COUNTRY BOATS, TAKE ME HOME! (Memoir series – Story 6)

Transitioning in transit

Our train is a big, loud monster, roaring and rumbling as it zooms along. Outside my window, dark shadows play games, twisting and twirling around. I squint and strain my eyes to figure out what really is happening out there. But there’s nothing but the darkness of the night.

But hey, I’ve got a better idea. Let me snuggle up to Mummy’s side. And boy, is she warm and cozy! Her confident smile keeps me calm and cheerful during these crazy times.

This is my second adventure on the train to Kerala. The first time, I was just a baby. I don’t remember a thing. But thanks to our super family album, those memories are like hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. Mummy is the one behind it all, with her captions filling in the blanks and making the stories come to life.

At home, every now and then we bring out the album. And it’s like unlocking a treasure chest of happiness. We travel back in time and relive those amazing moments frozen in the pictures.

But you know what I’m really excited about? I can’t wait to meet all my cousins, Aunts, Uncles, and especially Granny. We’re going to have so much fun together. Get ready, guys, here I come, full speed ahead on the fastest train in the world!

Grandparents are the most precious people in the world. But sadly, I only have one grandparent who is still alive. Mummy tells me that life can be unfair sometimes, but we learn to adapt and keep going.

Mummy and her sisters and brother learned this lesson in a difficult way when Grandma and Grandpa passed away when they were very young.

But they didn’t give up. They faced all their challenges and stayed strong for each other. 

Daddy, on the other hand, lost his father while he was away at college.

So I am happy and grateful for the one grandparent I have.

Until now, I’ve only seen pictures of Granny and relied on my imagination to create memories. But tomorrow evening, we will reach our ancestral home, and I can start making real memories with Granny. And I can’t wait!

The Tea and Coffee vendors at the railway station shout so loudly, it startles me from my sleep! I don’t even drink tea or coffee! Still, I’m super excited!

Guess why? Mummy told me that today we can buy food from the stations. The food she packed from home is delicious. But eating food from railway stations is not an everyday thing, you know? It’s like a special treat!

I really want to stand on the platform with Daddy and maybe even meet the train driver. But no way! Mummy catches me trying to sneak a peek and tells me to go back to sleep. So I snuggle up against her soft skin instead.

Oh boy, we finally make it to Kottayam. And we hop into a taxi to go to Thiruvarp, our village. As we drive, everything around us is so green and beautiful. We even pass by a river! Now we must cross this small bridge that is making scary sounds as if we might just plop into the water. But everyone seems calm, and Mummy is giving me a smile that says, “It’s all good, son!”.

Mummy says this bridge is called the “Illickal Bridge”.

Finally, we arrive at our village, and guess how we’re going to get home? On a country boat! Cars can’t reach our place because there are no fancy roads.

While our baggage is being loaded in, we get into the awesome wooden country boat that has been sent by Granny to fetch us.

I wonder how quickly this boat can take us to Granny. I’m sure she must be waiting eagerly.