The Stormy Night

It was raining cats and dogs when I got off the bus at bus stand. Even though I made a very quick dash to the nearest shelter that was just a few feet away I got drenched. I found an empty bench away from the slanting rain and sat on it to take stock of my plight.

I am Mohan, a twenty two year old engineer, working as an engineer trainee in a reputed private firm in Madras (the city is now known as Chennai). My company worked five days a week. A very good friend of mine was getting married that Saturday night in his native place; a very small town some 50 miles away from Vijayawada. It was an impulsive, last minute decision on my part to attend that wedding.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn't get a train ticket and had to travel sitting in a bus all the way. Even as I left Madras on that Friday night, a cyclonic storm was making its way towards the South India in the Bay of Bengal. During that night of my travel it intensified further. The bus was buffeted by rain and strong winds and the journey was very wet and tiring. But, somehow, we managed to reach Vijayawada around eight in the morning that Saturday.

I had a cup of hot coffee at the coffee stall and then went to the inquiry counter. My plan was to take another bus to my friend's town.

Mother's Milk - The Real Stuff

The heavy, pouring rain came down in sheets making visibility almost impossible.  Wayne struggled to see out the window of his Jeep Cherokee.  His mother, Krista sat in the other bucket seat peering out through the suffocating deluge of water.  Every few moments, Krista turned and looked out the rear window for a few seconds before looking back to the front.

"I hope that they are okay," she mumbled.

"Oh, they'll be fine," Wayne told her, hoping that he was right.

Wayne's whole family was driving up to their cabin in the mountain for a mini-vacation.  Tony, Wayne's father, Kim,  Krista's sister, and Wayne's little sister, Marie were in the second car somewhere behind them.  They had taken both cars because Kim had to return on Tuesday.  Wayne, Krista, Tony, and Marie were planning to leave the following Friday.

Heavenly Mother

It was a dark and stormy night. Rain was coming down in sheets and wind was sweeping it around furiously. Doors and windows were trembling against the onslaught of both air and water; as was Nitin because of the resulting cold.

It was a dreadful night. The blanket over him was not thick enough to keep the cold from seeping in and the small electric heater next to his bed was too weak to keep anything warm. There was a certain comfort in the red glow coming from the single heating spring, only to be overshadowed every now and then by the bright lightning.

He was counting his heartbeats to keep his attention away from the roaring thunder and to occupy his thoughts with something other than the weather. Even at the age of 22, ferocity of nature was unsettling.