Route 29 - Original Short Story

pocketcreations (35)in #fiction • 7 years ago (edited)

Route 29

The Driver plays the song out loud and I let out a sigh of relief. Whenever I am afraid or alone, music is my escape. The rain at this midnight hour is an unexpected guest. I place my ears on the window pane and I can hear the beautiful sound of raindrops hit the glass, the sound was feeble, but was mesmerizing.

The Bus had been full of passengers until the last stop, many of the travelers got down to reach out nearby hotels to spend the night. I assumed, it was past midnight and the rain shower got the environment chill. Few of them carried toddlers and they weren't comfortable in continuing the journey. I was the last passenger from Delhi and I wasn't surprised I had to travel all alone from this stop. My stop is a few kilometers from this village and I intend to continue alone and reach home. One could assume I was in a hurry but the reason being I wasn't home for months. The fields, the greenery around and the smell of home, I missed it. I missed Dad. I look out the Window, it was dark and the night was silent not a sound could be heard, except the buzzing of the bus engine, if I would not have asked the driver to play the music, I usually bring my headphones with me everywhere, but it's strange I forgot them back at Grandpa's Farmhouse. The headphones were the medic to my healing wounds of a Broken Relationship.

But life has become even crueler today, I was away from my headphones.I mentioned a Broken Relationship, right? Well, in the process of getting over it.Spent few Days at my grandpa's farmhouse to forget a douchebag. My childhood was in that farmhouse. When I was a little Daughter I used to spend my whole evening there under a mango tree near the lake.I had an attraction for the trees.

I used to kill hours staring at the lake. I always felt they wanted to say me something. They wanted to convey me some truth.

What did Alice Know after having her father's richness beauty possess everything except happiness?

The Rain had stopped by Now. A cold Breeze entered the Bus through a small opening of my adjacent window. I got Goosebumps. I looked at my watch, it was 12:30.An hour away from my stop.I was hungry.

Call it my fortune or a coincidence, I saw a small dhaba visible from a distance with a tinkering light. I asked the driver," we could stop here for tea, I am hungry"." Yes Ma’am", he replied instantly. I got down the bus but while getting down my coat got stuck, in a bent of the stairs. The driver quickly came and helped me out. I just smiled and he returned a smile too. He waved me to follow him. The dhaba was really a small one. the whole Dhaba's lighting source was only one light bulb, which was hanged at the immediate end of the kitchen, and the three tea tables covered atop with a synthetic blanket like material. The Driver moved towards the kitchen and called out if someone was there. Lights were dim at the corners and edges of the whole place and even the kitchen wasn't distinctly lightened up. I was Puzzled looking at all these. A person came out of the kitchen and talked something with the driver. The person then entered and in minutes time he came out with three teacups. He then pulled out a chair from an adjacent table and sat aside my driver facing opposite to me. I gave him a confused look, but the driver game an expression that he knew him before. I asked if he knew him. He replied, " I have passed this route several times and have been here few times”. I answered with a smile. There was silence in the table. We all sipped the tea silently. Looking at my watch I got up. I offered the dhaba person a fifty-rupee note but he refused and replied: " Ma’am I don't need the money now, but would be happy if you could allow me a lift on the bus". I gave an expression of Uncomfort. The driver seemingly replies, " he is my friend, no trouble ". I agreed. The Dhaba person quickly ran, closed the doors and locked them, switched off the only light and got a newspaper in his hand. I was observing him from my window pane. he probably could be of the 50s. As he got up our bus, I asked if it was today's newspaper. He replied," yes ma'am"." Which route is this “, I asked. "Ma’am this is route 29", he replied. I followed with another question," why is your dhaba in such an isolated place”. He didn't reply and so I thought of ignoring him. I felt he was looking outside the Dhaba. The Driver started the bus and we were on the road. I called out the Driver and asked how far we were. He replied we were 30 minutes away from my stop. After 15 minutes or so, I picked up the newspaper aside and as I read through, I saw the same usual news on some stupid topics like a dog bites a man rather it should have been a news When a man bites a dog. And as I lifted my hand to keep the newspaper aside, my eyes went to a photo which looked like the dhaba, but in the picture, there was a signboard near written," route 29 " in red. I was astounded by the headlines that read, " Bus met with an accident at route 29, travelers safe but dhaba man didn't survive”. Shivers ran down my spine and my legs started to freeze and in my ears there came a whisper, “isn’t it strange?”. I slowly picked my head and the dhaba person who was sitting in the adjacent seat to the second row was not there. I shouted the Driver but he kept on driving. I hurriedly searched my bag for my phone. The Bus Screeched and slid and headed towards the trees.I Blacked out.It was Strange how all of this turned out.It was all Black.