AbhiGya TS - Whirlpool (Updated Part 1) on 01.05.18 (Pg 2)

The rugged terrain, the sharp and pointed outline of the peaking mountains, barren of vegetation or life, cutting through the clear blue sky, the cold in the air, the vast unperturbed sea, were in perfect sync with my life. The barrenness of my surrounding, uncovered by anything ornamental, be it trees, be it bright flowers, warm sunlight or even snow, was oddly comforting. It made me feel less lonely, this felt like home. This was not my first visit to Norway, I have visited Oslo previously, as a part of my world tour to connect with my internationally based fans, but never had I come up this much in North. Stepping out of the airport, at my first glance around, I realized Lofoten could be home for now.

Away from the glare of tourists, I had made myself comfortable, in the southernmost inhabitable spot in Vestvagoy island, Ballstad. I was hollow from inside, and with a population of one thousand people and lack of natures warmth, so was this place. It had been a few weeks now, and I felt better slowly. Karthik, my PR manager was right, a change in surrounding always worked. I was less perturbed by daadi's demise, I had started accepting it. I wasn't hurt by Aaliya's behaviour anymore, she was too far away from me to have any impact on my mind, I wasn't disturbed by Purab's indifference either, I was okay as long as he was happy, a few thousand miles away in a different world. As long as all were far away from me, as long as I was in this place, where survival needed my rapt attention, I was doing well, I didn't need more, and I didn't care if I didn't live to see the next day either.

***

It was early August, one couldn't survive the winter months in Ballstad, even the fishermen returned back home. I wanted to stay back, the place had protected me from myself, from my own memories, but nature didn't leave me with a choice, and I had decided to move further south of the archipelago this time, and Moskenes Island was my stop. The town was much bigger than my Ballstad, it had families inhabiting, unlike Ballstad where fishermen came alone for the business months leaving their loved ones behind. The first look of society, were people cohabited in families made me uncomfortable, my memories were in the verge of taking me to unchartered territories, but I blocked them, only a few months, I thought to myself, boy was I never more wrong!

Moskenes was a slightly warmer place, and due to availability, I had hired a boat for myself here. Whenever the crowd got to me, I would sail down the water for a bit and find my peace. This had become quite a habit, and within a few weeks, I found myself frequenting this path. By the end of August, I had found a rhythm in my life in Moskenes too, I was liking it. I lived in the far - off lanes by the coast, where there were fewer houses, and it was quieter due to lack of pubs and eateries around. It was one such evening when I was sitting by a bar and sipping my whiskey that I chanced upon a conversation with the bar man, he had mention something in passing that stuck with me. Moskstraumen.

Moskstraumen, as they called here, were whirlpools, vicious ones. And I was unaware that the worlds largest and most vicious ones were here in Norway, a few miles away from me. I always sailed towards the sea, and these were found near the gorges that led to the fjords. For a few days I thought over it, when I came to Norway, I wanted a shell and Ballstad provided me just that, it was an escape into nothingness, and it let my wounds dry, then I came to Moskenes and here I lived a little, a little warmer, a little livelier, the fresh smell of the Arctic when I sailed, healed my wounds slowly, I was smiling sometimes nowadays, maybe a little bit of adventure could thrust me back to life? It could kill me too, well I wouldn't be perturbed the least if it did, I wasn't living for anything either!

I had set sail, that afternoon, from Mosken towards Saltstraumen, an excitement I could barely digest, pulse throbbing in me like I was moving fast towards life. The sea was calm and encouraging, almost welcoming me back to life. I sped towards it, located between Saltenfjord and Skjerstadfjord, the worlds deadliest whirlpool! An hour into the sea, and I saw natures anomaly for the first time, the colour of the sea was different there, in continuous circular patches, running along the water like an elaborate design. They weren't as massive as people said, I was a bit disappointed. Where were the 150km wide 3km long whirlpools that could swallow down boats? There were not as massive, neither did the current seem as bad, I decided to sail closer, with proximity I could feel a slight pull, and that brought my excitement back, and like a novice, underestimating the current I sailed in much closer. I was in the realms of one whirlpool now, the water around me were circular, and my boat was suddenly moving towards the vortex of the whirlpool very fast! I was caught by surprise, to see the sudden increase in the strength of current. I automatically pointed my radar at the opposite direction, and accelerated in full, I could hear the jet, but my but was not moving! The acceleration of my jet matched the current, hence neither could take me! I froze for a moment in shock, fear of death is an old instinct in man, and here I was trying to speed away from death, when in the last one-year death was all I wanted! Death, that would take me back to my daadi, the only person who loved me. The thought was more comforting than the realization that the current was growing stronger and my boats acceleration couldn't stop me from moving towards the vortex anymore. I had a smile on me as I looked at the mainland of Lofoten point just about a kilometre ahead of me, people gathered there to see these very whirlpools that were consuming me. I knew they couldn't see me on a tiny boat here, but I waved to them, one last salutation to the world before my show got over, and Rockstar Abhi left the stage!

***

I shut my eyes, for a second and a few faces flashed before my eyes, Daadi, Aaliya and Purab exactly in that order. I smiled. As I slowly bent down to shut my motor and let the whirlpool consume me, I heard her voice, "Jump Abhishek! Jump into the water!. I quickly turned around to see a security boat in my close vicinity, when did it come? Standing on the boat with a life jacket that was too big for her, a woman was calling out to me, I had barely glanced at her face, when the last red-ish golden rays of the sun finally hit us in the middle of the Arctic, one last time before it all went dark in this land and I jumped into the water. It was going to be dark for a while now.

There were intense waves pulling me into nothing-ness, I could barely move my limbs, but I was in a trance, the voice was echoing louder than ever in my head. Her clear pronunciation of my name, "Abhishek just how daadi called me.

***

I could barely open my eyes, the sky was reddish-purple, the darkest I saw in all these months, I was lying on my back, someone was over me, a girl, her lips were on me, sea-salt I thought to myself, that's how those lips tasted soft, supple, sea-salty, warm and life-giving. She was shaking me, I could hardly respond, I could only feel her soft frame against me, she was wet too. Did she drown as well? I couldn't hold on to my thoughts any longer, I couldn't see her either due to the darkness, then all went black again.