It so happens that we tend to omit the truth from our lives, Monika, was afraid, the problem was, it
was dark, and streets inside the colony are usually dark. Lights do work at times, certain parts of
that environment are visible at times, let’s say chunks of road, here and there. Houses are present on
either side of the road, but in the dark when fear seeps in they really don’t seem to matter.
It was a day job, but youngsters, in an uncaring city, large enough, are usually bothered and
workload does take most of the part of the day and it is late, this time even more. The streets are
cold and silent; noises are there, different kinds, generators and Air Conditioner vents and trucks on
the highway running parallel to that street. The template of yellow road light and darkness seemed
whole world was light less, only certain pieces of it illuminated, truth is usually hidden,
philosophies aside, there were many other things those images were conveying and many other
angst ridden thoughts were invading her mind. Monika was never so late, or even so, with few
others, and there was slight movement usually, but this time it was lonely.
She walked through street lights, illuminated patches, after which there was absolute darkness,
behind her, she had crossed the last street light glowing and the next one was 500 meters away, she
had to walk through that patch of darkness. All, which gave her the idea that she was on the right
track, was the solid ground and her experience, of going through this way, of six months and this
morning, that she knew that road was leveled with a few bumps here and there. But darkness freaks
courageous ones out, she was just a youngster. Her anklets made slight noise, along with the
generator and AC vents and trucks and horns, but she could hear that. She walked slowly, so that
her anklets didn’t make so much noise, and suddenly a dog barked, she shivered, but kept walking,
she didn’t pace up, probably that was the right thing she did, if she started running, probably that
dog would have chased her. Listening to that dog bark, a bunch of other stray dogs joined in, she
was extremely scared, but she didn’t pace up, suddenly a couple of dogs from the street light in
front came running in towards her but she still somehow maintained her posture, and carried on and
dogs ran right past her, she was sober and felt comfortable and kept walking.
Her slow pace was more comfortable now, she looked up, from, in between the lines of non
illuminated figures, that were houses and felt like giant black shades of monsters, there was very
dark blue colored sky, the stars, most of them could be seen, few of them were partially covered
with translucent and thin floating clouds, white in color, moon, it looked like a bangle, an
incomplete one of course, it was waning crescent, gentle, peaceful and resting like an old man on an
inclined armchair, it seemed. It was mostly dark in front of her, and behind her as well, as she was
moving forward, slight details around her revealed themselves, the only other detail that was visible
was the end of road, that illuminated end of the road, now, at 400 meters, she had to take a left from
there.
Where she was at this time, at her right there was another road inside, and on her left she had a
house, on that road on the right, at that corner, earlier, it was illuminated because they had a halogen
lamppost there, it was not working now. Immediately next to it, there was a tea stall, shut down, but
it was there, she turned around, couldn’t see anything behind her, but the last street light she left
behind, few minutes ago.
Suddenly, a there was a glowing light, in that darkness and pacing footsteps. Someone was chasing
her. She ran, and instead of going where she was supposed to, she ran inside that another dark street.
She knew very well which turn she should take and where so that she could return but at this
moment she was wanted to dodge that chaser. She ran into wilderness.
That was a playground for few local kids, all with long grasses, untamed, weeded and irregular, at
certain places that grass was quite tall, tall right up to the knees, all she could now see was this
grassland, after that a muddy path after that another grassland and then a canal and the highway, she
turned around, she could see the beginning of the street, with shadowed houses on both sides, she
just ran through, earlier it was the end of the road, she realized how quickly she could cross 200
meters and reach here. She waited for a few minutes, analyzed where she was right now and which
road she should take, and in case she was supposed to deceive what turn and when she should take.
After thinking for quite some time, she started walking, and went inside that street, at 50 meters she
had a right turn that was another street, of 200 meters and it was curvilinear in nature that would
meet that street light road again and she could be there, she walked calmly. What Monika did realize
was there was another sound of footsteps, now she didn’t know from where, behind or front, she
stopped. Other footsteps as well stopped.
