Nellore 13 Km

" Duhd Duhd ..." My Hero Honda went dead. "what the @#$%" I muttered into my breath. The mile stone said “Nellore 13 Km”. “I cant push it for 13 kms” I said to my self. I parked my bike by the side of the road. I looked at the road. There was no one around, not even a bat (could have said an ant but this being a spooky story...). I saw a big bungalow a few hundred feet away from the road, to my left in ruins. As if time has forgotten in about it and with that people too. Strangely, as I was looking at it, I felt that I knew this house very well and had this strong urge of going inside.

I looked at my watch it was exactly 1'o clock on a very hot Nellore afternoon. All I could see were mirages on the Road. I took of my goggles and looked around, nothing but thorny bushes. "Creek creek" The crickets made a hell lot of noise. “It Must be a "Creek Concert” I giggled.

I checked the level of gas in my bike tank. It was half empty ( you guessed right...I am a pessimist). I gave it hard kick again it doesn’t start. I used the time tested Desi technique that is to slant it and then kick it start. “dhud..dhud..” again but no sign of life in the engine.

I looked at my watch again. "Shit its 1:30pm, My father will be back,I am so dead" I thought. It’s an other issue that I used to steal my father’s bike and take it out to my friend’s farm so that we can drink cool toddy on hot summer afternoons.

Then I saw her. She was walking in the middle of the road. It was like as if she was walking on the water as I could see her reflection in the mirage on the road.

She was dressed a bit strange for a village woman. She was wearing a pattu (silk) saree and was wearing lot of golden jewellery which were shining in the bright sunshine. She was dressed up like a bride. The Creek Creek sounds of crickets was increasing every second... She was walking very slowly, as if she was contemplating something.

She must be 50 feet from me...”what is a bride doing here on the middle of a deserted road? I thought. “Hello” I shouted at her. The cricket’s creek sound was so deafening by now that I could hardly hear myself. It was like as if I am being surrounded by an army of crickets. I was terrified by now. I looked at her. She was much closer to me now. I could see her face now. It was glowing brightly and she was exceptionally beautiful.

“I never saw such a majestic woman” I said to myself. She was looking straight into my eyes and she flashed a smile at me. Suddenly a cold frigid wind blew and I started shivering even at those mid afternoon summer temperatures. It was as if some cold hands are playing with me. I couldn’t stop shivering and my legs felt really week.

Then suddenly I heard a farm tractor coming from behind. Suddenly She stopped walking towards me and her look changed from a pleasant to plain terror. Those looks were so cold that they pierced me, as if “Will you get you soon”. She then melted into thin air and disappeared.

By then, the tractor came near me stopped and the driver asked me “what’s the problem saar?” I said “My bike wouldn’t start, let me try again” and I kicked it again. My Honda started without any issue at all. I was so dazed by this strange encounter couldn’t understand anything. In that daze I drove off without even saying a word to the driver of the tractor.

Fast-forward three years. Last summer I again stole my father bike and took it to the farm house. I was returning back to Nellore and it was 7 pm and it just getting dark. My engine died. I got of my bike and looked at the mile stone it said “Nellore 13 Km”. I instantly looked towards my left and there was that house standing! “Creek…Creek” I heard those crickets again.