It was around a quarter past two or thereabouts. I was having my lunch, all by myself, as Lekha'd gone on an errand and was scheduled to be back only after about three hours.
I began to feel a bit unsteady making me wonder as to what was going wrong with me despite the fact that I was hale and hearty. I'd then gone into the kitchen to fetch another spoon for the dessert, when I felt the whole block - it's twelve storeyed - swaying to and fro, as if keeping in pace with the prevalent breeze. Meanwhile, the residents, comprising mainly, women and children had spilled out of the building and were spreading conveniently all across the lawn, desperately trying to keep themselves away from the scorching sun - the most admirable thing about everyone of them was that there was no sense of panic at all! They seemed to be curious and most of them were seen talking animatedly over their cellphones, perhaps to their near and dear ones, relating their experiences.
It was the after shock of the earth tremours that had struck the island of Sumatra, many hundred miles east of us!
I'd gone down and tried speaking to as many of them - to the extent feasible - to remove apprehensions, if any and also to ensure myself that the three highrises of our residential area were free of people, just as a matter of precaution. And I quietly, tiptoed back to my house to finish my lunch and catch my forty winks - earthquake be damned!
But that was not to be. As I'd started floating into a comfortable slumber, the telephone had begun to ring and the calls never seemed to subside!
I began to feel a bit unsteady making me wonder as to what was going wrong with me despite the fact that I was hale and hearty. I'd then gone into the kitchen to fetch another spoon for the dessert, when I felt the whole block - it's twelve storeyed - swaying to and fro, as if keeping in pace with the prevalent breeze. Meanwhile, the residents, comprising mainly, women and children had spilled out of the building and were spreading conveniently all across the lawn, desperately trying to keep themselves away from the scorching sun - the most admirable thing about everyone of them was that there was no sense of panic at all! They seemed to be curious and most of them were seen talking animatedly over their cellphones, perhaps to their near and dear ones, relating their experiences.
It was the after shock of the earth tremours that had struck the island of Sumatra, many hundred miles east of us!
I'd gone down and tried speaking to as many of them - to the extent feasible - to remove apprehensions, if any and also to ensure myself that the three highrises of our residential area were free of people, just as a matter of precaution. And I quietly, tiptoed back to my house to finish my lunch and catch my forty winks - earthquake be damned!
But that was not to be. As I'd started floating into a comfortable slumber, the telephone had begun to ring and the calls never seemed to subside!
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