Short Story by: RANJIT SINHA ROY

The road was running from west to east. It was wide and straight, with no curveor bend. It was black, wet with last night's rain, now glistening in the dawnlight. The road looked as though someone with a broad, dark pencil had drawn astraight line on the green page of the earth. Nobody knew from where it came or where it went.

Now the sun was rising, a large, red disc in the east horizon. It went straight to the east, as if one went on and on, he would enter the sun. Like a spear, the road seemed to pierce the sun. It rained last night, but the sky was clear now, though the western horizon was still alittle dark with hints of clouds. There were occasional streaks of lightening in the western sky. But it will rain no more in the quiet dawn. Whisps of mist were hanging here and there on the fields.

There were fields on both sides of the road. They were green and young, waving in the breeze. The fields stretched upto the horizon with a few trees here and there. Far beyond, a dark green thick line of trees showed where the villages were. The red glow of the sun fell on the field and blended with the green. It looked unreal, the colour changing from green to red and to green again, waving with the wind.

There were telegraph poles on one side of the road, with wires hanging from one side to other and again to the next. They came from west and went east, giving company to the road. Maybe they were carrying the message of rain in the west to the morning glow of the east. They looked endless at both ends.

There was a row of small swallows sitting on the telegraph wires. They quietly observed the road, the fields, the red disc of the sun at the end of the road, their feathers fluffy when the breeze was strong. They were silent except for the few young birds that were chirpy and looked restless. Sometimes they jumped and flew off into the grey blue sky of dawn and after making a few circles would come back and sit on the wire. Elders disapprovingly look at them but would not say anything. They all looked at the road and it was empty, with not a soul anywhere. They looked at the red glow of the sun in the east horizon, where theroad went as though entering it. Then they looked to west and saw the girl coming. It seemed she appeared from nowhere, walking to the east.

There she was, walking on the lonely road. She had oval face with black tresses tied in a ponytail at the back of her head, swinging with every step. She had large wide eyes, like two pools with black islands in middle. Her brows were like two bows and her lashes were long. Her cheeks were smooth like flower petals and she had coffee lips that waited for a sip. Her nose was slightly tilted up and her chin was round and challenging. She was tall, slim, but not thin. She wore a silken blue dress, looking violet in the red glow of dawn. Diamonds on her ears and nose were sparkling in the orange light. She was walking straight towards the sun, with lips pressed in a faint smile, as though she was having a pleasant thought,enjoying it in secret and not wanting to share. She did not look at the green fields or the telegraph wires with birds. She looked straight ahead at the red disc of the sun at the end of the road. Birds chirped amongst themselves - she is young and beautiful.

Presently a small wind came from the front, pressed the silken blue dress over her young curves, displaced a few stray locks on her forehead, played with the end of her scarf and then went away to the west carrying a few dry leaves with it.

Then the birds heard the noise from the west and saw the car coming. It was an old car with a man with grey hair driving. Paint peeled off in patches here and there and there were dents on bonnet; the car was struggling to move. With a rattling noise, shaking body and a cloud of black smoke behind, it came. And when by th eside of the young girl, it stopped. The man with grey hair opened the door and asked the girl if she would come along. The girl looked at the car, at the greyhaired man and still with the smile on her lips politely declined and said she would prefer to walk along. The birds were watching and knew why she did not go with the man.

Then again there was a roaring noise from the west. Birds thought it was the noise of thunder from the western clouds. But then they saw it coming. The shining blue polished Mo-bike, all-powerful and roaring like a lion. A tall, fair young man was riding it, holding the handles like horns of a mighty bull.

It came with great speed like a cheetah and stopped beside the girl.The young man asked if she would like a lift. The girl looked at his close-cropped black hair, high forehead, strong jawbones and rippling chest muscles showing through the black T-shirt. His jeans covered strong thighs, his biceps well formed and his fingers thick. He wore an arrogant, taunting smile and looked straight at the girl's waterpool eyes. She thought for a moment, glanced at the grey haired man in the car and with a coy smile lowered her lashes and nodded. She climbed behind the young man and put her slender arms around his waist. He kicked the bike and it came to life roaring. He held the bullhorn handles with his strong hands and sped towards the great red disc of the sun.They were silhouetted against the sun for few moments, that quickly turned into a dot and was not visible anymore. The swallows on the telegraph wires were quiet. They were not chirping or twitting. They were silent.

By that time the sun had come up higher and it was not red anymore. The road was no longer going to the sun but was passing under it. The grey haired man would not be able to go to the great red rising sun. The road was going to eternity for him.

Birds sat for some more time and waited for something to happen. But no one came, nothing moved on the road. It was very quiet, not a single soul to be seen.

Then they decided to go. They rose together to the blue sky and circled for some time. Then they went away over the green fields and vanished over the trees and villages and horizon.

The road was lonely again.