I'm Struck

Los Angeles, 10:00pm, a heavily raining night

                In every house, every person in busy in packing their luggage whose houses are located near the coastal area of the city. Roads are blocked; traffic is heavy in the city. Every person is in hurry on this rainy night.

                In every television, there is only news that the city is going to be hit with a heavy cyclone in 12 hours. It has tendency to uplift roofs and trees. Every person is getting many alerts to vacant the city as early as possible. So every family in the city is leaving to neighboring places leaving their valuable things and wealth in their homes.

                Traffic is blocked in every street. The metro lines and the flights are canceled, only road transport is available for mass transport. The highway is full of motor vehicles. The night sky is cloudy. The police are clearing the vehicles on the bridges. This heavy cyclone is going to destroy the entire city with much property loss as per the weather prediction report.

                Finally by midnight 2:00am the traffic is cleared and the streets and the entire city is vacated. It is calm all over the streets. Silence occupied this city after many years, but the heavy rain is falling continuously all over the city.

                Now it is the right time for me to steal the entire valuable things from the houses. My name is Ralf, I am a thief. I am moving in my truck with its grunting engine all over the city and stole more than 12 big houses this night. I took a look at my watch it is 3:00am and there is still less than 5 hours for the cyclone to enter the coast. I finally satisfied with the valuable things I loaded in my truck and decided to leave the city.

                As I am yet to leave the city, my mind is telling me to rob one more house as it is a golden opportunity and will not come again. I saw a big bungalow on my way; I stopped my truck at the big old statue at the entrance of the bungalow. I strongly decided what I robbed is enough I will not go into that house the time is also not there, I must leave the city as early as possible, but the next minute I am climbing the bungalow hanging to a sunshade of a window. I entered into the bungalow through a small window by breaking its pane. It is dark inside the room I entered. I wondered what the room I am in. I switched on the switch I found on the wall. Suddenly water started sprinkling on me, then I realized that I landed into the bathroom of the bungalow. I slowly searched for that switch over the wall in order to stop it, I’ve pulled all the soaps and shampoos on the floor in my search but I lost the switch in the dark. I finally decided to leave this house and accidentally kept my foot on the slippery soaps and I slipped and my head hit the bath tub and I am now lying on the bathroom floor loosing conscious.

                After some hours I came into conscious and slowly opened my eyes, I slowly got up and sat on the bath tub and took a cigarette out from my pocket and lighted it. Suddenly after a puff I came to remember that I am struck in a bathroom. I got up and have a look through the window I’ve entered last night, I found trees and roofs are uprooting and there were dangerous winds along with heavy rain. Then I came to understand that my greedy made me struck in this cyclone. Then I shouted loudly

“Help me……………… I’m struck”

                I finally came out of the bathroom and entered a room of the big bungalow. I came to know later that this bungalow is built strong. Not even a single roof piece moved to these heavy winds. I felt happy that at least I am in a safe place. My stomach started roaring for food. I searched the fridge and found a rich wine bottle. I took it out and sat with it in a room beside the window. I slowly started to drink it sip by sip, crying and seeing the disasters happening in the city through the window. As I was to finish the bottle with the last sip, I saw one of the tall buildings of the city collapsing due to the heavy wind and rain. Seeing this disaster I too collapsed down onto the floor.

                After some time I came to my senses and learned again that the cyclone has not yet stopped. I started becoming sick seeing the disasters sitting at a place. It is like watching a horror movies tied to a chair without missing a single scene for many hours.

                It became 2:30pm afternoon but the cyclone is in its speed. The climate is so cold and I am slowly loosing conscious but suddenly I heard some sounds in the lower floor of the bungalow. I passed a moment and I went down stairs and found no one. Suddenly a door started banging from inside and stopped suddenly in that floor; I went near the door and asked “is any one inside?”

There is no response, I decided to leave to the upper floor and turned back. Then there came response of a lady voice “yes, I am inside the room I’m bolted from outside please open the door”.

                I opened the door and there came a beautiful girl of 24-25 years age. She came from inside and hugged thanking me. I felt something in myself when she hugged me. This feel is so different and I’ve never experienced. I felt this for the first time but I liked this feel. There is something special in this girl, which made me attract towards her. Finally we both went to the upper floor and sat beside the fireside facing each other. I’ve learned that her name is “Neina”.

                It became dark inside the room though the time is 6:30pm; the fire was off in the fire side. She bought a candle in a stand and lighted it. Then I saw her beauty in the candle light. She gave a delightful smile at me. And that smile looked brighter than the candle light.

Neina: so, you are a thief and you entered into this bungalow and struck (laughing).

Me: yes….. Why are you bolted from outside the room?

Neina: I am the owner of this big bungalow, my parents died when I am 5 years of age, my uncle who is a cunning fellow; he imprisoned me in this room for 20 days for not accepting to sign this bungalow to him. I used to be like princess in this bungalow, but I am treated as servant when my parents expired.

                I shocked after hearing this from her and I felt in myself that how could he tend to ill treat such a kind and pity girl.

