Wayanad...

A beautiful perfect blend of flora and fauna in God's own country...
A place filled with breathtaking waterfalls, hilly rocks, lush forests, trekking trails, craggy valleys, garden fresh plantations, spine chilling cool temperature and many more...

The bus that sped through the track of the mist capped mountains was literally shuddering with the sound of fast beat songs and non stop dances for the same...
Adding to it, the people inside were cooeing in high pitch making the heads of passersby turn to them...
After a good amount of time, they took a pause as their throat pleaded for some rest and sat on the respective places quenching the thirst and hunger...

Mullai too slouched into her seat looking at the greenery out munching her favorite chocolate...
As the sweetness spread in her mouth, her insides were honeyed with some unknown feeling...
Something pleasant filled her heart and soul just like the day in Hyderabad...
Excitement ran through her veins making her fly...

But before she could find the similarities in the caprice, she was called for next round of dance...
With minutes passed in singing lyrics of songs and shaking legs, they arrived at the destination...

Edakkal caves...

One of the majestic tourist spot in wayanad...
A real treat for archaeologists...

It was two natural caves like chambers holding eachother like a rock shelter 1200m above sealevel...
It was the one among of the very few known places within india with stone age carvings...
The carvings included human and animal figures, lots of symbols which are yet to be deciphered and loads of leads to evidences of people lived 8000 years ago...

Hearing to all the information from the guide, the girls trekked through the mountain ambukutty mala for an hour and reached for the cave...
As they entered these pre historic caves, the archeologists in them came out and their eyes got glued to the paintings and petroglyphs...

They went along with their own groups and started penning down about the place, capturing pictorial carvings and registering the archeological significance of the place...
Once the main work was over,  everyone took on their own to have a final recall and indulge more into the beauty of the place with some lone time...

So did mullai...

She was in a bright yellow tee teamed with a ice blue jean with a denim backpack...
She adjusted her glasses on, tied her thick tresses into a messy bun and hung her camera on her swan neck as she started moving around...

As the place was wet with continuous rains in the area, she walked slowly with her eyes skimming every single place of the cave and seized the records...

As she moved forwarded, her ferret like eyes caught something giving her a heart tremor...

It was...
The symbol...
The same symbol...
The same symbol that came to her...
Again showing up for her...

She rubbed her eyes and again looked at it trying to dismiss if its an illusion...
But No...
It was the same...

On the moist rocks that was covered to the fullest with moss, the symbol was engraved with some sharp point...
Her senses screamed it might be something else but then it was crystal clear...
The symbol had a ablaze view as the sunlight fell directly on it through the little pathway of the cave symbolically saying it is the same...

Mullai ran her trembling fingers over the carving and it felt like the symbol was again bewitching her with its presence...
Her heart started palpitating with past memories...

Right from the time mullai secured the paper , it had become a habit for her to take a look at it daily night before slumber...

She would do nothing...
She wont try to anlayse it...
She wont try to explore it...
She wont try to read about it...
What did she do...
Just let her soul pervade with that...

It was insane...
Completely insane...

But then...

She loved it...
She loved the delight, the presence of that symbol gave her...
She loved the excitement the sight of the symbol gave her...
She wanted to get the happiness of seeing the symbol again...

Her instincts were sure she is going to see the symbol again...
With instincts ruling her, she kept running her life with a expectation and excitement...

And yes...

It happened as per her instinct...

After three long months after the Hyderabad trip...

Even though she was the one
who loves in fictions, fables and fantasies,
who believes in intuitions,
who goes with what heart says,
It was unbelieveable to see what was happening...

A random symbol that popped into her life like a accident is back again...
She felt the impact of it in her was getting stronger and she was getting weaker...

Mullai felt wobbly and she caught the rock before she was about to collapse...
She didnt know how long she stood staring at it...

Soon then there was a loud clamor of calls from her friends disturbing her reverie...
She could hear tensed voices as they were not able to hear from mullai for quiet sometime...
As they reached, the girls got worried with their friend whose face was shuttling between brightness and dullness...

Swar : hey mullaa... kupida kupida yena panita iruka inga... naanga bayanthutom...

