Lost

 

Picture credit: Joey Lu on pexels.com

Dated: 9th of November 2022

It was a cloudy morning. I was able to wake up, yet my eyes were tired, and I was convinced that I wouldn’t be able to make it to college that day. I somehow dragged myself out of the bed, it was necessary to go to college as it was mandatory for us to attend an important event that was to take place in the auditorium. The only way to revive my tired eyes was to wash them and apply kohl to make myself look presentable. I picked up my coat from the wardrobe, wore my shoes and left for college. I felt blessed as I walked towards the bus stop, because I had the talent of walking fast. The second thing that I felt blessed for, was the fact that the bus was right there, I didn’t have to wait for it to arrive. I boarded the bus and enjoyed the breeze that caressed my cheeks. “It is such a wonderful day. I found the bus and I won’t have to change buses as it would directly take me to the bus stop that would be nearest to the college. I would meet my friends and later study biochemistry at the library” I said to myself. The bus eventually became crowded as it halted at different stops; but I had nothing to worry about, I just had to reach my destination. As the bus went ahead, I doubted the road it took, the supermarket should have been there, towards my right, but all through the journey, I didn’t see the supermarket. I still wasn’t worried, no matter what road it took, the bus had to take me to college. The bus stopped at a place, but the place was unknown to me. The bus had to stop at the college but the operators instructed the people to get off right there, far away the destination. I was tensed, the anxiety of being lost in my own city and the fact that there were unknown faces all around, terrified me. 

I pulled out my phone, and opened the navigation app. I entered my destination, according to the app, I was nearly five kilometres away from college and as per my walking speed, I would reach within two hours. My class was to begin within half an hour. I started walking as per the instructions on the app. Many a times, navigation apps may take one through unidentified roads or through people’s gardens but this time, it did not happen. The very fact that I would reach in two hours, terrified me, making me believe that today was either an adventurous day or a terrible one for me. I kept walking through tunnels and on slopes that were so steep that they nearly made right angles. While I walked on one of the pebbled roads with my eyes glued to my phone, my toe bumped onto a pebble and I came crashing down. My bottle was rolling on the street; but my mobile phone was still in my hand. I got up quickly and looked around, the people said that it was a bumpy road and I should be able to find a hospital nearby. I walked in pain, one foot was swollen and the other was wounded. I could not walk properly, but at that time, I didn’t feel the pain; more than being injured and going to the hospital, it was important for me to reach college. I again moved, with my injured feet, I walked up steep stairs. I finally found a woman, she was calm and walked slowly, I panted and tried to talk. “Ma’am does this road lead to the bus stop near the college?” I asked. She nodded in agreement. I walked ahead, and finally, the navigation app indicated that I was just one kilometre away. I began the countdown. “One kilometre, a few steps more, and nine hundred metres, eight, seven, six, five, four, three hundred metres.” I closed the app when it indicated two hundred metres. I reached college, but was late by nearly two hours. I could not walk properly but the people at the college gate were concerned about my ID card. They didn’t see my jeans that was ripped off at the knees, but were concerned about me being late.

I kept walking down the hill, towards my classroom, I saw my classmates with their mobile phones in hand. “We were trying to call you. Where were you? Are you fine? Why are you walking like this.” asked Arshia, one of my classmates. “I walked for about an hour, until I fell down and hurt myself. I can’t walk. Please escort me to the auditorium for the event.” I replied. “You first go and tell the professor that you are present today, you have been marked absent.” said Shreya. I went towards the professor, escorted by my classmates. “Professor, I’m present. I was late because I fell down and hurt myself. So I couldn’t walk faster.” I told the professor. She suggested me to take rest; but I insisted on sitting in the auditorium and attending the event. All through the event, I was in pain. After it event ended, my classmates held my hand and we slowly walked towards the lecture hall. My friends suggested that I make a call to my mother. I called up my mother and narrated the saga. My mother assured that she would come and take me to the doctor. I waited with my friends. “It happens. We all have adventurous days.” said Puja, my friend. “Shelley, you may go to the nearby clinic.” said my professor. “Professor, my mom will come and take me.” I responded. Another professor came and looked at me, he looked at my worried face and my injured foot. “What happened Shelley?” he asked. “Professor, I was lost and then while coming here, I fell down and injured myself. “ I said. “Take good care of yourself. Fine?” he said. I nodded in agreement. Finally, my mother arrived, we went to the hospital and according to the doctor I had a tear in my ligament. “It might be more painful than a fracture. But you’ll be fine. If you want, you can go to college tomorrow. But I would suggest you go only if the pain subsides.” said the doctor. I reached home but kept crying due to the pain the injury had inflicted upon me.

I finally introspected and concluded that the day was actually a good one; it made me resilient, it made me believe in my strengths. The experience of feeling lost, that of being in a place not known by me, falling and getting up was a new one, yet for a few hours, it didn’t sink in me with an optimistic enthusiasm. I realised that reading books about adventures and seeing brave people face trials had motivated me to do the same in the face of a challenge, and when I faced a similar situation I could only think that I would make through it, I would somehow reach, I didn’t know how, but I would reach my destination. It might become another story for me to write about. I realised that my life is no different from the stories I read. Both fiction and non fiction books are somewhere rooted in reality. I felt like the heroine of a fiction novel or that of a movie who wanted to overcome all challenges and save the day. Although I didn’t have a magic wand, I was empowered by my smartphone, it was my magic wand. We fear the future, we fear the unknown,  but I realised that towards the end of it, we emerge smiling. The wounds, the pains and the trials make us stronger, we always emerge victorious given the fact that we keep going.