                It is silent inside the bungalow; there were sounds of heavy winds outside. It is very cool, I felt comfortable sitting close to the candle, and our shadows are falling on the tall walls of the room while the candle flame is flickering to the wind. The atmosphere is romantic. I now completely fell in love with her seeing her innocence and her kind heart and beauty. Yes, I am struck in love with her. I wanted to convey my love on her, but I have no courage to tell her. Suddenly there came words from my mouth “you are so beautiful” they came out without my knowledge, and still continued “I wanted to say that I lov………….” I closed my mouth and stopped the remaining words coming out. I tried to control my words but my intension is being conveying by the flowing words.

                I said that ill come in a minute and went into the bathroom and sat in the bath tub, and said to myself “ I am a thief and how could a rich girl love me back, no,no,no….. I should not tell her at any cost”. I took a deep breath and came out of the bathroom.

There is a silence between us, finally she started,

Neina: will you forget me after we’ve survived from this cyclone.

Me: no, how could I forget such a kind and good girl I’ve met in my life.

Neina: Ralf, I wanted to tell you a thing but I shouldn’t and couldn’t

Me: tell me no problem; I don’t care even though they hurt me.

Neina: Ralf, I actually like your way of behavior and you’re helping nature and your respect, though you are a thief.

Me: Madame, please tell me clearly.

Neina: I mean to say that I lov…………..

                Suddenly, the building beside the bungalow started to collapse down in the dark rain due to the heavy strong winds. We came to the window and saw it slowly leaning down, while it is collapsing we heard a baby crying in that collapsing building. I asked Neina for a strong rope and I fixed a hook to it and opened the window of our room, wind is flowing at a high speed I hooked a rope to the collapsing building window and made a rope way to the collapsing building.

                 I started to slide towards the slowly collapsing building on the rope in the heavy rain towards a window. The building being moving away from the bungalow, the rope stretched to its extent and finally it was cut at the bungalow window side. I am now hanging to the slowly collapsing building. I climbed the rope and went into the room in which the baby is crying. There I found the dead body of the baby’s mother; I caught the baby and stood at the window and there is no rope way back to the bungalow now, I decided to jump from this building to the bungalow. I took a step backward and jumped holding the baby in my hand. And jumped from that collapsing building towards the bungalow and finally caught the bungalow sunshade with a hand holding the baby in the other hand in that rain.

                I gave the baby to Neina and suddenly the sunshade was broken due to imbalance of my weight. I caught the window pane of the bungalow and hanging to it.

Me: Neina, go inside and close the window, the wind is blowing hard, keep the baby dry, she was wet when I jumped in this rain.

Neina: no Ralf, I can’t leave you.

Me: Neina, I’ve done many wrong things let me die for my sin, you and the baby be careful inside the bungalow, close the window from inside.

                Neina started to pull me up but she is unable and I am unable. My hands started to suffer more strain; she started to cry seeing me feeling pain in my eyes.

Neina: Ralf, I love you I am there here nothing happens to you.

Me: Neina there is no enough time please go into the room and dry the baby.

Neina: Ralf, you are not going to die but when you open your eyes come and meet me at this bungalow, I promise that I will be waiting for you at the main gate of this bungalow, come to me with a bouquet bought with our own earning.

                Ralf left his hands free and started to fall from the 6^th floor of the bungalow, and he remembered the words of her that she too loves him, he left his hands and legs free in air and closed his eyes with a smile in my face, while falling in that rainy night. Suddenly his anxiety to live for Neina increased while he is falling down. Finally the dark rainy day ended.

                I opened my eyes in hospital after a year spending in coma. I am surprised to see alive myself. After I’ve discharged, I joined in a work at the automobile industry. With my first salary I bought a bouquet of pink roses and yellow daffodils and set to the bungalow. I am so eager that I am going to meet her and she will be happy seeing me alive.

                It is a bright sunny day, I’ve reached the bungalow and enquired about Neina, but everyone laughed at me hearing my question. I confused and sat at the old statue at the main gate of the bungalow,

I sat there and again remembered her words “I promise that I’ll be waiting for you at the main gate till you arrive”. He paused for a second and took a look at the old statue behind me and read the inscription below the statue.

“She is one of the well known princesses of Los Angeles. She is a kind hearted girl but she was imprisoned in a room for 20 YEARS by her father in law when her parents dead in order to conquer the kingdom. It is believed that her soul still wanders in this bungalow and helps the people in trouble, she is princess NEINA “

                Under the statue there is her life time written as “1700 – 1725”

                Then I came to understand that I am not struck in a cyclone instead I’m struck in love with a soul filled with kindness. I left the bouquet at the statue and made my way outside the bungalow weeping. There came wind over the bouquet to which the flowers from the bouquet flew in air and fell at the feet of princess Neina statue. Then a tear drop ran from the eye of the old marble princess Neina statue.

                                  

                                   
                                     The End

                               

                                                                            Written by

                                                      K.Sarath Kumar