“She caught her breath. He was the kind of handsome who made it to the covers of romance novels, usually with muscles on display, and holding onto a swooning damsel…….” – From Kiran Manral’s latest All Aboard. 

What is it with love stories? You read them a 100 times, in a 100 million ways, and every time they weave a web of joy in your heart.

I sat in bed infected with the monsoon “virus”.  My throat ached and my body refused to listen to me. The dark clouds and the gloomy skies, just made me feel all the more worse. It was a miserable feeling. It just got me thinking- What are we humans really, just funny little people strutting about the universe thinking we own all of it. All it takes is microscopic little organisms and viruses to strike and push us to ground reality. The acclaimed writer Ruskin Bond (my all-time favourite) once said, “The graveyard is full of people who once thought they were indispensible.”

As I tossed and turned restlesslessly, I decided to pull out the Kindle Reader; my hubby dearie had gifted me a few months back, which till date I had never used. I was vehemently against having a gadget to “read”. Come on, the undisputed leader is always the crisp paperback, with tiny little thought for the day bookmarks. But today with the rain lashing outside and a weak body, I had to depend on Amazon.com. After a bit of surfing, I purchased my reading material. In less than a minute, Amazon digitally delivered it –

“Kiran Manral’s love story All Aboard.

I entered the world of Rhea and took a step with her, on her holiday and her relationships. The fast pace of the book kept me guessing- what was going to happen in the pages ahead?  As I travelled with Rhea, on a cruise trip, from Sicily to Rome, I felt the warm sea breeze across my face.  Aren’t books the best way to experience the world? As I clicked on the last chapter and the book came to a close, I was left with a delicate smile on my face. It was an elegantly narrated love story. And I could sure read it more number of times.

My temples seemed to ache lesser, and the gloomy skies outside didn’t seem to bother me much. That’s what a good story does to you. I was refreshed and felt myself getting out of my physical and mental sickness!!

Do you have a book that refreshes you as much? Would love to know about it.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “The Young and the Rested.”