Part 1
In the sylvan locales of a hilly station "Panchgani" on an unexpectedly rainy and cold night, where a stranger to the town was stuck in the lashing rain and thunderstorm with a and no help at hand and the entire town was dispersed in darkness.
God-damnit...is Car ko bhi abhi kharab hona tha'π‘π‘π‘ ..Main Bangalore kabhi time par nahin pahunch paaongaπ‘π‘ meri flight miss ho jaayegi...aur kal Delhi mein Board Members ke saath meeting bhi hai.ππ‘... I have got to call up Rakesh and inform him...magar is Jungle mein phone toh door, door door tak koi insaan bhi nazar nahin aa raha hai.".π ..I shudn't have come here in first place upar se yeh Barish how i Hate Rains π‘π‘
The stranger was new to Panchgani, it was his first visit here and so was his irritation with things going wrong for him since the beginning, that he swore to himself that he won't keep his foot in this "crummy little town" ever again in his life as he kept trying to get the Carburator working, but to no avail, as he could barely see anything in the pitch darkness and the constant downpour of rain, which chilled his bones.
As man looked around to see if he could get any help, he banged the Bonnet of his swanky Car with frustration π‘π‘π‘ and exasperation and went and sat inside the Car to smoke his umpteenth cigarette and kept muttering something to himself in anger.π‘π‘
"This is too much, main yahan baithe baithe toh kuch nahin kar sakta, mujhe zara utar kar dekhna hoga, yahan koi phone ya help milega ya nahin. ....only if i had send some1 else from my office here...in this stupid crumpy place π‘π‘
The stranger flicked off his cigarette with a casual arrogance which seemed second nature to him...π³π³. placing his hand over his head, tried to make his way through the pitch darkness of the road, where his Car had broken down.
Thankfully the rain had begun slowing up a bit and now it was drizzling, but the cold was literally seeping through his bones now. As the stranger kept walking, slowly and cautiously, he came to stop near a huge wroght iron gate and as he lit switched on his cell... which was only serving as a weak source of light now, since there was no connection in this god-forsaken place, he tried to make sense of the name plate which was hung in a derelict condition outside the gate. "B-E... No its V-e'"
The stranger wondered once more and rubbed the lining of moss that covered the name-plate and getting his now steadily dimming Cell-phone closer to the name plate, he could finally make out the name-plate with clarity. "Verma's. Oh Verma?"
The stranger stood up and smirked for a while wondering if these Verma's could help him out and proceeded to open the rusty, creaking iron gate, giving a surreal ghostly feel to the Stranger, who felt pretty weird walking into some stranger's house, but dire circumstances required dire actions and the stranger was more than used to them.
As his tall figure gingerly made his way across the lush green, wet garden, which looked unkempt and wild to his eyes, he saw a small yet a typical hill-type cottage, which like the rest of the town was immersed in an eeriry darkness, only lit by a small night-lamp which hung precariously in the Verandah of the house, swining in the cold air which were now jamming the stranger's muscles and every possible tissue of his body.
As the stranger huddled himself with his arms and came near to the cottage, he hesitated for a while and thought to himself, "Pata nahin koi ghar par hai bhi ya nahin' .aur agar koi hai, toh kya sochega'.Choti jagah hai, yahan ke log pata nahin kaise hote hai'."
And suddenly the stranger felt an urge to turn back and go to his Car and wait for dawn to arise, but as he looked at the glowing neon lights of his expensive Cartier watch... he saw that it was only 8 Pm in the evening and he realized that if he did not die of the ever increasing cold, he would surely die of hunger by the time it was morning.
"Koi hai? Koi ghar par hai? Hello''π'" The stranger's deep-throated and masculine voice called out loudly, as he stood near the glass door of the house through which he could barely see anything and again repeated the knocking, this time a trifle loudly and called out again, "Maina kaha, koi ghar pe hai kya? Is someone there?" ππ
As the stranger looked a little irritated and mumbled to himself that this was the unluckiest day for him... π‘π‘ with everything going wrong since morning... he had left for Delhi after a bitter verbal duel with his girlfriend... π‘π‘π‘ whom he did not wish to even remember right now and then he had almost missed his plane to Bangalore... π‘ only to arrive and discover that his Car had been waiting for him at the Airport but the Driver had been taken ill π‘π‘π‘ and hence, he had to drive all the way to Panchgani,π‘π‘ one of his many resort he owns in his hotel chain business...With his largely expanded business he hardly has visited many of his resorts...& this resort in Panchgani... been a place he had never been before.
