Help from above !!

"Shit !! Dude look at the time" 

Mohit stood up on his feet and woke us up. We were fast asleep in a fast moving locomotive on our way home from an amazing and tiring weekend in Goa. Our train was running behind schedule.

"We wont be able to make it in time for the last train ... and I am in no mood to spend the night on the railway platform"

We started looking for options. Reaching home and crash landing on the bed was our first and only priority. Mohit came up with and idea.

"So what we can do is... we get down at Thane .. take a cab and go home !"

Ronak, Karan and I agreed. I continued by adding weight to the plan.

"Yea.. we would reach home in an hour. And anyways all of us stay in the same locality so one cab should be enough !"

We got down at Thane with humongous amount of baggage. We asked around but didn't get a reasonable cab rate. So we decided to call a local cab service. We asked him to meet us at the taxi stand. Few of the local cab drivers started creating a scene. We decided to move out as they warned us that they wouldn't allow us to board the cab.

"Now what do we do ?"

Karan didn't know what to do. We moved out of the taxi stand and started walking. We called up the cab service and told them to change the pick up location. We didn't know the place, so we couldn't really figure out which side to go. Most of the lanes were one way.. so picking a spot for the pick up was quite difficult.


"Guys ! What happened ? Why are you walking so fast ? Where do you want to go ?"

We heard a voice from behind. Everyone turned around in a flash as if they heard a ghost. A dark guy riding a scooter was following us. He was casually dressed. His white shirt was so bright that his face seemed darker than the actual shade. His feet barely reached the ground. He was partially walking.. partially riding .. so as to keep pace with us.

We were taken aback. We were not used to talking to random people so late in the night. We decided to ignore him as we thought he was some random drunk guy roaming around so late at night.

"Where do you want to go ?"

He said in a hoarse voice. I thought I'll take a chance and ask him if he can guide us to a good place where we can ask the cab driver to pick us from.

"Ohh you can tell him to come near Ashok Hotel. Its very famous ! Everyone asks the cab to pick them up from there! Come I will guide you to the place"

He started riding a bit ahead of us.

"What did those guys say ? Why didn't you just ask the cab to come to the station ? You should not listen to these guys. You should take pick up from where ever you want. Dont let these guys do such things."

We told him that we didnt want any mess at this hour and we just wanted to go home.

"Okay ! I get your point. But these guys should be punished. Nevertheless that is Ashok Hotel"

He had successfully guided us to the pick up spot. We thanked the guy and quickly got into the cab. We couldn't find him when we tried to look out of the car window. Maybe he left... but we were left with many questions unanswered....

Who was that guy ? Where did he suddenly appear from ? How did he know about the scene at the taxi stand ? Where did he just disappear once we got into the cab ? Was he some kind of help from above ?

Unexpected Bus Ride

Its so boring when you have to stand in a queue for the bus. What's ironical is that the bus won't come that easy and secondly it would drop you off to office! So I was standing there.. first one in the queue.. looking for something that would take my mind off work! When you are not at work and you have loads to do .. there is practically nothing you can think about except work.

I couldn't find anything to lure my mind away. I was looking spotlessly all around the place in search of one ray of hope. At last, all I could see was the bus... got inside and took a window seat ! Yea .. I was going back to hell... but after all they were paying me handsomely.. so couldn't completely deny going ! I started peeping out of the window looking at people as they attempted to board the bus. The seat beside me was vacant and I was hoping that some beautiful girl comes along and sits beside me.

Almost towards the end of the queue I saw a girl. Her hair covering most of her face. Must be in her early 20's. Average height.. Well for a 6 foot guy, normal people are just about average. Her simplicity made her look cuter than she actually was. Not a fair complexion but attractive features. I saw her look back at me for a fraction of a second and for some reason I couldn't take my eyes off her ! I am sure she noticed that ... and made sure she got out of my sight as soon as possible! I realized that I had seen her a few times but never really noticed her so much.

Now I wanted her to sit beside me. I looked around to see if the seat beside me was still vacant and yes it was. When she came around it was the only seat left vacant and she had no other choice but to sit next to me. How did I know that this would change a lot of things. I held my nerves and like a decent guy moved more towards the window and started looking out at I don't know what. I made sure I didn't make her uncomfortable.

The bus started moving. It took me just a few meters to realize that I am wasting my time looking outside the window.. and I should probably.. at least look at the cute girl sitting right beside me. Like how often does something like this happen to you ? So I slid my head towards my right. Before I could see her properly to know what she actually looked like, she saw me from the corner of her eye. I knew I was in trouble and couldn't think of anything better than getting back to looking outside the window.

She pulled out her blackberry (Its become a new teen sensation now a days). She logged into a famous social networking website and started checking her profile. She constantly kept looking at her own post. I felt this is a signal. I pulled out my phone (definitely not a blackberry), logged into the same website and tried to find her profile. I made up some stupid crap and messaged her that I wished to have a chat with her sometime. Obviously, I thought she wanted me to do that.. Who else looks at their own post for so long?