It was silent, that street, as usual generators and horns, sound of the wind and other noises were
there but it was silent, any abrupt thing and she would shout on the top of her voice and run for her
life. Yet, she waited for activity. For some time there wasn’t any activity until she decided to move
forward, there was no other noise, she walked slowly and her anklets crackled, she spooked, for a
moment. That was scary until she realized that it was her anklets and gained confidence and moved
forward, someone lit a matchstick to light his cigarette, she turned to look at him, he was looking
down as matchstick illuminated his face, and slight details of his shirt, and then he looked away
after pulling his smoke out from his mouth, extinguishing his cigarette and again one side of his
face was in darkness rest was moonlit, only thing that was glowing was one end of his cigarette,
yellowish orange in color, which moved away from his face and floated down in darkness from
visibility. She thought that she wasn’t attracting his attention that comforted her to some extent. She
kept on moving, something was shining behind her in the moonlight. She turned back and tried hard
to check what it was. It was a motorcycle, she kept moving, there was a way towards her right, she
knew that very well, it was dark inside and really tough for anyone to see.
The road was outlined by drainage system, it was pretty dry because it was deep summer and there
was not much indication of a rainfall, the clouds present were too thin to really precipitate. Houses
on either sides looked like soma gigantic shadows as if there was nothing around her but black
structures an open sky and the least illuminated street.
Monika was pacing, hard enough to avoid yet another stalker that might be truly a stalker, already in
India women are really vulnerable, almost every second headline these days seems like a warning,
next one could be me, she thought. Funny it is , how mind plays when scenario around is dark and
cold, there is every signal of anything that might happen and not one signal of something that could
happen in a right way.
Suddenly she heard a rattling sound approaching. She panicked, and started running, a motorcycle
was chasing her. She tried everything to dodge that guy on the motorcycle, who himself sort of
stumbled but handled it and drove faster towards her. She didn’t realize that that road was broken in
patches, and there were craters, rather big ones. She stepped on to one, probably twisted her ankle
and fell down, as the motorcycle guy was catching up. She knew that that was the end of the story,
anything could happen now.
She looked up the motorcycle guy was really close, now and anytime he would step down, she was
determined, as he would slow down stop his motorcycle, and step down, she would shout on the top
of her voice, and ask for help. All those thoughts crossed her mind within fractions of a second as
the motorcycle guy came close, he didn’t slow down, he, rather managed to drive through the
craters and made his way through the muddled street.
Monika was perplexed, all the time she was scared unnecessarily, she stood up, brushed her stole
and her dress, sobered up and started walking. She was at the end of the road, and she had to take a
left, that she did, and could see that lamppost she was waiting for since the beginning.
But before that she saw the motorcycle guy standing there, sitting on his bike, but that was
stationary, she kept on moving, until she passed by him, somehow she knew that that guy wasn’t
harmful. He was talking over the phone, by the time she passed by him and the lamppost, suddenly
she heard something,
“Excuse me...”
She turned around to see another man partially illuminated by the street light as he was still at a
distance from her, behind the lamppost, this happened as the motorcycle guy kick started his bike
and once again drove past her, on the straight road, so there was no help whatsoever, and that again
scared her, she panicked and started running, towards her place, as the guy with the torch shouted
again behind her to stop,
“No, please, stop, at least take your purse!”
She stopped and turned around to see, her purse, she was carrying, was missing, as the guy with the
torch paced up and crossed the lamppost and she saw a man carrying a purse coming towards her,
once he was here, he said to her,
“You dropped it there, where dogs suddenly came running, I followed you but you went
somewhere, and then I reached here and I was waiting maybe you’d come this way, so......”
He handed over that purse and went back into that darkness, making his way, using his torch, and
she stood there for sometime wondering all she thought they were stalkers, but it is India, better to
be safe, she thought.
was dark, and streets inside the colony are usually dark. Lights do work at times, certain parts of
that environment are visible at times, let’s say chunks of road, here and there. Houses are present on
either side of the road, but in the dark when fear seeps in they really don’t seem to matter.
