The sharp guffaw
of a child startled me from sleep. Close as a whisper, the eerie
sound ricocheted through my dreams. I woke in as a dead would from the
grave. My eyes whipped open, careening around the space, very slowly
adjusting to the soft ochre light emanating from the old 60W bulb, which I was
supposed to change a year back. Somewhere outside the room came
soothing melodic murmurs. The sound was at once familiar, yet
incomprehensible.
My heartbeat
slowed and paced along with the sounds of outer world, as my consciousness
caught up with my surroundings. The door was wide open allowing the winds
rushing and creating an impenetrable ring of darkness. Making me search for my
phone ,after a struggle and my hands reaching out to the phone, it read 2:42 AM .
The evil wind
made the impossible of getting me up from the bed and closing the door. The
walk seemed pretty much like climbing the Everest, cursing myself for not
closing the door yet again. As soon as I reached the vantage point, The sound
echoed in the far distance made me awake from the disoriented half-sleep. The grounds
nearby murmured , my gaze collided with the rain as a white light would do to
the prism. A cushion of leaves hugged me ,
Deep breaths filled my lungs and the leaves scented air. The shooting stars
overhead left trails , a riot stars more numerous than I had ever before seen
followed them.
It was 3rd of August
,the day I arrived at Kannur back from semester break. Yet, sky had the
days of Diwali sparkler splattered its joy across the sky. I
was alone. Standing over the 2nd floor staring at the sky and the downpour
which was about to end.
An earthly quiet
settled over the night , a quiet that hummed with noise. The slow and methodic
noises of the insects acted as a tune for
my thoughts. Moments and memories of
that second was whipped, As a biker ripped the road.
Time was contracted , I was awake to close the door but got
lost along with the winds. the clock in my phone read 3:16 AM. I could hear the winds talking to me, asking me to sail
with them. The
cool breeze ruffling the leaves and the snaps of insects couldn't make me wait
for more.
Phone-Check
Wallet- Check
Helmet- Check
Keys- Check
I creeped out of
the parking place with my bike without igniting the engine. Cruised through the
landscapes following my instincts and riding the different road this time.
After a few landscapes, A rising
chatter of birds emanated from the thicket of trees, they were excited too,
just like me. I mentally froze that moment, pressing it into my memory. Truly
felt like a bird having wings running without any limits and the roads leading
me to the unexpected. With the beaten road leading me to various ways
ultimately leading to Kannur via Puthiyatheru , I chose my own path.
Taking a left
before the Chirakkal-Mayyil pool, leading me nowhere completely relying on my
instincts forcing me to go out in the dark. Breaking into a new day, the sun
began to tint the landscape. The sunrise washed the place as slow as a snail ,
uncovering the most heavenly places in earth. The road passed through the rice
fields and the sun just opposite to me. Shining as bright as light would do the
new born kids. There was only a for me to go, TO CHASE THE SUN. Miles away I
could hear the sounds of shore.
The gentle early
breezes had removed all traces of humanity and the land became a blank canvas of
blue for the sunrise. Ultimately leading me to the waterfront. I sat on the edge of the waterfront. The
morning stillness was absolute. Dusk is often a riot of activity; the cicadas
asserted their presence with insistence throughout sunrise, mosquitoes hum, and
the last moments of daylight was aggressively seized by nature.