She didn't reply for a long time and I started to lose interest in her. It made no sense to keep buzzing her for no reason. But as soon as u give up hopes, you have something that raises your hopes once again.. she couldn't resist replying. Though she tried to act like a hard catch but anyone would know that I wasn't the only person who noticed her that day and would like to have a chat.

We spoke for hours during the weekend. Suddenly I started liking the Chat feature of the website. I never imagined I would share such a nice chemistry with her. Now, I wanted to meet her and talk to her personally instead of chatting. She had her share of acting pricey. Said she wanted some time to think. Was cool with me as I wasn't so desperate to meet her or actually I didn't show it. She would usually run through my mind at least once a day.

End of the weekend and I was back to work on Monday. Was rather bored and didn't feel like working. Tried to see if any of my friends were online so that I count pass the time. It felt like such a big task to keep myself occupied. The pretty little girl had messaged me that she missed the bus in which I usually travel and without wasting any time I convinced her to meet the following day. My office was moving so I knew I had just 2 days in which I could meet her or else the meet would have been postponed indefinitely.

My first meetings with any girl is usually a big screw up, so I was a little on the careful side. But, maybe I was thinking too much.. I did end up reaching late but I had the rains and trains to blame upon. She didn't mind it that much. Things went very smooth and we became comfortable talking to each other sooner than the time it took me to search her profile.

We had a long walk. Spoke about millions of things. None of us could understand how we ended up the way we ended up. It was better not to waste time in finding the reason or the logic behind the bus incident. We both were happy at the end of the conversation and the walk. I dropped her off at her workplace. On my way to work, I couldn't help myself but ask myself... "Was that just a co-incidence ??"

Hot Pursuit !!

Mondays ... The first and the worst day of the week ! Who loves to go to work after partying on Sunday ? I don't think I can find anyone of that caliber. Except of course the managers, who tend to blow off their frustration on us poor employees.

Nevertheless, I was heading back home. Was so frustrated working overtime, that I could beat the hell out of anyone. I picked up my cell phone and called my partner in crime, Mohit. He informed me that he had got his car to office and that I should join him. I couldn't ask anything more than a nice and comforting ride home. And the best part is, I had a chauffeur for myself.

I immediately asked my manager if he could drop me near my Mohit's office considering the fact that he drives past that location everyday on his way back home. He agreed and I had yet another chauffeur !!! I started to like the day.

As expected, my Manager was not a big speed freak. I could see cars overtaking us. Even a bullock cart overtook us. I realized that I would have reached the destination faster if I was on foot !! Eventually, I reached Mohit's office. He had been waiting for me since a thousand light years.

I didn't try to give him any explanations for my delay as I knew it was of no use. So, I quietly got into his car, turned on the music and we were off. It was a long time since Mohit and I drove to some place, even if it was driving back home. Both of us were very exhausted after a long day's work. At least I had the liberty to shut the blinds of my eyes whenever I wanted. Advantage of not siting on the driving seat.

We reached a junction and it was very dark. No street lights.. powerful head lights of cars moving in opposite direction piercing our eye balls. A usual situation in that part of the world. Everyone out there is used to blind driving. Instinctively, all are pro drivers.

There is usually a lot of traffic at this junction due to the poor management. But, luckily there was no traffic today. Moreover, no cops. So, our tired home sick minds couldn't think of anything other than ignoring the signal lights. What did we know that it wasn't the best idea.

We had just moved some meters when we saw a pair of flashing headlights in the rear view mirror. Generally, this means, "Let me pass" or "STOP". In this case, it meant the later!!! Yes, it was the cop car and they were in pursuit of us. None of us wanted to get caught like this. I asked Mohit if he had any plans of pulling over but he didn't respond. He just kept driving. I took this gesture for a "NO".

I couldn't imagine what would be the consequences of this pursuit. Actually.. I didn't want to even think about it ! I could feel that I was sitting with some F1 driver and that he is driving for his life. After a few miles, we managed to lose the trail. We were no longer being followed. Our breaths eased and we drove smoothly back to our homes !

Trick or Treat

I was lying down on the bed when my cell phone started ringing. I looked at the clock. It was 11:00 pm. I wasn’t expecting any calls this late in the night. However, I managed to get out of my bed to pick up the call. It was Ronak. Ronak, Mohit and Karan had planned a long night drive. I was game for it. But when they didn’t call, I thought maybe the plan was cancelled.

“Hello”, I said in my sleepy voice.

“Hey dude! U coming?” asked Ronak in an excited voice.

“Are we going? I thought the plan was cancelled. So, I went to bed.”

“Are you crazy AJ? It’s Saturday night and you want to sleep so early? ”

It seemed as if I was committing a crime by sleeping early on Saturday night. I was not really sure about the plan, so I asked Ronak if he knew where we were going. He asked his brother, Mohit if he had anything in mind. He took over the phone from Ronak.

“Where the hell are you? And where is your car?”

“My car is at home!”

“What are you doing? Playing with it?”

“Mohit, I am sleeping. And I cannot drive while I am asleep. Get it?”

I was frustrated at the way he spoke. He usually does that when he is on time and the rest of the gang is not. This is a very unlikely situation but it sure gets on your nerves. He told me to call back on his cell phone as there was some problem with Ronak’s phone.

