The night that was! Episode:1

The day had started just as any other day. Morning had gone by in a frenzy, what with all those calls and meetings. Meera shut off her laptop and packed up for the day. Someone had earlier mentioned the probability of heavy rains. She wanted to make it home before the rains hit.  Daily around rush hour, her otherwise beautiful city started looking like the underbelly of an ugly beast. God bless them, for if it rained, then it would be as if the beast had rolled over in the bowels of hell. 

She picked her phone once again to check for a cab. Her phone screen seemed to mock her now with the notification “No cabs available”. She had been trying for almost half an hour now. In frustration she stood up and left her office building. Maybe she would get a bus. 

Horns blared everywhere around her. Heavy clouds drifted in slowly, throwing dark shadows over the city. Meera increased her pace. She wanted to escape the torrent of rain before it hit in full force. How she wanted to escape this madness that surrounded her. All of it was slowly getting to her. The noise, the murky lanes, everything seemed to cut into her today.

She paused mid stride, almost bumping into a scooter maneuvering its way onto the footpath. What was wrong with the world. Why could they not follow simple rules? Was she the only one left who believed in doing things the right way. Meera must have stood there for a while. It was only when someone pushed past her that she came to her senses. She suddenly recalled that it was almost time for the last bus to reach her stop. The state of public transport was really pitiable in this city. Neither was there regular service, nor were they willing to stop at all the bus stops. Why then did they even keep this service active, she wondered.

She had just stepped under the shade of a bus stop when it started raining. The clouds had cast a deep Shadow, rendering the entire place dark. It was just five in the evening yet it looked well past eight. Meera stared into nothingness for a while. Then as if hypnotised, she stepped out and started walking again. It didn't take long for her to get completely drenched in that rain. Yet she kept walking. Her thoughts rather than her consciousness kept her going forward.

It had been a very difficult day for her. This was her last day at work. She was not sure whether she would ever get to work again. This walk seemed to be her last shot at freedom. Meera had probably walked a mile away from the busy roads. She had started feeling cold by now. It didn't seem like the rain would cease anytime soon. She looked around, maybe for a passing auto-rickshaw or if she was extremely lucky, an empty cab. Even her phone had died on her. 

This was turning out to be one of the most frustrating evenings of her life. She would probably have to walk till her home. She had always found walking relaxing, for she could think her many thoughts without interruption then. But today she didn't want to be alone with her musings. She was not sure she could handle it anymore. She kept walking in the rain, feeling alone and empty.

She looked around as she walked, looking longingly at each spot that held a memory. She had reached the end of the main road.The weirdly beautiful thing about this city was that you could be right in the middle of an IT park, but take one turn and you would find yourself amidst some beautiful village, complete and serene in its green farmlands and cozy little cottages. As one strode into these villages, they were bound to forget that maddening city life existed just across the lane.

Meera had stepped into one such village. There was a shortcut from in there. But darkness was setting in and maneuvering those dimly lit streets was getting tough. She hoped she at least found some shelter before it became impossible to go any further. Thoughts of being mugged or worse should have bothered her probably, but at that moment all she could think of was what lay ahead of her in the days to come.

She had walked some ten minutes when she spotted a shed of sorts. There was just a small street lamp some fifty feet away, otherwise it was completely in darkness. She might not have spotted it had it not been for a flash of lightning on the blue tin roof. The sudden gush of relief Meera felt was inexplicable. A loud boom of thunder rolled round the sky, and she was just a few feet away from the shed when Meera noticed a car parked there.

Though she was skeptical, yet there was no other option but to step inside. What Meera did not expect was to stumble upon………!

                                         ......to be continued!!