Trip to Auli
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The sceneries passed by as the train hooted away amidst the stunning panaromic views. Listening to One Direction songs and gawking at the coniferous and oak forests surrounding the train lanes was the best I could do in trains. I was travelling to Auli, a skiing destination in Uttarakhand, with Shivani. I was never an adventurous girl who would go for skiing but this time Shivani forced me to come and even I thought to give it a try."Prerna! Come play truth and dare with us..." Shivani asked me to join her with her new friends who were apparently some fellow travellers on our train bunk. Shivani got along with them well but i still choose to stick to music. But I nodded a gentle denial. I never wanted to play such games with them cause I knew how much she loves to roast me by asking unanswerable questions.I once again focused on the blissful songs. You know headphones have been the best inventions ever done. Though the heaters of the train were on, I could feel the cool chilled weather just by looking at the snowbeads basking on the conifers in its dusk glory. The scenery was no less than a fantasy.Just then a screeching sound occurred and the trees slowly became motionless. Disappointment surged on the faces of my fellow travellers. It was all chaotic."Calm down everyone!! The train had to stop right here cause snow has blocked the lanes." The ticket collector announced. There was a clear disappointment as we were stuck in the outskirts of a city in the darkness and cold.I gave in the idea of playing the game with my cousins. At least I could excite myself a bit."Prerna! You know the rules of the our version game na?" This guy named Anupam asked, who was on the next seat to us, smirking to the fullest."Your version of game?" I asked. I seemingly knew something was wrong with their 'version of the game'."Yes....our version of game...look this bottle will be rotated and to whoever it points, we will ask a question and if the answer is yes, you will have to take a beer shot and if answer is no you will have to take a vodka shot!" Anupam explained as he took the bottle from Shivani and started waving there."Okay then! Let's play!" I knew there wasn't a chance of backing out so I gave in.Shivani spinned the bottle and the game started. As the game progressed I was in awe with the type of question they were asking."Ever played strip poker?""Ever made out in front of relatives?""The weirdest place you have ever made out?""Ever kissed a stranger?"I didn't wanted to answer those type of questions in any way. I prayed that the bottle doesn't point towards me. But the luck wasn't with me today. Aakhir kaar agli bakri main hi nikli."Prerna ko sawaal main puchungi..." Shivani declared enthusiastically. her smirking gave chills to me. She was about to ask me question when......The lights of the train turned off. I mentally thanked god as everyone's attention had been diverted from me. Everyone were quite upset. We were already stuck since hours and now these lights went off so suddenly."We are really sorry everyone! The fuel of the train has been used up and a very less amount is left. We need to save the energy to run the the engine when the tracks will have been cleared. And it would take a few more hours for the tracks to get cleared. We know that very cold and we are very sorry for the inconvenience. Please lend blankets to others if you have more than one." The ticket collector announced once again, earning quite a scoldings from the passengers. The journey wasn't going on a good note.Hours passed but the train never moved even a inch. Without the heaters on, it was very cold and I couldn't sleep. I looked out of the window. It was all dark but I could see lights flickering away at a distance of 100 steps from the train. We were in the outskirts of city and there are usually clubs and bars in the outskirts. I thought of checking it out. The TC told that it would take long for the train to start. Then why not give it a try. At least these clubs would have heaters.I stepped down the train careful enough to not get caught by the TC. As soon I stepped on the ground my feet submerged into the snow. The snow was leveled up upto my knees. I tried taking faster steps and finally reached the building. I was right. It was a club!As soon as I entered it, the heat relaxed me. The pricking cold was fading away. I could see a grumpy old man in the reception. People dancing like maniacs. People who were drunk. I was busy examining the club when someone patted me."Shivi! What are you doing here?""Di...yeah to mujhe puchna chahiye""Wo...train mein bahot thand thi so I couldn't resist myself from coming....look yahan heaters bhi on hain...""Aur