Sunshine

by Ruth Cheriyan (India)

A leap into the unknown India

‘Stop!’ she screamed. I stopped, bent over and laughed between my choked gasps of air. I waited for my best friend, and a record-breaking slow human, to catch up with me. With murmured excuses of defeat and a promise of not racing up hills ever again, we lunged forward. I had flown in to Bengaluru that very night and was excited for the trip that was going to be the last of its kind for us. Wrapped up with last minute grabs from my friend’s closet, I thanked God for the gloves thrown at me by a friend who decided to stay at home. The wind slapped ice over every exposed part of my skin as we climbed up the Skandagiri hills. The repetitive motion of stepping over rocks and tripping but not, made my body feel like a walking thermostat. Meanwhile, our two other companions pranced up with barely a sweat or a shiver while I had to direct every foot with my lights. When we stopped halfway, the stars in the sky rewarded us with their sparkle in the dark, a rich view for a city girl. The darkness around us allowed me to slowly shift my gaze from the sky, to the faces of my friends. I looked at them looking up, being so grateful that we could share this moment together, that we were able to share our lives for a little while. Somehow, the cold air warmed me up inside. We carried on till the top of the 1400 km trail, watching the sunshine rip through the fog. It was glorious. We stayed there for a few hours taking in everything we could and started our return to reality. I exchanged smiles and pity to the trailers just beginning their climb. The sun wouldn’t be kind to them.