- okay. this one's my favorite. For two simple reasons. I get lost in this story everytime i read it. And it literally forces you to tax your brains and open your imagination! Thats what happens to me. Find it out yourself. please tell me how you found it.
“Sunil, don’t forget to take you umbrella. It’s an unpredictable weather and it could rain any time”, Mrs. Verma said bluntly from the kitchen while preparing dough. Mr. Verma looked sarcastically in that direction and without speaking a word took his umbrella and darted out of the house.
Parking his scooter outside, Mr. Verma entered the park, wandering his eyes all over the place to find out a silent corner for himself. The park was all buzzing with people and kids which made Mr. Verma all the more irritated. Fuming with anger he made his way to a broken bench in the corner of the park. He threw down his umbrella when he recalled how he and his wife had a heated argument this morning which of course had left Mrs. Verma as the sole victor. Suddenly in the midst of all this he felt a soft hand touching him. He looked down to see a 4 year old kid smiling at him. She had come to him to retrieve her ball which had rolled under Mr. Verma’s bench. His frown vanished in an instant. With a smile and some playful words he handed over the ball to the kid. Soon Mr. Verma went into a series of flashbacks.
Sunil Verma had served the Indian Air Force as a pilot for about 30 years. Since his retirement, about six months ago, his only communication with the outside world was his visit to the park every evening. He remembered his younger days when he used to spend most of his time amongst the clouds. A mist swirled around his eyes as he vividly recalled a thrilling incident that had happened to him in his Air Force training days. It was already 7 pm and Sunil Verma was yet to reach the base with his MIG-21. The weather conditions were bad, as dense thick clouds started accumulating, almost barring the vision ahead. He was being constantly guided on the radio. Soon lightning and thunderbolts began and it started raining heavily. The only mode of communication that Sunil had with the base was his little radio transmitter. Suddenly the radar went off and nothing could be heard from the transmitter. Sunil was left stranded in the dense clouds amongst bolts of thunder.
“My end is nearing” that is all he could tell himself. Its amazing how only in their last moments people get time to remember God. He started praying when suddenly he heard the distant whirl of engines. He couldn’t believe his eyes when from his window he saw a Mirage 2000 flying besides him. At the same instant his transmitter came alive and he could hear someone calling out his name. It was the same Mirage 2000 pilot trying to contact him. He replied back that he was in trouble and that he needed guidance to get back to the base. The other pilot instructed him to fly with him so that he could guide Sunil to the base.
Sunil was a bit curious to know about the Mirage 2000 but however hard he tried to get some information the only thing he could get to know was the name of pilot which was Tejpal Singh. Sunil was guided safely to the air base after about half an hour. He tried hard to look for the Mirage 2000 and its pilot but they were nowhere to be seen. Officers at the base were surprised to see him alive and safe. After refreshing himself, Sunil was sipping a cup of hot tea when suddenly his eyes fell on a photograph on the wall. It was the same Mirage 2000 which had guided him to the base.
With utmost disbelief he summoned up his fellow officer and inquired about that photograph. He narrated that how the same person has guided him safely back to the base. The officer vehemently denied this fact. He said that it was impossible. “How can it be so?” ,Sunil said. “I’m alive because of him” With a look of horror in his eyes the officer said “The Mirage 2000 had crashed about two years ago, killing its pilot, Tejpal Singh”. The cup fell from Sunil’s hands and the only thing he could do is to stare blankly at the Mirage 2000.
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