Chapter 3
Mystery in the middle of the snow
Many scientists strongly believe in the possibility of life in other planets other than earth, but when they published photographs of Unidentified Flying Objects in popular research journals, people laughed at them, saying, “They are not UFOs, but only the pranks of the spirits who are wandering in the sky.”
But what is the truth …?
Midnight!
The path to ‘Leh’ was not visible now. A snowy smoke curtain blocked the entire way. The driver stopped the car as if he could not drive any more. He rubbed his hands together roughly, unable to bear the cold.
It is Mohan’s habit to go to sleep by ten o'clock. The nights he spent without sleep were rare.
Even during the world cup cricket matches, being a lover of cricket, he used to sit and watch the TV with much difficulty as he did not want to miss his peaceful sleep.
Such a personality was now sitting in the car without sleep.
The severe cold did not allow him to sleep.
He did not expect it to be this much cold. He started enquiring when the car stopped.
“What Raju…Why did he stop the car?”
“Because we cannot continue our journey further. The visibility is too bad, sir...”
“Didn’t you know all these things before we started?”
Anger glistened in Mohan’s eyes.
“Sorry, sir… I thought that we could manage somehow.”
“Stupid. What will we do now? Is there any traveler’s bungalow nearby?”
Raju translated Mohan’s question into the Kashmiri language and asked the driver, but he said, “This area is quite new to me, sir.”
“Idiot...What have you done? What will we do now?”
This was again translated into the Kashmiri language by Raju. The driver replied.
“Generally, it is very risky to go to ‘Leh’ by road, sir. Air route is the best. That too is available seldom...”
“Jawahar, if I tell this answer to my M.D, he will slap me.”Raju said.
“What can I do, sir…? How can I know the weather will change so suddenly?”
“Okay… It’s quite cold now. Tell me regarding some good alternatives.”
“I don’t know, sir. Better lie down inside the car with the woolen blankets. Let it get dawn. As soon as the sun rises, the road may be visible, and the snow will melt away.”
“Why aren’t you so sure about it? See, only if we start by five in the morning we can meet that monk.”
“Sorry, sir…I don’t know any way out from this.”
“Okay, how far is that place?”
“We’ll have to travel nearly for three more hours from here, sir. We cannot even see the milestones, sir. There’s so much dew there that it has covered the entire area.”
Mohan got irritated, seeing both of them discussing something seriously in a low voice.
“What Raju… What is the matter? What is that driver saying?”
“He is saying that there is one Traveler’s Bungalow nearby, and we can stay there.”
Raju purposely lied.
“Then why are you waiting? We can park the car there.”
“But he is saying that he cannot start the car…Look there sir, nothing is visible, we can’t even see the car bonnet, sir…”
Raju said pointing his hand towards the car - Mohan too looked. The car glass above the dashboard was already covered with the snow.
“You are an idiot. Shall we go back to Baltal...?”
“It's not possible...sir, snow is there all around us and visibility is very poor...”
Raju said in a low voice.
“Idiot.” Mohan got furious. He sighed.
He tightened his brown colored coat and tie.
“Okay...Is there any shawl in the suitcase?”
“There’s a woolen blanket in the car’s dicky, sir...”
“First of all, take it out man. I cannot bear this cold…I would get a fever tomorrow for sure. I would not be able to attend the Calcutta seminar or the function in Cochin.”
“No sir, there will not be any problem for it.”
“Yeah… at this rate, we will go straight to heaven.”
Raju opened the car door. The metal handle was ice cold. When he opened the car’s door, the next minute, the snow rushed inside the car. He closed it quickly and opened the car’s dicky.
Inside the dicky, he could find all sorts of things from water bottles to a quilt blanket. He took the blanket quickly and shut the car’s dicky, locking it with the remote.
There's complete silence all around with no sound other than the sound of opening and closing the car dicky. In the midst of that, he heard the sound of someone walking wearing boots.
He was stunned and amazed.
He turned around and looked at the place from where the noise came. One man was going there, walking very stiffly in his military uniform.
“Wow…!” Raju became very curious…
‘Is there any Army area nearby?’
With so many questions in his mind, he called him aloud, “Sir…”
But he disappeared into the haze within no time …..
Raju looked for him through the heavy snow but he could not find anyone.
Even the sound of his footsteps were not audible now!
He looked at his watch.
It’s twelve o'clock…
