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........]..................................