The Thunderstorm

"The train is expected to be 10 minutes late," announced the voice on platform number 3. Professor Kumar, a sharply dressed man in his late 30s, was looking for a shop to buy a bottle of water to quench his thirst. At a distance, the professor saw a shop, but the rainstorm made his legs shiver. Nevertheless, he decided to get himself a water bottle; after all, a few water droplets couldn't harm him.

Professor Kumar ran toward the shop and bought a bottle of water. He took a sip and put the bottle in his backpack. The train was now arriving at the platform. He confirmed his seat and settled himself next to the window. The weather was more vibrant than ever. The sweet whistle of the train engine was indescribable. The rain had finally stopped, and the soil released a mesmerizing scent. A few raindrops were left on the window, making the view hypnotic. "What a wonderful world," Professor Kumar thought as he looked outside.

The train had almost lost its pace, but this didn't frustrate the professor. Instead, it brought him joy, as if he had no particular destination. He realized he didn’t remember much after his car accident but felt that something was off. The professor had no luggage except a few books borrowed from the library at Bombay Central. Although he found these history books to be filled with uncertain accounts, he thought they belonged in the fiction or publishing errors section.

Exhausted from traveling and wandering, Professor Kumar decided to take a nap. He put his head against the window and made himself comfortable. As he closed his eyes, he thought about the past few days and how irrelevant he felt to the world.

Suddenly, he heard a voice or a little whisper from the other side of the window. He looked outside with wide eyes but saw no one except the raindrops. Rubbing his eyes, he thought it must be due to lack of sleep. Covering his face with a book, he turned his head against the window again. The whisper persisted, and he looked back immediately. He was sure it wasn't due to fatigue. Inspecting under the seat and around, he found nothing.

The professor gave up and adjusted himself to a sleeping position. Again, he heard the whisper. This time, he noticed a raindrop wiggling slowly, with tiny eyes and a mouth. Startled, he took a step back but then mustered the courage to approach the tiny droplet.

The droplet stared into the professor's eyes. Shocked, scared, and somewhat excited, Professor Kumar’s fatigue vanished. He picked up a newspaper and approached the window, using the folded paper as a weapon. The droplet struggled to stick to the window, so the professor carefully picked it up with his plastic eyeglass cover. The droplet sighed in relief and thanked the professor for saving it. Speechless, Professor Kumar managed to ask the droplet about its origins and identity.

The droplet replied, "I will answer your questions, but first, pour some water on me." The professor poured a few tablespoons of water onto the droplet, which then grew into a tiny pond inside the eyeglass cover. The droplet thanked the professor and said, "I am the ocean, the sea, the pond, the glacier, the cloud, the mountain, the plant, the significant, and the insignificant. I am here before you and will be here after you."

Confused, the professor asked the droplet to explain more clearly. The droplet asked the professor to introduce himself first. Professor Kumar agreed and said, "I am Jayveer Kumar Mahesh, the son of Dr. Shankar Mahesh. I am a teacher and a loving father of two kids. That's it; there is nothing more to it."

The droplet replied, "So you have a life, kids, a wife, and a job you like, and yet you feel there's nothing more to it?"

Sarcastically, the professor retorted, "That's enough about me. Now, explain your answer, please, Mr. Ocean."

"I’m water," the droplet said quirkily.

The professor, understanding the droplet’s point, said, "I get it, but there's nothing more to tell you about."

The droplet interrupted, "Oh, I understand. I melt from the glacier to become a river, merge into the sea to become the ocean, evaporate into the clouds, and fill ponds with rain. I get absorbed by trees, consumed as fruit or vegetable, and released as sweat. I evaporate again to join the ocean. That’s who I am, where I come from, and where I’m headed."

The professor, intrigued, asked, "Then why are you here?"

The droplet sighed, "Don’t you get tired of the never-ending cycle? I want to be free, make friends, eat food, grow old, and die peacefully. And look how ungrateful you are."

The professor replied, "I want to be like you, free, traveling around the world, with nothing to worry about. What more could I want?"

The droplet answered, "Life."

Both fell silent, reflecting on their lives and values. The droplet began to lose size due to the train's humidity. Professor Kumar opened the water bottle to pour more water, but the droplet refused. They talked for a while until the droplet evaporated.

Professor Kumar glanced outside and waved goodbye to his new friend. Suddenly, he woke up in a hospital, where he had been for the past two weeks.

He remembered his drunken driving accident. Seeing his friend, wife, and kids, he hugged them and recounted his dream. His wife said it must have been an angel sent by God. Kumar nodded, then noticed something in his clenched fist. It was the bottle cap from the train.

Ever since that day, Professor Kumar viewed life from a new perspective, always remembering his tiny companion on the train and its important lessons.