Bridge

Now, I'm in the bus, travelling on a bridge connecting my hometown to a small city outskirts where my college is located.

Because of my college being in an industrial city and my bus timings clash with the employees job timings, the bridge is heavily crowded around this time and it will take around half-an-hour to cross the three kilometre bridge.

Looking at the morning sun in the distant and the river below, the world feels peaceful and generally, around this time, I would have fallen into my slumber and would be experiencing one of the lives.

However, today is slightly different, and the reason is…

"What you are thinking Ajin? Watch here, it would get interesting now", my friends words pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned my eyes away from the window and began watching the video he is showing on his mobile screen.

It is not a special video or a knowledgeable one neither a funny cat video, it is just some random online roasting video by some famous influencer.

I'm not a fan of it, instead I feel them offending. Why roast a person who is a stranger to you and why another stranger laugh to it, I don't get it.

In the first place, I don't get the bullying part the world lives with. I feel no excitement nor empathy to that. It just feels strange to me.

Still, "What the hell is wrong with that guy, dancing like that- firstly, do you even call that a dance, I am sure, a drunk man's walking looks like a dance than this shit," I utter this words with a realistic laugh.

"That's why I said it gets interesting, there is even a part two for this. There he will be seen eating food at a party with his two hands…" my friend continued my laugh with those words.

He is Anu, short for-, I don't remember his real name as I always called him that and he introduced himself as that. He is my bus-mate, I call him that because we both are from different disciplines and I mostly won't meet him in the college after I get off the bus.

He is an inch taller than me, whitish, handsome face, stylish hair and the clothes he wear speaks volumes about his wealth. He is the son of my city's mayor.

And coming to the part, why I'm pretending like I'm actually enjoying the video, it's because he thinks I would, so I'm making sure he still thinks the same.

Truth to be spoken, I don't want to be eccentric, don't want to stand out and want to be the easily commutable guy, so I do what others think I would unless it doesn't hurt anyone.

"Hey president" my other friend, Rithvik, sitting beside Anu called me.

Lifting my face to look at him, I see a tall guy who seems standing even when sat, his muscles are sturdy, they show how much dedication he have in making them and a side detail, he spends much of his time in gyms rather than his home.

This two are kind of personalities normally a simple guy like me would never want to group with, but things turned out this way and I'm stuck with them.

"Yes" I replied, and then noticing the drink in his open palm, I quickly snatched it and drank it whole.

Rithvik laughed, "Why won't you go to a gym and try working out like me then, that way you can get girls quickly?"

"No time for those-", I stopped, and corrected myself, "I tried, but I gave up soon."

According to him, girls fall for muscles. At first I thought it was misconception, but watching him date a new girl every semester, I doubt myself. So, he thinks I want to get stronger to attract girls, but when I asked him for a suggestion the first time, I was just curious how he got those muscles, but he ended up thinking I wanted muscles like him and ended up sharing his protein shakes, drinks, breakfast with me time to time.

Anyway, this is it about my two bus-mates and now time to sleep.

"Anu, last night I had to do some president related works and an assignment, so I couldn't get to sleep much." I said while removing Anu's earphones from my ears and resting my face on the window.

….

"Mom, try to find us" I shouted while hiding behind the seat with giggling Sophia doing the same beside me.

"Arthur, don't play in the train," mom shouted louder than she needed thinking we were few compartments away from her.

Sophia raised her tiny hand and shouted, "we are here, mom."

Soon, we both raised up and stood on the seat, with our eyes watching mom who was busy talking with dad.

Sophia wanted to get mom's attention, so jumped up and down on the seat while calling for mom.

Mom immediately turned to her and with an angry glare, she shouted, "I will come there if you don't stop your games this instant."

Meanwhile, dad said sorry without making a voice and that apology wasn't intended to us, instead it was intended to the couple sitting beside us.

I immediately realized what a burden we are causing them and soon, I got down the seat and made Sophia do the same.

Soon, I cleaned the seat we were standing on a minute ago and turned to them to apologize.

The couple laughed and the women patted on Sophia's head saying, "Just don't stand on seats with shoes on, otherwise play as much as you can, no one is here to stop you."

I looked around and noticed all the passengers around us watching us with a smile on their faces as if they enjoying our company.

Sophia immediately removed her shoes and hopped onto the seat with them in her hands. Showing off the shoes, she again began jumping up and down while shouting, "Mom, this Aunty said we can jump like this without our shoes on."

Everyone around us, including dad who was watching us from his seat, laughed and my mom sighed before mumbling in an annoyed tone, "whatever."

…

Our games continued for a while, from hide and seek to catch-catch, we played many games, and the adults in the compartment kept helping us, mostly cheating when Sophia is the guy who need to catch me.

Apart from that unfairness at times, I enjoyed the time in the compartment and it seemed like all the adults are also enjoying our company.

Soon, it felt like we are in home and they all are no longer strangers. It wasn't just me, even Sophia felt same, as she kept changing seats and eating the stuff the adults are giving to her.

Maybe she liked the chocolates the couple from before gave, she sat there for a long time and kept talking with them.

Meanwhile, mom and dad slept for sometime, and now they are fully awoke and talking to each other.

I didn't notice it till then, but seeing dad gesturing mom to look outside the window, I finally noticed the silence in the compartment.

The whole car became completely silent and all the adults are looking in one direction, to the sky outside the window.

Involuntarily, my eyes turned to the window and I could see the marvellous scene they all are watching.

A wide river under the bridge our train is traveling on, the dark black sky above with the white crescent moon, Luna, looking like a huge ring because of its reflection on the river and the second moon, red Sona, at it's center, looking bigger than usual because of its reflection. The two moon lights from them, white and red clashing inside the ring, it seemed like a divine light is born from it.

It somehow looked like the inside of Sophia's or mom's bright eyes grew large enough to cover the sky and stare at me.

I was frozen looking at the most beautiful scene which my poor literature wouldn't allow me to describe and it wasn't just me, I could see all the adults around us literally opening their mouths wide as if to suck the air through their mouths.

"AJIN," a loud shout ripping my eardrums woke me up from my sleep and ended my experience of Arthur's life come to an abrupt end.