Last Night While I was sleeping...............(STORY)

Last night, while sleeping, I was disturbed by the phone ringing. I didn’t want to pick up the call or to talk to anyone, feeling still numb. Crying to sleep was almost a routine now of me. The cell phone rang for the third time now, cursing I got up to check who’s calling and felt a pang of headache.
“Hello, who’s this?”
GOD! GOD! For crying out loud!
Great, now what kind of stupid prank is this? Trying hard to suppress my irritation I asked “Could you please tell me who this is?”
“I am GOD”
Feeling that severe pain again, I shrugged.
“Listen its 12:30 am, midnight and I am in no mood to play, who’s this?”
“It’s me GOD”. First time now, I actually tried to analyse the voice properly, It was so, different? Yes, different is the right word.
“Ok, I am going to ask you for the very last time.”
“Why are you always so angry?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why are you always so angry?” This person seriously needs to be kidding me.
“Oh C’mon! Don’t you have anything better to do than disturbing people in the midnight?”I hung up the phone.
Moping, I tried to sleep again, when my phone rang again, this time I picked it up to switch it off. “Dad?” Why is he calling at this time?
“Hello dad! What happened?”
“Rahul, Rahul! Wake up; we both need to go to Shimla, right now.”
“What? Why? What happened? Is Dad ok?”
“Yes, he is absolutely fine. He wants both of us there, so we have to leave now.”
“Sister let me drive; you are not such a good driver.”
Giving Rahul an angry look, I said “Shut up Rahul!” “I am going to drive, if you remember then you are just sixteen, you don’t even have a license.”
“If age is the only criteria then why don’t you have a permanent license?” “And yes! Kindly do explain me your professional driving expertise.” “Sister for goodness sake, you cannot even take a smooth start, let alone driving in hilly area like Shimla.”
Giving him a fierce look I could just manage to say “Rahul don’t.” I knew that he was right.
“God! Sister I really don’t know why you are so stubborn?” Then instead of sitting with me on the front seat he chose the back seat.
“You are driving so slowly, we don’t have exactly zillion of years.” I wanted to say so much to him but just gave him but somehow managed to keep mum. Again that painful throbbing in my head started. I took a deep breath.
“What? Don’t sigh sister, you drive too slow”
Trying hard not to show my irritation in words I said “This is a hilly area and we need to drive carefully”. Still I increased the speed of the car.
We drove for almost an hour silently, while Rahul decided to get some sleep.
“Rahul, pass me the water bottle.” I waited. “Hey, wake up!”
I looked through the rear view mirror and he was not there. Terrified, I suddenly looked behind and he was not there, simultaneously loosing balance over the wheel.
Oh God! I am going to die, crap. I applied brakes with full force, but the car was already in speed and I realized that the car was going down the hill moving very fast on a narrow steep road. I was holding very tight to the steering wheel, trying hard not to lose control, both on me and wheel.

I was too stunned to feel anything. I couldn't breathe yet. Everything was still. Mist was all around and nothing else. My head, it hurt a lot, realising I was holding the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles were hurt, very badly. Trying to comprehend what actually happened, I sat there.
“Rahul! Oh God! Where’s Rahul?” Where did he go, he just vanished. He vanished just before the accident, how?
I opened the door and stepped out; every inch of my body was aching badly, though there was no external injury. I straightened myself and looked carefully around now, where am I? It was all so dark, full of mist, unknown, alien place in middle of dark woods and I was all alone.
“I am all alone!” I am all alone; this sudden realization hit me like steel, I got so scared that I literally choked on my own horror. Everything was so quiet and cold.
Oh, this is a horrible, scary bad dream, just a bad dream, this is surely a dream otherwise Rahul would also have been here with me. No need to panic. Just take a deep breath and close your eyes, it will pass.
I was still there, scared to death, looking eagerly all around for any help.
“My cell phone!” Where is it, searching my jacket, I found it. “Damn this network!” “Good for nothing services.”
Trying to hold myself, I again took a deep breath and started scrutinizing the car, and it looked all right, no damage done. Now I just have to look for some help and a road, but in these dark mist woods, it is next to impossible. I looked at my cell phone; it was 2:30 am. I think, I should wait for dawn, till then I can take a nap in the car.
“What?” God forbid! I have slept almost hours. What is actually happening? I know that it’s been hours since I am in this place and it was still so silent and dark as if not a single minute have passed. I looked at my Cell phone anxiously; it was still 2:30 am, but the phone was working all right.
