The devil

She looked at the child again. he did seem to be a bit wierd. the way he was rolling his eyes .the mother was visibly sick and sleeping in exhaustion. She glanced again at the child. his eyes were deep grey , a wiered kind of mark on his neck...and he looked sturdy. somehow his mother didn't suit him. she shivered . there was something wrong somewhere. she thought. Just then her station came and in a hurry to go to the class, her thoughts on the child and his mother were erazed somewhere. but someow she knew that this was not the end.
She had a gift that she always thought of as the curse. she could foresee future or speculate it, and she could interpret what would happen by dreams that she got. but she rarely told this to anyone. as it was unnerving. people found her bubbly and talkative. but this side no one knew. not even her parents. it was scary for her but she had to live with it. she had foreseen her friend's accident in form of a dream. the futures of various persons in form of a dream...and she hated when such intutions or dreams came, since it was always a nightmare later, when all these bad things came true. thatswhy she became more and more religious. she had conversations with god and gradually her fears subsided. but yes at times like this one, she felt scared...no one to really discuss all this...but yes, she stayed more alone at such times, till such events happened so that she could be normal again. she tried to find out as much as she could on such topics. and yes, in a way making her weakness her strength. sometimes she failed, sometimes she succeeded. she only a handful friends who could empathise with her,and one of her was her best friend Nina.
She didn't read the newspaper next day. she didn't like to read it much. otherwise a small article would have caught her attention. A mother with a child was found dead at the station. the causes of the death were not known. miraculously the child was alive. and was sent to the orphanage. this orphanage was so very near her place.....................

months passed after the incident. and one find day she got a call from her mother's friend. they both used to help in an orphanage and it had some programme, which she wanted to attend. she set to leave with her mother. ....

They met the friend outside the orphanage. seeing her face, they understood that something was wrong. one of the sisters had committed a suicide...so there would be no programme. somewhere it was related to that child...she wondered which child. and when she saw the baby, she knew she had seen it somewhere...wasn't that the same child that she had seen in the train???????

It started raining heavily when they were coming home....rains in february were completely unheard of...one more coincidence perhaps...but it rained whole of that night...
it may be because of rains or god knows what...her mom fell ill...the doctors couldnot diagnose the disorder....finally they had to resort to other means. they meet the priest of the temple, who told them that there was some kind of "baadha" or possessing, due to which her mother was losing health rapidly, and that if something was not done rapidly, she would loose her mother...
she almost laughed it off...and continued the medicines...but in vain...nothing was helping and something needed to be done...and something needed to be done really very fast.....

The day was decided...somethings were to be thrown away in her moms name...BUT...on few conditions. firstly the things should be thrown on the 13th day from the day one which she receives the things..secondly she should'nt open the parcel, not keep it down untill she reaches the destination. thirdly, the things should be thrown on an intersection of 3 roads. and lastly come what may happen, she should not look behind....
the days were advancing in a fast pace to the D-day. and so was the reoccurence of wierd dreams that didnt have any meaning. but one othem reoccured a lot....that she is lost in a lonely place...something like in horror films...
finally the day arrived. she got dressed. and left her place with those things....she felt a movemnt inside the bundle...she just took a deep breath and walked in the drection of the road. she felt something cold creeping from the bundle. she caught the bundle in one hand and wiped her sweating another hand. The bundle almost slipped. she gripped it with all her strength and walked ahead. She felt that as she advanced the destination,the bundle felt heavy and heavy...it was 9..00pm and the road was already lonely. she found it wierd since that was the most crowded road and the crowd ceased only after 12.00 am. The air was cold and a bit windy. she left all the horror thoughts aside and concentrated on the road. whatever cold was in the bundle gripped her hands, and it was so tight that she felt her hands go numb. she still didnt stop. after what seemed aeons, the intersection arrived. She kept the parcel there. and turned behind. this was the most difficult part and she knew it. suddenly she heard someone call her. Dad??/she wondered...her dad who had died when she was only 2 years old???not possible.....perhaps her friend Nina??? she stayed nearby...she almost turned...but then it stuck to her...Nina had left for USA, just a day back, she must have not yet reached her destination. she smiled, she knew her brains was playing tricks with her. she went some distance ahead... this time it was louder...Nina...but she didnt turn behind. she heard foot steps...she increased her speed but the dsiatnce just didnt cease to end...she heard a huff next to her . " where were u? in which world" Nina asked her. she had tears in her eyes and almost hugged her. she told all the story to Nina. she smiled and said. " do u believe in all this?" and they both laughed. " how come u r here?" she asked. "ohhhhhhh the flight got cancelled because of some envoirnmental imbalance". this explained the wierd climate. they chatted a bit, and her home came. " come in" she said. " nope...got to go, I am already late...I just wanted to meet you once before I leave" saying this Nina just smiled and left. she opened the door and went in. she had not noticed that the climate was freezing in april??? and so were nina's hands when she shaked them...but nina always had cold hands.... she had not looked behind once. she smiled. " nina u helped me" she thought.

she slept out of sheer mental exhaustion, half believing the priest. she got up really late the next day. she had slept non stop for 12 hours. and she got up with her mom's call. "tea is ready" her mom said. her mom looked well, fit as fiddle. "how are u feeling now?" she asked. " fantastic.." her mom said.but she didnt smile. " what happened?" she asked.." u have to be calm. but this I have to say...yesterday the flight that was taking Nina crashed, ....and no one survived..." " what????" she cried..."but we spoke only yesterday..." she tried to reason it out. " what time was the flight?" she asked. " at 9.30...the crash took place approximately at 10.00pm" she gulped..." but nina met me at around 10.00 pm..." she managed to say " how that possible...she took that same flight... her parents called up...her mother was almost on the verge of going crazy..." she did'nt hear what her mother was saying...tears rolled on her cheeks...Nina...her best friend...not with her??? but then who met her yesterday???Nina or her soul???she tried to remember what Nina had said. Nina, who loved to come to her place, had declined to do so...saying that she was late and had to leave...that she wanted to meet her once before she leaves...so what that Nina's soul??? who came to hep her out when finally the things were turning the wrong way? that she felt taht she was failing in the task she was assigned???she just took a deep breath and got ready to go to Nina's place...her parents needed her...she would'nt tell them a thing...but she would be with them...aways...just as Nina was there for her...

Again she did'nt read the newspaper...or she would'nt have found it as a concidence that in that orphanage..wher her mom and herself had visited...there was sudden death of a child..at approximately 10.00-05pm .causes were not not known...but doctors speculated that it was SIDS( sudden infant death syndrome) almost a nill possibility in India where children die of mal nutrition and not SIDS. The child was 6 months old, and was brought to the orphanage by police some months back when it was found with his dead mother...
Was it just a concidence or was it something more than that???