tujhe koi dar hai ki train chali gayi toh?""Chill yaar..TC ne kaha tha na that it will take long!""Voh baat bhi hai....chal ab yahan aaye hi hain to ek do shots ho jaye!""No way Shivani! Already game mein itna pee chuke hain ab agar yahan peeyenge to pure talli ho jayenge. Aur phir pata chala ki train chali gayi.""Chill na Preru! Ek do mein kuch nahi hota..." She said dragging me towards the counter."Okay okay.....don't twist your panties.....I am coming.""Do beer please!" She ordered. "Kya na Prerna.....yahan maje karne aaye the aur is sab se mood kharab ho gaya. Trip ki shuruat hi itni bekaar hooyi." Elena frowned. We had come for adventuring around but we were stuck here. It indeed was bad start to a trip."It's okay Shivi! Don't get irritated. Take in a positive way. Kya pata there would be something very special coming up.""Kya special Sab kuch kitna boring hai yahan...""Kya boring.....Mujhe to badi pasand aayi yeh jagah....The snow...The conifers....pines....peaks....everything is so romantic here." I was kinda a girl who believed in romances and happily-ever-afters."Sahi hai tu aur tera aashiq bas sikudte raho is thand mein" she bursted out in laughter."Shut up! Stop spoiling my fantasies!""Well I would fantasize you riding me the day lights out of me." The man behind us didnt take even a minute to answer back our talks."In your dreams dude!" I replied bluntly."You are surely coming in my dreams. Naked!" He bursted out in laughter."Ughh....these perverts! Chal Prerna....humare drinks aagaye hain" she expressed her disgust. She took the cans and dragged me away from those men. Just then we heard the train hoot.We were alarmed and we rushed to catch the train. We couldn't miss. While escaping through the entrance, I bumped with a man and my cell phone fell down. I immediately picked the phone and passed on a quick apology. And then ran after Shivani to catch the train.Precap - the cell phone swap and Reaching AuliWriter: _fairytale_believer_
The Cell Phone Swap
I mentally thanked god as soon as I stepped inside the train. We were lucky enough that the train didn't leave. It was pleasant inside as the heaters had started working. Our station was to arrive in the morning and till then I would grab a good amount of sleep. When I was sleeping peacefully, a phone call disturbed my slumber. After all the day I finally got the much needed sleep and this phones was ruining my sleep. I picked it up. "hmmm..." I hummed away in half sleep. "Hi baby! Were you sleeping?" A shrill voice of a girl replied from the other end. "No.....I was selling wafers in the train." I said sleepily. "What?!....who the hell are you? What are you doing with Anurag? Where is Anurag?" "Kaun Anurag?" "Achcha....Anurag ke phone se baat kar rahi ho Aur puch rahi ho kaun Anurag!" She shrieked on top of her lungs. "Calm down miss!....yeh kisi Anurag ka phone nahi hai...yeh mera phone hai....Prerna Sharma ka." "Nahi maine Anurag ko hi phone hi phone lagaya....Mujhe pata hai ki mera chubby tumhare aas paas hi hain..." "Nahi nahi....koi chubby naam ka kutta mere aas paas nahi hain......abhi tum phone rakho Aur mujhe sone do!"1 "Eeehh! Chubby kisi kutte ka naam nahi hain.....voh mere boyfriend Anurag ka naam hain.....Mujhe pata hain vo tumhare aas paas hi hain varna uska phone tumhare paas kaise aata." "Haan Haan....mere paas hain tumhare chubby....happy?..ab phone rakho..." I was completely frustrated now. I ended the call in a single swift. I no longer needed disturbances in my sleep. As soon as I started to sleep, the phone buzzed again. It irritated the he'll out if me. Jab insaan sone ki koshish kare toh puri kainaat lag jaati hain use jagane mein. "Ab kaun hai yaar?" "The owner of the phone that you are holding." A sweet alluring voice answered from the other end. "What?" "Just look through the phone you are holding. It's mine." I immediately looked through the phone and I recognised that my snowy blue fairytaled wallpaper had been replaced by car wallpapers. This wasnt definitely my phone. "Where the hell is my phone? How did I end up with your phone?". Sleep vanished away in a single swift just at a thought that I had lost my phone. "If your phone has a blueish snowy girlish wallpaper....Then it is with me!!" "Yes!! It's mine!!"I bolted upright now realising the phone swap. No way....my phone was with someone whom I didn't even know! "Do you remember where we had met?" He started investigating the matter and tried figuring out how we ended up with this. "Are you on a train?" I thought maybe we must have switched phones in the train. "No...why are you asking that?" "Cause I am traveling in the train....I thought we must have switched phones here." "What!!....but I never did board a train today!! Then how did