This story is submitted at ReedsyStories. For a challenge ofcourse, hope you like it.
This is a real story. The rain is real, the flood is real, rest everything is my imagination.
It was the year 2015, November to December is the usual North-East Monsoon season for Southern part of India and this is the only season these part of India gets the maximum rainfall of the year. This is only a glimpse of what happened on that rainy night.
Sunil is a businessman and owns a house in the heart of the city. Sunil watches his son seriously sitting in front of the Television.
Rahul turns off the TV “I know it rains. Go check with your Mom, Whether the dinner is prepared.” Sunil said and went inside his room to change his dress.
Rahul follows his dad inside the room.
“Did you know there is going to be a huge rain from tonight and it’s going to submerge the entire city, This is the hot news of the day.”
“Rahul this kind of news we hear every year, but that never happened. Except in 2005, that was one hell of a rain.”
Sunil sighs and takes his mobile and opens his Facebook page. Rahul was nervous looking at the streets, he feels something is wrong. He went outside and watched the sky, it is pitch dark and scary. Rahul comes down faster and says to his dad.
“Dad, did you see a post shared by Tamilnadu weatherman. He predicted a humongous amount of rainfall is going to happen tonight, the sky is dark, why don’t we move out things to the first floor in advance? There are chances of flood.”
Sunil looks at his anxious son, “social-media will only create unwanted fear among people Rahul, let’s keep your phone aside and come let’s talk something else.”
Rahul takes his phone and keeps charging. Rahul’s fingers were scrolling through Facebook pages, everything says negatively flood, stay safe, stay alert. He opens his Instagram and types in search bar #Lovesongstatus and scrolls through to find his favorite song.
Sunil continued scrolling down his Facebook page and once he sees the same posts again, he decides to open Instagram. He searches the name of next-door neighbor page and watches her TikTok videos. The phone vibrates with a 50% of data usage alert, Sunil takes a deep breath and looks at his battery. It’s only 5%. He opens his share market application and started his plans for next day stocks to buy.
Sushmita Sunil, Rahul’s mom. Sushmita comes out of the kitchen and looks at both Sunil and Rahul and started yelling.
“Always, always you both scrolling through the screens. I have been yelling from the kitchen that the dinner is ready, both of you eat that smartphone of yours. No dinner for your both.”
Sushmita turns around her way back to the kitchen and screams. Powercut.
Sunil and Rahul both days shit. Together. Sushmita starts her yelling again.
“Yes, shit! For both of you that is dinner. Get me a candle now, it’s so scary.”
Sunil looks at his battery it shows 2%, he looks at Rahul impatiently scrolling on his phone.
Rahul turns on that flashlight.
“Dad I just kept it charge I got only 20% of battery.”
Sunil looks at him with his hands on his hips, Rahul power is going to come back now stop arguing and go help your mom first.
Rahul murmurs something and turns on his flashlight
Sushmita yells from the kitchen again, “Is it taking too long for the father and son to turn on the flashlight and come to the kitchen. The kitchen is not so far in this 700sq.ft palace.”
Rahul enters the kitchen, “Mom will you stop your complaints and light the candle, I have no battery charge.”
Sushmita hits at the back of his head “keep your phone aside and study for tomorrow’s test, I got a message from your school that tomorrow is economics paper, have you studied? Always on the phone, I’m going to see what you are looking at one day and you going to get caught to me.”
Rahul scratches his head, “Mom economics paper is nothing, just theory and you know how good I am at writing stories.”
Sushmita replies, “I will see the scores tomorrow then I’ll treat you accordingly, Now take this and go to the hall, let’s have our dinner first.”
Rahul takes three plates of chapati and a channa masala, on the other hand, he enters the hall, behind Sushmita holding the candlelight. Sunil is ready for the food.
Rahul says, can we eat this after the power comes. Everyone jumps when they hear the loudest thunder in their life.
Sunil immediately stands up and holds Rahul, Sushma calm down it’s nothing just a thunder, let’s have our dinner first.
The three-member family finishes their dinner and waits for the power to come back. Out of patience, Rahul dialed the emergency service of the electrical department.
Hello, I’m Rahul, there is been a power outage at Sachin’s colony can you check out immediately?
The other end replies there won’t be no power until morning as there is a work going on at your place.
Rahul hangs up the phone and tells his dad. “We don’t have power by tomorrow morning.”
Sunil looks out of his window and calls Rahul, I think we need to park our car somewhere, if it continues to rain like this, my Car will need an emergency service tomorrow.
Rahul replies, “Dad we are in a better place, if we take our car out now, then only our car might need an emergency service. Let’s hope the water level won’t increase as they predicted.”
Sunil shook his head in disapproval and thinks for some time, “Rahul go to bed, you have exams tomorrow.”
Rahul enters his bedroom and jumps in his bed. Sushmita enters their bedroom and starts combing and braiding her hair before bed. Sunil beside the bed, on the floor he starts to sleep. Sushmita turns off all the switches and gets in her bed.
The rain was not stopped, it keeps on pouring, Sunil woke up to a thundering noise and walks Into the kitchen and takes a glass of water and drinks and murmurs about rain and looks outside the window. Sunil eyes came out when he saw a river on his Street
Sunil takes a deep breath and prays inside it shouldn’t get worse like 2005, And in any way should escape from Chennai and settle down in native. And he is back to the floor to sleep.
After about an hour early morning by 2am Sunil wakes up again to sense water around, he quickly got up and realized he is now surrounded by water. He quickly rushes to the window and looked out, it’s full of water around the house. Sunil enters his son’s room and wakes up Rahul silently.
