BOLT FROM THE BLUE

Night.

Time – ten minutes to 11 pm

city, slowly lapsing into 

drowsiness

but for the occasional

hooting and tooting of

vehicles speeding down the street.

Basking in the glory of starry, moonlit light

bathing in the street lights

the street lay like an elongated snake.

Shops by the

sides of the street,

had started downing shutters.

A few already shut

after hectic business

throughout the day.

The fruit juice vendor

too was about to close

his shop for the day.

Suddenly as if like

a bolt from the blue

a girl driving a kinetic Honda

appeared on the scene.

The Honda

screeched to a halt

 in front of the shop.

Clad in a dark -  blue suit

parked the vehicle on

the street side

stepped down

walked to the shop

ordered a fruit juice and

looked around.

She espied

the presence of four to

five youths in jeans and T-shirts resembling

cowboys watching her

in the premises of the shop.

She could overhear them

passing lewed comments.

Cool and calm she was

like a lake.

She pretended to be

oblivious of their obscene comments

and heard earful of their obscene comments

yet, she cared not

and enjoyed the fruit juice

without any sign of

fear or apprehension.

Cool and calm

she stood non-chalantly

sipping the sweet juice.

Mistaking her silence

for fear and submission  

they moved closer to her

and enquired her whereabouts.

Silence was her response.

In the meanwhile

one among them dared

to touch her shoulder and

each of them began stalking her.

They mistook

her silence for consent

and each one

started pressing her body with force.

With the hepless vendor

looking on aghast

like  a mute spectator.

He couldn’t ask the youths to leave her alone .

In split-seconds

losing her cool

she evolved into a

ferocious tigress

clenching her teeth,

clenching her fists

hit, kicked, punctured

and reduced each one into

a heap of pulp and

forced them to flee from

the scene for cover.

With a cool and calm face

like the calm and cool lake

she returned to the shop

made the payment

bid bye to the vendor

gifting him a smile.

The vendor was

virtually speechless and

like a statue he stood.

She walked towards her Kinetic Honda

and turned the ignition key

sped along the street

humming a tune….