The Snow Storm

This is a picture from the day after the snow storm.. It doesn't look like much in this picture but that day was something to remember..

On the day when the gods of snow were angry, it took almost 4 hours for me to get to my classes. While I watched the thick snow flakes hitting the side windows of the bus, I witnessed atleast a dozen cars slipping on the white roads. People waiting for the busses were now trying to get hold of the cabs which were barely available. The busses that dared to enter the streets of frozen hell were hardly in motion. After slipping from the roads, some were stuck on the sidewalks with a few people still sitting inside. Drivers, who were first confident enough to endure this unusual day, were now configuring their radios, trying to get help. Almost everyone was suffering the torture of this day, yet for some odd reasons I was calm and yet excited. The idea that I'm late for an exam was somewhat disturbing but being able to witness such a day was somewhat of a thrill to me. "The teacher is gonna cut me some slack. It's not my fault that the weather is exceptionally bad today. I can't believe the snow on these roads looks so beautiful", I thought.

After a long and unusually exciting ride on the bus, I got off infront of the institute. My first step landed on a pile of snow almost half a foot in height. "Great, now I gotta clean this up first", I mummered. While I struggled through the snow toward the enterence, I saw a security guard walking toward me. Dressed accordingly, he wore a bright orange sleeveless jacket on top of the thick black overcoat which was clearly visible through the snow filled air. He came close and stopped about four feet from me, pulled his thick scarf down and said, "It's closed. The institute got closed down about 3 hours ago. Any exams that were due today will be taken care of after the march's reading week." He looked around, "I'm sorry you had to take such a pain-in-the-ass trip, I told these guys to put up a sign at the Town Centre to notify any students who are trying to get here.. But these guys aren't paying attention. I guess that's what happens when it's your first day on the job." Before I could display any disapointment and complain about another 4 hour trip that I will have to take in order to get back home, I realized that this man can't do much except listen to the ramblings and will eventually say the same thing all over again with the addition of the word "sorry" in order to simpathize . I was there by my choice and now I had to go back. I turned around to see if I can still catch the same bus, back to Scraborough Town Centre, but lady luck was in a naughty mood today. It was already gone. Yet another disapointment but at the same time I still couldn't resist looking around to admire the beauty of the day. Nature can be so beautiful and lethal at the same time.

Another hour and a half passed and there was still no sign of a bus coming this way. Even if there was a bus coming around the corner, there wasn't much of a chance I could spot it through the heavy snow fall. All I could do was stand where I was and keep myself warm till the bus arives. As much as I was admiring this natural exception, I was now fearing it as well as respecting it. I did not expect to just stand in one place for a few hours and wait while the snow keeps covering the roads and temprature keeps driving chills through my spine. After another 10 minutes, I finally heard the roar of the bus engine. "Phew... About time!", I yelled with joy. The bus driver stopped the bus and looked at me. "You must be havin' one heck of a day." said the blonde-ponytailed man with a smurk on his face. "yeah yeah.. here's the ticket.. ". Ignoring the wise crack, I put the ticket in the recepticle and walked toward the back of the bus. Usually I would have called myself 'dumb' for leaving my apartment in the first place, but after looking at some other curious faces in the bus, asking me if the place was still open, I thought to myself, "hmm... I'm not that dumb after all".

Ride back home was not the most exciting one, considering that I accomplished almost nothing for the entire day, but it was interesting. Humans can survive no matter what the conditions are and no matter what the odds are. For some unmeasureable amount of luck, Humanity has survived through everything thing nature has thrown toward it. Yet, insted of learning from it and respecting it, we keep poluting it and distroying it. This was perhaps one of the tiniest sample of nature's capability. I wonder sometimes, are we willing to find out what happens when the knob is turned to Maximum?

I got home after another 3 and a half hours of bus rides, switching from one to the other and waiting on different bus stops. I watched the snow piling up on the side walks as the snow-trucks kept cleaning up the main roads. And then finally I was home. I got inside my apartment and started to clean up the snow off my boots while taking off the semi wet clothes that I was wearing. Nothing much to do, I decided to stay inside and look over the books again for the exam that was now due after a week and a half. While I flipped through the pages, my cellphone rang. 20 minutes later, I was standing outside, waiting for a friend of mine to pick me up. When I got home, I had no plans of going out again and face the brutality of the weather. But I guess, no matter how many times humans deal with nature's fury, we always have to test our own limits. When I got in the bus,. I was happy to know that I'm not the only one who left his house to be there. Now I discovered another truth about my self... Just like every one else, I am a little dumb.