“The Wild Road”

The birthday party of Sonu lasted upto 11 PM to which one can’t say it was late in a city like Delhi. His parents were of the opinion that we should stay at their home tonight and will return sharply  tomorrow  morning but Abhi and I were reluctant as the morning class of tomorrow was kinda important. Also it is Abhi and I who have to go in similar direction as Abhi’s home come in the way to mine. Others friends were mostly of his locality so they have crept in their home quietly after the party. Sonu’s papa offered to drop us in his car but we declined as we didn’t want to give him unnecessary trouble. Moreover he returned quite late from his office too. Sonu was also exasperated due to the Party and wishes since morning however , he came with us upto the road. The bus stand was about 500m from there. We told Sonu to return and preferred to walk upto the stand. The propensity of finding a bus at that time was less so we thought that we should go for cab after awaiting for sometime at the stand.

Usually in Delhi, you can see vehicles running at full speed all the night, bikes providing a good company to cars but they are overtaken by high speeds  and the companion of bike changes everytime. When you will stand somewhere either besides highway or in metro (specially where there is interchange), you will feel how fast paced the life is. People are just like robots moving from one place to other to make both ends meet. No much contact with the outside word nor people around you, only earphones and cellphones are the greatest companion I have ever seen. this is what the essence of life in today’s world. No one is going to stop for you, to bestow you hands, to support you. Everybody has to run his own race of life.

But that day particularly, I didn’t know what had happened to the city because there was a deafening silence spread all around. Even after the walk of 8 minutes there wasn’t any sign of people and life even the vehicles except the bleak trees standing on the either side sporadically to embrace the road and people touring through it. Even the insects which use to provide strength by their feeble sounds at night – which hardly makes any difference but yet consolable to vacant mind were lost in air of desolation as their hole seems to be blocked by someone. Another probability is they might be too scared to sing, whatever the reason be. There were street lights on the middle of the road but they too flickers with the rustling of leaves. The movement of air seems restricted, controlled by some mechanism voluntarily like someone has throttled the neck of wind and its endeavouring hard to come out of it and in the meantime sobbing sounds are being produced. Plodding some distance further, I sighted two dogs which were hiding behind the bushes with a wink of fear in their eyes as they have been harassed by their own master some moments before. The anomalous thing which I have noticed about them is that they didn’t bark at all at us although we weren’t indigenous to that area. The whole atmosphere was like even if you want to satiate yourself that there is nothing wrong in the atmosphere, believe me you can’t, it doesn’t matter how brave you are. The fear will stick to your heart like leech in the intestine. Even the slightest flurry is enough to tremble you from head to foot in that wild atmosphere.

I sense something wrong here. Can’t you smell the foul odour in the air ?  Abhi said in almost cracking voice.

Yes the smell is foul but it may be due to the vegetable waste being dumped nearby. I tried to consol him rather myself.

Are you mad or what? Abhi shouted at me. There are no any houses around. Some alien will come to dump vegetable at this place?

With these words of Abhi, I have also lost my cool composure. I wanted to get out of here quickly.

We are not going to get any public transport or lift at this time. Check if any of the cab service providers can help at this time.

Where this place is situated in the planet? Abhi’s frustration burst out – No network connection, he said.

What the hell!  All the problems are knocking at the door simultaneously. Lets walk a little further so that we can get network coverage. I suggested.

With this we started walking further with heavy foot , each step is being taken with caution. we haven’t barely covered 100m, meanwhile a sobbing voice of human was carried to our ear with the passage of air whose pitch was irregular. With few step further, we have come across a graveyard. Abhi shrieked as we reached there and his body shuddered.

What happened? I asked as I became panic.

There …….he pointed toward the graveyard his voice trembled, someone is there wrapped in white clothes and saying thus he ran away with all the strength he had.

I had no time to locate someone there in the graveyard, you can say due to fear….i ran to catch Abhi calling his name multiple times …Stop Abhi …I am also coming.

What happened Shashank? Why are you so afraid and which Abhi are you calling. My roomie said as he switched on the light making me return to my senses. He gave me some water to drink. The sweat on my forehead was still visible in that winter’s night.

Its 3 AM of the morning. How scary the dream was, I thought. I tried hard to sleep after that but all was in vain. The scenes of the dream recurred in my memory multiple times which made my eyes open everytime…..

— Shashank