I again waited there, and waited and waited. There is something wrong, definitely wrong. It’s a dream; I am sure a very-very horrible dream. Oh please! Ok, I can do this. I just need to go and look for some help.
“Hell!”
Oh yes! My phone have torch. Thank goodness, at least this phone was fully charged. Oh! What is good in this? This scary, stupid dream is nowhere near good or is this reality? Why bad things always happen to me?
I started walking slowly towards the wood with my heart pounding so fast. Oh God! What have I done so wrong?
I heard something break and next thing was me falling down over a hilly slope. And then I did feel it, and I couldn’t hold back my scream of agony. I twisted up to reach for my foot; I just hope it isn’t broken. My phone was still in my hand, working but both my elbows were seriously bruised. I tried to stand and I screamed again with pain, tears streaming down my cheeks, but I did manage to stand.

And then I screamed at the top of my voice “I just, simply hate this life!”
“And I hate myself more! Why the hell I can never do a single thing properly. All I needed to do was to step carefully.” And then I saw something, yes there was a small dirt road. May be this road leads to a village or some decent setup where, there is a landline phone service. Or this road can lead to some horrid setup, where some man-eater psychopaths live. Ok! I seriously need to stop watching these stupid movies.
Slowly I started walking along the dirt road. I don’t know how long I dragged myself, but it seemed like a long, very long time. The night was so dark, cold and full of mist that the phone torch was of no big help, I started to feel cold, hungry and thirsty. Then I saw something through the mist, I can be hallucinating, I blinked my eyes hard to see pass through my tears.
“Village!” Yes, it is a village. I was in a village, and I felt little relieved. I knocked at the door of the first house; it was rather a small house. Nobody answered. I knocked again, still there was no response.
I called, “Anybody home?” No one answered.
“Hello, anybody there?” Still no one answered. Panic took place of relief.
I went to next house, then the next and then again next. No one answered. I started feeling sick. I again called at the door of the sixth house, this time so loud that my headache increased many folds. I could take it no more and sat there in front of the house, my silent tears eventually turning into loud sobs.
I suddenly felt as if someone was standing near me, looking at me with wary eyes. I looked up, but did not say anything as my brain, digestion and eyesight were all slightly affected; giving rise to my frequent and persistent “delusions.” But there was a middle aged villager standing, looking right in my face. Holding myself tight I tried not to lose control.
“Who are you?” He asked. I just kept staring at him. He was certainly talking to me but I was not being able to comprehend anything. I blinked back my tears and tried hard to listen.
“What are you doing here in the middle of jungle?” His voice sounded far away. When I again didn’t answer, he scowled.
“How did you manage to come here?” He sounded as if I had a very disagreeable thing. He was not alone; there were two more standing beside him with lanterns in their hand. The one who was addressing me looked like their head; he was the eldest of all. I tried to speak.
“I was driving to Shimla....” I realized that my voice was hardly audible and his scowl deepened. I cleared my throat, “I was driving with my brother to Shimla....” realization hit me like steel, “Rahul” “My brother”.
“What about him?” “Where is he?” Again that panic bubble started getting bigger within me; it was hard even to breathe properly.
I croaked “I don’t know, he was with me in car but he vanished just before the accident.” Vanished? I am definitely dreaming, this can’t be true and there is no such village near the road I was driving, this road just moves along a very dangerous cliff. If I would have met an accident at that road, I surely would have died. It’s a dream, a dream indeed. I shrugged off to get rid of all this.
But then a curious and somewhat irritated voice struck my ears, “Who is Rahul?”
“No one, I was driving to Shimla and met with an accident and the next thing I knew that my car was moving very fast down a hill slope.”
“Where is your car?”
“I don’t know what place it was, but when I tried to find some help, I fell and sprained my ankle.”
“How did you get here then?”
“I followed that dirt road.” I replied looking towards the road.
“Come with us.”
I tried to get up but lost balance and sat again with a thud. I looked up for some help, one of them came forward but the eldest man stopped him. “You go straight to my home and tell them about this girl.” The man followed his instructions. I could not understand why this man was behaving like this, and then he threw in front of me, an old walking stick.
“Use this”. I was worn out with pain, thirst, hunger and now his behaviour, was all getting on my nerves. Anger took place of fear and panic, but I was in no position to say anything so I took a deep breath, willing myself into composure, and somehow managed to drag myself behind him.

