The congealed darkness knocked against his leg and hurt him. In the silence, the sound of the bus engine still reverberated in his ears. As his sleep-addled mind cleared and the feeling of anxiety left him, he began to doubt whether he had even been in a bus. All he was sure of was the fact that he was here, on this road, in the dark. He shook off such muddled thoughts with a smile.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized the place was completely deserted. He had acted foolishly. He should have bought another ticket and remained in the bus until he could get off at a proper stop with at least a couple of shops. Reluctant to believe his complete isolation, he looked around in the hope of seeing a faraway light from a house yet to retire for the night. But there was nothing except for a light breeze.

As always, the four of them—Kunjumon, Devasia, Punnan and Soman—had got on the bus and sat together in the long back seat. He was never alone in the bus because he was not the one who got out last. They would sit together chatting and laughing, his jokes always drawing the most laughs. He was known for his jokes at their workplace too. He would make up salacious stories about Beena, who had big breasts and a round behind, and Soman, stories that sounded almost real and sent everyone into a cacophony of laughter. And when his stories threatened to completely cross the boundary of decency, Soman would scold him, but his reluctant use of swear words would make them laugh even more. He always got off at his stop, leaving them a nugget to laugh about.

He stood by the side of the road for a long while, hoping for the headlights of a bus or a private vehicle. The area was flat, and the road went off into the distance without any bends. Thinking that the vehicles speeding through the deserted night might have enough time to see him and stop, he walked into the middle of the road and stood there. Until a moment ago, he knew clearly the direction he had come from, but now he had lost track of which way he was headed. If he had to go right, he should be standing to the left of the road, and vice versa.

A sudden sound froze him in his tracks. Perhaps a snake or a rat moving in the dry leaves. He stepped off the tarmac and realized there were no dry leaves on the verges, not even dry stalks of grass. His inchoate fear scared him. One’s mind might pretend to be happy or sad, but fear is different. He was not the type of person who panicked and made a ruckus upon seeing a snake. Wondering why he was feeling scared, the traveller walked carefully forward. He didn’t have to be scared of darkness or of ghosts, or even of thieves or robbers who might be skulking around like spirits. All he had in his possession was his lunch box that was not even washed properly, and a small amount of money.