Phobia

16. Beautiful Optimism

It was a cold morning and I was on my way to Gangtok when I looked outside my bus window and saw the lush green hills shrouded in the grey veil of fog. The scenic view brought back memories of the past. Green hills just like these, in another place and another time. Shreya and I were having a picnic on one of these hills, and I had laughed so much that my stomach was hurting. The bittersweet scent of tea had surrounded us as we had remained there, blissfully unaware of our fate.

Shreya was a very optimistic girl, always seeing the best in people. She was like the light in my life. We had been best of friends since fourth grade when I had stood up for her when she was being bullied. Shreya was an angel this morbid world did not deserve. 

When the sun had started setting, and a soft orange glow had engulfed the hills, we started packing up. Shreya and I had shuffled down the hills and were walking on the road. The lighting on the street was dull, but we had worn very bright jackets so an upcoming vehicle could notice us. Suddenly, a car had zoomed past us at lightning speed, and another car followed it. Shreya glanced at me. "Are they having a race?" I answered, just as shocked," I guess so." Just as I had said that, a third car had come out of nowhere and it rammed into us. The last thing I remembered seeing was the car speeding up even more and zooming around the corner, then darkness had consumed me. 

Days later, I woke up to useless broken legs and a head injury. The police couldn't find the hit-and-run driver. I asked about Shreya, and the reply was silence. Shreya was gone. That small beacon of light in the sea of darkness was gone forever. I would never see her laugh again. She was gone. I couldn't stop thinking about her without breaking down. Even when I looked out the bus window at the hills, I cried. I sobbed as I moved forward in the wheelchair. I always knew humanity was doomed, but she believed in people. Humanity successfully eliminated its only supporter.