The uneasy long travel into the unexpected.

by Ramandeep Singh Sodhi (India)

I didn't expect to find India

The most beautiful landscapes in the light are the scariest ones in the dark. There is something bizzare about driving through such picturesque valleys; you see nature has its own charm. Sam was feeling a bit out of sorts and the eeriness of the landscape added to this uneasy feeling. His hand was firm on the accelerator and the speedometer read 120 km/hr. The gentle blowing cold breeze was hitting him hard in the face at that speed. He had already crossed Zanskar, a valley that lied in the Zanskar Range and through which flowed the Zanskar river. Sam was travelling back home from Ladakh. The sun had almost set down, and he was moving uphill towards the famous Zoji La Pass. The Zoji La pass is a thrill guaranteed mountain pass which connects Srinagar to Leh. It lies at an altitude of more than 11000 feet (3353 metres). The high beam of light cut through the unmetalled road. It was surrounded by big granite mountains on left and right with occasional gravels flowing down the slope making the ride more difficult. The narrow width of the pass wasn't a problem for his Royal Enfield Bullet as it could scrape through the narrowest of spaces. He reached Sonamarg at around 7 p.m and stopped at a cafeteria to rekindle his drained energy. It had been a long tiring journey that started at ten in the morning. After sipping two strong cups of ginger tea, he started his journey again. All throughout the journey, there was some sort of restlessness inside him. He couldn't make out why he was feeling so inquietude without any reason. Keeping his uneasiness aside, he went on at a brisk pace and reached his home city by 9 p.m. On reaching Srinagar, he went straight to his friend's home in order to greet him on his birthday; the sole reason why he was in such a hurry. The evening was atypical. It wasn't one of those where he would walk in casually and find the expected people. This time it was different, this time it was strange. The moment he went in, a wave of nostalgia swept over him. There was something in the air that evening, something very uncommon. It touched his face and went away like it was trying to remind him of the days when everything was perfect. And while he was still dealing with the emotional overload, an hour had passed. That evening time flew as if it were on wheels. And he left for home, not that he wanted to, but had to. With a wry smile on his face, and mind full of good old memories he went back slowly and faded in the dark. "But what really happened?" Asked the boy who was listening to the story with great interest. "He saw her; again, after 410 days." Came the answer.