thatsme

Bizarre Encounters- Part 1
In this series, I am going to narrate few of my experiences which were rather puzzling, bewildering and sometimes inexplicable, which have left me pondering over concepts like life after death, the Aliens, The New World Order, UFOs and Crop circles…:). Okay, I was kidding about concepts’ part, but believe me, the episodes were nonetheless interesting.

The Movers and Shakers -

It was the monsoon of the first year of my marriage. On a warm Sunday Evening, Kavitha and I have started out to do some shopping, on my Honda Activa. It was business-as-usual at the Lumbini Jewel Mall in Jubilee Hills, with hordes of people entering in and going out of the Mall. As many of the customers do, we have parked our Activa in a street beside the mall, where there were at least 50 other bikes.

It was almost twilight by the time we entered the mall. It was not important to know what we have bought there, nor is it something that I remember, anyhow. But what we saw by the time we have come out of the mall was almost, incredible.

Just as we came out, we saw a rather familiar shiny “mid-night blue” hued two wheeler, standing on the middle stand by the side of Banjara Hills Road No.2, as though greeting us with a mocking grin!! It was no time that we have identified, that it WAS, my own Honda Activa. But then, my sanity argued that it couldn’t be mine, as I remember parking it in the street beside the mall. On a closer look, the number plate, the minor scratches, the seat cover, everything looked the same!!! What was more conspiring was that the place where I have found my bike was at least 100 meters, from where I have parked it in the first place!!!!

I have checked if I have locked it properly. Perfect. The handle was locked. The key was safely pouched in my pocket. I double checked everything, the number plate, the identification marks and color (though I would not like to take any credit for identification of colors). It was unreal, unbelievable and most importantly unsettling. I could not think of any logical reasoning to what happened at that moment.

Although, we have started back home on the bike(Although the "Macho" section of the crowd would not qualify a Hond Activa as a "Bike", i will still use it, for the heck of it), I could not stop my thoughts from wandering all over, in quest of finding a fitting elucidation of the event that just happened. I thought of the possibility of a Traffic Crane lifting. But, I knew it was perfectly alright to park it where I have parked it, as there are no visible “NO Parking” boards. Even if was a case of Crane lifting, why on earth did they leave it??

I could not rule out the likelihood of a bike lifter, although I could not justify anyone “lifting” the bike which was handle locked, more so in front of a full audience. And even someone dared it, why would he leave it in the middle of the road, of all other places???

With so many thoughts spinning around in my head, like fleeting images from a Crime Thriller movie, I suddenly applied brakes, much to the bafflement of Kavitha. I have asked her quickly to get down from the bike, and to get away from it. I tried to look under the bike for any “wired” explosives that they usually show in movies. Nope. I could not hear any sounds of a clock ticking either.

While it might sound a bit farfetched and paranoiac, bit I really did that, thanks to the steady input of loads of “news” channels and movies.
After that, I think we went to a restaurant or something on our way to home, where I have tried hard to assuage my qualms about our safety amongst other things, but one thought was constantly unsettling me.
“Are we in control of our own lives?”