Soliloquy Of Marthanda Part ll

In the silent embrace of the morning, the melody of birds chirping reached my ears. I was enveloped in the comforting solace of darkness and didn't feel like moving or getting up as my body was weighed down by heavy tiredness.

"Marthanda, get up. Hey, get up."

Until the voice of Henry pierced and urged me to break my comforting rest.

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. The bright glow of the sun reflected in my eyes, and I saw the shadow of Henry above me.

"Oye, Get up. Will you?" said Henry, pulling me up.

"Where are we?" I said, rubbing my eyes and stumbling while standing, holding my bag.

"Sigh. Have you forgotten where we are?"

"Yeah, where are w- —MOUNTAIN!!" I yelled out, stiffening myself and opening my eyes wide.

"Hahahah!! Yes," laughed Henry.

"Ahh- Shit! How can I shamelessly sleep like that?"

"Hehe, it's okay; we both were dead tired anyway."

"Right."

"Anyways, come and see what I found," said Henry, gesturing at me above him.

I followed him and the route he was showing.

I looked around and felt weird anxiety in me, as it feels like we will reach heaven if we keep walking like this. The clouds are below us, and the mountain has just gotten more dense and never-ending. On top of that, my body has gotten numb from climbing continuously, as if every muscle fibre wants me to give up on life.

As I gazed upward, Henry disappeared into the jagged rocks above. Ahh, that looks even more tiring.

"Where are you going? Have we reached the top?" I asked, casually climbing the rock ahead.

"Yes, we have."

As soon as I heard that, I stopped on my toes, and a surge of anticipation came over me. I quickly increased my pace to reach him.

After crossing a small bush of trees, I saw the back of Henry as he stood in front of stone-made pillars that looked like an entrance to something.

"Come, let's go," said Henry, turning towards me.

He is smiling, even though he is drenched in sweat.

As we stepped into the depths of the hidden sanctuary, our eyes widened in awe at the sight that welcomed us—a colossal statue, its green-grey visage weathered by time, seated majestically with his arms outstretched in meditation, posing like a god posing divine protection. Around it are the dried-out lotus ponds. Surrounding the enigmatic figure, ancient walls and pillars stood, adorned with intricate carvings and cryptic symbols. In stunned disbelief, we gazed upon the place before us, realising that no one had ever discovered this before.

"See, I told you. There is something here," said Henry, walking around.

"Yeah, you were right." I replied, walking in with him.

The place is different from the usual peak of the mountains. It's surprising that it's flat and slightly tilted. Like, it won't even matter if we make a home here. How did Henry know that there must be something like this here? Weird guy.

"Who must've put that statue here? I wonder." I asked.

"Umm, I believe long ago there must have been people living here or at least coming here," said Henry. "And that statue must be a god they worship."

"Hmm, maybe," I replied.

"It must be a temple that got closed later due to some uncertain circumstances," said Henry.

"Temple? Are you serious?" I asked.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Have you forgotten at what height we are?" 

"Yes, at the tallest mountain in Keral."

"Yes, and we are youngsters who are training to become knights."

"So?"

Is he an idiot? He isn't getting my point at all.

"Bro, it took us an entire day and night to reach here. You are telling me that people will come here to worship on a regular basis?" I asked.

"I know what you are trying to say, but what if this mountain was never this big?" he asked, casually exploring the place and walking ahead.

"What do you mean by not big?"

"What if some unforeseen circumstances occurred and the temple that was on the ground suddenly rose up on this mountain?"

"What even? Sigh* Let it be; let's not cook more stories and see the place."

"Hehe, you don't believe me," said Henry, laughing.

"Yeah, because your words don't make any sense."

As we finally halted at the edge of the cliff, the breathtaking panorama spread before us in silent grandeur. Two eagles, graceful and majestic, soared effortlessly at this extreme height, while below us, the city vanished from sight, lost in the vast expanse of nature. Clouds made it even harder to see anything below.

"Damn, everything looks so tiny from up here." I said.

"Yeah."

With a heavy exhale, we settled upon the smooth surface of the flat rock, embracing the tranquilly that was around us. Here, in the serene embrace of nature, worries melted away, leaving only the silence of the moment. There was nothing inside my mind that felt cluttering anymore. It was that peaceful here. Soon we ate the food we had brought from our homes, engaging in unhurried, slow conversation that passed through the expanse of our thoughts.

As Henry sips his final drop of water, he breaks the peaceful silence by saying.

"I've decided," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"I will explore Murk."

*Cough*

Upon hearing that, I choked on my food.

"What are you doing, idiot? Be careful," he said.

"What am I doing? What the fuck are you saying?" I said.

His words were hanging in the air like a sudden gust, disrupting the calm. "I want to explore Murk," he declared, his announcement like it's as easy as walking in the garden.

"You do realise what happens when one goes in there?"

"Yes, yes. No one returns from the fog; we get lost in there. We'll die, blah blah blah," he said, shaking his head right and left.

"Bro, it's not a joke." I said.

"Yeah, Okay."

"Do you think our adults and what people all these years have been doing know nothing?"

"Yes."

"Ahhh-"

Who will make him understand now that he is stubborn as hell? He even convinced me to climb this freaking mountain in the end.

I looked at him and wondered, How can anyone be this stupid? Just then, Henry gracefully picked up a little sand in his hand and looked at it with his eyes, saying something different.

"Is this everything?" he asked himself.

"What if there's a completely different world out there waiting for us to learn about?"

Soon, the chilled winds scattered the sand from his hand into the thin air.

"Either they are hiding something from us or they just don't know anything further than what they perceive as truth," he said.

And that was it. I couldn't argue with him anymore, nor could I counter-question, as I knew it was pointless. Once he goes into that zone of thought, he'll do it anyway.

"Sigh. Don't talk about it to the adults, though." I said.

"Why not?"

"Unless you want to get scolded very badly,"

I casually sipped my water.

"Hehe, let's see."

You aren't going to listen. I know" 

"Hehh, why do you think so?" 

"Shut up!" 

"Say, say, say!" he said. 

"No." 

"Now tell me when we are going back home. I am not a monkey like you to live here in a fucking mountain."

"Are you afraid that I might end up becoming stronger than you?" he said, laughing. 

"Huhh!? Where does that come from all of a sudden? Regardless, keep dreaming, dumbo. That day will never come." 

And just like that, we talked about our tales and dreams, though I didn't have anything in particular to look forward to, but exploring Murk doesn't seem so bad either. Shit, I might end up becoming weird like him. Let's see where this journey will take me and Henry.