Little Journey

My eyes open and light falls into them creating the images of my surrounding. I am standing by the roadside with Ananya, both of us pretending the other doesn’t exist. The silence between us is thick, filled with unspoken irritation. It's not like I hate her or anything, but after our last conversation, I’d rather not deal with her inflated ego first thing in the morning.

"Since you are here already, I guess you really are interested in the journey we are going on." The usual annoying voice falls into my ear, sending me into irrigation attack. I look towards the source of the voice, who else could it be other than our very dear and annoying Mr. OM.

"No one is interested in any of your stupid ideas our journey." Words escape my mouth without even me realising. I guess insulting him on every step has become a character trait for me.

"Harsh as usual, little kid."

"More importantly! What am I doing here? Wasn't I SUPPOSED to be touring the university? Why are we cutting directly to this point? Where is all that was supposed to happen after my encounter with this girl?!!"

"Shhhh! What are you saying? You aren't supposed to say all this, not infront of everyone atleast. Save it for when we are alone!"

"But how can my deserved tour can vanish like this? I want JUSTICE!! I want my tour! I want -"

"Now listen here little lady, when we only come here once or twice a week, we lose the luxury of going into details. If we keep dragging minute details, people will lose even the little interest they have. So we need to keep on moving forward. Do you understand?"

"But -"

"No ifs and buts. Do you understand?"

"Yes"

"Wait here then, let me get our rude." The Old man leaves waving his hand as we stand their in silence again.

Then, finally, the sound of an approaching vehicle reaches my ears. I turn my head, expecting something grand. Maybe a sleek, high-tech ride, considering how “knowledgeable” that old man claims to be. But instead—

A jeep.

Not just any jeep, but a four-seater, rugged-looking ancient thing, dragging a small trailer behind it.

I blink. Then I blink again.

"What in the rusted, barely-holding-together, pre-apocalypse contraption is this?" I blurt out, horrified.

Mr. OM steps out of the driver’s seat with his usual grin, patting the side of the jeep as if it’s some prized possession. "This, little lady, is perfection on four wheels."

I stare at him, then at the jeep, then back at him. "Perfection? This thing looks like it’s held together by prayers."

OM chuckles. "And yet, it'll take us exactly where we need to go."

Ananya crosses her arms, looking equally displeased but saying nothing. Probably too proud to be seen complaining openly.

Mr. OM claps his hands together. "Alright, pack it up, kids! We’re heading to Mahendra Giri."

Ananya and I exchange glances. "Mahendra what?" I ask.

"A mountain," he explains, as if that clears anything up. "It’s about a thousand kilometers from here."

"A thousand?" I repeat, my voice a little too high-pitched for my liking.

He nods, completely unbothered. "We should get there in two days, give or take."

My jaw drops. Ananya, for once, looks just as dumbfounded as I feel.

"Two days?" she finally speaks.

"That’s what I said," old man confirms, opening the jeep door.

I point at the thing we are supposed to be traveling in. "In this?"

"Yep."

"You do know we have things called hyperloop trains now, right?"

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Mr. OM shrugs. "And where’s the fun in that?"

I’m speechless. Ananya sighs heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose like she’s regretting every life decision that led her here.

This man is insane.

With no other choice, we load up our bags and take our seats. I slide into the back, while Ananya sits beside me, as far away as possible. OM starts the engine, and with a loud, shaky rumble, the jeep moves forward.

And just like that, we’re off to Mahendra Giri.

The jeep rattles like it’s about to fall apart any second. I swear, I can hear screws loosening every time we hit a bump. The fact that this old man is driving it like it’s a damn racing car isn’t helping.

We leave the towering structures of Patliputra behind, entering the outskirts where the buildings shrink in size, replaced by long stretches of roads cutting through fields. The roads here aren’t the sleek, floating ones from the main city. They’re just simple, grounded highways, used mostly by cargo transports and weirdos who refuse to adapt to modern transport systems—like OM.

And how in the world you find such roads? I have not travelled much but the one who seems to have travelled (the little you know what) is surprised by the condition of the roads and the surrounding. It's like he is deliberately choosing the worst path to reach the destination.

Ananya has been silent ever since we started moving. She’s sitting stiffly, arms crossed, probably regretting every decision that led her here. Her perfectly styled hair remains untouched, but I know for a fact that if we hit a big enough bump, it’s going to get ruined.

I, on the other hand, am slumped against the window, watching the landscape blur past.

"So," I finally say, breaking the silence, "do we get an explanation as to why we’re traveling like this for two whole days instead of, you know, taking something efficient?"