It was a day job, but youngsters, in an uncaring city, large enough, are usually bothered and
workload does take most of the part of the day and it is late, this time even more. The streets are
cold and silent; noises are there, different kinds, generators and Air Conditioner vents and trucks on
the highway running parallel to that street. The template of yellow road light and darkness seemed
whole world was light less, only certain pieces of it illuminated, truth is usually hidden,
philosophies aside, there were many other things those images were conveying and many other
angst ridden thoughts were invading her mind. Monika was never so late, or even so, with few
others, and there was slight movement usually, but this time it was lonely.
She walked through street lights, illuminated patches, after which there was absolute darkness,
behind her, she had crossed the last street light glowing and the next one was 500 meters away, she
had to walk through that patch of darkness. All, which gave her the idea that she was on the right
track, was the solid ground and her experience, of going through this way, of six months and this
morning, that she knew that road was leveled with a few bumps here and there. But darkness freaks
courageous ones out, she was just a youngster. Her anklets made slight noise, along with the
generator and AC vents and trucks and horns, but she could hear that. She walked slowly, so that
her anklets didn’t make so much noise, and suddenly a dog barked, she shivered, but kept walking,
she didn’t pace up, probably that was the right thing she did, if she started running, probably that
dog would have chased her. Listening to that dog bark, a bunch of other stray dogs joined in, she
was extremely scared, but she didn’t pace up, suddenly a couple of dogs from the street light in
front came running in towards her but she still somehow maintained her posture, and carried on and
dogs ran right past her, she was sober and felt comfortable and kept walking.
Her slow pace was more comfortable now, she looked up, from, in between the lines of non
illuminated figures, that were houses and felt like giant black shades of monsters, there was very
dark blue colored sky, the stars, most of them could be seen, few of them were partially covered
with translucent and thin floating clouds, white in color, moon, it looked like a bangle, an
incomplete one of course, it was waning crescent, gentle, peaceful and resting like an old man on an
inclined armchair, it seemed. It was mostly dark in front of her, and behind her as well, as she was
moving forward, slight details around her revealed themselves, the only other detail that was visible
was the end of road, that illuminated end of the road, now, at 400 meters, she had to take a left from
there.
Where she was at this time, at her right there was another road inside, and on her left she had a
house, on that road on the right, at that corner, earlier, it was illuminated because they had a halogen
lamppost there, it was not working now. Immediately next to it, there was a tea stall, shut down, but
it was there, she turned around, couldn’t see anything behind her, but the last street light she left
behind, few minutes ago.
Suddenly, a there was a glowing light, in that darkness and pacing footsteps. Someone was chasing
her. She ran, and instead of going where she was supposed to, she ran inside that another dark street.
She knew very well which turn she should take and where so that she could return but at this
moment she was wanted to dodge that chaser. She ran into wilderness.
That was a playground for few local kids, all with long grasses, untamed, weeded and irregular, at
certain places that grass was quite tall, tall right up to the knees, all she could now see was this
grassland, after that a muddy path after that another grassland and then a canal and the highway, she
turned around, she could see the beginning of the street, with shadowed houses on both sides, she
just ran through, earlier it was the end of the road, she realized how quickly she could cross 200
meters and reach here. She waited for a few minutes, analyzed where she was right now and which
road she should take, and in case she was supposed to deceive what turn and when she should take.
After thinking for quite some time, she started walking, and went inside that street, at 50 meters she
had a right turn that was another street, of 200 meters and it was curvilinear in nature that would
meet that street light road again and she could be there, she walked calmly. What Monika did realize
was there was another sound of footsteps, now she didn’t know from where, behind or front, she
stopped. Other footsteps as well stopped.
