18. Vintage

Another day, another beautiful day. As I curled up under my comforters, my phone buzzed. It was Dhruv. “Meet me at Nehru Park. 11AM. IMPORTANT”. I groaned, expressing my lack of enthusiasm. I never had lazy days. Lazy moments, yes. Lazy minutes, yes. But entire days of laziness? A big no. I had planned on spending my Sunday indoors. But this had to be important. I gathered up my strength and got up from my bed. My feet felt the cool tiles beneath me. I got dressed and left my place. The day was indeed beautiful. I could hear the faint chirping of birds in the distance. The glittering sunrays spread various hues of shiny silvers and golds. A cool breeze touched the warmth of my skin and I smiled to myself. I was glad I had decided to leave my house.

Nehru Park is a large park with many different areas, all suited to different age groups and interests. There are large areas of grass where people play different sports or just have picnics and relax. Today, the park was crowded as usual. I made my way to my regular spot in a beautiful bench near the pond, where Dhruv and I would often meet. I wondered what he wanted to talk to me about.

So there I was, sitting on a park bench, enjoying the sun and the beautiful breeze when a stranger sat next to me. He started typing on an old fashioned typewriter. He was a middle aged gentleman with grey hair. His face was stern, but he seemed confused. His callused fingers were typing rhythmically and he looked tensed. He wore loose linen trousers over emaciated legs and his shirt looked very vintage, as if from a different time. A strange thought crossed my mind, but I tried to push it away. It can’t be. Curious, I asked him, “Sir, is everything alright?” He looked at me and I could now see his dark grey eyes. “I am okay, thank you”. I was not expecting this answer. I tried to peek at the paper he was working on. “A time traveler’s guide to the future”. I was shocked. It couldn’t be. The man saw me looking at him, and he packed up all his stuff and walked away in a panicked state. “Sir, do you need help?”. He started running and I ran after him. At the end of the road, I saw a very antique car. I was impressed by the mint condition of the nearly 50 year old car that looked virtually new. The man got inside the car and as soon as he started the engine, the old car vanished without a trace. I was astonished, was I dreaming? There was nowhere the vehicle could have gone.

In the distance, I could hear Dhruv call out my name. “Why were you running?”. “That man, that car..”. I was speechless. “Which car, what man, there is nobody here!” I looked at Dhruv and smiled. I knew the incidents from that day will change the way I will look at life forever.

To be continued.