Yaathreegan (a.k.a The Journeyman)

CHAPTER 6

The photo above is my imagination of Ezhil.

THAT'S EZHIL (Megha Akash)

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Padang Besar, Malaysia-Thailand Border

It was already afternoon now and kezhava got an old used first generation, four-wheel drive diesel Jeep Compass for about 1000 USD. Thanks to that and due to the fact we're heading to Thailand, we had to be very frugal with the expenses. Kezhava had a German passport whereas Ezhil and I had Malaysian ones. We were right now at a local bar, called the Ceu Tom Yam, where I just ordered a mocktail and was waiting for kezhava to get the car permits and 2-month visas for us. Ezhil ordered the same drink I was having and sat opposite me.

"Kutti Payya?"

"Yes" I said grudgingly, not able to digest the fact that 'she' of all people was calling me by that name. Damn I wanted to flip the table but I cannot lose control in front of her. It was as if the moment I saw her lips, my anger and my impending embarrassment would just vanish off in mere seconds.

"So tell me about the guild."

"The Yathreegar? "

"Yup"

"There's nothing much to say really. You heard almost everything about it while we were on the yacht"

"Even so, I'm curious"

Her eyes were serious. She wanted to know about the guild.

"Why?"

"I need to know who's 'escorting' me"

The bar was empty and there was no one in sight. Plus, kezhava had gone off to the back room. I saw no harm in telling a little.

"Yathreegar as it suggests refer to the 'travelers'. There were always people who journeyed all over the world, accepting jobs here and there, basically leading a nomad's life. But there is one difference between a Yathreegar and a nomad. A nomad is a person who just travels but a Yathreegar is a person who travels with a purpose, a code to be precise"

"And what is that code? Shape humanity or something wacky like that"

"No. Not like that" I chuckled.

"Travel, to live"

"Travel, to live? what does that mean. Doesn't that make you the same as that of a nomad?"

"A nomad travels for himself and his needs without any other concrete objective but a Yathreegar always has objectives but the ultimate goal is the quest to find the reason for his/hers life. That has always been the endgame. That is what is meant by Travel, To Live"

"I understand and toss in those rules, it makes y'all totally different from a nomad, huh?"

"Yup" I said biting my upper lip.

"So, for example, if one doesn't find the reason for his/hers life?"

"Then, they journey on till they do or die trying"

"That's pretty harsh, don't y'all have a choice?"

"We do. We can stop when we want to but there will always be this antsy feeling in the corner of our hearts if we do not find the reason for our lives in this world and one can only try not to pay any heed to it but they will fail and would have to continue their journey"