Sunandini looked in command when she was behind the wheels of her newly bought, new edition, blue Baleno. She had undergone a month long of indecision and finally defeated the i-20 Elite. Charged with novelty, as novelty is rumoured to do, she went to work and felt the change. Her earlier car was grey, and humble. This had an air of adventure and royalty about it. She was not used to attention, and now she was enjoying it. In fact, during the phase when she did away with the earlier car, and had not yet bought this one, one could see the difference in her. They realised it was the car that drove her to life, and not the other way round. But, having a tiff with choice, as she always did, Sunandini took her time, and broke down mid-way.
Today is not one of those days. As she cruises on the city roads, only too aware of a fleet of sidey admirers, she recalled her broken self. She was halting and moving on a bridge, packed during office-hours. The song on the radio was a lame one, one that on other days she would have immediately switched away from. The windows were pulled up and she could not hear the noise outside too. All that held her attention was the back glass of the car in front of her. Like many happy families do, it had a couple of soft toys rolling from one end to the other with every jerk and start. Hers held a badminton racket and a couple of shuttles, while her Nike sneakers remained in the boot compartment.
The traffic was endlessly slow, like waiting for water when one devises a well. She looked past the soft toys and noticed it had an orange flying Hanuman under the front mirror. She was smiling as she loved observing such details. Almost as if it were a cue to unfold everything about the people in that car, she was on the verge of deciding whether the man was a banker or an iron-merchant. By the time she could decide, the traffic moved two feet ahead to stop midway on the bridge for another one eighty seconds. This shift of gear brought her back to the back glass of the car, a Swift.
And as suddenly as dolphins dive and come up to delight us, she was entranced by the shadow of leaves on it. On paying more attention, Sunandini noticed the leaves were no longer mere shadows, but growing out of the glass, in shape, in form, in colour and in a unique abstraction that mesmerized her. Strangely, she could not see the soft toys anymore, nor the unmissable Hanuman. It was just the leaves and ninety more seconds. Automatically, she changed the radio channel to suit her mood and looked ahead with crooked eye-brows, within herself a rational questioning, if what she saw was visible to others too -- for the leaves now took over the cars on the left and the right. Thirty seconds.
Yes, they did. Shadows of leaves, filled with an uncertain green, was tenting up and around the area. Sunandini couldn't decide whether she should capture the moment, or call for attention. She looked on. The leaves had now become hands, a crowd of hands, some painting, some writing, some in dance mudras. Shadow like they moved beyond the glass and was approaching her car. The red light blinked and cars around her had started to move even before the light turned green. The hands had caught her by her neck. She was choking. Desperately, she tried to open a window, for, she was hardly able to gear up and move.
Audible irritated honks of cars behind her brought her back to her senses. There were no hands. Only hers, one on the gear, other on the steering. She noticed an approaching police-man, and gesturing a 'sorry', went about driving. The cars were now going down. Traffic had eased in front because she had held it for some precious seconds. As she zoomed down, she did not know what to make of the hands.
Till she looked into at her rear-view mirror. There they were. Hands, leaves, shadows -- after her. Not knowing what to do, she sped and tried to race ahead. She was only praying that she should not stop at another red-light. In that moment of madness, she drove and drove and kept driving, forgetting destination and exploring roads. Songs were left unchanged. Around afternoon, the hands finally caught her at a signal.
She could still breathe. She looked down and found the wrists had her watch on the left, her bangle on the right. Before she could do anything, she lost her senses.
Tonight, she sits at her bed, wondering what had happened and who saved her. Questions kept pouring and went unanswered. As she switched off the lights to sleep, the same pair of hands returned. She knew them well -- the one in command when behind the wheels. This was going to be a driving night too. Scared, she pulled the blanket up to her head in an attempt to hide herself.
The hands crept in.
Yes, they did. Shadows of leaves, filled with an uncertain green, was tenting up and around the area. Sunandini couldn't decide whether she should capture the moment, or call for attention. She looked on. The leaves had now become hands, a crowd of hands, some painting, some writing, some in dance mudras. Shadow like they moved beyond the glass and was approaching her car. The red light blinked and cars around her had started to move even before the light turned green. The hands had caught her by her neck. She was choking. Desperately, she tried to open a window, for, she was hardly able to gear up and move.
Audible irritated honks of cars behind her brought her back to her senses. There were no hands. Only hers, one on the gear, other on the steering. She noticed an approaching police-man, and gesturing a 'sorry', went about driving. The cars were now going down. Traffic had eased in front because she had held it for some precious seconds. As she zoomed down, she did not know what to make of the hands.
Till she looked into at her rear-view mirror. There they were. Hands, leaves, shadows -- after her. Not knowing what to do, she sped and tried to race ahead. She was only praying that she should not stop at another red-light. In that moment of madness, she drove and drove and kept driving, forgetting destination and exploring roads. Songs were left unchanged. Around afternoon, the hands finally caught her at a signal.
She could still breathe. She looked down and found the wrists had her watch on the left, her bangle on the right. Before she could do anything, she lost her senses.
Tonight, she sits at her bed, wondering what had happened and who saved her. Questions kept pouring and went unanswered. As she switched off the lights to sleep, the same pair of hands returned. She knew them well -- the one in command when behind the wheels. This was going to be a driving night too. Scared, she pulled the blanket up to her head in an attempt to hide herself.
The hands crept in.
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