Fernweh

Prologue:Riana

RIANA

The lush green leaves parted ways with the crystal dew drops as the zephyr blew across its path. The hiking trail was engulfed by tall trees all throughout, and with every step, Riana heard the crunching of the leaves beneath her. Through the dense canopy, she was able to make out, the pink sky. It would soon give way to the morning, and the serene, calm atmosphere would be interrupted with the bustling noises of people and vehicles. Till then, it was just her and the magnificent forest.

By the time she reached her home, her olive hoodie was soaked wet, and her beloved Adidas shoes were worn a little bit more due to her constant use for the past four years. She ran into her home, grabbed her water bottle and came back out in the blink of an eye. She sat on the bench on the cliff, facing breathtaking views of Melbourne, her cherished abode.

The routine was monotonous. She grew to love the exhilarating feel of testing her limits and the blissful feel of achieving new heights. She embraced every minute of it until it lasted. Because her mother didn't reciprocate her feelings. Her mum echoed the laments and complaints of her family and society about Riana's choice of profession. She would promulgate society's views about the professions a woman should do. Riana bore the brunt of it every day and chose to ignore it.

She turned to walk into her house, as the sky changed shades and the sun started taking its toll on her eyes. Her home wasn't too lavish or too monstrous. It sat on the mountain cliff, a little distance away from the centre of town. With its rugged edges and worn paint owing to unpredictable rains, it looked perfect, complete with the backdrop of the looming forest and a couple of other houses. She removed her shoes and placed them in the shoe rack.

Upon her entry, she could hear her mother in the kitchen, talking to their neighbour, Mrs Nita, another Indian family. How Mrs Nita ended up right next to them in a community where there were 30 houses was beyond her. All the other Indian parents were tolerable, except nosy Mrs Nita. Riana never liked her much. She loved to discuss gossips and trivial news flowing around the city. Also, Mrs Nita had a daughter who was studying to be a surgeon. Today, she seemed to be talking about Riana. Riana instinctively thought, 'It's not going to be a happy morning'.

Soon, they were all seated for breakfast. The table wasn't filled to the maximum capacity as her sister was away, in college, studying economics. It was her mom, dad, grandma and her. The table was unusually quiet like it was before a storm. Her mother then started to no one in particular, "Do you know Mithila, Mrs Nita's daughter, she's going to finish her Masters this year? Her father's planning to build a clinic for her here to work after she works for a year at the General Hospital." Riana never looked up, but she could see her mother eyeing everyone in the and her grandma trying not to look at her. The table was silent again.

Soon, her mother continued due to the lack of response, "Riana, what are you planning to do in the future? You studied business and started some company where I don't know what you do all day." Riana became agitated with her mom's constant criticism. Her company, Astra, was an upcoming sports brand, with her aim, to equip all people, and help them by tailoring their fitness programs. She decided to tell them what she's been planning to do to take her sports company to the next level.

"Mom, I'm planning to set a Guinness world record." The table was silent once again. Then the chatter began again. Riana tried to answer them as calmly as she could without snapping at them. The record she believed would give her the needed recognition to take her brand forward. The day passed by as usual without any more quarrels.

The next morning, after her hike, she unlocked her phone to see a message from Parker.