, the world would have remained unmarred in its beauty. You were mistaken in that you, whom I have ever aided, would never bear the brunt of my anger.

You had forgotten that even a gentle woman would raze her enemies to the ground if it meant the safety of her children.