Page 209 - Literati Bytes

Vanished

It was raining heavily, the street lights had gone off

and I was returning home from a late night birthday party.

Due to the heavy downpour of rain, the street was well nigh

de-peopled. Majority of the doors on that street were owned

by the shop owners and businessmen and had long since

been closed because of bitter cold and unfavourable

weather. I was walking down the wet street-my feet acting

as inconvenient obstacles for the fast running streams-

when I felt something serpentine close to my feet. I jumped

away and looked around for something on the drenched path;

a reflex action. I felt chills rising at the back of my neck and

it was not because of the cold wind.

I ignored it and kept walking, apparently feeling like an

utter fool. Not long after that, I heard footsteps correspond-

ing to mine. I could not imagine someone out of their houses

in such weather, but then I looked down at myself. The sound

got closer and naturally, I saw a figure forming and growing

bigger through the blurriness due the curtain of rain. He was

a tall man wearing an overcoat with collars turned high up

which made it impossible to see his face but eyes. I did not

stop but then he came to a halt right in front of me. I stopped

too- though unwillingly- and looked at him with a blank

expression.