He had reached late for the Take-over meeting and had hastily concluded the same, with the deal swinging in the opposite party's favour π‘π‘π‘ something which had never happened to the Stranger before and if this was not enough, his Car had broken down and he was caught up in a nasty storm while on his way back to Bangalore to catch his return flight to Delhi . "What a god-damn place, so unlucky'π‘π‘'Not one thing went right'.I am never stepping here again.π‘π‘π‘"
He had mentioned this to himself several times since he had landed here and now as he stood, drenched and shivering, with no response coming from this haunted looking house, he lit another cigarette and cursing softly under his breath, stopped for a while in the Portico to finish his cigarette and then go back to his Car.
"Please apna cigarette bhuja dijiey, mujhe dhunein se allergy hai."
As the stranger looked startled and surprised... he turned back to see the dim vision of someone... partly hiding behind the door and partly looking out at the stranger with fear and trepidation. As the stranger tried to look at the figure in the dim light of the lamp which alighted the Portico, he could make out that it was a young girl who had just spoken to him, a teenager perhaps, she looked like a frightened rabbit who had just seen the King of the Jungle ππ and was dressed in what seemed like old-house clothes, but very neat and had her waist lenth hair in two plaits which hung on her slender shoulders.
As the stranger extinguished his cigarette and threw it outside, he kept looking at that girl, her bright eyes shining even in the dimness of the night.
Stranger-- Woh'..Actually meri Car khabab ho gayi, aur mera Cell phone bhi kaam nahin kar raha'..Mujhe ek phone karna tha'.Tumhare ghar pe koi aur hai, tumhare Papa, Mummmy'.Koi bada Bhai?"
(The stranger looked very uncomfortable, realizing how odd it must have looked for that young, frail, waifish girl standing in front of him, wondering who this man is.)
Girl--Ghar pe koi bhi nahin hai, mera Mummy Papa Panchgani ke bahar gaye hue hai, aur meri behen school trip par gayi hui hai."
The girl said, now not looking so sacred, but with a shyness and hesitancy in her voice.
But it was now the stranger's turn to look scared, not only had he ended up landing in a new town , on a storm-lashed, dark night, he had ended up in a house, where there was a young teenaged girl all alone.
The stranger did not know what to say or react and stood wondering and then hesitatingly, but with a twing of humor in his voice said,
"Tum is bhoot bangle mein akeli hoππ , tumhare Papa Mummy tumhein akele chod kar kaise chale gaye?π
As the girl kept staring at him, with her sparkling dark brown eyes, a small smile lit up her face and she answered back confidently also with a little pride,
"Yeh bhoot bangla nahin hai, mera ghar hai, aur mujhe akele bilkul dar nahin lagta, poora Panchgani mere apne ghar jaisa hai
The stranger had to smile at the innocence and confidence in the girl's voice and let out a short, warm laughter and said now a little casually,
"Kya main tumhare Bhoot Bangle ka 'π oops Mera matlab tumhare Ghar ka phone use kar sakta hoon? Mujhe Delhi call karna hai."
The girl had now come out and as the stranger looked at her more carefully, he saw a youngish, tall and thin girl with a wheatish complexion and a rather cute , innocent face, but it was her eyes which took him aback for a moment . Even in the darkness, they seemed to shine like a pair of bright candles; a lucid brown,beautiful eyes ... eyes set in a very pretty and sober looking face. "Must be Veer's age'..maybe a year or two younger." π
Thought the stranger as the girl opened the door of her house for him and he followed her with a slight consternation.
As the girl led him inside the darkened hall, she told him to wait as she went and lit a couple of candles in then mantle-piece and a corner of the room alighted brightly and the stranger looked at a slightly run-down, but rambling room, which had some very old, tattered furniture, some stuffed toys lying in a corner, a couple of photographs on the mantle-piece and some other knick-knacks lying.
The stranger looked at them and suddenly remembered his palatial, almost palace like home which had the most expensive and exquisite curious from around the place scattered around the whole house.
As the girl lifted the phone and kept jabbing at it for sometime, she looked back at the stranger and in a very apologetic tone said, "I am sorry, lagta hai phone dead ho gaya' .π...Dial tone nahin hai'.Shayad Baarish ki wajah se."
