The Crossing

I began my journey at dead of night. In pitch darkness. Set out from Nallur where my home is. A voluntary journey. I come and go from the South to the North of the island. I return as often as I can to see my father and my younger sister. My only sister. I'm studying for my engineering degree in the south. The only people who matter to me live in the Peninsula. I have to assure myself of their safety. They long to see me too, my father and my sister. That's all they have to look forward to. My arrival. A journey fraught with risks and hazards. To reach the mainland the crossing has to be made across the lagoon in a motor boat or fishing vallam. We can no longer take the accustomed routes. It is a time of war. But the crossing grows familiar with these repeated journeys.