When Lightning Strikes..[8]

Annie woke with a start as a loud racket invaded her dreams. She listened intently and realized the noise was from outside. Someone was knocking the front door strongly. She wondered who could that be in that heavy rains. She remembered she was supposed to be careful and alert. After confirming she had heard the knocking sound once again, she rose from the floor and padded out of her room. The door was locked from outside. She desperately tried to pull the knobs, but it didnt help. She was trapped! A thrill of fear raced over her nerves. She tried to shout, but she realized she couldnt. Her voice also seemed to be trapped inside her throat. She heard the front door open followed by some murmers. She pushed her ears hard against the door expecting to hear the conversation; but only she could hear was soft murmers. Then all of a sudden a shreak noise of the fat lady filled the house, followed by sounds of cracking chairs, shouts of people, and cries. Annie was pushed down to the floor when the door she was leaning cracked wide open. She found Ajay standing there with blood on his forehead. He grabbed her hand and ran towards the front door. As Ajay was rushing her out, Annie caught a quick glimpse of the lady sitting in the floor beside a wounded man whom she recognized to be the same person she saw that evening. They were out in the rains. It was raining heavily with flashes of lightening at intervals. Ajay was running fast with a determined expression on his face. They could hear noises behind them from the colony.

Annie was totally exhausted when they deviated from the muddy path to a short curve that led to the sidepath of a road. A lorry was parked in the opposite side with its headlights turned on. Ajay took Annie and crossed the road to reach the back side of the lorry. The cleaner boy jumped out and helped them to climb up the truck. It was almost filled with bundles of dried straws that were getting wet by the rain water that leaked inside the plastic covers. The truck started moving immediately. Both of them were soaking wet and shivering due to the chilled winds that crept inside through the covers. Blood was coming out of Ajay's wounds in the forehead. Annie quickly tore a piece of her scarf and tied it to his forehead. She heard a vague thanks from his drooping head. He seemed to be almost unconscious. Annie made him lie on the straw bed and rested his head on a small round bundle that served as a pillow. She was also equally exhausted and she too leaned on the truck side watching the sleeping Ajay as the truck passed several curves and turns..
.................[.......TBC........]...............

When Lightning Strikes..[7]

As the cart moved along the muddy paths with paddy fields on one side and small ponds on the other that had tiny lavenders on its sides. The sunset could be seen in a distance. Ajay was totally absorbed with various thoughts as the peon was talking non-stop to him. His mind was enthralled with the scenes in the evening, especially the one in which he saw Annie for the last time, with the twinkle in her eyes. He then realized that he was already missing her in depth, unknowingly.

Ajay had to catch up with the only night bus that left for the main city from which he could travel to his place via bus or train. If he missed it, he would have to search for a place to stay there that night. By the time they reached the bus stand, darkness had spread all over except from the light from the oil lamps hung at a few tea shops. The bus stand was almost stranded except for the stray dogs and the tea shops. Ajay gave the peon a 100 rupee note for which he smiled gratefully at him showing the only front tooth left in his mouth. Before leaving, he told Ajay to wait in one of the tea shops till the bus arrives.

Ajay went to a nearby shop and ordered a cup of coffee. There were only a few people at the shop. While sipping the coffee, memories of Annie and the train journey flashed in his mind. He suddenly felt a strong urge to go back and take her with him. But with what right he could go and ask her to come with him as he was more or less a stranger to her. But leaving her all alone in that strange place disturbed him like anything. He realized he was helpless. But hadnt he been irresponsible with her for leaving her in an unfamiliar place where she knew none other than him, after listening to the station master's suggestion? What if he had asked Annie to come with him and offered her a helping hand? If she had agreed to stay in that place, then definitely she'd have not let down his offer. A shudder went through his heart when he saw the last bus entering the stand. He was in a complete dilemma. Blocking all the thoughts in his mind, Ajay paid for the coffee and walked straightly into the bus. The bus was empty. The driver had gone for refreshment. It had begun to rain..

Annie was startled by the lightning that illuminated the small dark room in which she was given a bedsheet and a completely torn pillow with cotton leaking out of the holes. She quietly sat up and watched the rain through the small window in the room. There was no fan in the room and elephant-sized mosquitos were fluttering all around. Annie too was surrounded with disturbing thoughts from the instant Ajay had left her. The only person she had by her side after she had lost her family. She had felt secured and protected while she was with him for the past 2 days. She couldnt control her tears as the realization of being all alone again haunted her. She hadnt felt this much uncomfortability & fear, that she felt there in that place, in her entire life, even when she was in the tents or in the crowded buses a few days before. She knew she was unsafe in that place at the instant when Ajay and the peon had left. The lady seemed to be eyeing her with a peculiar expression in her eyes which showed nothing but signs of danger. A man with a bleak expression in his face had come to the house after a while in the evening & he too looked at Annie while speaking with the lady, causing the same fears & uncomfortability in her. She desperately wanted to leave that place. But there was no way out, unless a miracle happens..
............[......TBC.......]......................

When Lightning Strikes..[6]

The train stopped abruptly at the last station. It seemed to be a very very ancient, but beautiful place. It was raining lightly when they, both with empty hands, stepped out of the train. They went straightly into the station master's office. He was hidden behind a local newspaper. When they knocked at the open wooden half door, he peeped his head out of the paper with round-spectacles and long mustaches drooping on both sides of his mouth. They were directed towards the two wooden seats that were kept in front of the station-master's table. Ajay told him about Annie and her situation along with the various doubts that were revolving in their minds throughout the journey. The station-master patiently cleared their doubts one by one while a peon served them hot coffee cups and some local snacks. From him they came to know about the actual incident that had occurred back in the valley. It was NOT an earth-quake as most of them had assumed to have happened. It was an initial outburst of a bomb-blast series that was known by the local police earlier through various terrorist threats and informations obtained from various secret agencies. They had kept it a highly confidential secret and had been alert since then. The threat was that there have been bulk amounts of explodables buried in several undetectable spots in and all around the valley. The blast that happened on Sunday morning was just a small start to the future disasters. The place had now become a prohibited area with all the inhabitants relocated and shifted to faraway places. The present situation will be prevailed as long as the threats are completely overcome whose duration none could predict.
The station master told them about a nearby colony where Annie could be accomodated until everything goes fine in the valley. He arranged the peon to accompany them to the colony. The three of them were taken in a bullock-cart to the place which took a few minutes travel. Annie was silent and thoughtful all the way from the station to the colony. Ajay was talking to the peon in the local language, which Annie didnt understand, enquiring details about the colony and the place. The cart stopped in front of a place which was thickly crowded with shouting people, stray dogs, cats, buffalos and donkeys. It resembled a fish market! They were taken through so many tiny curves and turns where the conditions were rather getting worse. After many such turns, they reached in front of a small gate which opened to a set of connected houses in rows. They were taken inside the darkened front room of the fourth house of the row where a fat lady was screaming to a boy. Seeing them she pushed aside the poor boy and cast them a dubious eye. The peon then talked to her in a hushed voice while she eyed Annie with rolling eyes. Ajay hated the look of the lady more than what he hated about the whole place. After a while the lady gave them an ugly smile and told Annie to get inside. The peon told Ajay that everything was settled and that Annie would stay with this lady in the house until everything goes well. Ajay didnt know what to do. Then Annie came near and told him "thanks for everything, Ajay. I'll be fine here. You dont worry about me and have a safe journey to your place. Thanks once again for everything.." He then saw a twinkle in her eyes even in the darkness. Was that a tear drop?..
..........................[......TBC........]..................................