The minute I landed back home, exactly a month back, Madame Sun disappeared having handed over the reigns of the sky to the fluffy thingamabobs, the clouds. Not just any clouds, mind you, but the dark and grey ones.

The clouds, gleeful at having gotten a free hand with the sky, promptly proceeded to make hay while the sun shines.

Hmm… that last sentence is a bit confusing, isn’t it? Firstly, with the sun nowhere in sight, how could it shine for the clouds to make hay? Secondly and more importantly, WHY would the clouds make hay at all?! Imagine the chaos if they did! Whenever they are left in charge of the sky, the priority of the clouds usually is to do everything they can to make it rain.

And that’s what they did too.

Making most of the situation, the clouds made it pour and pour and pour. It was a veritable rain fest. The mornings couldn’t be told apart from the noon or the dusk. Grey and black were the only colours which were on offer in the sky.

Don’t get me wrong. I love grey skies and rain. Whenever I am away from my hometown what I miss the most is the rain (Also the jet spray! But that’s another story!) and the way everything looks freshly washed and lush green afterwards.

But

I was in dire need of a ray of sunshine to let my jet lagged brain know the difference between the time zones. Unfortunately for me, not even a teensy-weensy ray of was anywhere in sight. There I was waking up at all hours of the night and falling asleep at odd hours of the day too.

All the while, unbeknownst to me, something was happening inside of me.

A virus, or maybe a whole load of them because these things stick to each other to make an impact, had entered my system. Even as I was enjoying the rain as also lamenting the lack of sunshine, they were busily plotting to bring me, their host, down. The ungratefulness!

Incapacitated by their vicious onslaught and running a temperature, not to mention cough, I was forced to crawl into bed shivering, cover myself with a blanket and rest. All I did, or could do, for the rest of the week was sleep. sleep and sleep some more. Day and night.

The result?

By the time I was able to beat the virus a week later, jet lag too had to admit defeat and retreat. It had completely failed in its tactics of wreaking havoc with my schedule. Besides, the sun was out and shining brightly. Not for long though, it has been raining on and off too. But who is complaining? Not me! 🙂

©️ Shail Mohan 2024