M : sorry de kekkala...

Kar : kekkalaiya... athu sari... yetha patchi vanthu koovitu irunthurukum... atha ketutu irunthurupa...athan namma pesinathu kekkaala...

M : yenathu...

Chorus : patchi patchi...

Mullai who was in her own trance confused but sametime proud about how her intuition came true was irritated by the way her friends teased about the same...
Her senses blinded for a second and she opened up about the symbol showing it to them...

M : en instinct ah chummaa nakkal panratha niruthutu first see this...

Chorus : yenathu...

They took a closer look of what it is and tried to relate it with their research...

Devi : ithena script... neolithic or brahmi... naan itha paakave illaaye...

Kar : naanum than... we did see some tamil scripts right... it looks close to that...

There was a deep conversation anlaysing the possibilities of what writing it is...
Amused with how the talk twisted, mullai spoke with a smile...

M : hey loosungala... ancient scripts elam mazhai thanni ku vara paasi la yetho kuchi vechu eluthirukuma...

Chorus (a sheepish smile) : aama la...

M : intha logic kuda theriyala... neenga elam enna otarenga... kindal panra aalugala paaru...

Tam : athukaga unna otaama iruka mudiyaathu... sari onum illaana yethuku itha kaamicha...

M : athan sola vanthen... neenga sola vitaathane...

Mullai showed the picture of the symbol which she did capture in her mobile from the paper she got from Hyderabad...
After a moment of confusion, the girls were able to find it was exactly the same and was confused what it is...

Tamil : hey yena de ithu...

Swar : ithu antha chilkoor kovil la kedacha paper de.. iva appo bathirama eduthu vecha... ithena de symbol...

M : no idea... it was in that paper...  i had a feel im going to see it again... so nan eduthu vechen... and yes here it is... i am seeing it after three months... my instinct works... inime patchi athu ithu kindal pani paarunga appuram iruku ungaluku...

Kar : what... appo nee atha varalaiya... i thought you did... chummaa neeye varanjutu scene podathe...

M : hey cha cha... i swear... nan yethum varaiyala... it was there... enake sema shocking ah irunthuchu...

Chorus : ohhhhhhhhhhh...

They were sure mullai wouldn't lie on anything and the shocking surprise in her face said it all...

Swar : hey yaaru varanjaanga nu theriyalaiya...

M : inga than nammala thavira yaarume illaaye de... yaara poi kekka... theriyala...

Tamil : aama la...

The girls was shocked and surprised together to see and hear something like this...
But the researchers brain tried to decode what it is...

Kar : hey athu yetho sun madhiri iruku la...

Devi : aama de... naanum nenachen...

M : no no... i think it highlights the rays of sun... not exactly sun...

Kar : aama correct... athena de naduvula yenamo...

By then, There was a call to wind up the session and they had to stop their analysis for good...
Before leaving,  Mullai captured the symbol carved in the rock in her camera eyes and original eyes in different angles and left the place reluctantly...

The bus started moving to the next spot still mullai's thoughts were circling the cave and the symbol again...
She kept seeing the pictures in her camera with a fluttering heart...

She felt the connection to the symbol became stronger and stronger...
Till date, She never imagined about the person who drew it and whom did it belong too...
It was only the symbol that took place in her heart...
Now it shifted to the person...
Her heart already started painting a vague picture of the person and started imagining a voice for him...

Him????

What if its a girl...

Naah...

She was so sure it was a guy...
A guy...

Why is she obsessed with the guy all of sudden imagining a figure for him...
Isnt it the symbol that caught her eye...
Nope...
It seemed to be more...

What is it...
She didn't have a answer...
But it was sure....
She started thinking about her guy too...

Whatttttt...

Mullai literally shivered and sweated like hell with the way her thoughts went...

This is highly stupid...
She has gone nuts for sure...

She arrested her wandering thoughts with that and came back to her gang putting a pause to think foolish...
But again that was the talk of the town there not allowing mullai to come out of it...

Swar : yepadi de ithu possible... yengayo paathathu thirumba iva kannulaiye paduthu...