After crossing two turns I could see light, but I didn’t ask a thing, just kept walking behind the man. He didn’t looked back even once. This person has some serious problem, and I don’t exactly know what it is. He stopped in front of a house and knocked on the door, a middle-aged woman came out of the house. Her face was so familiar and warm; it instantly made me feel better.
I entered the house, the woman offered me water. The man kept scowling at me, hungry as I was, still could not ask for something to eat. The woman smiled at her husband warmly but didn’t say a word and then the man left the room.
She settled beside me and asked “How did you end up in this place?”
I repeated everything I told her husband, and this time I told about Rahul too. She listened to me with great compassion. I could not help but contrast the nature of both man and wife.
“Why didn’t anyone come out when I was knocking at the doors of houses situated across those turns?”
She smiled and said “Because you were knocking at wrong doors.”
Looking at my confused expressions, she smiled again and asked “So what did you plan?”
“What plan?”
“You do not wish to go back?”
“Off course I do.”I looked at my cell phone it was still 2:30am, this made me anxious. What is wrong with this time?
I looked at the walls around me and saw a wall clock; it was 2:30 am. Maybe I just need some sleep and I would feel better. Yes I would definitely feel better after some sleep.
“Right now I just wish to take some rest, if you won’t mind.” “I will think about it in the morning.” I gave her a sheepish look.
Instead of saying something, she just said “Ok”, and then left the room.
I slept, God knows how much time, but I slept long enough. I was half awake when I realized where I was, and I got up. It was still so dark outside, and I eagerly glanced towards the watch. NO! It is not possible, 2:30 am?
Then I heard the man and his wife talking, it was the woman, “ But she is scared and need help.”
And then I could hear the man’s harsh “No”
“She herself do not realise the difficulty of her situation. All she is doing is whining about every situation and the most important thing in her life is sleeping, as if it is the only solution to every problem in this world.”
“But she is merely a young girl.”
“No, she’s in her early twenties, have passed couple of years since she’s an adult, and it is high time she realizes her responsibilities.”
What are they talking about; they are discussing me as if they know me all their life. Suddenly I realized, I know these voices, voices which are very familiar to me, but I could not remember whose voices these are.
The wife said again, “Maybe we should give her some guidance.”
“Then it is her, who needs to ask for our guidance.”
“But still.”
“No, and I think our guest is already awake.”
Hearing them, I straightened myself up. Both of them entered the room.
The man again gave me that look, as if I disgust him. I tried hard to fight the strong urge to jump and punch him real hard in his face.
I was pretty sure that he could clearly read my mind and facial expressions do help. But instead of getting offended, his hard expressions mellowed. It confused me and then he left the room.
I found the woman looking at me and I could hold it no longer.
“My life is already so freaky disastrous, I am in middle of some stupid jungle, all alone, my cell phone is not working, my foot hurts like anything and now, none is ready to help because your husband, the so called village head is not allowing anyone to help me. And I could not understand, why?
What is wrong with you people?”
And then I took a deep breath, inhaling as much air I can get into my lungs, waiting for her to say something. She saw my eager expressions and sat beside me. Holding my gaze she said “He is not heartless as you think, he is just different and wants best for everyone.”
I just rolled my eyes and said “Yes, right. All he cares about is others.”
“I know nothing of this place and he is acting so strange. He is being so stubborn, acting as if it is my fault that I met with an accident.”
Yes, it was my fault. Dad did ask me to take bus or hire any other mode of transport but not to drive myself. He knows very well, how good I can drive. And once again I didn’t listen to him; it was me who’s careless and stubborn.
I shrugged and saw the woman looking at me as she could hear whatever I was thinking. I should start listening to my elders. And she nodded and a chill ran through my spine, I shivered.
What is this place?
After a moment I asked, “How can i get out of this place?” i could hear my stomach growl with hunger.
She looked outside the door and said “You have to try to find your way out.”
“What? I know nothing about this place and you want me to go out in this dark, unknown place to find a way out?”
I could actually taste acid in my mouth and no longer felt hungry. I hurried out of the house neglecting the sharp pain of my foot. It took me a little while to adjust my eyesight to the moonlight.
Moonlight ? But it was dark earlier. Where does the moon come from?
I didn’t know how long or far I walked, when I heard a river stream. Without a thought I started walking towards the stream, the water looked cold and furious, and to my surprise, there was small wooden bridge across the stream which was connected to a dirt road.
I felt hope for a brief second but my gaze froze on the wooden bridge. I was not sure if that bridge could bear the weight of a car. And if somehow I manage to cross the bridge even then who knows where this road leads to.
