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"Great! Just what I was looking forward to in this godforsaken rain drenched place!" I muttered angrily as the blizzard roared around me.
Here I am all drenched in rain from head to toe, jobless, might be rendered homeless too and to add to my woes, my ancient maruti 500 that has probably been passed down to me after it has endured a rough ride from God knows how many idiots has betrayed me yet again on this horrendous night. I had left it back there where it was dozing off in a muddy puddle whereas I was looking for a lift in the dead of a rainy night. This is what one would call heights of optimism looking for a ray of hope in dire situations I suppose. I might as well wait for the rain to die down. I was left with no other choice though and I was pretty sure that nobody in their right sense of mind would think of stealing my car. I was sure it wouldn't fetch them a penny if they tried to sell it and come to think it, its maintenance would cost more than what you would shell out on a brand new car.
Meanwhile I ran towards the underpass of a bridge which seemed to be my only shelter at the moment. I shook my hairs out and pushed them back. When I reached there to my surprise I realised I was not alone after all. I had company I thought wryly.
"Hello?" I called out to her but she didn't bother to reply. She had her back to me and her curly hairs were swaying about wildly caught in the storm but she seemed to be least perturbed by her surroundings.
Well good for me. Silence suits me better than words anyways. I leaned against the wall, pulling the jacket tighter around me. My teeth were chattering from the cold and I rubbed my hands in an attempt to warm up. Just when I was wondering if she was deaf or mute she broke the silence that we had lapsed into ever since she didn't bother to reply to me earlier on.
"I suppose you lost your way just like the others," she said in a husky voice.
Her voice in itself was enticing. Sort of inviting, alluring even. She wanted to play along, well I suppose two could play this game at a time. Anything to kill time here on a stormy night stuck under the bridge.
"Well you could spend all your life is this decrepit town but you'd be bound to find yourself lost on a night such as this," I replied back. She still hadn't changed her position. Dude was she for real? She'd surely wake up with a sore body if she continued to stand like that for long I thought rolling my eyes.
"And that doesn't bother you?"
"Getting lost? Nah that's the least of my worries at the moment," I replied snorting. Right now I envy this chick. All she is concerned about is being stranded whereas the only thing running in my mind is to go out for another interview tomorrow for a mundane job and secure my house.
"Well you never really know. When one moment could change everything in our lives, we can never fathom what this night holds for us."
Phew whether any other person gets lost or not, this one surely has lost her marbles.
"The worse that can happen right now is that you might be run over by a speeding truck if you are on the highway or worse if you are stuck in this jungle," I shrugged my shoulders and added, "a tree might snap off and land right there on your head."
She gave a soft chuckle which sounded beautiful and eerie at the same time.
"You think death is the worst thing fate can dish out at you?"
"You think there's anything that's worse than death out there?"
She didn't reply for a moment and after a long moment she turned to face me for the first time in the fifteen minutes we had been stranded here under the bridge. Lightning struck the skies above and for a brief moment I caught sight of her face. Only three words escaped from my mouth - "Oh My God!"
A face I knew would be embedded in my mind forever, a face that any photographer would love to capture in the lens of his SLR cameras, a face that would haunt me forever.
Note: Guys, we will not be posting the Character Sketch as the characters will unfold as the story progresses 😊
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