Life of An Indian Girl (@ KSA)

|1| That was weird

My arms pressed down on either side of the huge inflatable floating tube as I stared as far down as I could into the water slide. The dark green which coated the closed slide from the outside blocked any light that could enter into it, making it quite dark. The eerie atmosphere was further worsened by the echo of the steady flow of water. I wasn't sure anymore whether I was in an amusement park or a horror show.

As I wriggled on the tube trying to find the perfect position for my hip, I lost my balance and lurched forward with a shriek. While I slid down and the water soaked my clothes and my feet, I tried to enjoy it as much as I could through the rapid hammering of my heart. After quite a lot of twists and turns, I could see the hints of light as I went further down.

Finally I could make out the pool of water marking the end of the ride. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the impact. But it never came.

I opened my eyes, only for it to widen in horror.

I was no longer falling into a pool of water.

Falling? Positive.
Into Water? Very Positive
In a Pool? Negative.
In an ocean in the middle of fricking nowhere? Facts.

"OH MY GOD!!!", I internally screamed, too late to formulate an escape strategy. As I approached my impending doom, I pictured a group of sharks, napkins tied around their neck and holding a knife and a fork, looking up at me and grinning. However, I could not let fear hold me hostage and steal my spotlight. I held my head high and waited for my death.

I guess Thanatos wanted to have a bit of a fun because as soon as my feet grazed the surface of the ocean, I bounced back up. As I went up, I could not help but feel a bit disappointed at gravity for ruining my hero moment. But as soon as acceleration reduced to zero, I went back down again.

Directly into the mouth of my predator.

The scream that was long due set off, throwing my pride and my principles out of the window. The scream shook me, rattled my bones.

I was shaking and screaming. There was a lot of noise. Wind rushing past me, tides swallowing each other, my mom murmu-

"Anu... Anu dear.... Wake up, child."

I opened my eyes, restarting my body and mind. I blinked the sleep away and twisted my hands up, searching for my glasses. Putting them on, I sat up, pulling the blanket up to my waist and looked sideways at my mom. She passed me the big cup of lemon water filled to the brink (as always) and five pieces of almond. While I thought about what to consume first, my mom asked,
"Did you have a dream?"

My mouth was filled with the water, so I just nodded. On finishing it, I handed her the glass . As she walked away, I replied,
"Yeah, I did. It was super weird one", and popped the almonds in.

Chewing them, I pushed myself off the creaking bed and was met with the news headlines blaring from the speaker in the living room. I walked past the living room to the bathroom after uttering a groggy greeting to my father.

Sinking down on the toilet cover, I let my eyes shut for a few more minutes of sleep. Half an hour later, I was forced out by my mother's shouting and my numb posterior.
I looked at the clock on the wall and realised that I had little to no time. Brushing my teeth in record time, I went to the bedroom where my uniform and breakfast awaited me.

My mom fed me chappati with tuna curry. It was a good combination. Undergarments already on, I put on my socks, salwar kameez and finally pinned my duppatta on both sides of the kurta on my shoulders. Hair was braided and watch slipped on. Pulling on my abaya and shoes, I thought about how to present my dream to my classmates and bus mates.

I grabbed my heavy bag and rushed down the stairs after informing my mom. My dad stood waiting for me in front of the door at the end of the stairs. I came to a stop beside him and confirmed that the bus had not yet arrived.

Ours was a peaceful and leisurely neighbourhood. I have gotten so used to it that I vehemently refused to move closer to my school just because that area was crowded. Even if it meant that I would have to sit congested in a bus, that barely resembles one, for more than two hours a day.

"Were the roads flooded? Is that why the bus arrived so late yesterday? ", Achan enquired.

"Yeah", I grinned.

"Hmm."

"Hmm."

A few minutes later, the school bus halted in front of my house and I hopped in. As the doors closed, I waved at my dad. The bus proceeded and I grabbed the head of the seats to steady myself. Finding my footing, I walked to the rear of the bus and sat in my usual position near the window. The usual greetings and pleasantries were exchanged between me and my friends.

I cleared my throat and smiled.

"So, I had this weird dream last night."

A/N:
And there you have it. The first chapter is done. Hurray!
Please let me know what you think of the chapter. Criticism is appreciated.
See you soon!