The cherry red sun was setting slowly and an orange tint adorned the sky. A cool breeze was blowing, passing through the trees on the sidewalk, making a whooshing sound as the leaves rustled. Rehman walked down the lane with his hands buried deep in his pockets. His head was bowed down, lost in thought. He was wearing sturdy brown boots and a beautiful fur coat which kept him warm, protecting him from the cold wind as he walked slowly.
A sudden gust of wind blew, bringing with it the smell of French fries. Bliss! The wonderful smell entered his nostrils, filling them with the delicious aroma, making his nose tingle. He slowly raised his head, a gleam in his eye and a soft smile playing around his lips. “Hmmm... French fries!” Sniffing the air, he began prodding down the lane trying to trace the source of the smell.
As he neared the origin of the alluring aroma, another gust of wind blew, bring with it the smell of chocolate mousse. “Yummm! That smells good!”
He changed his path and began following the mousse’s trail.
It was beginning to get dark and the air grew chilly. Tucking his coat closer to his body to stay warm, he prodded on in search of the haunting smell. But no matter how much he searched, there was no sign of the chocolate mousse. “Where could it be?” he wondered. He looked up at the sky and saw the stars twinkling and winking down at him. It seemed to him as if they were furtively laughing at him, hiding a secret. He smiled at them and started in pursuit of the aroma again.
But as he moved further, another gust of that naughty wind came along, filled with mouth watering smell of double cheese burst pizza and spicy butter chicken. Rehman’s stomach grumbled loudly as his olfactory senses got clouded by the heady mix of the scrumptious smells. He strengthened his resolve and hurried onwards with a fresh wave of enthusiasm. He covered ground swiftly and speedily and soon the aroma grew stronger. “I’m close!” thought Rehman excitedly and started running.
As he ran, a drop of water fell on his face. He stopped and looked towards the sky. “Rehman!” he heard someone shouting. He shook his head hard and looked around. He was lying on his tattered mat, sprawled on the floor of his hut. He was back. Back to where he really belonged. He quickly got up got up from his threadbare mat, folded it and kept in a dry corner of the small hut. It was raining hard outside, pattering loudly on the congregated tin roof. “Come quickly and help me get the plastic sheets up. The roof is leaking.” shouted his mother. “Wait I’m coming!” he shouted back. He looked up at the roof for a moment, shook his head gloomily, and made his way outside his hut. Scores of people were scrambling outside trying to patch up the roofs of their huts. “Am I ever going to finish that dream peacefully without any interruptions?” thought Rehman moodily.
He brought out the battered ladder and began climbing. As he neared the top, the diseased wood splintered and a loud crack resounded around the slum. Rehman felt the cold wind whooshing past him. Somewhere in the distance he heard a woman scream. Blackout.
*------------------------------------------------
Rehman opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on a beautiful bed with a soft fluffy pillow under his head, surrounded by pearly whiteness. He got up, wore the silk gown kept on the hanger beside his bed and came out of the room. His mouth dropped open as a sudden plethora of smells hit him. A huge table lay in the centre of the room laden with all sorts of delicacies imaginable; burgers, French fries, pizzas, chicken, cakes, drinks of all kinds.... Rehman’s eyes widened with wonder. He slowly made his way towards the table as shiny drops of tears dribbled down from the corner of his eyes.
-Mystery Mind07
