It happened one night

chapter 1

Cathy's POV:

I have been thinking.

Thinking for sometime now.

Sitting in my room in the dusk, without the lights on. It was getting dark outside.

Would it rain tonight? I wondered to myself as I glanced at the dark grey clouds. The sky seemed heavy and bent with those clouds. The nimbus.. wasnt that the name of rain-bearing clouds? I seemed to recollect school-days.

I am 18. Within a few days I would be going to college.

School days had their own good and bad memmories in my head as I remembered about rain-bearing clouds named nimbus, while my thoughts shifted to camping and picnics, friends, then quarrels, and my mind trailed away.

What would I say? Do I look back to school days? If I were given a chance would I want them back?

I dont think I would. They werent exactly horrible days.. there were good times. I still remember how I used to fall in love hopelessly with all the jerks at school. And it was fun in a way when I think about it now.

I smiled to myself.

I have changed such a lot in these two years.

People change with time. Yeah!

Oh man, its raining!

I ran to pick up the clothes that had been hung in the window for drying.

I managed to stuff them all into my bag, somewhat haphazardly. It bulged out like an overfed belly. In went my accessories and toiletteries. The big green towel and a pair of sneakers. In the side pockets I filled my longeries and socks. My college bag was already packed with the new books, a couple of notepads, some pens and other such stationaries along with my personal diary.

As I finished packing, I looked up and glanced about my room for the last time. With the years, my childhood abode had changed in bits and pieces, yet there were corners and places that still remained untouched; just like it used to be when I was a kid. The teddy bear, a yellow convertible and play-guns lay scattered beside the bedside table, forgotten. There was so much in that small room that made it my 'home'.

I knew it was time. Time to move out of my home. The home which sheltered me from rains and the scorching sun, from the frost and the damp wind.. the small room where I used to spend time reading books, solving maths, toss in the bed in sleepless nights, the room where behind the door at the bottom I had scrawled my name when I was barely four.

It was time to leave behind that room with its blue-grey curtains and the wooden study table in the corner. The white board still had last year's timetable written on it. The white tiled floor with pink skirting.

I stood there watching the room silently while flashes from the past zoomed about in my head. A small smile tugged at my lips as my throat choked up.

"Come on, Cathy.. You'll get late!!", shouted Mom from downstairs.

"Yeah, coming!" I shouted back, as I picked up the bag and slung it on my shoulders. I turned to close the door of my room and locked it, pocketing the key while making the way down the hall.

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