Under Purple Sky

Chapter 1: The Morning Jog

It was the last summer vacation before my college; it was also the most memorable one.

My parents were big-time travelers. That's how they met each other; both were solo traveling across southern India, and fate crossed their paths. This was before they were college professors, so now, each year, we book a fancy summer home for a few weeks. This time we were at a hill station in northern India.

As soon as we reached the property, the caretaker was already ready to take our bags and lead us to the house. The path to the house from the gate was laid in peddles. The house itself was very stunning, made out of wood; the building was about 80 years old but well-maintained. It was commissioned by the great-grandfather of our current host. Ram and his wife Shelly, who are also the owners of the house and surrounding property, were waiting for our welcome with a big smile that seemed quite genuine. 

He shook hands with my father and placed his other arm over his shoulders, "Welcome Mr. Rohan, to our guest house. We are so glad to host your family this year". My father took off his sunglasses, returning his kind gaze, "Thank you for having us. We are really looking forward to coming six weeks". He greeted my mother and me with the same zeal and asked us to settle and relax; they would call us for dinner. We were occupying the second floor while the first floor was booked by another family who would join us in a few days. Ram mentioned that they also have a son my age, and my parents were a bit relieved knowing that I would have some company. My mother has been worried about me lately. I have gotten more introverted; she would say if only she knew what the real reason behind this isolation was. I don't know how she would react.

I took my luggage to my room. It was the same size as my room back home. It also had a study table beside the large wooden plane windows. The view outside was spectacular, the sky was quickly changing its hues, and the stars were much more clearly visible than they were in the city I could see the valley, and all houses and street lights looked like fireflies on the landscape. I opened the windows and took a deep breath, the chilly air reaching the corners of my lungs. Its beauty took me aback. 

I unpacked my bag and shifted two columns of my clothes from my bag as it is to the cupboard and sacked my books next to the lamp on the study table. I grabbed my towel and went for a quick shower. My muscles were stiff from the journey. By the time I changed, Ram had called us for dinner. Our caretaker lived on the ground floor. They and the house guests shared the dining room and the kitchen. Mrs. Shelly has cooked a splendid meal of chicken, daal, and rice. Ram kept my parents entertained with his stories, which might only be amusing to adults. After dinner, he poured each of us a glass of Jack Daniels, which my father had brought with him. He had set up a fire in the backyard, my father put on his leather jacket, and my mother draped her shawl as it was still chilly outside. But I insisted on keeping myself to my room tonight, saying I was not feeling well. My mother brushed her hand over my head to comfort me, but I know she also felt pity for me because she knew it was just another one of my excuses. I poured myself another serving of Jack Daniels and went to my room. The mobile service was low here, and I forgot to ask Mr. Ram for the wi-fi password; irritated, I left my phone on the bed and got to the study table. I could hear their laughter up till here. I grabbed the topmost book 'Brave New World' and slipped into my bed. I was only a couple of pages down till I dozed off with the book lying on my chest.

At 5 AM, my daily alarm went off. I wanted to snooze it but decided otherwise. Keeping a few elements of my routine was the only thing keeping me sane these last few weeks. I freshened up, put on my joggers & shoes, and headed downstairs. Our hosts were already up. Mr. Ram was firing up the heating system, and Shelly was chopping up the vegetables for breakfast. He noticed me, "Good Morning, Noor," I replied, "Good Morning, Mr. Ram." Judging by my outfit, he enquired, "Heading for a morning jog?". I nodded, "Well, come with me then. Let me show you the path you can take. It has some beautiful town views and an ideal track for jogging". I was glad that he offered his services; I would have been clueless otherwise.

After stretching and some warm-up exercises, I headed on the path. It was an uphill road. The sun was still under the horizon, and stars were faintly visible. Back home, I used to jog in college athletic tracks, covering ten loops daily. I have been following this routine since my school days. I was not physically strong or athletic, but I like to jog. Jogging on new terrain was weird but in a good way. The slope was not that steep, and I was able to control my breath. The path covered large, thick trees, and I could hear birds chirping everywhere. The circular path sloping down now meant only halfway was left. On the downhill path on my right, I could see the valley. I saw the same sight from my room last night, except the sun was about to rise, and I could see the lush greenery and the hills rising above clouds. I was so immersed in admiring the sight and controlling my breath that I didn't even notice when I reached the sunrise point. 

The golden light was pouring over everything. Somehow the sunlight has never felt so pure to me. I rested my hands on the railing and tried to absorb it all. The guest house was a 10-minute walk from the sunrise spot. My parents, tired from the trip, were still sleeping. Our hosts were having morning tea and politely asked me to join them, but I refused, stating I needed to shower first. My body also needed a little more rest, so I curled up in my bed and slept till lunchtime.