M : athan solren de... its instinct... you know what... our heart says more than what our brain knows... aana poor thing no one listens to heart... they always go with brain...

The girls looked at eachother with a amused smile seeing mullai speak about the things which they thought were totally weird...

Tam : sari de un instinct ipo yena solluthu... antha symbol yaarutha irukum... paiyana... ponna...

M : paiyan nu than thonuthu... i feel there is a masculine touch in that...

Devi : athu sari... yen de vayasu, color, personality ithelam pathi un patchi sorry un instinct solutha...

M : athellam theriyala... paakalam... ooruku ponathum im going to see sunita...

Kar : yethuku de ava...

M : she is a graphologist right... I am going to get a analysis about this drawing... maybe it will be useful when i get to see this in some other moment...

Chorus : ohhhhhhhh...

Swar : appo mudive panita nee avana paape nu... i mean with this drawing...

M : hundred percent... iam going to meet him...

Kar : yaaru... yevan nu theriyathu... oor yena nu theriyaathu... yepadi irupaan nu theriyaathu... per kuda theriyaathu... mudhala athu "avan" than ah ne theriyaathu... aana meet panuva ngrathu hundred percent sure aam...

Devi : athan eh... yen de engala yellam paatha loose madhiri irukaa...

Swar : yen de mulla... nee mattum yen de yetha vichithirama panikitu, pesikitu iruke... normal ah than iren...

M : normal ah yellar mahdiriyum iruntha athu mullai illaa de...

Dev : uff... sari intha analysis yellam pani avana thedi kandupidikka poraya...

M : nan yen de thedi kandupidikanum... naan ah yethum pana matten... if there is some connection really things will fall in place... I just need to wait and grab the opportunity when it knocks...

Tam : yen de ungaluku yetha puriyuthu...

Chorus : onnum puriyala...

M : ponga de...

Swar : ore oru nalla vishayam de... loose madhiri road road ah theru theru ah theda poren nu dialogue adikaama vitaale... athu varai nimathi...

Tam : road road ah, theru theru ah illaa de... state state ah... mudhala andhra ippo kerala...

M : yen de feel panrenga... Hyderabad la senja biryani chennai la irukaa mullaiku than kedaikanum nu vidhi iruntha maatha mudiyuma...

Though started speaking her heart, Mullai added a fun with a wink and laugh as she started seeing a tinge of worry and confusion seeing her talks...
Off course it worked, they thought she was making fun and not serious about this...
So they too ended the topic with fun...

Kar : enaku purinju pochu de... yaaro ivaluku manasukula aazhama mahadheera story ah pathiya vechurukaanga... kaiya thota connection madhiri intha mokkai drawing la connection nu solitu suthara... nammalum ukanthu kekarom...

Tam : appo urupadamaa poi yetho cliff la vizhuntha love failure kadhai nu solre... athu than eh...

Kar : exactly...

Swar : hey mulla... onnu mattum niyabagam vechuko... past life oh... present life oh... future life oh namma oruthana cliff la pidichu thalli vidalame ozhiya namma vizha kudaathu... be careful...

Chorus : superrrr....

Though swarna too said with a glint of fun, she started getting a doubt about her own friend on the same line...
Mullai didnt appear to be playful as everyone thought...
But she didnt want to speak more on it and hype the things...

Swar : sari pothum... oor per theriyathavana pathi yethuku pechu... next yena plan... lets see that...

Finally the talk changed and mullai turned to the scenery outside the window...

"Oor per theriyathavan"...

Those words thrummed in her eardrums again and again...

M mindvoice : oor theriyaathu sari than... per theriyalaina yena... nalla per ah vechuta pochu... yena vekkalam...

The same moment, the bus took a wide turn in the steep path and the rays of the sun feel directly on mullai's face bringing her a feeling of warmth and contentment...

Her lips muttered softly with a smile...

"Mr.Sunshine"...

"Mr.Sunshine"...

"Mr.Sunshine"...

Mullai called out the name as the sunlight from the window fell on the treasure box and on the treasures...
She took out the last treasure and the day she got it opened his cosy wings to cuddle her...

TBC...