The stranger wanted to curse his luck again, but refrained from any temper display, not wanting to scare off his benevolent host and just shrugged his head. "Not my day I guess . But thanks, tumnain help toh offer kiya. πππ Kuch nahin hota, meri gaadi bahar hai, main usi mein wait kar leta hoon, kal subah dekhte hai kya karna hai."ππ
As the stranger smiled back warmly at the girl and made his way back to the front door, she called out from behind hesitatingly, "Suniye'ππ .Agar aapko koi problem nahin hai toh aap raat yahan guzar sakte hai'ππ ..baarish phir se shuru ho gayi hai, aur yahan raat ko bahut thand ho jaati hai, aap subah tak yahan ruk saktein hai, shayad phone bhi theek ho jaaye."ππ
The stranger stopped in his tracks and looked very unsure for a moment, he desperately wanted to stay in the warmth of the house and would have killed to have a cup of tea, but how could he spend the night in a strange house with young girl for company, he wondered what to say or do.
"Actually'..Woh'..Thanks a lot by the way.π Main thodi der ruk jaata hoon, jab baarish band ho jaayegi, toh main apni Car main wapas chala jaaonga. I hope that is alright."ππ
The girl just nodded and went inside somewhere in the darkness as the stranger sat on the sunken sofa and ruffled his wet hair and relaxed his almost broken back a bit.
"Chai." stranger opened his eyes with a start and looked up , the girl was standing a few feets apart from him, with a Cup of Tea in her hands and a towel in the other.
Stranger-- "Thanks'ππ ..Thank you so much'.Tumhe takleef karne ki koi zaroorat nahin thi waise.
The stranger smiled at the girl as he greedily took the steaming cup of tea from her hands and almost burned his mouth while gulping it.
"Wow'.Tum toh bahut acchi Chai bana leti ho'.bilkul meri Massi jaisi."
As the girl kept standing and handed over the towel, she asked curiously, "Massi?"π
The stranger had finished the Tea and was feeling much better, he looked at her again and smiled broadly and said,
"Haan, meri Massiππ'.Chandigarh mein rehti hain, woh jab bhi mere ghar aati hain, toh main unhi se apne liye Chai banvaata hoon."
The girl smiled back --Toh aapki wife ko bura nahin lagta?
The stranger looked taken aback and burst out laughing and after a moment πππ---"Wife hoti toh bura lagta na? πMeri shaadi nahin hui."
The girl looked embarrassed as she realized she shouldn't have spoken too much and then for a while both of them lapsed into silence.
As the stranger dryed his hair, he looked around at the random photo frames adorning the mantle piece, and he could only make out a vague outline of a family of four in them and not able to see the picturs clearly. "Yeh, tumhari family ki photographs hain?"π remarked the stranger, keen to say something and remove the awkwardess of the situation
The girl who had now been trying to do something in her notebook by the dim light of the Candle looked up and a warm smile spread her face -- "Haan'Mere Papa, Meri Mummy aur hum do behene."
The stranger's face also lit up with a smile as he noticed the gleam of pride and love in the girl's voice as she spoke about her family and suddenly the lonliness of his own life suddenly filled his heart as a sad, forelone look came on his face.
Girl-- Aapke ghar mein kaun hai? (closing her notebook and looking up at the stranger with interest ).
Stranger (casually)-- 6 naukar, 3 driver, 2 maali, 2 cook, 4 guards and 1 Butler
The girl kept staring at him as the stranger broke out laughing to be joined the girl also and she said, "Baap re, π²itne saare log'.π²π.ek ghar mein? Mera matlab tha aapke parivaar mein aur kaun hain?"
Stranger smiled wanly -- "Meri badi behen hai, uske pati hai, jo mere bachpan ka dost hai, aur uski maa bhi, jinhein mein beeji bulata hoon. Aur meri behen ke teen bacche, tumhare hi umar ke honge takreeban."
The girl now looked curious and excited and said, "Aur aapke Mummy Papa?"
Stranger-- Unhein guzre hue bahut saal ho gaye hain."π
The girl was silence as she looked at the stranger for some time and felt sad at the look of lonliness on his face
Suddenly she asked-- "Aapko Statistics aate hain? ππ
Stranger--"Kya? statistics? π
The stranger was surprised then smiled jovially and took the notebook from her hand and placing it delicately near the Candle light, he gave one look at the equation the girl had been attempting and shrugging his head in the manner only grown-up do when they are addressing a child's problem, he grinned and quickly finished the equation for her.
