The girl in the rain

Ravi was the quiet and reserved kind. Having lived through most of his life away from family and friends he had learnt to keep himself immersed in himself and his surroundings. He was keenly observant of the things around him and found unbridled amusement in the most mundane of things. But beneath the aloofness he had an intelligent mind and had done quite well academically. He spent his time preparing for the civil services examination.

He had a loving nature that endured him to many.The owner of the single bedroom that he occupied on the 1st floor of an old decrepit Benaras haveli were specially fond of him. Enduring the loss of their single offspring to a hapless accident years ago Mr and Mrs Kumar were now all but living through their meagre pension and the rent from Ravi. And they were grateful to him for staying with them. They occupied the rooms on the ground floor.

The haveli was old belying the glory of its heydeys. It was crumbling down and was almost beyond repair. The rainy days were specially bad as water seeped through the walls at many places. It had many rooms but most were unworthy of habitation without significant overhaul. Few people would want to rent this place. And so, they were happy to have Ravi staying with them who on the other hand was equally happy with the small rent. He could hardly afford anything more lavish then that.

Ravi was practically a family member of the Kumars. Kumar Auntie would cook all his meals and get his clothes washed by the maid. She would clean his room every morning and generally treated her like her own son. Ravi was grateful for this service as it freed him to concentrate on his studies.

There was one habit Ravi had formed through the years. He thoroughly enjoyed going out for a walk along the banks of the Ganges after dinner. It had a calming effect on him. The full moon nights were particularly special to him. And he did this without fail. Mrs Kumar observed that Ravi almost always returned peacefull and calm after such a noctural walk. She felt good for him and thought she should go herself sometimes, her arthritis permitting.

Time went by and the monsoon came in. But, Ravi's noctural walk did not give way. He insisted on going out even in the rain with an umbrella in hand. Mrs Kumar tried to discourage him on many occasions but finally had to give in to his adamance. She couldnt understand this behavior but did not think much of this at that time. Mr Kumar was quite aloof too. They dismissed it of as a strange insistance of some kind.

The first time she noticed something alarming was when she saw blood stains on his shirt one night. He was thoroughly drenched from the rain and the blood was smeared across his left sleeve. The umbrella he had carried was nowhere to be seen. At first she thought he must have been hurt. But he walked straight and showed no pain. In fact, he seemed to be in a strange trance like state. He gave no answers to her queries and headed upstairs to his room and bolted it.

The next morning Mrs Kumar decided to confront him. But she found him very quiet even by Ravi's standards. When she questioned about the previous night he could summon no recollection of what could have put the blood stains on his shirt. By his account it was just a routine walk with nothing interesting to report. But, yes he did come across a very beautiful girl in the rain! Then he went up to study leaving behind a very puzzled and concerned Mrs Kumar.

........contd...