The morning sun casts a golden glow over the rolling hills of Kerala. Anaya stands on the balcony of her family home, a cup of chai warming her hands. Before her stretches a sea of blue-green tea plantations, a living, breathing painting. Above it all, the sky is a clear, gentle blue, the same pale shade as her favourite sari. Today is special: she is setting out to find the lake her grandmother once described as being as blue as the sky itself.
She slips on her sandals and makes her way through the village. The houses along the road form a mosaic of blues, from deep indigo to soft turquoise, as if the colour itself has taken root here. Children are already playing outside, their laughter carrying through the cool morning air. A boy in a dark blue shirt dashes past her. Anaya stops him to ask for directions to the lake. He grins, points eagerly down the road and runs off again, his bare feet scattering droplets of dew as he goes.
Soon the path narrows and begins to twist as she enters the forest. Above her, the canopy arches like a vaulted ceiling, pierced by shafts of sunlight that ripple across the ground in shifting tones of blue and green. Birds call from high in the trees, while the quiet murmur of a nearby stream keeps her company. Wrapped in colour and sound, Anaya feels a calm, instinctive bond with the landscape.
After nearly an hour, the forest falls away. She steps into a clearing and there it is. At its heart lies the lake, its surface gleaming. The water is a deep cobalt blue, so clear it seems to hold the sky itself. Anaya stops, caught by the stillness and the quiet beauty of the place.
She kneels at the water’s edge and trails her fingers through the cool surface. The touch is soothing, as though the lake is sharing a secret meant only for her. Her thoughts turn to her grandmother, who used to speak of this place with a knowing smile.
“If you look into it,” she would say, “you don’t just see yourself, but your deepest dreams.”
Anaya closes her eyes and smiles. For a moment, time feels suspended and she is completely at peace.
On her walk back to the village, everything seems sharper, more alive. The blue of the houses, the sky overhead, even the clothes people wear appear richer, almost luminous. The lake has left its mark on her, offering something intangible yet profound. Here, surrounded by endless shades of blue, Anaya feels that she truly belongs.