A Twist of Fate (Slow Updates)

2

It was a little over 5 pm when Ananya finally turned left from the main road and stepped into what looked like the British era. The drive way looked green and sparkled under the gentle drizzle that had started an hour age. The base of the hillock on the left side of the drive way had been cemented with bricks, which was now completely covered with moss, atop which stood gigantic spruce trees forming a thicket. A garden full of pansies, lady's lace, dailies and roses was spread out on the left side. The grass needed a bit of mowing and priming as did the branches of the apple trees at the far end of the garden. Another garden was on the right side was of the house, which also overlooked a cliff. The vast expense of the valley and mountains could be seen from the edge. Though the sun was setting, Ananya was sure that it would be wonderful to sit outside on a sunny warm afternoon.

Ananya let go of the brake and pulled up the hand brake as she parked her car in front of the garage, which was situated in the middle with the gardens on either side. The little house was adorable and Ananya could see that it must be prime property since it had a lot more area as compared to other houses in the surrounding area. She looked at the house and signed with pleasure. The house itself looked quite a modern and was made of wood and cement. The two rooms visible from the driveway had bay windows with violets growing under the windows. A gravel laid sidewalk was constructed which joined the ends of the two gardens.

Ananya was a brave girl, she knew she can deal with tricky situations but as she opened her car door, she couldn't help the feeling of apprehension that swept her.

Has she done the right thing in coming here? Will she be able to help when the occasion rises? What if people were hurt?

"Ohhh!!!" She said in frustration. She really shouldn't let her mind dwell on such questions. She here and she'll walk out a winner from this task handed to her. She is strong, practical and possesses enough intelligent to carry out the most common course of action in case of an emergency. There! She is confident!

The drizzle had ceased but Ananya couldn't help feeling a little melancholic as she walked to the front door of the house. It was a small oak door with a golden handle and an internal lock. She removed the key from the white envelope Mr. Bhushan had given her the night before which had consisted of the house keys, the photograph and some cash. There was a care taker who stayed here while the owners lived in Chandigarh and the care taker had been told to put fresh food like eggs, bread and milk in the fridge but he himself had been asked to go on leave for the month they were here. It was just a safety measure. Ananya knew her culinary skills were at test as well as her maturity. She had actually taken this as a challenge for herself. She took this as a test to know if she had actually evolved into a mature person and whether she could take sensible decisions for the people involved and herself. It was quite a test but she was quite a girl! She thought to herself as she clucked.

Just as she was about to put the key into the lock her alert eyes caught a movement on the left side of the house just where the garden ended, at the edge of the plain the house was situated on. With her heart hammering hard in her chest, so loud that she could hear it in her ears she turned towards the movement. It's incredulous how the body sharpens its senses when the adrenaline kicks in, Ananya could hear the crows and mynahs chirruping in the woods, settling in for the evening. She could hear the cacophony of crickets in the garden. The sun had begun to set behind the mountains and it was soon going to be dark.

Relax, she told her herself, it may not be the assailants. It's not you they want. Stop thinking the worse. It could be a wild animal, another thought crept up on her. This one made the hair on her neck stand up. Wild animals were something she had not taken into account. But it's Shimla, surely no wild animals here in this populated area. But then this was not exactly Shimla, Ananya groaned internally; it was near the Army area of Jatogh Cantonment. She knew, having lived in Cantonments herself that Army areas are notorious for their fair share of local wild animals.