EIGHT-By the Lake (1)

Arya awoke with a start falling from his hammock. The morning sun was shining brightly, casting its golden light on the clearing in which he had set camp. He had experienced a vivid and familiar dream. He screwed up his concentration to remember what the dream was, faint visages floated in front of him. An indescribable figure was attacking two people. A man and a woman, there were screams and a sudden plunge into darkness. Arya had woken up as soon as the darkness engulfed the couple. He had the distinct feeling that he had seen this dream before when he was in the Gurukul on the day that the Rakshasas had attacked. 

He looked down at himself, he was covered in sweat and now dirt. His heart was pounding in his chest like a war drum. He could still hear the woman's scream ringing in his ears. 

He straightened up and looked around feeling embarrassed. Then he remembered he was not in the Gurukul anymore, he did not know where he was. Just that he was travelling westwards. With a practised motion, he gathered his things and started putting them in his satchel. The hide of the hare, unused dry sticks and some bones of the hare which he had decided to turn into arrowheads later. He pulled out a bundle of sticks from his satchel. It was datoon—a twig of either neem or babool tree used for brushing teeth. Arya had despised the bitter taste of neem and preferred the rather sweet babool tree for his brushing. He absent-mindedly brushed his teeth while clearing the campfire. 

After a brief warm up he began his regular training. He looked towards the direction of the sun and prayed to Suryadev the sun god once. He started doing Surya Namaskar which was a series of 12 yoga postures performed in a flowing sequence, it not only helped his posture but also strengthened his core. It was a compulsory exercise in the Gurukul. Following this, he started practising his sword. His agile and well-toned body gleamed wheat-brown in the morning sun, sweat dripping down his shaggy black hair. After his regular training, he wiped himself off and sat down for meditation. Ever since he had received the Rudraksha pendant, his meditation had become easier.

After an hour, he set off for the west. He walked on, occasionally stopping to check the sun and conforming his direction. The forest floor was beginning to thin out and the softness that it had before was almost gone. But the forest grew thicker and thicker, he could not understand what was happening. He still trudged on swiping the dense foliage with his sword. He saw a light at the end of the thicket. With increased speed, Arya moved forward until he came out of the forest. The bright sunlight almost blinded him. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he looked around. 

He had come out on the edge of what looked like a flat mirror reflecting the azure sky and the surroundings with crystal clarity. Except it wasn't a mirror at all. It was a still lake, so still that it reflected everything. Arya felt a sense of awe and wonder as he gazed upon the lake's beauty. It seemed to possess a timeless quality as if it had existed for centuries, bearing witness to countless stories and secrets. The stillness of the water beckoned him, and the weariness of his travels called for a pause. He took a deep breath and smelled the sweet scent of wildflowers. He put his satchel on the ground, and from it, he took out his used clothes. He placed the satchel on a branch of a nearby tree. Dipping his toe in the water sent a cool sensation throughout his body. Ripples of waves disturbed the mirror-like façade of the lake.

Arya quickly undressed and jumped into the lake breaking the stillness. It was as if he was back in the womb all the worry and tiredness left his body. Arya floated through the serene lake carelessly. He stood up, water coming up to his chest, he waded his way back towards the bank of the lake where he had kept his satchel. Now standing in knee-deep water, he started cleaning himself. All the grime, the weariness, even the trauma and grief were leaving his body. His hazel eyes looked towards the lake again, it was as calm as something could be. The lake was surrounded by a thick fence of forest coloured in a brilliant shade of green. The sun was illuminating the brown tree barks golden. He felt at peace. Deciding to stay here for a few days to recover and respite from his journey.

He made camp at the edge of the lake, washed his unclean clothes and sat on a sun-kissed rock at the edge of the lake. The cool breeze and the warm sun were the perfect combination. He did not know for how long he sat there, the only thing that he knew was, that there were no thoughts in his mind. He liked not thinking as of late, his brain had been a maelstrom of negative thoughts, grief and uncertainty. The warm sunlight somehow drove away those blue thoughts replacing his heart with a brilliant yellow light. His body gleamed in the sunlight like bronze, his black hair blew in the gentle breeze. 

The sun was shining directly overhead now. Arya looked up shading his eyes with his palm and squinting. He got up and got dressed, the freshly washed clothes were warm and clean. He checked on his other clothes, they were still a bit damp so he decided to let them be. 

As he made his way back to his camp, a sudden intuition gripped him, he heard something in the bushes. His heart leapt, Rakshasas, he thought, why were they here? He quickly reached towards his sword and readied himself. Pointing his sword at the bush he cleared his throat.

"Show yourself! I know you're there," Arya demanded, his voice cutting through the tranquil surroundings.

No reply came. This irritated Arya a little. He spoke again, in a clearer voice, "Who is it? There is no point in hiding."

"Water.." Came a feeble reply from the bush.

He knew better than to lower his sword. Rakshasas were tricky creatures, not too long ago he had been almost killed by a rakshasa who fooled him by disguising herself as a bird. He steadied his grip on the sword and inched forward. There was no movement in the bush. Taking a deep calming breath, he moved closer and suddenly backed away.

To his surprise, a young woman, dishevelled and exhausted, emerged from the concealment of the bush. She raised her hands defensively, her eyes widening at the sight of the drawn sword.

"Water, I'm just here for water," she managed and collapsed on the spot leaving Arya more confused than ever.