Amara prema

CHAPTER-7 Yātrā (Journey)

Ari got into a small boat by the banks and helped Mythrei in. they waved Deva and Savya one last goodbye, before setting sail to the opposite shore. The night was unusually dark. the thin crescent of a moon cowered behind the dark rain clouds. there was not a single star in the sky. the silent night was occasionally disturbed by the rumbling of the sky. Mythrei couldn't help but stare at Ari's face. the lone lantern lit his brown eyes turning it into a beautiful shade of hazel. there was a single strand of hair that fell over to his forehead. it danced around every time he pulled the oar. her pupils carefully followed its beats as it carelessly danced around. ennachu? he asked her when he noticed her stare. she shook her head and chuckled. naama onna ipdi annaikku ponadhu ella yosichey, she said. aama la? aana adhu innom nalla irundhudhu. andha nila unna pathu sirichathum. adhoda velichathula nee vekka pattadhum. ella paathu rasichukittey irundhey. aana innaikku...he clicked his tongue. ye? ennachu? she frowned. annaikku vida innaikku dha enakku pidichirukku. annaikku unga kooda varumbothella ulla oru bhayam irundhukittey irukkum. oru vela yarakkuvadhu therinjidumo therinja enna aakum apdi ndra padhattathulaye paathi sirippu ninnidum. adhum thaandi, ippa ennadha unga kooda irundhu sirichaalum marupadiyum anga dhaaney poganum nu nenaicha, ullara orumaathiri valikkum. aana innaikku apdi illa. enakku pudicha maathiri sirikkalam. yaarum kekka maatanga. unga kooda evalo neram vennalum odi velayadalam. yaarum thitta maatanga. mukyama marubadiyum angaye dhaaney poganum ndra pathattavum irukkadhu, she smiled. Ari was speechless for a second. he hadn't thought about it from her perspective. he was quite surprised that there was so much pain behind her every laugh. she had truly attained what people called freedom now. she was not obligated to anyone. all her chains were shackled open. she was tasting the sweetness of liberation and he knew that because she looked directly into his eyes when she spoke. not to the ground, not nervously around his face, straight into his eyes. 

The moment they stepped foot on the shore, the rains began to pour. Ari helped her off the boat and they ran through the showers , hand in hand. Anticipating the villagers and the priests, Ari took the route through the forest. though he knew it bore the dangers of animals and snakes, it outweighed the consequences of being spotted by a human. quite unexpectedly they spotted a villager with a lantern, scavenging through the forest, despite the late hour. they quickly hid themselves in a nearby bush. but to their hard luck, all the running was weighing down on Ari's wounded lungs. he began to cough uncontrollably and inspite of his attempts to muffle it down, it caught the villager's attention. Ēṭā kē? (yaar adhu?) his nervous voice shriveled through the dark. Ari picked up a nearby fallen branch and cautiously stood up. Āmi tōmāra kṣati karaba nā. Śudhu āmādēra yētē dina (naa ungala onnum panna maatey, engala poga anumadhicha podhum), Ari said. the man looked confused, but quickly broke of a branch to his defense. his face still showing signs of fear as Ari's shadow approached him. As the dying lantern slowly lit up Ari's face, the man immediately took aim. Ari too, prepared to defend himself. when, all of a sudden, he saw the man had frozen. his eyes rested on a spot beside him. Ari frowned and followed his gaze, only to find Mythrei standing beside him. she had covered her face with the ends of her angavastram, only to reveal the eyes. it immediately brought back memories of their first meetings.  Sē kē? (who is she?) the man asked. Ari stumbled to find the right answer. the man grew suspicious and this time asked Mythrei the same question. Tumi kē? (who are you?) Sē kē? (who is he?). Āmi tāra strī. Āmarā bibāhita ( i am his wife, we are married) she replied. Ari turned to her, surprised. he wasn't expecting that answer. Mythrei quickly looked away, trying to avoid Ari's awkward stare. Āmarā bāṛitē yācchi. Daẏā karē āmādēra yētē dina (we are going home, please let us go) she told him. The man, though not fully convinced, slowly lowered his branch. vaa polaam , she tugged at a gaping Ari. huh? ah uh! he shook his head. he threw his branch away and quickly paced off with Mythrei. they cleared the place before the man could change his mind.