Sunday, May 18, 2008

The man with a helmet


After a daylong journey, I got down from the super fast bus, on the side of the national highway. The midnight was over. The national highway could not sleep due to the fast flowing vehicles, sharp lightened eyes in the, in front, and flew away with reddish eyes, at the back.
The road turns left is the way I have to go. No auto rickshaws were parking at the bus stop, as usually happens. Some Lorries and occasional vehicles turned this way and disappeared quickly at the turning.
I waited for an auto rickshaw, which will surely come, no doubt. But my waiting extended for a long time but there was signal of no auto rickshaws coming.
I was actually tired. I wished that I should lie to my bed and sweep in to fast asleep and that expectations remained, as a dream. No auto rickshaws entered to the spot to rescue me.
Suddenly a bike came turning to the side road. The rider was wearing a black helmet. His body was covered with a black overcoat .He has worn black shoes, and handcuffs also.
The bike stopped a few yards away. Without turning his face, he just turned his hand and invited me with a gesture. I thought that that might be an acquaintance of mine. I rushed forward. I tried to realize his face. But he did not remove his helmet. I sat at the back seat, the bike rushed forward in an over speed, with a grunting sound. He was an expert rider. With a fearful humming sound, the bike leaped through the sharp turnings and gutters through darkness.
I tried to speak to him. But all my questions were unanswered perhaps due to the sound of the bike my questions were unheard by him. The huge speed of the bike, however did not affect my balance. Within a few minutes, I felt that a long way had been covered.

It was a heavy dark night. The black trees on the roadside flew back. He never turned the bike on the gutters but nothing happened. I was in a fear mood. Riding with a stranger in the late hours of a darkly night whose face even cannot be seen, and he speaks nothing, is a strange experience, that also in an over speed.

Unexpectedly he braked the bike. The bike stopped was a junction. I awoke from a trance. I realized that it is the junction, I have to get down. Ofcourse he might be an acquaint of mine, otherwise how he would know my bus stop.
“Thank you very much,” I said, “Would you please remove your helmet? I would like to see your face. Because without my request you give me a lift in these late hours”

The man slowly turned his face towards me. His arms moved like a robot’s arms. He removed the helmet. A roar from the down earth heard.

That man had no head.

I saw nothing and heard nothing but thunder balls and lightening.

He put back his helmet and ride away. I did not see anything. Only the red eyes of the bike in the back side. That red light remained as a dot for a long time.