udaan I the art of flying

Ｇｕｍｕｓｓｅｒｖｉ

G u m u s s e r v i ; t u r k i s h- moonlight shining on water.

ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ'ꜱ ᴘᴏᴠ

"Yes amma, how are you?"

"Oh, okay. Did you have your dinner amma?"

"Yes amma, I am studying hard. I'll do better this exam. practicals and internship will start in 3 months."

"Okay da, you can slow down. you'll do very fine."

Was it really wrong for Adira to expect a few comforting words?

Instead she always heard; "try harder. good luck"

After that, the call ended leaving a not so disappointed adira. She was entirely used to the situation with her mother now.

although, sometimes she seeked the motherly comfort which she had never received.

With a heavy heart, Adira turned her attention back to her studies, burying herself in textbooks and notes. It was a familiar escape, a way to distract herself from the ache of unmet expectations. But deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that remained, a longing for the warmth and reassurance that only a mother's love could provide.

After a few hours of efforts that she put in, her mind drifted off to a chain of thoughts that had one thing in common,

Travel.

It wasn't that she had gone anywhere except for delhi, Kumbakonam and now, rushikesh. Chennai and Bangalore too?

Probably.

But she just discovered that she liked travelling a little. She regretted missing all those field trips ever since she was 7 because she had to study. Oh, how she wishes she could go back to time and just roam around aimlessly.

Just like she does when she cycles.

Lost in her reverie, Adira's mind conjured vivid images of distant landscapes and bustling streets, each scene more enticing than the last.

She imagined herself strolling through ancient markets, sampling exotic foods, and conversing with locals in far-flung corners of the globe.

But amidst the allure of adventure, a nagging doubt crept into her thoughts. Could she really break free from the expectations that bound her, the relentless pressure to excel in her studies? The weight of her academic ambitions seemed to anchor her to the familiar, holding her back from pursuing her dreams of exploration.

"Udna band kar adi, jeevan main udne sai kuch nahi milega,"

("Stop flying adi, you'll get nothing by flying in life,") her mom's stern warning.

She looked for her camera in hurry, she had to record her thoughts before meg decides to eavesdrop again.

"Hello, me. Your boring day to day medical student Adira,"

"I was just studying and doing my assignment for the practicals we had this week,"

"Trust me, this isn't boring. Maybe this is going to be my life changing video."

As she spoke, her roommate Meghna, who had been engrossed in her own books, glanced up with a curious expression. "What's up, Adi? Recording another one of your vlogs?"

Adira nodded, offering a small smile. "Yeah, just trying to document my thoughts. You know, for posterity."

Meghna chuckled, pushing her glasses up on her nose. "Well, don't forget to mention how much you love dissecting dead human bodies in biology lab. It's a real crowd-pleaser."

Adira rolled her eyes, but there was a fondness in her gaze as she looked at her friend. "Oh, absolutely. Because nothing says 'fun' like slicing open dead humans."

"Alright so anyway, I was thinking of travelling for a few days. Maybe after this semester exam, soon after, what if I and meg go to a nearby place or somewhere faraway. Whatever I just want to travel."

"Where's the fun in that? Let's include a few more people." Suggests Meg still listening to adira's recording like she's a nosy neighbour aunty.

lehan; adira's mind immediately thought of his name. She wasn't certain why but maybe because he was the only guy she knew in the college.

"Who else can tag along?" Adira asks completely ignoring the fact that she had just thought of lehan.

"Alright it depends on where we'll be going. Where will we be going?" Meghna asks.

Adira didn't realise that they were still in college and would not be let outside the campus let alone for days, and for a trip; with guys.

Adira wasn't sure if it were guys but knowing meghna, she was going to call her whole friend list to the trip.

And the friend list wasn't two pages or so, it were two books. Okay, maybe adira was exaggerating a little.

"I'm not sure, I just do not even know if we can go but thinking about it, it gives my butterflies," Adira says with an over the top smile.

"What place is the closest to rushikesh and still is very great to visit?" Meghna wonders loudly.

As Adira pondered Meghna's question, she leaned back in her chair, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Well, what about Mussoorie? It's not too far from here, and it's not a bad place either."

"Sounds like a plan," Meghna said looking at the travel spots on her phone.

"We could go hiking in the mountains!!" Adira exclaimed in excitement.

"Hey? Are you okay? Don't you think you've gone too crazy after studying forever, I mean you,  the topper of this institution is recommending something really adventurous. I thought you were boring nerd types." Meghna says teasing adira as she continues looking at her phone trying not to get hit by the latter.

"Nerds aren't always boring, there are cool nerds like me."

" Oh shut it adi, you wouldn't have even talked about this if I said we could go before the exams."

"Alright, I agree I'm not that laid back but I can be cool at times." Adira says trying to convince meghna.

"Pfft sure topper,"

"Lehan should join in," Adira says relentlessly.

"What the fuc-"

" Lehan should join us too." Adira repeats. This time, more clear and confident. She had been thinking about it only for a few minutes but her irrational brain has spoken before she made a pros and cons list.

Pfft, such a nerd.