Stranger-- "Yeh Lo, tumhar jawabπ . Tumnein Mean ki value galat nikala tha, isi liye tumhara answer galat aa raha tha.ππ
As the girl took the notebook back from the stranger, her face now filled with awe, she remarked, "wow aapne toh itni jaldi solve kar diya Lagta hai, aap Maths mein bahut acche hain' .Main kab se yeh equation lekar baithi thi, magar mujhse ho nahin raha tha. Thanks a lot."
Stranger a little boastfully "Maine Finance mein MBA kiya hai, Maths is my field of expertise."π
As the girl looked at him a trifle amused at his boastfulness, she could not help but smiling at the stranger who seemed to have infused sudden warmth and cheerfulness in the dreary darkness of the cold, wet night that had left her lonely in the house.
As the stranger drifed to sleep, he was awakened sometime later, with a waft of freshly cooked food filling his sense and he woke up with a start and looked around the strange surroundings and it took him a while to realize that he was in someone's house in this non-descript small hilly town!
"Aap khana kahan lenge? Sofa mein ya Dining Table par?"
Stranger rubbed his eyes and looked at the place from where the sound was coming, he saw the girl coming out from a room which might have been a kitchen and was holding some dish in her hand as she placed it neatly on the old, wooden dining table in one corner of the room.
Stranger got up and went near her "Tumhein khana banana ki koi zaroorat nahin thi. Waise bhi tum nein meri help ki hai, I think I should go now, shaayad baarish band ho gayi hogi."π
As the stranger went near the glass window and looked out in the pitch darkness, he noticed to his dismay, that the outpour had only increased and he heard the girl remark, "Aap roti lenge ya chaawal?"
The stranger looked back the girl and did not whether to laugh or just grin and he sent and plopped himself on the chair, which seemed to give away anytime and said, "Kuch bhi khila dijiye. Aap ka ghar hai, Aap ne khana banaya hai, mein aapka mehmaan hoon aur aap meri mezbaan ."ππ
The girl laughed and went inside the kitchen and came out after some a moment holding a Hot-box in her hand and placed a steaming, hot chappati onto the Stranger's plate, as he looked up and noticed the girl once more , "How strangely mature she looks for her age, doesn't seem more than 16-17 ...she must be only a few years older than Khushi , maybe Veer's age'.but there is something so grown up about her."
As the ravished stranger piled his plate with the simple but delicious dinner, he ate more than he usually did and as he licked the last morsel of the Daal, he remarked,"Maine itne waqt ke baad, itne dil se khana khaya hai. Really, you are a fantastic cook?"πππ
Girl clearing the table-- "Aapke ghar ke 2 Cooks se bhi accha?" π
Stranger laughted back πππ--"Haan, un se bhi accha' .Infact, maine is se accha khana sirf apni Massi ke haathon ka bana khaya hai. "
The girl blushed in the dark and cleared away the table.
As the stranger again went to the battered old sofa and sat there, he stared out of the window, only to hear the sound of rain falling relentlessly on the roof and he shaked his head in frustration and then again looked at his young rescuer dedicatedly clearing the table and arranging the place.
The stranger kept staring at her in the darkness, her slim, slight form moving around with a practiced patience, her hands deft and controlled and her eyes''such eyes'.. there was a rare sparkle in them, an honesty he had not seen before in anyone, an innocence which looked untouched and pure, a confidence which belied her tender age'..a smile lit up the stranger's face as he had an urget to smoke, but decided against it.
Getting bored he walked upto the Mantle piece and tried to see the pictures, the Candles on the Mantlepiece had almost extinguished and he could just make out hazy outlines of a middle-aged couple, and two girls.
The stranger smiled and thought to himself, a perfect, happy family, full of love and warmth'.. and then his eyes fell a greeting card that was kept aside and without thinking much, he picked it up and opened it'
"Wishing a darling daughter and the best sister in the World a very Happy 18th Birthday, Princess'..With Love, Papa, Mummy, & Nidhi" June 16th 2005
As the stranger kept staring at the Card and then looked back at his host, who had again gone back to the kitchen, he wondered for a while and kept the Card back again and went and sat in the Sofa.
Stranger-- Really Princess,you are a fantastic cook, meri girlfriend ko toh paani bhi ubalna nahin aata." The stranger called out from the Sofa merrily and laughed on his own joke,
Girl--Girlfriend? Unka naam kya hai?"
