Homecoming

“Where had you been?” I pant into the air of the raw forest of Namdachilume, acknowledging the sharp pain in my stomach and chest from climbing and running too fast.
“Right here, my child. After all these years…welcome home.” She croons back to me. My knees buckle. The hill of Devaryanadurga embraces me with grace and sends me a warm yet strong overwhelment of inexplicable joy and ecstasy.
“How long has it been?” I turn left and ask the Banyan, hysterical with sobs.
“More than a hundred years since I last saw you. A dot of time on the page of Eternity. You have grown up so fast.” He pats my shoulder and ruffles my hair with his roots.
“Oh look! The Sun is comin’ up!” The birds and squirrels interrupt.

It had taken me about two hours riding pillion on a bike and half an hour of climb to be here. I hit the road at 4.30 AM. The silhouette of Coconut trees and cottages against the backdrop of a full Moon in a deep violet sky, captured my admiration throughout, before the road inclined and snaked into hairpin-bends. When I had gone to bed, I had waved to Orion and Ain. They were long gone. Mars and Venus were shining bright, Jupiter was twinkling and Saturn was invisible to my human eyes, till the Moon sunk low and yellow. The cold misty wind had carried me here, and back. ❤ ❤