A walk to remember…

In a metro like Mumbai, winter experiences are rare ones, because of no signs of a cool weather for most parts of the year, and two, time constraints make the idea of enjoying winter trivial. 

      

So last year, I decided to spend my Christmas holidays at my Aunt's in Macleodgunj, Himachal! And woah! THAT was a real winter experience; with snowfall and hailstorms being a common phenomenon at this recluse hideaway hill station. Surprisingly, Macleodgunj was a lively town. With a considerable Catholic population, Christmas celebrations were roaring! So on a Sunday evening, while my Aunt was busy entertaining other guests, I went to a local club with some guys in the neighbourhood. Till about midnight, we played pool and devoured a plethora of Christmas sweets. The other lads decided to stay over. But I had to get back. The club was just 10 minutes away from my Aunt's apartment. But what worried me was the shivering cold and the blinding expanse of darkness. Nonetheless, I put on my sweater and my overcoat, pulled up the hood, and stepped outside. The weather was crisp but harsh, the aggressive snowflakes unforgiving! 

Just as I passed by the town church, a woman in a yellowish zipper suddenly came up to me. She had lost her way and was looking for an address which apparently was just a block away from my Aunt's place. So I told her to accompany me, since I was heading in the same direction. Speaking about the woman, I could hardly see her. Her face was hidden behind the collar of the zipper and she had pulled up her hood. But I could see her eyes, and there was something familiarly unfamiliar about them!! Anyway, the unforgiving cold was my only concern. But the woman! She was an epitome of mystery. She never uttered a word during the remainder of the journey, and she kept staring right ahead, into oblivion. The brief walk seemed to continue forever. The weather was beginning to get severe. The gloves were unable to keep me from shivering. But luckily, I reached the apartment before facing the worse. I told the woman that her destination was just round the corner. She just nodded, and walked away. Before entering the apartment, I turned to look if the woman was going the right way. But what I saw scared the hell out of me! I saw nothing! The woman was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't possible for even a superhuman to cover a 20 metre path in 2 seconds. Even at 6° C, I felt beads of sweat wetting my gloves.

  

The next morning was as gloomy as the previous night had been. After the shocking incident, I could not sleep that night (who could?!) 

     

I know this isn't a normal winter fairy tale, but I would never forget that brief walk with a woman, whose very existence is an unanswered question. During the next few days at the hill station, I never saw her or heard from her. But in the vaporising summers of Mumbai, I still shiver when I think of the woman, her cloak, her presence, her eyes!

                            

- Rtr Nihar Sahasrabudhe

Rotaract Club of NM College