“Just look at the numerous stars in the sky. What a mesmerising sight!” “Hmm,” came a reply from a dusky, freckled girl sitting on the wooden bench beside the blazing furnace, engrossed in a thrilling murder mystery. “Life is filled with unanticipated surprises,” said Hayley putting her book down. “Yeah,” replied Annie, sitting up straight and stretching gingerly as she experienced a flashback of the day’s events.
Earlier That Day
“We are finally free,” said Hayley, putting a thick bunch of blonde curls up into a topknot. “Hmm,” agreed Annie biting her lips, hiding her nervousness as she started the engine of the grey Honda. Hayley and Annie, BFFs as they called themselves, were finally granted permission for their first ever road trip, after a fortnight of convincing and coaxing their parents into their idea of ‘INDEPENDENCE’.
The two teenagers had their road trip playlist on, up at full volume as they drove past through the hustle and bustle of city life to a serene and rural retreat, Matheran. “Oh no! My phone is dead,” grumbled Annie. “We were just five minutes away from the resort, and I depended on GPS.” “Just five minutes away, right?” “I think I remember the rest of the journey,” said a proud Hayley. “Are you sure?” asked Annie anxiously. “Yeah,” said Hayley, staring at the empty quiet crossroads ahead of them. “Right,” fumbled Hayley. Annie inserted the keys into the slot and took a right without any hesitation. They went past a long avenue of lofty trees and drove for a few more minutes.
They drove for a few more minutes and suddenly caught sight of a crowd. This seemed unusual. A crowd of ladies dressed up in elegant ethnic wear on an empty road seemed peculiar. “Look, three vanity vans,” screamed Hayley in excitement clutching onto Annie’s hand. This seemed to make sense to Hayley, a total drama queen and movie lover. Annie halted the car as Hayley jumped out in excitement. “Let’s ask the guard what’s being shot!” Hayley darted across to the security cabin and knocked.
“Excuse me? What’s being shot here?” Hayley asked entering the cabin. “Shooting?” he asked back. “Yes. Those ladies and the vanity van there,” said Hayley peeping her head out indicating the empty road. A petrified Hayley asked in horror, “Weren’t there three vans there?” “Oh! So you’re talking about the tragedy that occurred one year ago?” “What tragedy?”
“Exactly a year ago, three vanity vans burned down and a troupe of dancers died after a fire broke out here. What crowd were you talking about?”
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