On the way to church...

It seemed to be a normal enough trip. After all, we were only going to go to the Infant Jesus Shrine in Bangalore, and though it's a little out of the way it is still very much within city limits. So, my aunt, my mother and I left the house at the specified time. The idea was to beat the crowd and get in and out before the mass of human flesh accumulated, as did the metallic sea of vehicles outside.

We were aiming to leave the house at 7 am, and I distinctly remember double-checking with my aunt about this. But no problems here, as we walked out of the gate with five minutes to spare.

However, the first sign of trouble began when we tried to catch an auto to our destination. We must've asked 20-30 autorickshaws before one guy finally decided to give us a lift...as it often seems in such situations. Then, the scene suddenly shifted to somewhere closer to where I work.

This next scene found the three of us on the road and again trying to catch an auto. This time around, or in Scene 2 as I like to call it, it was raining cats and dogs! There were times when we were on the side of the road, and then there were other times when we were near the divider getting water splashed on us by passing vehicles. It was pitiable! No one was stopping and it was a hopeless effort entirely. Still, and for some strange reason, none of us mentioned trying to turn back and getting home before it was too late. But it was written all over our faces as we stood there soaked to the bone.

At this point, I opened my eyes and checked the clock to find that it was 5 am. The rest? Well, the rest is reality...