Oh C’mon! Get a grip; it’s not always good to be a pessimist. At least, give it a shot. I cannot stay in this place for always. I went back to the house, thinking, whether the man will help or not. Both, the man and his wife were sitting together. I looked towards the woman and she nodded, smiling at me.
I still couldn’t figure out, how she always knows what’s going on in my mind, but I didn’t care. Right then, all I wanted was, to get out of this place and reach Shimla.
So I went near to the man and stood in front of him, he frowned. I asked politely, “I saw a small wooden bridge that connects to a dirt road which is almost a mile away. I wonder where that road leads, but i desperately need to reach my destination.”
“I was thinking if you could ask your people to help me get my car down that hill safely.”
His frown deepened and he grew pensive. There was complete silence for a while, which seemed like years. And then he smiled, I couldn’t believe my eyes but he actually did smile and said, “Ok, we will help you.”
I can’t explain how much better, all of a sudden I felt, and then I heard clock ticking, the clock struck 2:31 am.
By 4 am my car was near the bridge. I could just hop in the car and get out of the place but was not able to, because I was scared. I was too scared even to try to cross the bridge. What if the bridge couldn’t carry the weight of car? Or if the bridge is safe enough, would I be able to cross the bridge safely?
Rahul is right; I cannot even take a smooth start. And god knows what this road across the stream leads to. Would I ever be able to find my way out or reach my destination?
All these thought, left me hyperventilating. I couldn’t feel my legs, so I wrapped my arms around me and sat at the place where I was standing. I was losing it so I took a deep breath, willing myself into composure.
And then I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was the woman. I looked up, her touch; her eyes were so familiar and warm. She reminded me of someone, I don’t know who, someone very close to me.
And then I felt better, I really don’t know how but her eyes always make me feel better. So, I got up and braced myself on the steering wheel.
The man came near, smiled and said, “Be careful and Drive safe.”
I returned his gesture and replied, “I’ll try.”
Then I took a deep breath, started the engine, slowly accelerated and next thing I knew, I crossed the bridge.
Joy, sheer happiness was all I knew at that moment. I drove very carefully for more than an hour or so through that dirt road. The path was not easy but even I was very careful, desperately hoping that sooner or later I’ll find my way out.
And then I saw a signboard with directions for Shimla.
“I found my way.”
Suddenly I was startled by the phone ring. I stopped the car; the display screen of phone was blank.
“Hello”
“So, you found your way out of the darkness.”
I hesitated for a while and then replied, “Yes”
I recognised the voice; it was the same caller whose call I attended before my father’s call.
“How do you know about all of this?”
“Well, I know everything. I am GOD.” I don’t know why but I believed him.
“If you knew everything, then why didn’t you help me in the very first place? Why did you let all this happen?
I was hurt, alone, knew nothing and was scared to death, then why didn’t you do anything?”
“But you managed all right, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did. But” I didn’t know what else to say.
“This is what life is all about. You do some things, sometimes you don’t do anything, you decide on some things, and you work on other things.”
“What are you saying? How does this explains what I have gone through?”
“Ok let me explain you in this way child.” I straightened up.
“You daily cry yourself to sleep, feeling angry and betrayed, that no one understands you. But you know the reason behind all your problems. Do you ever try understand to understand others perspectives or positions?
I sighed and said, “Yes I know, it’s me, my ignorance’s.”
“You decided to drive yourself against your father’s wish though you knew that you are that much comfortable with driving.
You had enough time in the world to practice your driving skills, but instead you decided to sulk about the fact that you cannot drive. You wasted your time to put blame on others for your incompetence.
You couldn’t take criticism well, like you increased the speed of the car without thinking that whether it is right or wrong.”
Those were all your decisions and mistakes that made you end up in that cold and dark place. But you still had people there, people who care too much about you to leave you alone, no matter how much big mistakes you made.
Don’t they remind you of someone, someone very important in your life?”
And then all of a sudden I realized why the man and his wife in the woods were so familiar, “My Parents!”
“These people want you to try, they want you to be independent, want you to live and know life, no matter how hard the path is, how scared you are and how much pain you are in. Because they know, all this struggle and pain will make you competent and strong.”
“They want you to try.”
And I could see sun rising, removing the darkness.
My eyes flew open; I lay in my warm bed with my cell phone in hand for several minutes, trying to process everything.
Was it a dream?
The sky outside my window was clear and beautiful. I walked past the drawing room, when I heard Rahul calling me, “How come you are up so early? And where are you going?”
I smiled and replied, “For Driving Practice.”