Rendezvous...

November 3 2006,

The sweet notes of a distant music surrounded the place. The heavy night sky smelled of an impending rain. Thunder clouds added a complementing bass to the distant music. Lightning provided the fireworks.

A small boy - about 10 years old walked up the steep incline of a grassy knoll. A fragile silhoutte against the residual night light, climbing steadily. A big flash of lightning struck the apex of the knoll but the boy carried on. His face was set in determination. He had a job to do and quick.

Midway through the climb he stopped to catch his breath. The first drops of rain started and a freezing wind had also picked up. Up from here, he could see the lights of the village he had left behind. He would never see them again. He stared at the comforting warmth of the huts glowing yellow and felt home sick. But he had a job to do and quick.

A huge thunder growled in the distance. He almost felt the ground shake. It was coming. He began to jog his way up the little hill.

He didnt have a left arm. They had to amputate it when it got infected when he was only 6. The doctors didnt know what it was. It was a completely new strain of bacteria. More deadly than anything anyone had ever seen. He still remembered those horrifying times. His mom's tear streaked face. His father's drunken sobs. He also remembered the time when his father died 6 months later leaving them with no income. He died from a uknown lung infection. Around 100 people in his village died that month. He remembered everything clearly.

Another rumble. This time closer and louder. It was coming and he began to run. He reached the apex of the hill, blood pumping through his veins and out of breath. He stood there waiting. It would be here anytime now.

He waited for a long time. Waited until the first rays of the sun washed the sky with a brilliant orange glow. It never came. He sat there dissapointed. Tears welled up his eyes as he rose up to walk back to the village. As he walked back he thought about that night 4 years ago when he met IT for the first time. IT had said, "I will come tomorrow. At the same time. Wait for me at the grassy knoll" He had been waiting for the last 4 years.

He reached the village and walked towards his hut. His mother was still asleep as he walked to the corner of the hut and snuggled into the mattress. He would again go tomorrow.

Newspaper articles clipped

A small bit on page 15 of an indian english newspaper...

Strange sightings over remote indian village
March 8, 2000

Residents of the remote indian village Amaravati reported strange lights and sounds yesterday evening. Several village women rushed out shouting 'The devil has come' to witness a strange spectacle on the sky. The metereological department denied any cosmic activity in the region. However....


Translated from a marathi newspaper

Strange bacterial infection spreads across Amaravati
March 15, 2000

The unknown bacterial infection began to spread across the remote village of Amaravati. This deadly infection has already claimed 3 lives....


A small section in a hindi tabloid...

Boy loses arm, Claims he saw a 'strange creature'
April 2, 2000

The deadly bacterial infection that is continuing to affect the Amaravati village has taken its toll on the Yogesh, a 6 year old boy from Amaravati. His left arm was amputated after it was severly infected by a hitherto unknown strain of bacteria - a variant of the one spreading across the village. Scientists comjecture that it must be a mutated version of some known bacteria although they are yet to figure out structural or behavioral similarities with existing strains. Meanwhile, in what could be called a scene straight out of Speiberg's 'ET' the boy claims that the infections were spread by strange creatures who came 'that night last month'. The boy claims that he talked to one of the creatures and refers to it as his friend. This has led doctors to believe that the bacteria could have also affected the brain leading to delusions.....