“Yea, tell me Mohit. What’s the plan? And who all are coming?”

“Well, we are going to the village side for a long drive. We are taking my car. If you are bringing the car, few other friends could join us too. Or else, it’s just us guys.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in the next five minutes.”

I changed into something comfortable, picked up my car keys and got out of my house. I reached Karan’s place where I was joined by the rest of the lot. I was meeting everyone after a long time. All of us got distributed in the two cars and we set out. Ronak and Karan’s brother, Anirudh were in my car.

All of us were excited to drive through the village at night. It’s a beautiful experience to see empty roads with trees all around. It’s so serene. Mohit was leading the way, and I followed just behind him.

“Let’s explore the night life of the village” said Anirudh.

“Yea, it’s going to be so much fun” added Ronak

It was a great feel. This was the first time all of us had driven at night. The best part was that we were the only wheels on the road. After a long drive, we decided to head back home as it was already past midnight. It’s not a great idea to drive when one is sleepy.

We entered a narrow lane. Only a single car could be driven through that road. There were a lot of stones on either side of the road followed by walls. If one slips off the road, one is bound to crash into the walls. The only way out of that place was to follow the lane as there were no diversions. I had put on the air conditioner, so the car’s window blinds were closed. I usually do this when I want to hear loud music in my car. What’s a car ride without music?

Half way down the lane, we saw a tall figure standing in the middle of the road. We couldn’t make out who he was, as he had his back facing us. He was dressed in a casual outfit with a handkerchief around his neck. There was barely any hair left on his head.

Mohit started honking as that man didn’t seem to make way for us to go. He tried a lot but in vain. So, Mohit decided to try and go around him, over the stones. Mohit had almost crossed him, when his car stopped running. He couldn’t get it back on. I stopped just behind them. The tall man turned around and looked at Mohit. It seemed as if Mohit was saying something to that man. We were puzzled as we didn’t know what Mohit was talking him. Anirudh opened the car door and decided to go up to the man and throw him off the road.

“Sit in the car, u idiot! That guy is drunk. Why do you want to unnecessarily create an issue?” I shouted at him.

Ronak agreed to what I said and even he asked Anirudh to take his seat. Anirudh closed the car door in disappointment. By this time, Mohit’s car was up and running. He crossed that man and went ahead. Now it was my turn to cross him. I started honking as I did not want to go over the stones. He got irritated with the amount of honking and looked at me with disgust. His eyes stuck on me. He didn’t seem to blink at all. He had a long nose and a fully grown mustache. The street lights caused his bald head to shine. He just didn’t look like a normal man.

He took of his handkerchief off his neck and threw it on the road in frustration. I felt weird and didn’t want to create a scene with the old drunkard. Ronak asked me to go around him and not waste time in expecting him to move.

“Okay, I’ll go around him” I said.

He started walking. I waited for him to reach a point where the road was a little broader so I could go around him. I looked in the mirror as I drove past him. That was one crazy man.

“I cannot see him in the mirror! I can’t see him at all!” I shouted.

Ronak and Anirudh turned back and couldn’t find him. Scientifically, it was not possible for that man to disappear within two seconds. It seemed like he just vanished in thin air. Neither he nor his handkerchief could be seen. There was a lot of light on the road due to the street lights which made it impossible to hide. Shivers ran through our body. We couldn’t see Mohit’s car too. It seemed as if we were the only people around.

“Drive AJ… Drive!” Ronak and Anirudh screamed in unison.

I drove as fast as I could. We didn’t look back again.

“I have a rosary” said Anirudh.

“Me too” added Ronak.

I was the only person who was not holy at that time. Nevertheless, my car had a Ganesh idol in it. So, it was holy enough for all of us. We drove out of the village in no time. We didn’t stop anywhere. Reached home and found out that the guys who were in Mohit’s car were shivering. Karan confirmed that even they couldn't see that man once they crossed him.

"You won't believe the facts that I want you guys to know" said Karan in an expressionless tone.

"What?" asked everyone.

"Today is a Amavasya (new moon day)!" he added.

"So what?"

No one understood what he meant by that. We guys are usually aloof from superstitions.

"Every new moon night, the spirits come out of hiding."

He sat down with his head in his hands. He found it very difficult to speak.

"Did you guys notice the time when we saw him?" he asked us.

"NO! What has the time got to do with whatever we just saw" said Anirudh.

"It has a lot to do with whatever happened today. It was midnight ! It is believed that the spirits rise at midnight on this day."

There was silence. Everyone was eager to know what followed.

"AJ, do u remember you overtook us near the junction because our car had stopped all of a sudden?" Karan turned around to look at me.

"Yea, I do. It wasn't a big deal though"

"It was. Our car suddenly stopped there for no reason whatsoever."

"So?" I didn't understand the logic behind it.

"I saw a bunch of people in white clothing gathered around in the corner. It seemed as if they were performing a ritual or something."

Everyone looked at each other. Were we actually in the middle of something. Maybe we didn't belong there. Maybe we were just lucky to have escaped something that could have been beyond something we ever knew. We couldn't believe what we had just seen. Or rather, what we just thought we saw.

“Was that real or just an illusion?”