It was a fine morning. Hundreds of stories must have begun with the same opening lines. But trust me; it truly was a fine morning. And for once Raipur was not humid. Cool breeze, blue sky and predictions of good weather. With all these spices we boarded the bus. The auspicious occasion of class picnic was about to take place for the first time in the three years of our college life. After few days of convincing confusing and corrupting peoples mind, we finally were all set to go. As we left our hostels, and before the “antakshari” actually started, another issue was waiting to be solved. BANG!!!!!!! We didn’t have any faculty to accompany us without which we should not leave the place. Be reasonable man! We have paid for the bus and food and moreover what about our moods? And who would like to go back to the hostel and be a fool in front of juniors who had booked four faculty members to go with them? We decided to go. With or without a guardian. And “without” we went.

It had been just thirty minutes or so and suddenly another halt. This time the reason being one of the tyres of the bus blew off. But needless to say, we enjoyed it and a hearty photo session was conducted. After 20 minutes we headed for our destination which happened to be a water fall. Now let me tell you a truth. We had been told that it is going to be one of the fatal falls but it turned out to be a pond actually. Don’t take me literally. The water level and the height and flow suited all of us as few of us can’t swim and hello! Let me introduce myself. I belong to the group of non swimmers.

 

Most of us stepped into the cool water anyway. And among the non swimmers I was the first one to jump. Now don’t be hysterical, how can someone jump into a pool of rocky beds and little water? Little it was when I entered. It was different then the pools I had ever been to as I didn’t have any life jacket or tube but it was fun. The picnic was perfect to the t till now and I was the happiest soul as if something would have went wrong, being the initiator, I would have faced the tantrums.

Water had always been a fascination for me. Would you stop laughing please? I am not mistaken in choosing the words, I just mean it. Just stay in a tub of lukewarm water dipping your chin, or walk on a beach bare footed. If you are not so daring, at least take a shower for more then ordinary. I am sure even a moron like you would feel good.

Now when I had explored all the possible dwellings in one corner of the fall, I was desperate to look at the farther corner but for reaching there I needed a helping hand. Ahem ahem! Not just hand but a full body which can swim. All I needed was someone who would be at my side, holding my hand to give me the confidence. One of my classmates stretched his hand for me to hold. I did that. I swear I did that. It just was a wrong step. Or a wrong place.

I held his hand and moved ahead. One two and THUD! I was nowhere. Excuse me. I know where I was and I knew that I never wanted to be there. There was no rock where I stepped. It was “just” water. And it took me 3 minutes to understand that it was “just’ water. I don’t remember what was going on at the surface as I was not there. I was underwater. I did hold his hand, I reminded myself. But then where is he?  And just then I felt the jerk. He untangled my hand. He left me. The person whom I trusted with my life left me to suffocate in the worst possible way. I had never felt the urge to live but I felt it there. I clearly knew I am not to die so soon. How can it be? All I can see is just green. It’s radiant but it’s green. Sun light filtered from surface was reaching me. If it can come to me why cant someone else? Someone who would take me out of my misery. I didn’t hear any screams, shouts or voices filled with fear. Nobody noticed me drowning? Am I just going to sink like the pebble I threw few moments back? Then it sounded the end.

I had heard that most people get hyper and start screaming which does nothing but to fill water in lungs instead of air. Sound funny? Actually fatal it is. Luckily I remembered the words of the prudent. I didn’t shout. All I could think of at that moment is that that I had not spent enough time with my family that summer. I “saw” my mother wrapped in a blue cotton sari telling me tales about this world. She said “instead of doubting hundred, I trust one, and that’s you.” I tried to cling to her but her face disappeared. Whom should I call now? Who will rescue me? And there came my father directly from the memory book of an 11 year old child. He had come to visit me when I was in boarding school. We went out for getting some stuff from market and on my way back I asked him when he would visit me next. He asked if I don’t feel like staying here and I said it’s not like that. He smiled and said “soon! Very soon”. The feeling of gagging was drifting away. I was feeling calm. And the celluloid changed and I saw my brother on the stairs of a house heading to the rooftop to see the sunrise with his sister 9 year old. He was 5 himself. But when he reached the top, my younger brother was standing there to tell me that the guy in his school, who bullied him, had been punished by the teacher.

And then I saw these eyes which asked me not to go. And I felt pain. Somebody tried to pull my arm so hard that it stung. But I was dropped again. And again came the face, this time pleading me to stay. And again I saw the green surrounding. I felt the hitch. And suddenly I was out of the mirage. I landed on the surface. It should have been a beautiful feeling but to be really honest, I didn’t feel a thing for next few moments. And as soon as I came back to my senses (sounds funny. I know!) I asked akshat why he did leave me like this. And he replied if he had not been able to get rid of my hand I would have made him sink to the bottom with myself. I was actually holding his hand and he didn’t leave me to die but to stay alive. And then it was he and manish who fetched me out of the bottom to the surface. It took them “just” few minutes and few seconds. Nobody counted that actually as it was no Olympics. I shuddered at the idea of it. What might have happened, no body can tell. But what I saw deep there was something which shook my faith from the belief that I am strong. I “just” have strong pillars in my life as of everyone else. Life is a thing so fragile that you can never rely on it but surely you have to do more than to survive. You have to live in order to die and you have to die to be born again. This is what old folks say but how true it is? This was no near death experience as I had never left the mighty hand of the power called life. Was it a delusion? Had I been imagining things underwater as I had nothing else to do? I don’t have a clue. All I know is the anchors of my life are dug deeper than I had ever imagined.

Rest of the story should be zapped up. I didn’t see the wings on manish’s or akshat’s sides but they sounded no less then cherub. My little adventure didn’t spoil the picnic and we had fun food and freaky games to make it memorable. But on our way back we heard saddening news which would stay in our minds for the rest of our lives.

 

Picnic is over now and so is the possibility of conducting it again but it left behind a souvenir. A souvenir to remind me how these “just” “little” factors bring grand changes in ones life.

"this is what happens when innocent people like me try to bluff"

 

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