It Happened One Night - Until I could soak no more...

It was pitch dark as she set her foot down on the platform.Darn!Last track again!She had no patience to walk over the entire length of the platform to make use of the foot over bridge. Moreover ,climbing in her pointed pencil heels was out of question ,her feet were already killing her.The next moment,she decided to cross the railway tracks .A huge mistake that she was going to repent for a long time to come.

She crossed the first track and looked carefully on either side for any signs of an incoming train.There was none.She walked ahead balancing on her pencil heels.Spotting a huge puddle glistening under the Red of the railway signal,she stopped in her tracks briefly.Some thoughtful soul had laid down two concrete slabs across the puddle to cross over,she observed .Reassured,she put one foot forward and stepped over the slab. In a flash, to her extreme horror,she found herself in a deep ditch.Her nostrils were filled with the worst stench she could ever imagine .She tried to hold on to the edge of the ditch but the  lose earth caved in and with each effort to come up,she sank deeper and deeper inside the muck."Help!" she croaked .Nothing came out of her voice box.The whole world froze in front of her eyes as her voice deserted her in panic.She managed to reach the second railway track somehow,wading through the gutter and suddenly saw a long distance train approaching.It hurtled past making her head spin.Her heart leapt in her mouth at the narrow escape and a terrible ringing noise in her ears made her dizzy for a few moments.The downpour was heavy now, accompanied by thunder and lightening.Grabbing the railway tracks,she hauled herself up with all her might.She kept throwing furtive glances towards the far end of the station, for any incoming train.Drenched to the core,trembling with fear,her body and her soul could soak no more..

She dragged her tired, feet on the rough earth .The dainty high heels were missing, her soles were sore and her spirit dim from the death defying experience.She tried flagging an auto rickshaw as she came out in the open,to take her home.Two rickshaws one after the other , slowed down as they approached her but sped off soon after they saw her.She soon realized why.She begged the next one to drop her home at triple the usual fare.Money talks and people listen.But the night was still young and her ordeal.....far from over! As she closed her eyes and rested her weary feet in the rickshaw, she felt the screeching of tyres as they went around negotiating  a sharp bend in the road.Next moment she found herself on the road beneath ,with the toppled rickshaw around and on top of her .Too stunned to react,she stayed put .She had given up by now,she was drained out  and ready to face whatever came her way. It was more than she could endure..she could soak no more !The happenings were beyond her comprehension .It was more like she was playing hide and seek with death.The driver emerged in seconds from the rickshaw and she felt a number of hands extracting her from the rickshaw. All emerged unscathed,including the rickshaw.She wondered why she had never believed in miracles, ever !

Once home,she rushed past whoever opened the front door and shut the bathroom door behind her.She was stinking and the stench was unbearable.Unmindful of the banging hands on the bathroom door,she continued her efforts to free herself of the offending dress which was clinging hopelessly to her body.Her favourite dress had to be thrown....She was surprised that she thought of that,it ought to have  been the last thing to cross her mind. She tried to wash away the muck, from her body and the experience from her soul as she stood under the shower.The knocking on the door was frantic now..She let them know that she was fine and spent a good 45min under hot water. 'The clothes,had to be rinsed at least, to rid them of the odour ',she thought.She adjusted the setting of  the washing machine and added  Surf Excelmatic in the receptacle.She added a fragrant antiseptic liquid to the final rinse receptacle before starting the wash cycle. No soaking required,they had claimed. This was beyond soaking and frankly she had considered the dress discarded already.

Once out of the bath,she sat down with a cup of steaming chai ,narrating the dramatic events of the night.She skipped the dangerous details of the use of  the railway tracks as the anchor or the narrow margin by which she missed the passing train.The family found the whole thing to be funny!! There were peels of laughter from all around interspersed with words of admonition from seniors,followed by more giggles.'If only they knew' ,she thought before joining in the fun.She was surprised that she actually could laugh and joke about it.Never again shall I cross the tracks ,she promised herself. A grave mistake,that could have put an end to this dream life she had had, as a gift from beyond.

She woke up very late the next morning .Armed with her morning cup of tea and news papers , she settled down. She heard  her maid call out  to her-'Didi, I have ironed your silk dress too' ."Huh! that one ?Throw it Rama "-she said. By that time Rama had walked in with the dress ,bewildered at the command. The dress was spotless! "Did you soak it and wash it again before ironing?" She asked. "No,I did not.I just removed it from the machine and ironed it. Why would you want to throw the dress ?It is so pretty ..Rama mumbled. Why indeed ?
Surf Excelmatic had worked ! Soak no more and shoak ( शोक )  no more !

The cleansing of clothes was practically effortless.She could not say the same about her terrified being.The night was hellish,dotted with nightmares.It will take a long time before she could put this episode somewhere at the back of her mind..hidden.


This post is my entry for the Indiblogger Surf Excelmatic #Soak no more contest.If you like this post, to vote for it, please drop in  here .Thank you .