Corporate emails. Endless Zoom calls.
And my singlehood staring back at me like a sad cat meme.
I was done. Absolutely done.
My 9-to-5 life felt like a hamster wheel—run, stop, repeat. I craved something thrilling. Something that didn't involve PowerPoint slides or passive-aggressive Slack messages.
"IRA! … IRA!"
I turned around, irritation already on my face. It was my best friend, Jully.
"What now, Jully? I'm busy."
She scoffed. "Busy working or busy cursing your life?"
I rolled my eyes. "What do you want?"
She grinned. "I've got something amazing for you."
"I'm not interested," I muttered, still typing.
"Uff, at least look."
I sighed and finally lifted my eyes. "Fine. Show me."
She shoved a brochure in front of my face.
7 Days Trip to Bloomheaven
Located in the South-East.
"Wait…" I frowned. "This font looks strange. Don't you think it's… weird?"
Jully shrugged. "Someone left it on the canteen table."
Something about it made my skin prickle, but I shook the thought away.
"It's December," I said slowly. "I still have unused leaves. This time, I choose adventure."
My eyes sparkled.
That's when I made the impulsive decision—
A solo trip.
No rules. No plans.
Just me, my backpack, and a small rebellion against adulthood.
Of course, reality laughed at me.
"Solo trip?" my mom screeched. "Are you insane? You'll get lost, kidnapped, or worse!"
"At least join the family trip," my uncle added. "It's safe."
Safe.
Boring.
Suffocating.
And just like that, my rebellion was rerouted.
Family trip: activated.
Everyone started packing, but my dad noticed my silence.
"Kiddo," he said gently, "you know you can skip it."
I smiled. Dad always had my back.
"It's okay," I replied softly. "I'll join."
That night, sleep refused to come. Maybe it was excitement—or maybe something else—but my eyes stayed open till dawn.
The next morning, I got unexpected news.
It was only me, my elder brother Mridhul, and his wife Ruhi.
No elders.
I almost laughed in relief. "Trip of freedom," I whispered. "Thanks, Dad."
We reached the South-East and arrived at the bus station for Bloomheaven.
That's when everything went wrong.
"There is no such place," the locals said.
We showed them the pamphlet. They exchanged confused looks.
"Probably a prank," someone muttered.
For a moment, silence hung between us.
Then Mridhul sighed. "We've already spent the money. Let's explore nearby places."
I nodded.
I didn't know then…
That the place I was about to explore had already been waiting for me.