Stranger laughed a little more "Mishti ...Mishti Chopra'.Magar usmein Mithas jaisi koi baat nahin hai...πππ
The girl did not look very amused with the Stranger making fun of his own girlfriend, but he looked very amused and kept laughing.
Girl--Aap un se bhi aisa hi mazak kartein hain, unhein bura nahin lagta?(The girl kept talking from the Kitchen)
Stranger--Who cares? Use meri baton ka bura nahin lagta, mujhe uski baton ka bura nahin lagta'.We really don't care for each other you see... ...
girl kept quiet for some time and came out with a Tray in her hand, she said, "Toh woh aapki Girlfriend kaise hui? Kya aap unse'..Pyaar nahin karte?
The Stranger smiled in the dark at the girl who sounded truly appalled and intrigued by the lack of emotion in the Stranger's voice while talking about his so-called Girlfriend and said almost in a whisper
Pyar''Hota kya hai Pyaar?ππ Magar joh bhi hota hai, woh mere man mein Mishti ke liye nahin hai, and as far as I know, uske man mein bhi mere liye yeh so-called Pyaar nahin hain. ...hum dono ke dad ache dost hai...hum dono bachpan se saath hai...ek hi school ...ek hi college gaye...guess ab hume adat hogayi ek dusre ki so its just (he left rest unsaid)
The girl handed over a steaming cup of Coffee
Stranger-- Lagta hai, tumahre ghar mein kabhi koi mehmaan nahin aate, isiliye saari khatirdari mere liye chodi di hai."πππ
Girl smiled shyly and took a place some distance away from her guest "Ma kehti hai, Athithi Devo Bhav'.Mehmaan bhagwaan ka doosra roop hota hai, pata nahin nar ke roop mein kab naryaan ghar aajaye.
Stranger broke out laughing loudly -π€£ - "Young Lady, aapko yeh jaan kar khushi hogi, naa mein bhagwaan hoon aur nahi narayan.
Girl looked at her Guest, she spoke with a little hesitancy but with an inner conviction-- "Phir main surely keh sakti hoon, ki aapki Girlfriend woh nahin hai, jise bhagwaan nein aapke liye chuna hai, woh jab aap ki zindagi mein aayegi, tab aap ko pata chalega, ke yeh Pyaar kya hota hai. ππ
The stranger kept gazing at the girl and then broken out laughing loudly and kept laughing for some time and then in between his mirthful laughter said,
"I can't belive this'πππ Main is andheri, sunsaan, baarish waali raat mein, ek Bhoot Bangle mein, ek 17 saal ki ladki oops sorry 18 saal ki ladki se apne Love Life par discussions kar rahoon hoon. This is priceless."π
As the girl lapsed back into silence, amused, embarrassed and completely taken in by her charming guest, they kept looking at one another in the darkness of the room, only lit by the flickering lights of the now extinguishing Candles.
After a momentary lapse of silence, stranger softly,--That reminds me , wish you many, many Happy Returns of the Day'ππ .Darling Daughter and the Best sister in the World."
The girl was so stunned for a momentπ²π² that the Cup of Coffee almost fell from her hands and then as she kept staring at the stranger, both of them begin laughing jovially.
Girl --"Aapne woh Mantlepiece par rakha hua Birthday Card Pad liya?"
Stranger (a little embarrassed and nodded his head)-- I am sorry, usually mein itna curious nahin hota hoon, π magar aaj pata nahin kyon, subah se sab kuch ajeeb hi ho raha hai. Waise janamdin ki bahut mubarak ho tumhein. πππ
The girl thanked him gratefully and then suddenly her mood changed and she became a little somber. The stranger looked at her, not with pity but with a sort of empathy you feel for a friend and remarked
"Tumhein bura lag raha hain na, ki aaj tumhare Birthday par tumhare Parents, tumhari behan nahin hai? Kabhi Kabhi aisa ho jaata hai, hum jo chahte hain, hume woh nahin milta'.. Magar, hey, no problems'..We will do a small celebration here, right now.
The girl looked startled and embarrassed and said that it was alright and that her family will be back tomorrow and she will celebrate with them then.
Stranger(enthusiastically) "Ghar mein koi mithai hai? Kuch bhi, Barfi, Ladoo'.anything?"
Girl--Main subah mandir gayi thi, wahan ke Prasad ka ek ladoo pada hua hai'.Laoon?" π
Stranger(eagerly) "Haan Haan, Chalega'.Waise mujhe Ladoo bahut pasand hain!"