we meet?" He shrieked in astonishment. "I was in the train all the time....only that I went to a bar in the outskirts of some city!....and I even collided with someone.....was that you?" "Yes!...even I did collide with some girl!" "Damn!! How could I just pick up a wrong phone!!" "Exactly......you did not just do one but two mistakes!" He bursted out in a rude tone. "Oo...hello Mr.chubby is me meri galti nahi hain....yeh front facing accident thi....Maine peeche se aake takkar nahi maari.....Aur kaunse dusre galti ki baat kar rahe ho tum?" "Voh jo tumne ne komolika ko kaha ki main tumhare saath hoon......you know she came to my home and she was so mad at me!" "Oo....to voh tumhari girlfriend hain....ab main kahoon vo kitni irritating hain...shanti se sone bhi nahi deti....to maine gusse mein keh diya!" "Sab tumhari galti hai.....ese kaise galat phone utha liya tumne!" He said full of arrogance and anger. "Isme meri galti nahi hain....main to jaldi mein thi....tumhari konsi train jaa rahi thi....tum kyun mera phone le gaye!" "Matlab tum apni galti nahi maanogi naa?" "30%?" "..........." No answer came from his side. "40%?" "........" "Achcha chalo 50-50 karte hain...!"1 And the phone started beeping annoying as he had ended the call. How dare he cut the call when I am taliking to him. And we didn't even decide how we were to get our phones back. Now how would i live without my phone that too on a trip. I texted him. 'Mr.Chubby....you cannot leave like that!' 'Dont call me that!' 'Why only your komo has the rights to call you that!' 'Come to the point....why have u texted?' 'I want my phone back!' 'That's not possible....you are on a train....n I don't know where you are going....' 'I am going Auli! Come and give that phone to me....I am not coming all the way back.' 'What! you are going to Auli?!' 'Yes....with my sister for skiing and trekking!' 'Even I work in Auli as a skiing instructor! I had come here with my friends for vacationing. I will be back tomorrow.' 'Great! We can meet there and get back our phones tomorrow!" I was super happy. I would get my phone back tomorrow. 'Okay done!' 'By the way....don't u dare see my photos and personal files!' 'And what makes you feel that I still haven't!' 'No way....Do u have some manners....how could you break someone's privacy!' 'Ok now...I had to know whose phone this was....so I saw the pics.....& by the way Maine tumhara Instagram profile pic change kar diya....ab achcha vala rakha hain!' 'What! How dare you!!' But then the only thing I could see was 'last seen at 3:27 am.' I mentally slapped myself for being so careless with phone. Now a brainless jerk had a control over it! In the morning we deboarded the train at the Auli station. I checked my phone...oops sorry! his phone if there were any messages from him. And yes there was a message. 'Meet you in the evening....will message you time and address later.' 'Why not now?' I replied I wanted the phone back as soon as possible. 'At work....i have tourists to attend.' 'Okay but make it as soon as possible!' I told him. I and Shivani stood in the parking lot waiting for Anupam who had gone to fetch a cab so that we could go to the hotel. Anupam was in the same skiing camp as of ours and he decided to join us till th camp is over. "Prerna kiska phone hai yeh?" Shivani asked as she noticed that the phone I was holding wasn't mine. I narrated her the entire incident. "Toh us ladke ka naam kya hain?" "Mr.Chubby!!" "Kya! Yeh kaisa naam hain!" "Nahin naam to kuch Aur hain uski girlfriend ne kuch to naam bataya tha....par tab mein bahot neend mein thi so I don't remember!....I just remember that her gf called him chubby." And we started giggling and laughing on that note. "Vaise vo Mr.Chubby dikhta kaisa hain?" "Mujhe kya pata?" "Kya Prerna uske photo nahi dekhe kya?" "Are ese kaise kisike bhi photos dekh lenge....it's not appropriate....I respect everyone's privacy." "Arre Prerna....yeh sab chalta hain ab yeh sanskaar ko abhi goli maar...ab de phone mujhe!" She snatched away the phone even after my hesitation. She rummaged through the gallery.1 "Oh my god! He looks so hot!" "Shivi stop gawking at him! Give that phone back to me!" "Arre Prerna tu bhi dekh na kitna handsome hain..." And she waved the phone in front of my face. Sparkling jitters ran through my nerves. Never did I feel such before. "Prerna! Shivani! Come lets go the hotel." Anupam signalled us to get into the cab. I shoved the phone inside the bag and pushed myself into the cab. "So further plans?" I asked Anupam. "Our hotel is nearby here...I have booked a guide and he would take charge of everything from skiing to trekking to food to arrangements and everything." "So who is he?" "His name is Anurag Basu."1 Precap- Meeting Anurag