A Cursor Story

Chapter 10: Journey to Place of No Direction

'Wow,' said Megan. She one again started taking clips.

The green cloud started moving, giving its place to the red cloud. Now both red and green were there. This time Awasthy's mouth was also opened in awe, 'That's incredible, I have never seen such a thing in my entire life. This is the rarest of rare Auroras we are witnessing.'

Violet clouds also came from the front and started merging with red-green clouds. At one stance all the three colors were intertwined in the sky. The red cloud came closer to the green cloud, its streak was braided with the red cloud, and within minutes got disentangled. Then again the red cloud and blue cloud got intertwined like a braid. This game of changing partner clouds went on up in the sky as if two protagonists were vying for one heroine.

'Megan, while you enjoy the Aurora while letting me set up the equipment,' Awasthy said.

'Ok,' said Megan and again started capturing shots of the unimaginable beauty of the Aurora. The shape and location of the auroral clouds always kept on changing.

'Megan, the equipment has been set up. We are now ready to measure the strength of the electrical activity in the magnificent clouds.'

'Mr. Awasthy, why don't you also take some pictures. This particular spot in the sky where the blue, the green, the red clouds are mixing together at the same spot is awesome,' Megan persuaded Awasthy also to join her in her quest for capturing the images of nature in the camera.

'Just let me switch on the equipment, I shall join too.'

Awasthy quickly switched on the equipment, adjusted the hover-cum touch-screen display, pointed the small dish antenna attached to one of the equipment towards the sky exactly at the spot of which Megan was taking the photographs. Taking out his own camera, Awasthy joined Megan in clicking photographs.

'Mr. Awasthy, I think this Aurora has something special.'

'Why?'

'It made me come here. I mean, I feel that there is something different with the Aurora and with this place. Wherever you see you see the same pristine nature.'

'Megan, I took a flight and then drove for 300 km and then walked over a few kilometers to come all the way from Greenland to this place. Our strange place of no direction.'

'Mr. Awasthy, don't you think there is something even unusual. The center of the spot which you have been clicking for some time now is unusually bright. The brightness has been increasing.'

'Yes, you are right, I thought it is a side-effect of over-sensitive filter on my camera.'

'We should believe our eyes more than the camera. And there is this strange hissing sound also as if there is somewhere far-away sparking between charge wires is taking place.'

'Yes, it is unusually bright. But how the hell, are you hearing sparking sound, I never heard the sound of sparking in my life.' Awasthy said closing his left ear with his hand trying to listen to the hissing of sparks,' Awasthy moved behind a few steps towards the Land Rover, 'it is the equipment which I just set up which is giving the hissing sound.'

There was a beep from the equipment.

'Congrats, Megan. We are successful in recording the activity within the Aurora,' Awasthy looked at the hover-cum touch-screen display of the equipment with a dish antenna.

Megan lifted up her right hand to get a high five from Awasthy, which Awasthy did.

The brightness of Megan's favorite spot on the Aurora kept on increasing along with the sound of hissing coming from the equipment. Listening to the intense sound Awasthy scratched his head as to why the sound is so high.