Nature is full of beautiful phenomena, from colourful flowers to gigantic mountains, the serenity of lakes to the turbulent seas. There is no doubt that we are blessed with awe-inspiring wonders that continually inspire and captivate us.

One such scenery that has stuck in my mind is the beautiful sunrise which I have witnessed. I have always heard from elders that sunrises are mesmerising, but it was on one fine morning when the sky was dark, my dad woke me up to go cycling.

Getting up from deep slumbers is not an easy task, especially for most of us kids, but I was excited to go out cycling with my dad so I didn’t waste time and immediately freshened up and went out with dad.

I looked up at the sky, it was light bluish but gaining orange hues and white fluffy clouds gliding across it. We live near the seaside, so we immediately reached the cycling track on the road by the sea. I was amazed to see how the sea looked and the sky played tug and war with the sun. One half of the golden disc was immersed in water, while the other half glowered in the sky.

A mellow golden light was reflecting off the clouds and the stars in the sky began to grow dim. The air was very fresh and it was a captivating sight. As I cycled beside my father, I saw young and old trees standing side by side; their smooth, greenish-brown leaves swaying in the early morning breeze whispering ‘Wisha-wisha-wisha’ like Enid Blyton’s “Magic Faraway Tree” in the enchanted wood.

Loud chirpy birds perched gingerly on the tree’s branches, sang away merrily while a little squirrel scurried down a broad trunk, looking for its morning breakfast. The water shimmered like a bed of diamonds and I longed to play in its foamy waves.

My dad smiled at my amazement. He also enjoyed the scenery and also pointed out a lot of natural clouds and colour formations that I never experienced in my life before. I was still in a trance when dad told me it was time to head back because Dad had to go to his office and I had school to go to.

As my father and I cycled back home, I noticed many boys and girls in uniforms going to their schools on the buses. Some looked sleepy, some excited and some contemplating to start a new day. The peaceful beach was becoming crowded as people came for their early morning walk or jog. Milk vendors and hawkers were out on their old, rusty bikes and bicycles. Some mangled stray dogs and cats were scavenging through garbage cans for leftovers.

Just as we turned toward our street, I saw my grandpa (an early riser) leave for his walk. As I pushed the door open and parked my bike in the shed, I thought what a wonderful experience watching the sunrise out of its deep, deep slumber had been.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 9th, 2024