Megan was driving on rugged terrain on a 4-wheel drive Land Rover. This time she had disconnected from the google maps and was driving on her own. Ice was littered on the almost nonexistent road. The dark black road was cutting across the land like a stitch on a clean cloth with the ice-lings like patches of bad areas. There was no visible human settlement on the plain flat land on either side of the road. Land Rover moved ahead leaving its marks on the road like a moving iron on an unpressed shirt. Land Rover had only three passengers, the other two apart from Megan were instruments measuring electrical activity in the upper atmosphere and the other, an instrument to inject a known signal into the upper atmosphere by altering electrical activity going on there by a small fraction.
Megan had been driving till 2 o'clock at night but no electrical activity could be detected by her instrument. Megan stopped the vehicle and thought when the instruments would catch any activity. If they do not detect anything whether I should wait or go back. Is it the right way to search for unusual activity going on in the upper atmosphere? Couldn't we become a little bit more intelligent and observe the obvious rather than waiting for the unusual activity to happen why should not we create it.
There was a shadow on the icy ground in front of her. She turned back.
'You are right, you have just got the point we are going to create it rather than waiting for it to happen on this chilly night.' This was none but Awasthy.
'Mr. Awasthy, you are here? Well I could not believe it. You told back then that you are busy with an important engagement.'
'What could be more important than knowing the truth of nature. This has been the passion of my life for decades. I did not tell you that I am coming because then only you could reach that point of understanding in your research where you are able to draw the correct conclusions. Now since you have reached that point of understanding .. I am here.'
'But Mr. Awasthi even if we could influence the atmosphere by altering the electrical activity in the upper atmosphere, what could we prove by doing this.'
'It would prove that altering the electrical activity in the upper atmosphere and thereby manipulating Aurora is actually possible. It will be a proof of concept. Thereafter we would install our equipment at the right place and wait for some unusual activity to take place.'
'Later I can do the rest of the monitoring from my home, I have got your plans, Mr. Awasthy.'
'Yes, we have had enough explanations, let's move ahead.'
Mr. Awasthy boarded the Land Rover and Megan accelerated it as if she was going to race against the light. After driving for about an hour she was at the end of the road. Thereafter were boulders arranged in a criss-cross pattern which gave a sense of direction. The dim light of the stars gazed at the dark earth. The sky was clear of clouds. Bright stars dotted it by moving from east to west. There was one especially bright star which was rising above the head as she stood. All the stars were revolving around this star. The flat land all around seemed endless. All seemingly endless things must be some kind of loop, like a circle, or sphere. It would take nature an infinite amount of energy and therefore infinite amount of time to make it. Nature does not like infinity. Megan could not help but capture the picturesque scenery expanding from one side of the horizon to the other.
'Mr. Awasthy have you been here before?' asked Megan.
'No, I never had the opportunity to have such an efficient Land Rover, very soon we shall be reaching our destination. We just have to walk.'
'Place of no direction, isn't it? Mr. Awasthy'
'He .. he.. he.'
As the bright special star was just a few degrees away from the top of the head the sky started getting covered with a green cloud. It was thin and dynamic. The shape of the green cloud changed shape within minutes.
'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.
'Something is not right Megan, we should move away,' warned Awasthy.
'Why? we have just come,' Megan was shuffling the clips on her camera taken a while ago.
'No, Megan, you are not understanding. Let us move to the direction of safety.'
'Move in which direction... Mr. Awasthy this is a place of no direction. If beauty is there it is in all directions, if danger is there it will also be in all directions. Directions are man-made objects to compartmentalize nature, otherwise, nature is the same in all directions. At least in long distances.'
'No Megan this is not the time to discuss the philosophy of nature--'
Before Awasthy could complete his sentence a green ball of light came from the sky. Awasthy pulled Megan away from its path. The ball ended up on the icy boulders below.
Another green light ball came from the sky. This time Megan was prepared, she jumped away while Awasthy turned his face down to save himself from the luminosity and impact of the light ball. The ball landed up in the windscreen of the Land Rover.
'Run Megan..... run,' screamed Awasthy.
Megan started running with all her strength. Awasthy came behind her.
'Which direction should we run this is a place of no direction,' Megan was sure that she is inviting bigger trouble by running in a haphazard way.
'South.'
'Where is South, I forgot?'
'I think we should run towards the direction from which we came here.'
'That's right.'
Megan and Awasthy both started running. Their heartbeats increased so much the sound hit each other's ears. The balls kept bombarding but now they have become red and blue.
A ball hit Megan from behind her shoes turned to brown. Megan fell on the ground, her chin started to bleed. She quickly stood up and sprinted forward. Awasthy saw this from behind.
'Megan you are limping, run fast, don't slow down.'
'Not able to.'
By this time Awasthy had caught up with Megan. Megan was almost stopping. Seeing Megan faltering, Awasthy lifted her on his shoulders and ran. He was barely able to keep his speed.
'Thanks Mr. Awasthy,' said Megan with her eyes gazing at the icy boulders below. How are we going to run away, the Aurora can hit us from anywhere.' After a few seconds both were gasping for air.
Another Land Rover approached Awasthy from behind. Awasthy started running with his full speed to not let the Land Rover reach him but finally gave up and fell on the boulders.
Land Rover stopped and a middle-aged lady with a long face and slightly dark hair came out. She leaned and gave her hand to Awasthy to pick him up. Awasthy turned up and lifted his hand but reluctantly held back it as if he got to remember something. The lady extended her hand to Megan and lifted her. She again offered her hand to Awasthy. Awasthy had no choice but to accept the help from this unexpected savior.
'We don't have much time, Aurora can attack us here also. Just sit in the vehicle,' the lady hurriedly jumped into the driver's seat. Megan quickly went inside the vehicle but was still limping. Awasthy was kept on waiting on the ground.
'Mr. Awasthy what are you waiting for. Just come,' the lady shouted.
'Just come inside,' Megan shouted indicating with movements of her hand.
'Don't shout,' Awasthy replied, 'you have done enough of that.'
A blue ring of cloud came down from the Aurora near the Land Rover and exploded into fumes. Seeing no other option Awasthy came inside the vehicle closing the door with a thud sound. Land Rover was crammed with three people on the front seats. The lady accelerated the Land Rover in full throttle. The boulders beneath were a perfect replacement for a trampoline. The Land Rover ride became a roller coaster ride.
The lady was racing the Land Rover ahead unsuccessfully trying to avoid pits between the boulders. Nobody was talking to each other. Megan occasionally looked back to see if the light balls were still coming to attack them. The lady though driving the Land Rover was trying to guess what's on the mind of Awasthy. Awasthy forced himself to slide towards the door of the Land Rover. Megan realized that this lady called Awasthy by his name. Did this mean that they both know each other? Megan decided to break the ice.
'Hi, this is Megan, a weather scientist,' Megan introduced herself.
'Hi myself-,' the lady started her introduction as she gave a genuine smile to Megan.
'Susan... Susan Kar,' Awasthy spoke even before the lady could introduce herself completely.
'This is quite strange, do you know each other,' Megan turned her index finger of the right hand towards each of them in sequence.
'Yes we do,' the lady said.
'Yes, really... how do you know each other?'
'That's a very long story, Megan,' said the lady shifting the gear of the Land Rover.
'No it is not, it is very simple,' Awasthy disagreed, ' I can explain to you the whole thing.'
The Land Rover came far from where they started. The hissing sound of the equipment was no longer noticeable.
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