Trapped

Chapter 1

It is the month of October when the Autumn is sweeping the leaves off of the trees that are painted in shades of orange and yellow. That time of the year when the cool breeze whips your hair behind you as you walk on the beautiful leaves strewn sidewalks, when you would want to set aside your work and cosy up on a park bench with a lovely book in your hand and a cup of coffee, when the sun is neither too bright and neither too dull, just the perfect golden sunlight that falls over everything around it, painting a scenery more beautiful than an artist's strokes.

But it is not easy for any working individual to throw away all their worries and jump out in this serene atmosphere. And that is what Alisha keeps complaining about.

She just wants a day to herself, tired of being behind the wooden desk and working hours at the same place. But the weekend is on its way and she will soon have what she needs, a day off. The current week has been pretty hectic for her and the work just keeps piling up.

It's one more day when she is filing the innumerable papers lying on her desk. Pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose, she checks the latest order details to finish this one last record.

~~~

The sun is setting behind the horizon, scattering the sky with the similar shades of oranges and dark blue. The traffic on the streets of London is heavy as the night approaches. Alisha finds it difficult to get herself a cab tonight, blame the sudden outburst of people that had escaped their workplaces at the same time.

Walking away from the crowded streets, all she can find is more crowded footpaths. She weaves through the sea of unknown people, stumbling herself into the back of a lady, who glares at Alisha. She apologizes for her accidental mistake and keeps moving, bowing her head low.

After managing to get through the groups of cheery or exhausted people, she treads on the footpath that runs parallel to the river Thames. The cool breeze blows serenely over the river, caressing the people passing by. She inhales the essence of the fresh air and the sunset. Feeling a lot relieved, she makes her way back home, contemplating whether taking a bus will be easier than hunting for a cab here.

Waiting at the bus stop, she checks her watch and realizes that it has, in fact been only five minutes since her arrival but she is eager to reach home today. Finally, after waiting for few more minutes, two headlights casting a bright yellow glow appears far away, moving smoothly and she sighs in relief. The bus makes its halt and she clambers inside behind few other passengers. Settling herself in a seat, which she luckily found vacant, she turns her face to the window.

The passing scenery outside the bus excites her now that she is relaxed. Pulling her brown wavy hair out of her face when the wind messes it up or crinkling her almond shaped eyes when the bright light of the cars heading in the opposite direction, falls on her pupils; she loves it all. A feeling of simplicity after working at an office where everyone is highly sophisticated, engulfs her. That's the reason she ditches her car most of the mornings. Might sound strange but it's true. Travelling to her office on most days by bus kind of makes her happy because she can enjoy the cool breeze, smile back at the old lady who gives her one of the genuine smiles everyday and she can breathe in without any worries. While driving requires concentration, she can't feel the seasons changing, colours fading and skies darkening as the day moves on to welcome night.

Working in a publishing house was what she dreamed of but ended up landing herself in a manufacturing firm. A place where she has limited use of her creativity, only compelled to maintain records of the produced and sold units.

Stuck up behind the wooden desk, a bundle of papers always dumped in front of her which she manages to pile up in a neat stack. Arranged in perfect order, filed up in an organized manner, she does it all. The computer at her desk awaits her every time with many mails to be answered and products listings waiting to be updated, each time a new order is placed. Not much exciting for her.