Chapter 2

Presently , Riddhima opened her eyes in that dark room. Her breath was suffocating in the tight ropes and the trigger of 30 minutes was on......

What if she hadn't saw that , that day. What if she had passed that stall unnoticed , but today she feel why her heart started beating so fast as she walked past the tea stall that day. It was an insight , an insight to the world she was going to enter , where there was nothing as simple as she thought.

She looked at the screen in front of her and her eyes closed again,  her mind ran back in time..........................................

********

As Riddhima walked past the stall that day she noticed something ............................ A man, sitting on the bench with a cup in his hand , there was nothing to wonder or new but the thing was his cloths. In this deadly cold , that man was siting in a thin shirt . At the temperature of 1° , he was just unaffected. Holding the cup in his hand , his head was deep down, the fog....... the snow, nothing could move him.

Riddhima walked past him towards her home. Pihu opened the door and they went in but  Riddhima's mind was struck at that man only , who was he, he was surely someone new, but in this cold why he was sitting there and that to in that thin shirt, his hair were laden by the thin snow belt, snow was sleeping at his shoulder but he was unaffected.

He won't be able to survive this cold......

"Riddhima....."

Riddhima thought broke and she looked at Pihu.

"Yes..."

"What are you thinking so deeply still about that woman."

"No ........ Actually there was a man sitting at the tea stall in a thin shirt, how will he survive this night should we go and give him some blanket or what."

Pihu looked at her with disinterest .

Literally no one and then Riddhima- the one for everyone........

Pihu knew her very well, if her Mother Teresa mode was on , then no can stop her.

Pihu went to the closet and took out the blanket and they walked to the stall.

But the stall was closed and that man was not there.

Pihu looked at Riddhima.

"He was here only....... I think he left.", Riddhima covered up.

"No no mother Teresa, let's go to his house and give him this blanket............ Riddhi man now rap this around ourself otherwise we will freeze and then every charity will come out nicely."

They walked back and Riddhima took a last look at the tea stall.

Who was he?

The next sun was up and Riddhima was ready for the college. She took up the coffee and came to the garden while Pihu got ready.

She strolled for a bit when she noticed that a figure walked passed her house. A man in a thin shirt that to stripped from places , wounded hands and red eyes, he was tall and lean , but his trembling legs easily told that he was too weak to even stand .

Wait a minute ..........he was the same man she saw last night.

She ran to the door to stop him but he went off unaffected.

Pihu came out locking the home and they both left for college.

"Pihu, I saw that man again today , he was trembling , I think he is homeless and injured also."

"Riddhi...... Stop dude why are you so much concerned about that stranger  you will make yourself ill, why are you getting so much attached to strangers, first that lady and now this man."

Riddhima looked down but her mind was not at all free from the trouble.

Pihu sensed it,"ok ...... Today we will go for shopping done..."

Riddhima looked at her in disinterest but as soon as the college ended , Pihu took her for shopping .

They roamed round the market , investigating the stalls after so many days and picking up the article they needed but Riddhima was not there. Pihu tried her best but she knew that her Mother Teresa mode won't go untill she do something . She had to do something.

Riddhimawas looking blindly at the article when she sensed something.Riddhima turned back but Pihu was nowhere , she looked for her but she just disappeared. Riddhima called her ,her anxiety growing , but no lane had a trace of her  . She took out her phone in stress.

"Looking for something."

Riddhima looked behind and Pihu was standing with a mischievous smile.

"Pihu............", She spoke angrily.

"What , now don't say ,where you went ,I am not a child I will get lost without my Riddhima",

She smiled and streched a packet to Riddhima.

Riddhima looked at her .

"What's this?"

"Open it".

" What's this Pihu"

"Riddhi man ....... You talk a lot, just open it.

"Overcoat", Riddhima spoke .

And Pihu smiled.

"But this is for men.", Riddhima looked at her in antonishment.

"Yes this for that Mister. unknown now finally we can get rid off your charity mood."

"Pihu this must be expensive."

Pihu took a deep breath.

"It is but let it be that man need it and we can cut off some expenses to save a life.".

Riddhima hugged her.

"Ok ok now don't start crying ".

Pihu looked at the people who were staring them.

Riddhima smiled heartily at Pihu and they left for the home.

They walked down the turn but the tea stall was closed .

"Oh no....... Where is your Mister . Unknown."

"I don't know"., Riddhima said looking at the tea stall.

They looked around but it was already dark so they left .Riddhima kept the over coat in the closet and retired for the day.

The clock striked to the next sun and today was there second case study at college........ Pihu was fully excited but Riddhima was looking out of window blankly.

"Riddhi...... This Mister. Unknown is going to cost you a lot and now you keep waiting for him , I think he must have went to his home dude."

Riddhima gave a convincing expression and they left for the college.

The tea stall was still empty and all hopes for finding that man were lost.

They went to the patient ward and the professor came in with a New patient.

"Good morning, children ,here met Ema ," she was a little girl of 8 .

"Ema has been suffering from PTSD ,post traumatic stress disorder, Symptoms may include nightmares or flashbacks, avoidance of situations that bring back the trauma, heightened reactivity to stimuli, anxiety or depressed mood. Lost the touch of reality that is don't feel the present in severe cases , there mental balance is so lost that they stop feeling ,heat ,cold ,pain and basic emotions..."

The class continued for few hours and then the day was taken off.

Pihu and Riddhima walked back to there routine road.

"Pihu you go I will come after sometime..."

"But where are you going..."

"Nothing I will go at the high point for some stroll it has been a long time"

"Ok but return before dark , do you have the torch".

"I have my phone ".

Pihu smiled and she left for the home while Riddhima went to the high point and sat on the bench.

The fog was raising from the clouds and the chilling winds were forcing the sun to set. The deep valleys made sounds as the winds clashed by the leaves but Riddhima couldn't see all this.

She was a different person today. She was always calm , at times Pihu became frustrated but she, she don't even remember a time ,she had became this sad.

It's seemed like she was suffering from some unknown pain for some unknown. Nothing has occupied her mind like this ever before, she closed her eyes in frustration.

*******

.....................................................

P.S.-

Illusion and perfect, are you kidding me.

Sometimes you can't understand the reason for your sadness. It kills you within but can you stop something ,which don't even have roots.

Do tell me your opinions..