One Day At A Time

Chapter 14 - A Sight To Behold

Nothing could come close to the feeling of rapture, and sheer exhilaration one experienced, along with a sense of being so insignificant, when one stood surrounded by the majestic Himalayan mountains. Khushi felt tiny whenever she looked at the mighty granite peaks sprinkled with silver, the paths to their summit running around them like the tinsels on a Christmas tree. It was the kind of beauty one could just stand, behold and store into beautiful filigree boxes inside the heart forever. The landscape had been another story. Throughout the trek, the babbling brooks had followed her almost everywhere through the mountain passes and beyond, and the trees around her had stood erect, beautiful yet nearly ghost-like. The only disturbance in the painting in front of her eyes were the drifting clouds in the sky, unpredictable at times, as they got dragged around by the wind powerful enough to change the weather in no time. She would pass by freshwater streams and some occasional tiny waterfalls which broke through the hard rock on mountain paths. At times she had had to cross the meandering white-water rivers fed by the mountain streams, shimmering and laughing in the sunshine. Quite often, she would find herself slowing down to take it all in, not wanting to miss any detail of the stunning avatar of Mother Nature around her. This was what she had come here for. This was what they referred to as 'heaven on earth'.

The cold weather chilled her fingers, and she rubbed her palms together, taking in lungs of fresh air. Coming to the trek had been a strangely liberating experience for Khushi. She felt like she had finally escaped the feelings which had left her restless day and night in the last few months. She had hoped to breathe easy for some time, away from the troubles and turmoil that had tormented her every single day.

Kabir's behaviour, his feelings and the guilt in her had made it impossible for her to think about anything or anyone else in her life. Causing someone immense pain unknowingly and feeling guilty for being the only reason for someone's unhappiness was a disconcerting and agonising feeling to live with, and she had endured it for quite some time. She never really let herself off the hook for being that person who was responsible for breaking Kabir's heart. His pain and helplessness had taken over her life, and she had wanted to run away, unable to resolve the issue.

Unfortunately for her, though, there had been no respite for her heart. The moment she left Kabir in Pune, Arnav had taken over her mind. It was odd in a way, that when she was in Pune, she had had no time to think about Arnav because of Kabir. And now that she was physically away from home and Kabir, she couldn't think of anything else but him.

By the end of the tenth day, the group had completed the trek to the two most stunning glaciers in the Himalayan range of Kumaon, Pindhari and Kafni, and were now walking back into the ugly clutches of the real world. Dwali, a beautiful small village located at the base of the Pindar Valley, offered them a shelter for the night before they began their descent towards urban civilisation.

Despite the feeling of euphoria in the camp, Khushi was in no frame of mind to enjoy it. This trek was meant to be all about her and was expected to soothe her agitated mind. It was supposed to be about exploring the beauty of Mother Nature and dissolving in it. It was about making new friends and sharing experiences. But instead of sticking to the plan, she winded up doing something else.

She missed Arnav.

It was that all-consuming, delirious, unbearable kind of yearning and longing. His name sang through her heart, and his image fluttered on her eyelashes. She had been prepared for the trek, but she hadn't been ready for this.

It had begun very gradually the moment she had reached her base camp from Delhi on Day Two of her trek. After dumping her bag in the small room she shared with a couple of girls, she had stepped out of the rest house which sat comfortably in the lap of the valleys of snow-hooded mountains, to witness the stunning landscape around her. She had felt the need to blink a couple of times to believe the beauty of it. And that was the moment where the first pang had hit her, like a bolt of lightning.