A New Experience!

That day after school, I ventured to walk home... alone! Well, usually, I preferred walking home with my friends it was the best part of the day. A group of 4-5 girls, some walking with their school bags on, some walking while pushing their cycles, but all of us having fun after the hectic day at school. It was our unwind time for which we all looked forward to. On that day though, I wanted to walk home alone...hmmm...you may ask why!

Well, I would like to believe that I am a big girl now! It was my 11^th birthday after all. I hurried away from my friends, they were asking me to stop... Nope! I didn’t want to. I wanted to walk on my own. It was so awesome, I actually felt like I was flying, flying high with my wings, wide open!

Also, it was my birthday party that day. It was to start in exactly 1 and half hours from then, so obvio, I had to reach home, change into my new dress, look fresh and be ready to welcome my friends. I had planned so much. The games, the snacks, the decorative cake...Oh yes! That is why I was walking or rather running farther from my friends.  A little bit sad and missing them, I was also proud of the fact that I was big now, 11 years old, brave and independent enough to walk alone. Anyways I would meet them at the party in some time and then we would have lots and lots of fun.

With these happy thoughts in mind, I was walking with a spring in my step, Only 10 minutes away from home, when suddenly...

I had this uncanny feeling that someone or was it something, staring at me. I turned around slowly and what do I see... A huge bull! It actually looked like an elephant with 2 horns, which, I don’t know..., looked like 2, two-litre bottles joined together. It was dark brown in colour and I clearly remember its red eyes, staring intently at nothing else but me. But why me! I let out a shriek; alas, there was nobody around to hear me. All the shops and houses were closed for the afternoon siesta. There was no one else on the road, it was only me and of course the bull!

 I didn’t know what to do. I did what my instinct asked me to...I started to run, run as fast as I could, but why was this bull following me!!

I knew the bull could easily outrun me. I stopped, I needed some time to think, and you know what! The bull too stopped! I tried to sneak out slowly, I started walking, very very slowly trying to hoodwink the bull. I turned around to see the bull which to my great surprise was also walking, very vey slowly! I stopped. The bull too. I looked at the bull and so did it.

 

That bull was copying my every step! I had heard that bulls attack anything red; I only had a diary with a red cover and that too safely in my bag. Does this bull have an x-ray vision, I wondered, Oh no! What was happening? I panicked, I began to run and obvio, the bull too...

I ran at full speed not daring to turn back but then I had to come to a sudden halt. There were 2 routes to my home ahead of me. One a straight road that I usually take, the other through a playground which I rarely take. I had to think fast about which route to choose. That day I decided to take the rarely taken route as it had a huge drain that had to be crossed. I thought fast, hoping against hope that the bull wouldn’t be able to cross. I didn’t have time to stop; I crossed the drain imagining myself to be a leopard taking the big leap and landed safely on the other side. I frantically looked around to see the bull and to my great surprise...

The bull had stopped; it could have easily crossed the drain, but no! It had stopped! I wondered why. And at that moment, something unimaginable happened. It was as if everything else came to a standstill! It was just the bull and me. Both of us facing each other, both of our head bowed with a gentle smile, thanking each other for this new experience! The scene framed in time...

Only for a few seconds though as I then walked home. Trying to understand what just happened, I couldn't, there was no explanation. Without any doubt, it was an unforgettable experience and maybe someday I would write a story about it but on that day I had a terrific story to share with my friends. Slowly my heartbeat also got back to normal and I hurried home...It was my birthday party after all and I was very sure after all this, it was going to be Epic!