By Akanshya Chakraborty, 9C

The dark, gloomy and murky sky surrounded me, like a hunter approaching its vulnerable prey. The sky was blanketed by huge grey clouds and it was raining cats and dogs with occasional thunder. The moons and stars hid behind the clouds as if to mock me because I didn’t have a single source of light. My car had broken down and I was stranded literally in the middle of nowhere. Tall trees loomed around me menacingly and in the distance, I could hear a wolf howl. I shuddered.

I was desperately in need of shelter, for I had a high fever. My car wasn’t of any help because the mechanical system of the convertible roof wasn’t working either. I was also hungry and thirsty, on the verge of collapsing, but I had to wait for a miracle.

Locals usually avoided the path I had taken because of an old tale, but I was in a rush and this route was a short cut. According to the story, anyone whoever has taken this abandoned path has got stuck midway and has remained stranded. People either got lost in the dense forest or they slipped into the hands of death, due to starvation. Apparently, there were only two survivors who got rescued by a stranger with no face. How are people so creative even to come up with such fake stories?

Though, I guess those tales are true sometimes; like now.

I was about to give up. I sat down against a bark of a tree and I could see black spots. I felt numb. That is when I saw a man dressed up in complete black clothes cross the road and approach me. Was this how death looked? Pretty modern if you ask me. He was wearing a black leather jacket with a hood; black jeans, black gloves, and a black mask. I could not see his eyes either, it was pitch dark. Was I hallucinating? I already had black spots before my eyes and I had started to create imaginative figures, wow!

Soon, I realized that I wasn’t actually hallucinating because that gentleman pulled me up with a strong grasp and helped me walk over to a car, presumably a Sedan. I was a bit more aware of my surroundings as I could feel the ice-cold wind against my face. I was also sure that he wasn’t death, cause if I were dead, I wouldn’t feel anything, right? He helped me into the car and turned on the heater. I was semi-conscious and I felt like asking him a million questions. I wanted to thank him, but a single sound wasn’t coming out through my vocal cords. I noticed that he was driving without headlights, so he must know the place pretty well.

Suddenly, I could see street lights ahead and he stopped the car at a safe distance, from the lights. I got out of the car clumsily and croaked out a ‘thank you’. He just nodded his head, sternly paying little attention. I walked over to the streetlights to find the police and my mother. I happily collapsed onto my mother’s arms and she hugged me warmly as tears ran down her cheek.

A police officer came up to me and asked, “ How did you manage to get out?”

I pointed at the forest, but there was no sign of a vehicle or a man. The police looked at me as if to question my sanity.

My mom responded, “She is tired, she needs rest.” The police nodded his head acknowledging her and backed away.

My mom took me to our house and I immediately collapsed on the bed. I took a long nap. After I woke up, I felt better and grateful, but soon guilt conquered me for never asking the stranger his name or address. I owed him my life. He had been so kind and I knew that he wasn’t a part of my imagination. Upon asking my mom about whether the police had found any traces of a vehicle, she replied saying that none were found.

A single question raced across my mind…who was he?