Shubho Basak Chapter 1: Before the Sun Rises The house was still half-asleep when the alarm rang at 4:30 a.m. The only things fully awake were the bags waiting by the door, the thermos of tea mom had packed the night before, and my younger brother’s overexcited energy that somehow ignored the hour. Outside, the world wore a blanket of mist, soft and shivering, like it didn’t want to be disturbed. But we were already up, wide-eyed and ready to chase a road that didn’t yet have a name. This wasn’t our first trip as a family, but it was…