LOOP

 

What, according to you, can be love? The early morning texts, good night messages, the frequency of saying ‘I Love You,’ etc. Are you sure about this? Maybe I can change your thinking about love.

It was the post-exam time when Amit and his friends, Honey, Rudra, Dhruv, Anya, Simran, and Piyush, decided to go out station. This being their last semester, they wanted to capture some memories so that they have some good memories to remember when they get separated because of their jobs.

Though they were only six, they decided to take a minibus to their destination because of their camping language, which seemed to be going for a year or so. This group of friends never believed in true love. And maybe after the incident of Anya’s breakup. Anya had fallen in love with someone, but he cheated on her, and after that incident, all of them supported Anya, and after that day, they all started hating true love. Their friendship was their priority.

Their trip started, and they went inside the minibus. Enjoying the journey, playing games like dumbs-Hal-arts, signing, cracking jokes, and the trip was going well. Until that specific time. Their trip started in the evening and the trip was for all night, because of which they had hired a driver. As the sun set was at its edge, a man, covered in a hairy blanket, showed a hand for lift. As all the friends were kind hearted they decided to stop and ask what the matter is. The unknown man was all covered in hair like he had not trimmed for a long time, he had some recovered wounds as well. He asked for help to reach the next village which was only a few kilometres far. And to this all the friends agreed to help.

The man came inside the bus and sat on the first seat. And with this the regular jokes and enjoyment of all the friends started again. But they noticed one thing, the stranger did not change any expression at all not even at the best jokes on which even driver laughed and appreciated.

 

 

 

Chapter 2

This behaviour of this stranger was a bit fishy. A few moments later, they all stopped at a local eating point and even at this time, when the whole group was having food, they saw that this man did not have any expression, and not even a single movement. The friends decided that they will ask him after this matter and Anya volunteered to ask.

When they got back in the bus, Anya came and sat next to the stranger and asked their concern. After listening to what that stranger, the whole group including the bus conductor got shocked. The stranger said that he was an army officer, he had recently join and it was his first posting and was newly married. After a few months of marriage he was going to have a child, but before he could see his child, the war started and he had to go for the war.

He knew that it was a very less chance that he would come back, so before going to the war he tried to take a promise that if he does not come back from the war, his wife would move on in life and get married again and start her life happily again. To which his wife said that she would wait, till eternity, for him to come back. He insisted and finally unwillingly she said that I will tie a yellow cloth on the tree which was located at the entrance of the village. And if he finds that cloths he should understand that she is still waiting for him.

The stranger said that he was captured by the enemy and was a prisoner of war for last 5 years and after so many unsuccessful attempts, they finally ran from that place. And after 5 years he was going to see his family after 5 years. He was worried after if she would have moved on or not. He added if he sees that he sees that yellow cloth on the tree which would come in their way, he will get down.

Anya asked, “And what if it is not their?”

The stranger replied that he would not get down and would keep sitting in the bus and get down somewhere much ahead from that place.

Listening to this the whole group had their Goosebumps. The people who did not believed in love were worried about what if there was no cloth there. And this slightest thought was making them afraid. Afraid a lot more that afraid. With every second the bus was reaching the village, and with every second the heart-beat of every person in the bus increased. Everyone had their fingers crossed and eyes on the wind screen, praying that they see that cloth of that tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3

The bus was only 100 meter away from the village entrance, and the driver gave up. He said that he can’t drive anymore. He is afraid of the thought that if there was no cloth on the tree. And this was the situation of every person in the bus. No one knew that person sitting next to them, but still all of them could connect to him and were worried about him. After sometime, they started the bus again because they wanted to see that tree even if they didn’t wanted to. They had no option.

As the bus moved ahead, the heart-beat was increasing a lot. 50 meter… 40 meter… 30 meter… 20 meter… 10 meter, and the headlight highlighted the tree. Breath held, everyone looked on the tree. But… there was no yellow cloth visible to them. Everyone except the officer, everyone got down and searched the tree but could not find it.

Everyone got disappointed and broken, they could feel the pain of the officer. All of them insisted to the officer to at least go to his house, maybe his wife had forgotten to tie the cloth. At least he should go and check. But he denied. Even after a lot of request, he did not agree and all of them had to move ahead.

The bus in which there was no silence even for a second, was completely silent. No one said even a single word. After a decent distance, the officer got down the bus and left. Everyone in the bus was sad and silent. Before someone could process something and break the silence, a person stopped the bus and asked where they were coming from? They replied the village name to which that man reacted in a shock.

 

 

Chapter 4

When asked, he replied that didn’t they knew that no one should travel on that route with a vehicle on that date. When asked the reason he replied that there was a soldier who was newly married and had to go for a war and promised his wife to come back. But did not came back. His wife used to go to the tree and sit there all day waiting for her husband to come back. But he was captured by enemies. And did not come back. She died waiting for him under that tree. After few years the soldiers managed to escape from the enemy so the solider was coming back to his wife. His wife had said that she would tie a yellow cloth on the tree seeing which he could understand that she was stilling waiting for him.

The solider came in a vehicle on this date but he did not found that cloth on that tree, so he did not got down the vehicle and moved out of the village and after that day that vehicle met with an accident and that solider died. After that day, many people had seen him follow the same route on the same date every month. Every time following the same route to see a single cloth on the tree to meet his wife and child.

With this the silence inside the bus changed into fear and sadness and respect. The people who did not believed in love had respect in their hearts for the solider who sacrificed his love to save the nation. And sad for the fact that he could not meet his wife and child before he died.