Arjun walked out of his house and headed to his friend Kabir's place. It had been a long time
since their last trip, and he wanted to plan one again.
When he reached Kabir's home, he found him cooking egg curry for lunch.
Arjun said, "I was thinking… Maybe we should plan a small—" he lowered his voice, "—
trip."
Kabir heard him and let out a long exhale.
"Trip?" he repeated. "Bro, my father won't even let me go to the city. No chance. I'm not
going anywhere."
Arjun looked disappointed. "Come on, man. It won't just be the two of us."
Kabir raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that so? Then go have fun with whoever else you're talking
about."
Arjun blinked, confused. Kabir also looked confused for a moment. Arjun quickly corrected
himself.
"What? No! No, I meant it'd be great if you came with us. You know… unity is power." He
tried to smile.
Kabir stared at him for a moment. "Okay."
Arjun's eyes lit up. "So… you're coming with us?"
Kabir shook his head. "No, dumbass. I said I'll think about it. Until then, convince the others
and GO AWAY. I'm going to have lunch, and no, I'm not inviting you as a friend."
Arjun watched Kabir prepare his lunch plate. Then he turned around and started walking back
home.
The afternoon sun burned above him. As he walked along the railway track on his right, he
paused and stared at it for a moment, lost in thought. Then he continued home, still thinking
about something.
When he reached home, he went straight into his room, lay on his bed, and fell asleep
instantly.
When he opened his eyes, he was standing beside the same railway track.
He heard a girl calling his name.
"Arjun… Arjun?"
He looked to his left and saw a girl walking beside him. Her lips were moving, but he
couldn't hear anything she was saying.
On his right, a train roared past, horn blaring.
Arjun blinked—and suddenly woke up on his bed. It had all been a dream.
He sat up slowly. When he looked out of the window, he saw rain pouring down.
Evening had already arrived.
He walked into the living room where his mother was sitting, watching TV. Arjun sat down
beside her and said,
"Maa… I was thinking about going on a trip for a few days with my friends. Can you talk to
Dad about it?"
His mother didn't even look at him.
"No. It's your problem. Your issue. Go talk to him yourself."
Arjun let out a sigh and looked down. After a moment, his mother spoke again.
"Fine."
"Really?" Arjun looked at her, surprised.
"Where are you all going?" she asked.
"We haven't decided yet," he replied slowly.
"Then decide," his mother said plainly.
Arjun stood up and started walking out of the room. Before leaving, he said,
"I'll tell you when we decide."
"And remember—don't go too far from our hometown," his mother called out as he left.
He went back to his room, picked up his phone, and dialled Kabir's number.
Kabir answered. "Hello?"
"Listen," Arjun said, excited and serious at the same time, "I mean it. Let's go on a trip—you,
me, and everyone."
Kabir sighed. "Okay, okay… who is everyone?"
"Everyone," Arjun replied. "You and me—and us. Us means Raghav, Aman, Saurav, and
Neel."
He took a breath and added, "Just wait till morning. I'll convince everyone."
Before Kabir could reply, the call ended. Arjun stared at the phone screen—the call had been
disconnected.
Arjun placed his phone on the bed and went into the washroom.
A few minutes later, as he came back, he heard his mother calling him for dinner.
"Yes, I'm coming," he replied.
He stepped out of his room and started walking toward the living room when suddenly the
lights went out. Darkness swallowed the house.
"Maa? Maa?" he called out, instinctively pulling his phone from his pocket and switching on
the flashlight.
The beam cut through the dark hallway—and just then his mother walked past him and
entered another room.
"The power's gone," she said casually. "As usual."
"Oh," Arjun muttered. He watched the direction she had gone, standing still for a moment,
his breath held without realizing it.
He turned back toward his room when a sharp sound echoed through the house—glass hitting
the floor—from the room his mother had just entered.
"Maa, what was that?" he asked, his voice uneasy.
No reply came.
"Maa…?"
A moment later, his mother appeared in front of him.
"It was nothing," she said calmly. "Just a glass of water fell. Happens in the dark."
Then she added, almost casually, "Anyway, since there's no electricity, you can go for a walk
until the power comes back. Or eat dinner in the dark with the emergency light."
Arjun nodded. "I'll go for a walk till the lights come back."
He stepped out through the main gate and walked to the small shop down the road. He bought
a single cigarette and headed toward a darker, quieter spot a little away from his house.
He leaned against a low wall, lit the cigarette, and began scrolling through his phone.
A post on social media caught his attention.
A two-night, three-day vacation plan to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
He opened it and read through the details, then saved the post.
As his cigarette burned down to the filter, he dropped it on the ground and crushed it under
his foot. His eyes drifted toward the dark shapes of trees and plants nearby, lingering there as
if he were searching for something without knowing what.
Suddenly, his phone rang. He flinched.
It was his mother.
He answered, and she told him that the electricity was back and he could come home for
dinner.
He turned and walked straight back.
As he entered the house, he noticed his father's boots near the door. His chest tightened
slightly. His father was home.
Arjun avoided the living room, quietly took a plate of food, and went straight to his room. He
sat on his bed and began eating, scrolling through his phone again.
The post he had saved earlier kept pulling at his attention.
He opened it once more.
A two-night, three-day vacation to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with a professional
guide and luxury AC hotel rooms. For up to ten people. Offer valid from September 10 to
October 10. Book now.
"So today is the twelfth," Arjun murmured to himself. "The deal already started…"
He smiled faintly. "I should tell the others. We've never been there."
He was still thinking about it when someone sat down beside him.
Arjun looked up.
It was his father.
A middle-aged electrician, tired eyes, calloused hands.
Arjun quickly put his phone down.
"Your mother told me you and your friends are planning a trip," his father said gently.
"You're an adult now—"
"No, Papa," Arjun interrupted, but his voice was calm and respectful. "I just turned twenty. I
should be able to go on a trip with my friends. I stayed locked inside the house for the entire
COVID lockdown. What else do you expect me to do?"
His father listened quietly.
"You're right," he said after a moment. "I'm not saying you shouldn't go. But now is the time
to focus on yourself. Life will only get harder from here."
He stood up.
"As for the trip… you can go." His father says calmly.
Arjun remained seated on the edge of the bed for a while, staring at nothing in particular, his
father's words echoing in his mind.
Then, without giving it much thought, he reached over and switched off the light.
The room fell into darkness.
He lay back on the bed, closed his eyes, and slowly drifted into sleep
. -END