“Rahul we have a problem here get up.”
“Dad, if mom says anything ignore it please, don’t shoot up your blood pressure. Let me sleep.”
“Rahul it’s more important the rain didn’t stop.”
“Rahul wakes up in shock, Flood?”
Sunil shows his hand to the floor signs him to look at the floor. Rahul looks at the floor full of water and takes a huge breath.
“Dad, what we are going to do?”
“Rahul, our mission is not to wake your Mom at any cost. If she wakes up she’ll go into her anxiety mode. I’ll bring my things from my room and you take all your important things. We will slowly arrange everything above your bed and keep our important things on top of it. The floodwater has already occupied a floor, our house is at a good height until now my car is the only victim suffering in the rain the water level will slowly drop once the rain is complete. Try to call your friends and ask for the situation in the meantime.”
Rahul makes some attempts and found nothing “Dad there is no network, I can’t make any calls” panics Rahul.
Sunil nods and searches for the candle and lights it and looked around it’s full of water, and it keeps on increasing. Sunil shook his head “Not a good sign, Rahul, go and wake up your mom, we are going to wake up our first-floor tenants”
Rahul asks “You think they will allow us inside the house?”
Sunil turns his head “This is my house and they are here for a rent Rahul, Now don’t waste your time and wake up your Mom, the water level is rising”
They both hear a scream, Sunil shocked “Sushmita!” he yells her name and runs to her bedroom
Sushmita got panic looking at the water around her she closed her eyes and screams “Sunil, save me, I am dying, SAVE ME!!!!!”
Sunil sits next to her and puts his arm on her shoulders “Sushma, don’t get panic, I am here darling, this is just rainwater, calm down”
Sushmita replies “No Sunil, I could never do that, please don’t leave me to die here”
Sunil holds her palm “Sushmita it is just rainwater alright? Just calm down, let me bring your tablet don’t get panic, stay calm”
Sushmita cried “I can’t, I can’t Sunil” she cried
Rahul joins “Mom I’m here, Calm down”
Sushmita hugs Rahul and cries, meanwhile, Sunil takes her tablet and took a glass of water from the kitchen and gave it to Sushmita. Sushmita takes her tablet.
Things inside the house start floating and moving at speed, Sunil says “The water level keeps on increasing, we must move NOW to the first floor”
After a long discussion and after convincing Sushmita, this family of three members starts to walk out, When Sunil opens the door, there was a dog swimming towards him and Sunil startles looking at the puppy and holds the puppy on one hand “Poor puppy, glad you could swim, let me take you to a safe place”
The rain is horrible, it kept raining and their ground floor is almost submerged at the time they all reached the first floor. Sunil knocks the door, after about 10 minutes a young girl opens the door “Who are you?”
Rahul’s head rises up behind his dad and thinks “Who is she? Where did she come from? I should get her number before this morning”
Sunil asks “who are you dear? Where is Mr. Vasan?”
She replies “He is my uncle and I am his distant cousin daughter, how may I help you?”
Sunil says “the city is flooded because of this heavy rain, I’ll stay here today, once the water is down we will leave.”
She opens her door wide and “Please come in, can I get something for you?”
Sunil replies “Nothing dear, thanks for asking, do you have any candles at home, the power is not going to come back until morning.”
Rahul’s eyes kept staring at this girl, Sunil asks “What is your name?”
She replies “Kamini uncle” she brings a bottle of water, Sunil and Sushmita says thanks.
Panic Sushmita is holding her hand with Sunil for some time as she is still not released from the shock.
Rahul on the other side “what is she studying? which school? Since when she is here?” so many questions were running inside his head, he wishes his dad would ask any of these questions to her.
Sunil asks her “Which class are you Kamini?”
She giggles “I am not studying uncle, I came to Chennai for an interview and looks like I need to stay back for the interview, is this how Chennai will be in all floods?”
Rahul heartbroken when she says she is not studying Rahul hung his head down and murmurs himself “I am never going to get a girlfriend” and looks at the puppy in his hand, “will you be my girlfriend” he whispers to the puppy and it licked his face “Looks like she is the one” he smiles and started playing with the puppy.
Sunil replies “Chennai is always like this, But after 2005 this is one of heavy rain, I am sure our neighborhood streets need our help in this situation”
Kamini replies “yes uncle we should help them, I am worried at this time with this water level how old people like you are struggling”
Sunil looks at her in shock and thinks himself “Do I look that old? I should do hair dye tomorrow”
Sunil smiles “Good girl, they are one that really needs our help”
There was a strange silence amidst heavy rain. Sunil asks “Kamini can you take Suhsmita with you, Let her sleep, as she is scared of all the scenes”
Kamini says “sure uncle” and calls aunty “Aunty, please come with me”
Rahul continued to play with the puppy whole night. Sunil places a chair and sits at the balcony and watched the flooded city.
Sunil looks at the city and he decided the flood-affected people need their help, he got up and took a rope and wore his raincoat and looked at his son, “Rahul the rain has stopped, the water level is reducing, it’s time to get ready, the city needs our help, we have a new adventure today”. Rahul nods and got up “Yes dad, Let’s do it, but please stay with me, I don’t know swimming”
Sunil smiled and they both wear a raincoat and went out that early morning.
Not everyone was lucky as Sunil and Rahul Family. Tremendous destruction, loss of property, and lives shook our city. Google it “Chennai 2015 floods” to know more about it.
Thanks for Reading 🤗
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A Nobody Wandering Earth. 