Taurean Ben

I was getting late. Usually I don't, but today I couldn't open my eyes early. At night I couldn't sleep early for I thought for the whole night, what I did the day before was wrong or right.

As soon as I could, I rushed to the bus stop, the bus had already arrived and was leaving. In fear of being left behind, I started off running as fast as I could behind it. "I need to get into the bus at any cost."

By good luck something made the bus to stop, and I could reach up to it...  I had ran and yelled hard enough to get tired.

Inside the bus, all the way to the campus, I thought of what I did yesterday. "May I shouldn't have done that. But i couldn't control my feelings."

Reaching the campus, everything was normal. "Give me those notes" someone was shouting.

It rained a bit too heavily that day. We enjoyed the rain until the class was over. But later, by no means we could return home.

The whole building was surrounded by water. The vehicles were half buried in them. Waiting was the only option we had, but question was until when? The rain didn't seem to slow.

Almost half an hour passed staring the rain falling in the dark night. I was watching the raindrops passing close to the street lights and wondering aimlessly when she said-  "Let's walk. "

Before i could think she took off her heels, and put on her bag over her shoulder. That was a real get set go sign... I asked again " Are you sure?"

She turned around and started walking. Her foot splashed in the water. I had no choice but to follow her.

We had met only a few days ago, and i barely knew her. I didn't even know her name. But now we were walking side by side, touching each other, introducing under a small umbrella in the heavy rain.

We talked about our pasts, and families. She already had been to London, and was planning for Germany. I was feeling inferior in front her, but i never revealed it.

"Do you like rain so much?" I asked

"I like much than u do." She giggled revealing her wonderful smile.

" U choose to walk. I couldn't help myself following you. U are going to get cold tomorrow " , I sounded conscious.

"Why did you follow me?" She queried.

Well i had no one else to follow except...."ouch!!!!!" she slipped off on the ground. The rain had carried the mud off to the side of the roads which made the paths slippery.

She had a hard landing. I instantaneously grabbed her and pulled her up. I didn't knew whether to laugh...or what to do next.... Only thing i could utter was telling her to sit on the stairs in the sidewalk of a building.

She was in pain and i could feel her pain, like it was myself. We sat on the nearby stairs for a few minutes when i tried my best to keep her relaxed Though I was admiring her pretty face all the time.

Are you ok ? - I uttered... But she only stared at me.. vaguely..... without a word. Her eyes sparkled in the rain lit streetlight and i could almost see myself in them.

The wind was pleasant. Our kites were swinging cheerfully up above in the distant horizon. We had been thrashing our kites with others. It was quite fun attacking others kites and bringing them off. It was a war with just a winder in hands.

The gradually increasing wind revealed its cruelty and our string collapsed. The large green kite in the sky went out of control. We chased our floating and gravitating kite far, running ups and downs. Minutes later it settled, on the twigs of a tree.

Although the tree was tall, it was branched and likely to be easier to climb. Some crows were sitting up in one of the branches. The kite too was visible and we desperately wanted it, so one of the guy attempted to go up.

He had climbed just a few inches, when the crows started to craw louder. Ignoring it, he continued. But every inch he climbed, the sound got louder and more of the crows flew in. Till he reached halfway to the kite, the sound was intolerable. A murder of crows had gathered in the branches at the top.

Staring up from the ground, we were already terrified. We had failed to notice that there was a crow's nest one of the branch above. Probably there were eggs or baby birds in the nest, and that's why the crows were offended.

Feeling the threat, we shouted our friend to climb down hurriedly. But it was already late. Few of the birds flied over him and tucked in his head with their beaks.

He rapidly started climbing down with fear, when few more birds arrived and clawed him. Helpless in the ground, we waited with pebbles in our hand. The birds attacked him until he was near to ground and then flew. He had wounds on his head where the crows struck. Before we could throw stones at them, the flied off in varied directions.

That's when the unity of crows was revealed. when they felt the danger, they didn't wait and watch, but fought together. There is much to learn from them.

A night travel by train had made us sick. We had traveled far south from the country into the capital of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The super hot and humid climate of Lucknow had feverishly welcomed us. The rays of sun would almost penetrate inside the skin.

After seeing the doctor at Indira Gandhi Eye Hospital and Research Centre, which was our primary purpose... we had no desire of staying longer in Lucknow.

The day ahead was already a burden for us, as the return vehicles were available only on the following day.

Hungry as hell, we started looking for something to eat. The street foods were pretty much popular in Lucknow. In hope of finding something really delicious, we settled at a stall.

The sight of fresh made puri and pickles watered our mouths. So without delay we got it for ourselves. Hunger got mixed with chili, spicy pickles and fresh food. It didn't took much time to be devoured.

At the mid-day we ended up at train station, searching for tickets if available by chance. But luck wasn't on our side.

There was something else that was troubling us more than the heat and frustration of not getting a ticket.

The food we had eaten had already started to bubble in our stomachs. And both of us were desperately in need to excrete. Unable to find sanitized washrooms in there, we headed towards the other building of the station.

We had found the lavatory, but were like the previous, already rotting with the feces all over. The relatively cleaner ones didn't had doors. And the ones which had, didn't had the locks in them. The torment inside stomach was already intolerable.

Panicked by the bowels and beaten by luck, both of us found our ways inside and expelled the burden in absolute agony. There always was a threat of someone entering the hand held doors. Furthermore, the chilli we had consumed had played its part and it felt like lava oozing out of a crater.

Despite the circumstances, at the end it was an absolute relief.

A lesson of life was learnt that day. 
At unknown places beware of what you eat... You can hold on to the hunger, but can't hold on to your shit.