Stories About Life

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Stop sir!" He said to the clergyman.

"The wedding cannot continue. Mr. Rochester already has a wife"

My heart stood still when I heard his words. I looked at Mr. Rochester. His eyes were as hard as rocks.

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I tried to stifle my yawn and opened my lazy eyes as the shuddering train reached its deafening halt. After the three hour long journey the train had finally reached its destination after basking the compartment with the dim light. I marked the page of the chapter and stood to collect my luggage from the rack above me. The literature assignment was burying me alive and the novel was just a boost in helping me to fall asleep quickly.

The loud thud made my head go numb and I felt the blood rush through my body. I had banged my head painfully on the rack above my head and its pain was unrelenting. The sudden pain was enough to water my eyes but I didn't delay in my actions.

It took me quite a while to find the unusual silence in the compartment. The racket the family in the next compartment made was silent. And the odd ball was that the silence was deafening. I looked up and listened intently trying to catch any noise but again only the eerie silence filled my ears. I shook my head and stepped out of the compartment as the light flickered. I looked at it and the flickering grew and grew and it burnt the light. I stood shaken in the pitch black darkness. I never believed in signs and I did not know what to make of the odd signals that was giving me second thoughts about my decision in selecting this pit stop to spend my holidays. The troubled thoughts were not helping me clear my mind at all and I shook my head and stepped out to the station.

The chill wind went up my spine as I stepped down to the platform. The platform was nearly deserted except for a few last minute late night travelers. I walked down the platform as a loud thunder deafened my ears. The climate has changed horribly for the past few minutes and I hoped that it shouldn't pour down till I go to the villa. It was my father's friend's villa where I was going to be aboard for the next few days and I was really looking forward to spend my time away from my family.

As a few drops of water started to wet my cap I quickened my pace and tried to hail a taxi. The late night had deserted the road and it was after sometime that I was able to hail a taxi. I gave the address to the driver hoping that he might know the place as I was on my first time in this foreign land.

As I got into the taxi, I saw the driver looking closely at me and I pulled myself together and went unnoticed. I laid my head against the window and looked at the rain drops chasing each other. The taxi was driving past the speed limit and I thought that it maybe was usual in the foreign land. I was lost in my own imaginary world while staring at the passing greenery when I was pulled back into the reality as I heard the loud ringtone of my phone. It was my dad calling obviously to check on whether I have arrived safely. I answered him trying to sound cheerful as to not to make him hear the worry in my voice. As I kept on talking to him, I caught that the driver was looking at me from the front mirror. By the way his eyes darted between my reflection and the road I could say that he was eavesdropping to the one sided conversation. I switched my long answers to one worded answer and quickly ended the call and tried to act normal as though I hadn't caught him staring at me. What disturbed me the most was that the way his eyes looked hungry. Hungry for what I was not very sure about. And also, his bloodshot eyes threw caution into the air. I concentrated on staring at my phone hoping that this ride will be over soon.

Finally, the taxi reached its halt and I stepped out to be greeted by a tall kissing gate. It was exactly the same villa I was supposed to be coming to and feeling very glad to be brought to the correct destination I turned smiling to pay the driver.