The setting sun sprayed ruddiness over the clouds

The orange yellowish sky looked ever so beautiful

The soft green grass

The dark brown tree trunks

The flowered branches –

All  swathed in the evening  hues

A soothing balm to the eyes it was!

Serenity spread it’s wings far and wide

Dusk  took over the day

The Moon waltzed in with the clouds

 The soft  silver- ruddy painting –

A mesmerizing effect  it had!

Dark clouds steathily sailed in

Ghostly  figures  emerged through darkness

Some with conical caps and sticks trudged on

Children and pets followed leisurely but warily-

Scared of the dark apparitions flying across the sky

The weird creepy sounds all around

Gripped them with unknown coldness

But onwards they continued exhausted with fear and thirst

A sudden abrupt loud voice paralysed  them –

Wide open eyed, fear  frozen they glared-

Before them stood a tall hefty man –

All wrapped up in a white sheet-

With a bright shining face-

A long staff in his hand!

Perceiving  fear  in their eyes

Softly and gently he said-

‘Come,  my dear travellers

A bed and a hot meal, you shall have-

In my cottage you can rest and –

Leave in the morn, if you wish’

Into the thin air he then faded away-

Didn’t even wait for a ‘thank you’

That dark rainy, thunderous night –

A roof they had over their head

In the morn a hot breakfast was laid out

But-

The benevolent man was to be seen nowhere!

Perplexed and wondering who it could be-

On their jouney they set off

Thanking and praying for his welfare!

Refuelled and well rested energetically they walked

Musing and convinced-

God it was, who guided them to that cottage!

                                                                          ~Anuradha S. Bannore

                                                                              Vadodara, India