It was silent, that street, as usual generators and horns, sound of the wind and other noises were
there but it was silent, any abrupt thing and she would shout on the top of her voice and run for her
life. Yet, she waited for activity. For some time there wasn’t any activity until she decided to move
forward, there was no other noise, she walked slowly and her anklets crackled, she spooked, for a
moment. That was scary until she realized that it was her anklets and gained confidence and moved
forward, someone lit a matchstick to light his cigarette, she turned to look at him, he was looking
down as matchstick illuminated his face, and slight details of his shirt, and then he looked away
after pulling his smoke out from his mouth, extinguishing his cigarette and again one side of his
face was in darkness rest was moonlit, only thing that was glowing was one end of his cigarette,
yellowish orange in color, which moved away from his face and floated down in darkness from
visibility. She thought that she wasn’t attracting his attention that comforted her to some extent. She
kept on moving, something was shining behind her in the moonlight. She turned back and tried hard
to check what it was. It was a motorcycle, she kept moving, there was a way towards her right, she
knew that very well, it was dark inside and really tough for anyone to see.
The road was outlined by drainage system, it was pretty dry because it was deep summer and there
was not much indication of a rainfall, the clouds present were too thin to really precipitate. Houses
on either sides looked like soma gigantic shadows as if there was nothing around her but black
structures an open sky and the least illuminated street.
Monika was pacing, hard enough to avoid yet another stalker that might be truly a stalker, already in
India women are really vulnerable, almost every second headline these days seems like a warning,
next one could be me, she thought. Funny it is , how mind plays when scenario around is dark and
cold, there is every signal of anything that might happen and not one signal of something that could
happen in a right way.
Suddenly she heard a rattling sound approaching. She panicked, and started running, a motorcycle
was chasing her. She tried everything to dodge that guy on the motorcycle, who himself sort of
stumbled but handled it and drove faster towards her. She didn’t realize that that road was broken in
patches, and there were craters, rather big ones. She stepped on to one, probably twisted her ankle
and fell down, as the motorcycle guy was catching up. She knew that that was the end of the story,
anything could happen now.
She looked up the motorcycle guy was really close, now and anytime he would step down, she was
determined, as he would slow down stop his motorcycle, and step down, she would shout on the top
of her voice, and ask for help. All those thoughts crossed her mind within fractions of a second as
the motorcycle guy came close, he didn’t slow down, he, rather managed to drive through the
craters and made his way through the muddled street.
Monika was perplexed, all the time she was scared unnecessarily, she stood up, brushed her stole
and her dress, sobered up and started walking. She was at the end of the road, and she had to take a
left, that she did, and could see that lamppost she was waiting for since the beginning.
But before that she saw the motorcycle guy standing there, sitting on his bike, but that was
stationary, she kept on moving, until she passed by him, somehow she knew that that guy wasn’t
harmful. He was talking over the phone, by the time she passed by him and the lamppost, suddenly
she heard something,
“Excuse me...”
She turned around to see another man partially illuminated by the street light as he was still at a
distance from her, behind the lamppost, this happened as the motorcycle guy kick started his bike
and once again drove past her, on the straight road, so there was no help whatsoever, and that again
scared her, she panicked and started running, towards her place, as the guy with the torch shouted
again behind her to stop,
“No, please, stop, at least take your purse!”
She stopped and turned around to see, her purse, she was carrying, was missing, as the guy with the
torch paced up and crossed the lamppost and she saw a man carrying a purse coming towards her,
once he was here, he said to her,
“You dropped it there, where dogs suddenly came running, I followed you but you went
somewhere, and then I reached here and I was waiting maybe you’d come this way, so......”
He handed over that purse and went back into that darkness, making his way, using his torch, and
she stood there for sometime wondering all she thought they were stalkers, but it is India, better to
be safe, she thought.
You write really well .. I wanted to know what would happen to Monika .. I think many of us have faced such a situation. The bit I love the most is - better to be safe, she thought !!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sangeeta :)
ReplyDelete