The unforgotten road
I went to my arts college daily by bycycle.It was fifteen miles away from my village.Most of my villagers were farmers and they were very poor.Their economic condition was fully depended upon the seasonal rain and good harvest.There was no bus facilities and street lights for my village.Usually ,the villagers went to the nearby towns by walking, bullocks carts and bycycles.I enjoyed going to my college by my bycycle through the natural sceneries which were on the road side.I never tired to go to the college because of the trees covered shady road.And I never missed seeing the tall teak trees, small rivers,dams and small insects like butterflies, grasshopper and reptiles.The horrible incident which took place during my college days.It was a weekend,my friends had decided to go to an English movie The evil ,for the first show near the town theatre.They forced me to come and see the movie along with them , after the college was over.Most of my friends came to the college by bus.I was the only student who had come to the college by bycycle.We went to the theatre and saw the thrilling movie along with my friends.The movie was over nearly nine o'clock.All my friends sprinted towards the busstand to catch their town buses.I took my bycycle from the cycle stand and rode towards my village.Though the British Raleigh bycycle was very old,it was in good condition ,fitted with Miller dynamo light.My village was nearly fifteen miles away from the town in short route .The road was not in good condition due to the seasonal rain.It had many puddles and ridges.And it had tall teak wood trees on both sides and there was no street lights.On the way to my village,I had to cross nearly eighteen villages.Those villages had the cremation grounds on both sides of the road. Hindus burnt the dead bodies of the human being near the rivers and that places were called as cremation grounds.The road is very pleasant in day time but it was horrible in night time.It was very difficult to go on the road during the night time.Though I was a courageous boy,the dark surroundings made me fearful.I crossed the town limit and I stood for sometime.My fear made not to go further but my hungry pushed me to go to my house.I knew that I had no friends in the town .Even if I knew them I didn't know their houses.I thought about my mother and sister who waited for me in the house without sleeping.My grandfather and grandmother had told me so many ghost stories and those evil stories had flashed in my mind at that time.I tested my cycle's tyres and dynamo light wheather they were working good or not.I passed urine and waited anybody had go on that road.I was totally disappointed, nobody had turned that road.After a half an hour halt , I started to go towards my village.I rode my cycle as fast as I could.My cycle went fast through the dark road.The Miller dynamo light showed a beam of light upto a hundred feets.The monsoon wind blew speedily and it made the falling of leaves on road and me.My cycle moved on frogs crabs, snails and reptiles sometimes.I didn't notice anything on the way.The frogs sounds and foxes sounds made me frightened.The bad smell came from the cremation grounds and the smoke followed my cycle like a ghost.When I rode my cycle on the ridges and puddles,my silver lunch box which was behind in the carrier made more noises.There was no chance for slipping the lunch box which was tightly fitted in the carrier.If the lunch box had slipped it would not have taken back.I rode the cycle more than sixty kilometres speed.I felt that something had followed my cycle,so I didn't turn back.anyhow I crossed the river bank road after forty minutes.Now my house was within twenty minutes cycle ride.After a strenuous battle of an hour cycle ride I reached my house at ten o'clock.When I reached my house my pant and shirt were completely wet by sweating.My energy was totally exhausted.I was not able to knock the door of my house.I sat on the varanda for ten minutes silently.After that I knocked the door slowly.Soon my sister opened the door and shocked to see my pale face. She asked me to come inside the house silently.Then I had my supper and went to bed after a horrible incident.I never forget the movie and the hard cycle ride.I took a vow that I shouldn't believe the superstitions which made the young guys as coward.
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