The girl hid her grin and in an amused way, went inside and after a while very hesitantingly got a small Ladoo placed precariously on a plate and as she placed it on the centre table, the stranger, in an excited, almost child-like way, stuck a used candle which was lying on the Mantlepiece on to the sweet and lit it in one strike.
Stranger --"Mujhe kya dekh rahi ho, ππ Birthday tumhara hai ya mera' ππ .Ab is chotte se Ladoo mein 18 Candles toh jala nahin sakte isiliye ek se hi kaam chalna padega'Come on blow it."ππ
As the girl looked at the stranger, her eyes suddenly felt moist and she felt a little jittery, "Hey bhagwaan mein yeh kya kar rahin hoon? Ghar par koi bhi nahin hai, mein akeli is sunsaan, aandhi aur baarish waali raat mein, ek ajnabi ke saath''magar pata nahin kyon, inhe dekhte hi, ek ajeeb sa vishwaas man mein aaya'.."
As the girl kept looking at the stranger who stared back at her and prodded her to blow the Candle, she smiled shyly to herself and proceeded to blow the Candle and cut the Ladoo into two pieces as the stranger clapped gleefully and sang "Happy Birthday to you Young Lady with no name" with so much enthusiasam that the girl almost forgot stranger sang so out of tune ππ and laughed her head off, laughed as she had never laughed before, so much that her eyes filled with tears and she stared crying, racking with sobs. "
Stranger-- Arre kya hua'..Hey Princess? What happened? Tum ro kyon rahi ho, kya maine itna bura gaya?" π
The stranger looked extremely concerned and immediately went near the girl and sat with her, placing his hand tenderly on her shoulder, for the first time even coming so close to her.
The girl stopped crying and looked up at the Stranger, it was almost close to midnight now that the Stranger had been with her, but it was the first time, she actually looked at his face' .He was what her younger sister Nidhi would describe as, "Devilishly Hansdome"π³π³π³ and the girl immediately blushed with this thought and looked the other way, as the stranger paused awkwardly and moved his hand away from her shoulder and asked her again,
Stranger--What happened? Tum royi kyon?π
The girl just nodded her head and said nothing and then they were both immersed in silence, and she spoke up,
"Mujhe aaj bahut akela lag raha tha, yeh mera pehla birthday hai, jab ghar par koi bhi nahin hai, kisi ne mujhe phone kar ke wish bhi nahin kiya π phone jo dead hai 'π ..aur aapne mere liye yeh Birthday Cake, Birthday song''Bas mujhe itna accha laga, ki rona aa gaya."π
The stranger didn't know what to say for a moment and then taking one half of the Ladoo stuffed it into the girl's mouth and jovially retorted,
"Chalo, isi bahane tumhien yeh ajeeb si mulakat toh yaad rahegi aur yeh ajnabi bhi'.ππ .main toh is raat ko aur tumhein kabhi nahin bhool paoonga'π .."
As the stranger stuffed his mouth with the now stale Ladoo, licking his finger with pleasure and sat on the Couch again, the girl kept looking at the stranger and thought to herself, "Main yeh raat poori zindagi bhar yaad rakhoongi aur aap ko bhi''"
"Lagta hai baarish thamne ka naam hi nahin le rahi hai' ππ ..ab itni der toh ho chuki hai, main yahin Couch par so jaata hoon, tum apne kamre me jaakar so jao, aur andar se darvaaza band kar lena."π
As the girl looked on unblinkingly at the Stranger, he pulled himself long on the Couch and almost immediately dozed off.π₯±π₯±
The girl kept staring at him for some time, ...then disappeared into her room and came out after a while with a blanket and very softy and quietly covered the Stranger with her favourite Blanket and sat on a Couch opposite to where the Stranger was sleeping and as far as she could remember, spent the rest of the night looking at his dark, slouched form resting peacefully on the Couch.π
The girl did not know when she woke up, but the clear, bright rays of Sunlight filtered into the Living room and hit her eyes and she woke up rubbing them lazily and then all of a sudden jumped out of the Couch and looked around frantically. ππ
It all seemed like a magical dream to her, the Prince who came,π³π³π³ conquered her young heart and vanished' π ..
The Stranger was nowhere to be found as the girl practically ran out to the Garden and swing open the gates, but his Car was also not there. πππ
The girl walked back... dazed and in a kind of stupor, wondering if the entire episode of the night before was nothing but the figment of her young mind.
...to be continued... ππ
Index
Part 1...pg 1
part ...pg 4
55