Rain

I wrote a short story called 'Rain' long back in my earlier Blog. I feel nostalgic whenever I read it! I would like to reproduce the story in this post.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I gazed out of the window and saw droplets of water dripping from the roof of the window. May be the water tank was full. My room was on the second floor of the three floor apartment. It was an old apartment and no one ever tried to improvise it by at least putting a little white wash on its walls. People simply came and went, there were people who shifted within a few days. I felt I was the only one to stay here so long say an year.

There was a gust of wind all of a sudden and thick clouds, black clouds started covering the skies and soon engulfed the mighty burning sphere into their enormous fathoms.There was a lightning and a distant rumble that slowly approached and burst on the top of the apartment. A cold breeze began to blow, making my face turn white. I closed the window and at the very moment the skies poured the rain.Water began to sprout from the gaps of the window doors. A steady stream of water ran from the window, through the wall racing towards my bed.I took a piece of old cloth and wiped the stream and clogged the gap with it. A while later the cloth got soaked with the water and I took it and wrung it squeezing all the water into a little bucket. I gazed out of the window leaving the water-stream account to observe what was going outside.

People where running helter shelter some with umbrellas, some with books above their heads and some with their bags. My eyes fell on a girl, a young girl standing on the pavement with a disheveled look, with her teeth chattering and longing for someone’s help, in this heavy inadvertent rain. The water was flowing with full force creating ripples and froth.She stood looking left and right for a while and began to walk as if in a trance. I remembered somethingI remembered something. But my memory couldn’t recall. Something was wrong. At least something was about togo wrong. Then I recalled the man hole. I had seen a group of workers pumping out thesewage water the day before and had left the door open. Now in this turbulent current ofwater I wasn’t visible …. And the girl was nearing it slowly, unconsciously unaware ofthe impending danger, whatever her problem was.I rushed out of my room, descending the stairs with full speed, I tripped over and fellrolling downstairs, almost breaking my arm, but I didn’t care. The pain seemed nothing compared to the plight of the girl.I opened the gates and ran into the rain leaving a dismayed watchman behind. I ran and ran as fast as my legs could carry. And the girl took one step more… the final step to go… and she fell in ..Only to be caught by her shoulders. I held them firmly surprised by her weight and pulledher out.She screamed.. but no one came near. Nobody seemed to be caring.She looked at me and burst into sobs and pressed her head on my chest. I hugged hertightly, comforting her and relinquishing all her worries.