There was thunder and lightning that blurred his eyes. He opened his eyes only to see a girl standing across from him. She was clad in a white salwar–kurta. She had two roses in her bun. A light layer of red lipstick adorned her lips. The edges of her eyes flaunted carefully put kohl. She was wearing earrings which reminded Asrar of similar jewellery in his shop. The earrings were studded with two precious gems. Asrar was sure that she belonged to a respectable family. When her facial features caught Asrar’s attention, the rest of the surroundings seized to exist. It was raining heavily outside. The sun shone brightly above the clouds with all its strength, but its light could not reach Mumbai. There was a faint light in the veranda of the dargah. The girl’s face looked even more attractive in the semi-darkness. She had peace, serenity and confidence on her face. She was enjoying the pitter-patter of the raindrops. The happiness of the rain spread on her face and the spray of raindrops enhanced the beauty of her face.

She had a white bag in her hand with very fine prints on it. Pink and dark wine-coloured patterns looked nice on the white bag. She was looking at the yellow sea. She wiped the raindrops off her face and bent towards the wall. Asrar was staring at her back and waist when suddenly there was a loud thunderclap and the intensity of the rain increased. Asrar thought that the girl would find shelter under the elevated platform, or her companion would get her an umbrella so that she could leave. Very few people could be seen around the grave and the dargah. Those who sat leaning against the grave were lost in their own worlds.

He looked at the smoke from the incense disappearing through the ceiling. The smell of the fresh flowers on the grave was overpowering. Asrar was feeling inspired. He closed his eyes and recited Sura’h Al-Ikhlas and ran his palm over his face. The sound of the raindrops echoed in his ears. He turned towards the courtyard knowing that the girl would no longer be there but to his surprise, she was still there. This time she had her hand raised in prayer. Her body was getting wet in the rain. Asrar kept staring at her in surprise. In fact, the beauty of the scene had taken his breath away. In the pouring rain she seemed to be the most beautiful girl in the world. The heavy rains had by now seized most areas of Mumbai, including Worli to Churchgate. The Milan subway was submerged, and traffic had slowed down in most areas.

According to the calendar, 22 September was the day of the fall equinox.