Varanasi (Banaras) Railway Junction.
Except for a few people, the entire station was empty, and there was only one ST (sonic train) standing on the 2nd platform.
The people present at the station seem to be in their fifties. They all had a downcast and blank expression.
After a few seconds, another ST arrives at the station and comes to a halt. When the doors open up, a young man steps out.
. . . .
(Hira's POV)
As I stepped off the ST, a nearly vacant station welcomed me. Although there are still ten to twenty people here, it's not like Dehradun, where nobody was at the station.
It is completely different from the time when Yash and I left for Uttarakhand. There was a lot of hustle and bustle, but now it is completely quiet.
Only the sound of the ST arrival announcements can be heard.
"May I have your attention, please.
S.T. no.58746, from Dehradun to Varanasi, has arrived on platform no.1."
It was a mechanical voice completely different from Jarvy's.
I tapped the bracelet on my hand, but it was still not working.
During our conversation, Jarvy suddenly started malfunctioning, so I had to switch it off.
I tried to restart it, but it wouldn't open. Even when it does, it starts showing a network problem.
It is something that has never happened before.
'I am worried that humans are not the only ones who are affected by the changes in the world.'
Since Jarvy was unavailable, I tried calling home manually, but it didn't connect due to the same network problem.
I thought that the problem was due to the mountains, but here too, Jarvy is still not responding.
Accepting that I couldn't do anything about it, I came out of the subway station to look for a ride to my home. But there was nothing there, only silence.
Even knowing that I couldn't expect the usual chaos of Varanasi city to be there, the silence still hit me hard.
"What happened to my city?"
There are no rickshaws honking, no street vendors shouting, and no people pushing past each other. It still feels so unreal.
The street outside stretched wide and silent, cleaned like never before. Not a single person can be seen walking on it.
Turning the neck, my eyes move toward the flowways. The few vehicles that passed were private cars, and seeing the situation, I don't think they will give a lift to a stranger.
(Flowways are the zones specifically made for fast-moving vehicles, to decrease the chances of accidents.)
I looked at both sides of the road to find a public hovcycle stand to rent one.
(Public hovcycle stands are like a rental cycle stand from where you can rent a cycle by paying for the amount of time you use it.)
I even saw one, but then I remembered that my omnione device is not working, which means I can't pay for it.
Seeing there was no other option, I tightened my jacket and started walking toward home.
I knew the way – every turn, every corner – but everything looked different now.
Shops that should've been open were shuttered. The aunties who used to talk to each other from the balconies of their homes in the evening are no longer there.
Still, I kept walking on my way, one step after another.
"Maa-Paa, Dada-Dadi, I hope you all are fine... Please be fine."
. . .
06:00 pm.
The distance from the station to my house is about 10-12 km. It took me thirty minutes to reach my society, Ganesh Residency.
It has not been there for very long, just a few years, so not many houses have been built here.
Since we live a little outside the nearby urban area, and my dadi also has a habit of gardening, many trees and plants are growing around our house,
When I reached near my house, my legs slowed down on their own.
I stopped in front of the gate and just stared. After a moment, I rang the doorbell, but there was no response. My heart began to pound harder.
Maybe the doorbell is not working.
"Maa, it's me, Hira… I am back home." I knocked on the door, but still no response.
For a second, I thought that something had happened to them, and my heart sank.
Just then, my eyes caught the lock on the door.
My throat went dry. A strange heaviness settled in my chest. I walked closer, ran my fingers along the cold metal of the lock.
It felt like touching a memory. Even after having a digital lock, Dada always insists on using the traditional type lock and key.
I looked around, searching for any sign of movement, anyone who could tell me what happened to my family.
Nothing, the locality was silent, too silent, and being away from the main city does not help either.
Then I remember, maa always used to keep the house keys under the flower pots, beside the doors.
When I looked, "Found it." The keys were there.
Despite being nervous, I moved to open the doors. But before I could insert the keys, a voice entered my ears. A familiar voice.
"Hira?" Though it was faint, I am sure it is not my imagination. I immediately turned around.
An elderly woman was walking towards me, holding the hands of a young woman. I recognize both of them.
"Dadi…" The words escaped my mouth before I could realize it.
She froze, hearing my voice. Her eyes widened, and disbelief flooded her face. Then her lips quivered, and the next second she was rushing toward me.
"Hira!! It's you," she almost stumbled, but I caught her before she could hit the ground.
"Be careful, you might get injured." Without saying anything, she just hugged me very tightly. I also wrapped my arms around her.
Sob sob
Before I could ask something, she started sobbing and held me more tightly, as if I was going to disappear.
She cupped my face with her shaking hands. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Where were you? (sob) When we needed you and Yash, where were you Hira?" she asked in a trembling voice.
Her voice didn't contain any blame or anger; it just had a sadness and loneliness.
A.N. - Ghagamanam means 'coming back home'.
(Any guess what happened to his family, and who is the girl with Hira's Dadi)