A Travelogue

She had put in a long day at office and was about to begin the homeward journey – same route, same hills, and same river that she had travelled in the morning. Only, the twilight was making the hills looks sinister, the sound of the rushing water scary, the unplanned bus halts irritating, and the loaded bus suffocating. Relief would not come what with the meandering roads, the treacherous turns, the unruly drivers and the narrow paths. This was not the way it looked on the other days. But she was good two hours late today. And it was almost night – almost. She shivered at the thought. She looked around her. No feminine silhouette visible.  Only rugged and unkempt males – they had all put in hard labor during the day, some of the persons in the back seats appeared drunk, the one who sat behind her smelled strongly of tobacco. She clung to her handbag a little more tightly. She was scared.  She tried to busy herself with the scenery outside but with dark coming in rapidly, her thoughts returned to her fears. She counted three ravaging forest fires – the bright orange against the black night. She saw the lights of the temples and the echo of the evening prayers and felt some of the strength returning. It would take just half an hour more from here on. And she counted almost every second in that half hour. Finally, the bus was circuiting the familiar turns of her hometown. She disembarked at the rather empty looking bus stand. Her father was waiting there for her to take her home. Once inside her cozy nest, they all laughed and talked and ate and watched TV. Her fears were gone - at least for now - only to return in the night when nestled under the covers, waiting for the fan and sleep to silence her thoughts – she would wonder – if her new job was worth all the travails?

Linking with the Trifecta : Week Thirty