Once Upon A Storm

By Sanjanaa Bathija

Her eyes are like big wide saucers filled with melted caramel. They twinkle with excitement as the bright white balloon sways in the breeze. Not sure if the balloon or she is in more shock when it suddenly pops! She skitters, takes a few steps back and looks around to see if anyone witnessed the terrifying spectacle. Nobody? A tad disappointed, she shakes her head, jiggling her little pigtails tied with stiff white ribbons, the exact shade of her exploded balloon. She looks up at the space where the balloon did its disappearing act, and is instantly distracted by the dramatic play the clouds are putting up. Just a second ago, they were like fluffy white cotton, but are now getting sooty black and moving at a visibly faster pace across the sky. The sun rimmed clouds hold her mesmerised.

Splotch! A large drop blinds her in one eye and before she can react it becomes a sharp barrage of drops that sting her delicate baby-like skin. With a yelp of pain, she covers her eyebrows with little pudgy hands and crosses the tarred street to the cobbled stone path that’s blessed with a large arched roof.

Her lithe frame is trembling, her little pinafore soaking wet yet flapping with gusto thanks to the accompanying stormy wind. She looks frail enough to fly away like a hapless bit of paper, yet the eyes are full of life and strength - giving her an almost ethereal glow.

Rajat crumpled and threw the soggy newspaper that had held his lunch - chutney lathered masala cucumber slices. He tossed it in the drain and watched it determinedly flow away - untethered by the piece of shining tin, vegetable peels, colourful snack wrappers and various other unidentifiable debris. As he wiped his hands, adding a streak of fresh deep green to an already discoloured and myriad stained torn t-shirt, he shuffled across to Arnav and Chirag. They were both sipping from a single can of Coke, guffawing over some either silly or ribald joke, and frothing from their mouth and nostrils in the process. Hopefully there was a last sip for him. He needed to wash away the sharp spice burn off his tongue. Boy, was he lucky, he glugged a full 3 sips of the sugary fizz!

Splish, splosh! The big drops came down in a barrage and the ragged threesome ran across the culvert to the stone building with the arched corridor. They landed in a heap of tangled limbs, accompanied by loud unintelligible sounds, much like any bunch of unruly and unsupervised 13 year old boys would. As the storm grew stronger and drowned out their nonsense, the boys in contrast, sobered down and moved further into the corridor - the streaks of lightning seemed scarily close and vicious. This was going to take a while to quieten, Rajat realised. He looked around to take stock of their surroundings and spied something flapping a little further into the corridor. It seemed to be twisted around a pillar and blowing in the breeze like the petals of a marigold flower. Intrigued, he moved towards the vision, but his friends suddenly raced past him in a game of catch. Their feet thudded unbecomingly and echoed across the stones, startling the frail figure attached to it. Large, scared eyes met his curious ones and he felt a warm tingle trickle down his spine. That marigold wrapped pillar was an angel come to life. In all of his years of existence, he had never experienced such a depth of feeling, such awareness of another human being. It took his breath away - actually he felt like he had stopped breathing altogether. He could barely hear his stupid friends and the resounding thunder, her doe-eyes held him mesmerized.

Ruhi trembled, she felt scared, very scared. The shiver down her spine had nothing to do with her rain soaked attire. While the 2 boys cackling her way didn't look very savoury, the big boy far away looked way more menacing - with his unblinking piercing eyes and his masterful all encompassing gaze. "Better to look away than to engage, it only encourages them" her Ma’s cautionary words echoed in her head. "Oh no, too late" she thought to herself, he was already moving purposefully closer to her. Alas, she couldn't move, her feet had become lead. She could feel the heat of his unwavering attention, and she felt uncharacteristically trapped. She now knew exactly how that little firefly felt inside the glass bottle. Never going to trap one again, ever, she resolved. The Brute was now inches away from her and yet she was unable to tear her gaze away. Her eyes had gone cock eyed and blurry as she lifted her face to maintain eye contact. "Be brave, don't let him sense your fear" she cautioned herself.

Dear God, those eyes! Molten pools of innocence. Rajat's mind was screaming at him about sense and caution. However, his right arm and the attached hand had a life of their own. It touched the cheek that bedded the stormy eyes. He could see the fear in the brown pools, designed to drown his sanity. His body shuddered, as it acknowledged her ethereal connection to him.

Ruhi knew her destiny at that moment when his hand touched her. The storm inside her had abated and she felt a feeling she had never known before. Fear seized to exist. As she gazed into his eyes, his features morphed from cruel to beautiful. Her tiny body arched into his and his arms enveloped her in an unending embrace - one could not tell where she ended and he began. Ruhi knew deep inside her soul - she had found Home.

By Sanjanaa Bathija