Mr. Annoying chuckles, eyes fixed on the road. "Because this is better."

I stare at him. "Better? You call this better? The thing under my seat just made a noise that no vehicle should make."

"It’s part of the charm," he says.

I groan. "This is why I hate old people. They’re all stuck in some romanticized version of the past."

Mr. OM smirks. "And yet, here you are, being dragged into my romanticized version of the past."

I want to throw something at him.

Ananya sighs dramatically. "If I knew this was going to happen, I would have booked my own transport. This is ridiculous."

"You kids and your instant conveniences," OM says, shaking his head. "No appreciation for the journey."

"Who appreciates being bounced around like a ragdoll?" I snap as the jeep jumps over another bump, making me nearly hit my head against the roof.

"Adventurers do," he says.

"I’m not an adventurer," I mutter. "I got tricked into this."

OM just grins. "You’re already here, aren’t you?"

I roll my eyes.

After hours of driving, the sun begins to set. We’ve left civilization behind, and now all I see are endless fields and occasional forests. OM finally decides to stop near a riverbank to set up camp for the night.

The moment the jeep halts, I jump out, stretching my stiff limbs. "I feel like I’ve aged ten years sitting in there."

"You’ll get used to it," OM says, setting up a small fire.

I glare at him. "I’d rather not."

Ananya steps out, brushing imaginary dust off her clothes, looking absolutely disgusted at our surroundings. "We’re sleeping here?"

"Unless you want to sleep in the jeep," OM replies.

She grimaces but stays silent.

As OM prepares food from the supplies in the trailer, I wander toward the river, staring at my reflection in the dark water.

This is weird. Two days ago, I was still at the university, arguing with this old man. Now I’m out here, on some mystery trip to a mountain I’d never even heard of.

I sigh and turn back to the camp. OM has already laid out our sleeping bags. Ananya is sitting on a rock, still looking annoyed at everything.

Dinner is quiet, aside from the occasional grumbles from Ananya. After eating, OM goes to sleep first, leaving me and Ananya alone.

"So," I say, glancing at her. "Still regretting coming?"

She scoffs. "Obviously. I could be in a five-star hotel right now, not… this."

"Then why are you here?" I ask.

Ananya goes silent for a moment. "Because I have a reason," she finally says.

I raise an eyebrow. "That’s vague."

She shrugs. "I don’t have to explain myself to you."

I smirk. "Whatever makes you sleep at night, princess."

She huffs and turns away, ending the conversation.

I roll into my sleeping bag, staring up at the night sky. Despite everything, I have to admit—being this far from the city, with no glowing billboards or endless drone traffic above, the stars actually look… beautiful.

Maybe this isn’t completely terrible.

The next morning, we pack up and continue our journey. The roads start getting rougher, bumpier, and dustier. At one point, the jeep nearly tips over, and I swear I hear something fall off from the engine.

"That didn’t sound good," I say.

"Relax," OM replies. "She’s built for this."

I glance at Ananya, who has a permanent scowl on her face. "I think your passenger isn’t built for this, though."

Ananya glares at me. "Shut up."

Around noon, we stop at a small roadside eatery. It’s one of those places where truck drivers gather, loud and crowded. The food smells good, though.

OM orders for us, and we sit at a small table. I’m already starving, so I dig in immediately.

Ananya, however, stares at her plate like it’s a foreign object. "You expect me to eat this?"

I roll my eyes. "What, is it not fancy enough for you, princess?"

She glares. "I just have standards."

"Yeah, unrealistic standards."

She scoffs but reluctantly takes a bite. The moment she does, her eyes widen slightly.

"Not bad, huh?" I smirk.

She clears her throat. "It’s… edible."

I chuckle and go back to my food.

By evening, the mountain finally comes into view. It’s huge, its peak disappearing into the clouds. The dense forests at its base look untouched, ancient.

He stops the jeep at the base. "We’re here."

I step out, stretching my sore muscles. "Finally. I thought I was going to die in that thing."

Oji san laughs. "And you didn’t. That’s what matters."

Ananya steps out next, looking equally exhausted. "So what now?"

The great Geezer grins. "Now? Now we climb."

I freeze. "Wait, what?"

Ananya’s eyes widen. "You didn’t say anything about climbing."

Mr. OM chuckles. "I didn’t say a lot of things. Welcome to the real adventure, kids."

I stare at him.

I hate this man.

"Just kidding, we will climb the mountain tomorrow." He says with a proud grin.

Is that supposed to be better? I guess it is.