At the little silver of time between twilight and darkness, the 3 of us had made it to Udhampur. Right away, we were met with a beautiful sunset that was one with the horizon, just reaching up to the sky . 
Everything was silent even though a number of cars were on the road.
We sat in the backseat, listening to 80’s tunes that we didn’t even like, we drove over a low lying, small settlement that was dense with dimmed fluorescent bulbs , it looked secluded and quaint, we held our breath and craned our necks till we left it behind.
Sped through a few tunnels here and there, felt peaceful but wide awake for the first time in a long time .
Amaan kept urging me to notice my own presence, to notice the movement of the wheels on the road; which I later learnt is a form of meditation, being here, being present.
We took turns to rest our heads on the window and watched as the sky grew darker and more lights came on.
– Saadia
I’ve loved the mountains
Run, kid, run till your lungs ache and your shins split open. Run till you leave the dead earth hanging on the shattered horizon. Run, leave the immaculate fields behind, plains where the grass is too green, run and strip the unnecessary. Run, love, run till your eyes have drowned in an ocean of stinging tears, run till the trees drift away into an illusional distance. Run till the rain has drenched your bones and the snow nestles in your hair. Run till you are carved raw, run till you find the abode of your demons and the abbey of your angels, run , for the sake of your damned life, run. Run till colours drink themselves up in the sky and the night folds into herself.
Welcome to loud music and wavy hair, to dances and dresses, to live a little louder, to laugh a little more, to the nodding of the trees and the splashes of rain. Say hello to breezes and cozy sleep, to hard work that is fun, to cringe – worthy movies that make you chortle, to long phone calls and passing notes in class. Welcome to a midsummer mind, where we live and love while summer holds our souls.
