“Do you want a towel?” Shikha asked feeling concerned.
The young man gave a sad smile, “Thanks Ma'm. I am all right. I love the rain and often roam around like this.”
Sachin noted that the man had a deep scar running across his forehead. The young man noticed the glance and said, “Bike accident. I drove a Bullet and the brakes snapped while I was going to Kalka last year. But I am here to tell the tale so that is good enough.”
The Other Side
67 “Aha! Another Enfield fan! We drove here on a Bullet as well.” Sachin thawed a bit towards the young man.
“And we had a close shave on the road yesterday,” added
Shikha. “It is just providence and Sachin's skills that saved us.” “Do not forget the sturdy build of the machine. And brakes are
important too,” Sachin said.
“Yeah, brakes! I was let down by them. I survived the accident
but my parents have not allowed me to ride a bike since. One needs
to be very careful when driving around in the hills, particularly
when riding up. I think I'll come back in the morning and take a
look at your bike. Especially the brakes.”
Sachin was miffed, “I have been driving a bike for many years. I
have never had an accident before yesterday.”
“And you should not have one again,” replied the stranger,
“Learn from my experience. Just get your bike checked before
starting off on every journey.”
Shikha joined forces with Ranjit, “I did not want to come on a
bike. I wanted the car.”
“No, no, the pleasure of driving a bike is far more. Just be
careful and get the bike checked before taking on the treacherous
hill roads.”
By that time the hailstorm had petered out but the wind was
still howling in the trees.
“What a spooky night. Almost like the scary storms they show
in horror movies. It almost makes you believe in ghosts,” Sachin
said in a softer tone.
“Ghosts do exist. I believe in them. But one must understand
that all spirits are not evil,” Ranjit said, looking at him suddenly. “It
has stopped raining and I must go,” he added as Sachin stared at
him in disbelief.
Shikha intervened, “But you are soaked. Can we offer you
some hot coffee or tea may be?”
“No thanks. It is getting to be very late and I must leave.
Goodnight and thank you.”
And with a polite nod he was off.
“What a peculiar young man!” Shikha said, “Ranjit, he said his
name was, right?”
Sachin nodded.
“I wonder where I'd heard that name before,” Shikha said,
looking lost. Sachin narrowed his eyes.
“He said that he likes to roam around in the rain,”
Shikha repeated.
“Did you note that he stayed in the shadows most of the time? I
had an eerie feeling that he could read my mind.”
“Yeah, he was kind of creepy but well, you warmed to him the
moment he mentioned a Bullet.”
“Everyone who loves bikes is a friend of mine.”
“But he also said that he believed in ghosts!” Shikha replied and
they both burst into peals of laughter. Their laughter pierced the
still of the night.
The young man who liked to walk in the rain looked up. He
took a step towards the laughter, stopped and then walked away
into the darkness towards the cemetery.
The next morning dawned bright and sunny. Kasauli looked washed and scrubbed, glowing in the mellow sunlight, almost like a schoolboy on his way to school on the first day. The caretaker was busy tinkering around the lawn when Ranjit walked up to him. “NamasteChacha, I see that you are busy today.”
The Other Side
69 “ Namaste Beta. The rain has made the ground soft and I decided to do some planting today. Takes less labor, you see.”
“And have your guests woken up yet? I promised them I would take a look at their bike.”
“Which guests are you talking about? I have no one staying at this time of the season.”
“What do you mean? Isn't there a couple staying at the bungalow? I met them yesterday.”
“I don't understand what you are talking about.”
‘Chacha is getting senile,’ Ranjit thought. He added aloud, “I was in the neighborhood yesterday when it started raining and then hailstones followed. I saw a little light through the window and decided to seek shelter here. I found a young tourist couple here. They said that they had driven up here on a bike.”
The caretaker was not impressed. “Beta, you have been drinking excessively again, haven't you?”
“No Chacha, I think you are mistaken. Come, I'll show you.”
The caretaker accompanied him to the main door on his insistence but there was a huge lock on the door. “See…” he said triumphantly.