THE PERENNIAL HIGHWAY

ARUN, RALPH, KEVIN AND OMKAR were the closest friends during their undergraduate college days. Unfortunately they all lost touch with each other due to their busy scheduled life, but decided for a reunion that night on 21 DECEMBER 2015, which turned out to be the most significant event in their life. The four friends gathered at a local bar and with a few pegs of vodka started discussing about the crazy stuff they did in their college days, like most of the exciting haunted trips and the ouija board fuss.

"I have some exciting rumour for you guys. There is a secret highway near the Mumbai-Pune crossroad, "said Kevin.

"Secret highway? Do you mean it is a spooky highway?" asked Arun, filled with curiosity.

"Yes! It is a possessed highway and not a soul dares to cross that highway especially at night," responded Kevin enthusiastically.

"Let’s have some adventure guys, after all we have met after a long time," responded Omkar.

"Of course we should! Even if something supervenes, we are secure in the car and you fellows are aware just how fast I drive," reacted Ralph zestfully.

The four friends left the bar to embark on a treacherous journey in to the unknown. They reached midway of the secret highway, but they had yet not experienced anything paranormal. As the wheels kept its pace they noticed a woman, wearing a white saree, waving her hands for a lift.

"Speed up the car, don't stop she may be a ghost," exclaimed Kevin, with fear drooping from his entire persona.

"Don't stop! Speed up or else we will all die at the hand of this witch," repeated Omkar, in a fit of fear.

Ralph did not halt and kept the speed of the wheels intense before he heard a voice.

“Stop the car!” said Arun, in a high pitch volume.

"What is wrong with you Arun, have you gone bonkers?” responded Ralph

"I said stop the car!" repeated Arun

"Ignore him we need to get out of this highway as soon as possible," interrupted Omkar.

"Stop! Bloody fuckers," repeated Arun for the third time.

Ralph ignored him and kept the wheels moving till he found the exit to the secret highway and then stopped the car and in a rage asked, "Arun are your screws slightly loosened? The ghost would have killed all of us if we would have listened to you, you stupid fellow!"

"She was not a ghost!" responded Arun.

"Not a ghost! Then what was she doing there in that isolated highway that too in the middle of the night," interrupted Kevin

"Just for a moment listen to me. The women waving her hands for lift was my schoolmate Pooja and I am damn sure of it. She might be in trouble,we need to help her out guys," explained Arun.

"It could be an illusion, and even if the women you saw was Pooja that means she is dead and it is her spirit which is roaming on the highway," said Omkar

"She cannot be dead because we just met two days back at a shopping mall. We even talked for a few minutes and enquired about each other, so how could she be suddenly dead?" reverted Arun.

"I need to help her, she is in trouble. Trust me she is not a ghost, we need to get to her as early as possible.”

"My inner voice is roaring not to go again at that highway. I am taking such a big risk only for the sake of friendship,” exclaimed Ralph.

Taking a reverse turn in the direction of the highway they went to help the woman who Arun claimed was his schoolmate. They reached the exact point where Pooja was standing but they couldn't find anyone there. Arun got out of the car and started shouting her name, “Pooja! Pooja! Pooja!” The rest of the three too get out of the car and start helping him, but there wasn’t a single trace of Pooja anywhere. Kevin's vision falls on the statue standing at the middle of the highway.

"Look at this, guys. The statue looks exactly like the women we saw a few minutes ago! Arun, is this a statue of Pooja?”

Arun observes the statue carefully and responds in a shocked voice, “How can this be possible? This is a statue of Pooja."

"This is all a big trap laid for us. Hurry up guys we need to leave this place or else we would get trapped here forever."

They quickly get inside the car and rush towards the exit of the highway, only to see Pooja standing in the middle of the road shouting, "Please help!" All four of them shivered in fear but none of them gathered enough courage to shout.

"Ram the car through her Ralph! She is an evil spirit. Ram it Ralph! Ram it!" shouted Omkar.

Ralph without thinking much rammed through her, and in a jiffy they had crossed the exit of the highway. They finally breathe peacefully and offer gratitude towards god for saving them. Arun on the other hand was trembling, with the images of Pooja flashing in his mind like a vivid picture. He couldn't settle his mind until he knew the truth.

"Guys we need to leave for Pooja's house and check whether she is safe or not?"said Arun in a dazed state.

All of them sympathized with him, so they set about to enquire about Pooja at her house. Arun rang the bell and it was opened by an old lady with scars on her face and drooping sleepy eyes, and it was quite certain that it was Pooja's mother since she looked as similar and mesmerizing as Pooja.

"Yes! What do you want?" questioned Pooja's mom.

"Hello aunty, actually we are Pooja’s schoolmates. We had some work in this area so we thought of dropping by and meeting her," answered Arun.

"Pooja?” questioned Pooja's mom, surprised.

"Which Pooja are you talking about?” she continued.

"Pooja Rai," answered Arun

"Are you really Pooja's schoolmate or are you just messing around with me?"asked Pooja's mom.

"She died thirty years ago in a car accident on a highway," continued Pooja's mom.

"Pooja died thirty years ago?” questioned Arun, looking at his friends, completely shocked.

"I had just met her two days back, then how could she be dead for thirty years? She was just 28 years old, so how is it possible that she died thirty years ago?” Arun further questioned her.

"No! She died at the age of 33 and it has been thirty years since she died. I still can’t believe that my lovely child is dead," said Pooja's mom, with tears in her eyes.

"I will kill those bastards who killed my child from their stupid act of rashdriving, it is a mother's curse that they will go to hell," added Pooja's mom.

"Who killed Pooja?"asked Ralph.

"I don't know, the police weren't able to find the culprits."

Omkar's vision fell on the calendar hanging on the wall which had the date 21st March, 2050, written on it. He immediately indicates this secretly to Kevin and both of them push back Ralph and Arun."Pleasure meeting you aunty! We are getting late so we need to leave. May Pooja's soul rest in peace," said Kevin in a hurry.

All of them got inside the car when Arun asked in confusion, "what is going on? How could she be killed in an accident at the age of 33?”

"Damn it! You still don’t get it. We are the culprits behind Pooja's death, the culprits her mother was referring to. We have fallen out of space and time at that secret highway. Every single minute we spent in that highway was directly proportional to one year in the real world. The secret highway is an illusionary world at night," explained Omkar.

"That means we are the ones who crushed her to death?” asked Arun in a trance.

"Yes! We are responsible for her death and the year which is going on is 2050. Thirty long years have passed but we are still the same age. The secret highway has made us immortal," Kevin further explained.

"I cannot live with this guilt. I have killed my own friend," said Arun, weeping.

"None of us can live with this guilt, Arun. We only have two options left with us," responded Ralph in a sober voice.

"What is that?” asked Omkar.

"Either we commit suicide for our mistake or enter that highway once again and come back after centuries, when every trace of Pooja has been swept off completely or all our guilt has vanished," answered Ralph.

Everyone agreed to the latter option as they drove back to highway not knowing what destiny had in store for them. They spent the entire night again in that highway facing the deadly spirit experience where one minute is relative to one entire year in the real world.

Did the real world sustain or will it vanish in the next 1000 years when they return? The culture, language, and outlook of the people, did it change or will it still be the same? Will they be accepted in the real world after 1000 years? Would it be the same planet or another? Is immortality that exciting and blissful as it sounds or is it a curse to be not given the permission to experience death?