The Midnight Companion

The year is 1944. My grandfather was in his early 20s and he was a hardcore movie buff and so, he was used to watching movies multiple times a week.

Back in those days, there exist only single-screen theatres and the number of them was sparse. Surat used to have such an array of theatres in this area called “Cinema Line” in the middle of the city.

So, one fine day, he booked the ticket for a midnight show of a movie which was happened to get curtained at around 2 AM.

The movie ended and now everyone was on their way home. Back then, the majority of people used to commute on bicycles and so is my grandfather.

He was driving his bicycle just behind a group of men who were on their way home because although he was brave enough to commute towards the home alone, it was still very risky. And so, he continued following them even though they were on a different route my grandfather was used to.

Everything was going smooth and steadily and then the tragedy struck. The bicycle got punctured and he is left behind by all those men really quickly and now he has started finding himself all alone on this less-traveled, deserted road in the middle of the night at 2:30 AM.

He has only one option left now and that is to drag the bicycle by walking on the feet and reach home. But there’s a catch. He was on the route which was 5–6 Kilometers more than the regular one and that has added it his misery more.

As he had no option left, he started walking, dragging his bicycle along with him. The night was looking frightening. But it becomes intense when you don’t have anyone to walk by your side. That was the exact case with him. Even though it was a matter of just 4–5 kilometers, for him, it looked like the journey of a lifetime.

Just when everything got settled down, a pack of 9–10 dogs rushed towards him barking from one of the streets. He tried to hurl them with his umbrella but the dogs were in no mood and my grandfather looked like an easy prey to them.

All of the dogs covered him like lions cover the stag. And that’s where a dog of size doubled than the regular dogs manifested from nowhere and started protecting my grandfather by hurling away the rest of the dogs.

That dog was unlike any other dogs. It had a height of around 3 to 3.5 feet. It had threatening eyes, long and pointed teeth that can bring out the meat easily. In a nutshell, you wouldn’t see kind of a dog in real life. It was a godsend.

So, the dog started walking by my grandfather’s side and the rest of the dogs didn’t dare to come even in their radius. My grandfather breathed a great sigh of relief, finally. He finally had someone with him whom he could rely upon and would try to make it to the home.

But deep inside, many questions were popping into his mind. Such as why the dog of this demeanor has come to his rescue out of nowhere? What if this dog would backfire on him? For how long would it be him? And many others.

Slowly he was approaching home, the dog still walking by his side. They were now in the area where my grandfather wouldn’t have to worry much and the home is now in the sight from the distance.

He is now in his familiar territory. He glanced over his side where the dog was walking only to find the dog is no longer walking with him. It sort of disappeared… just like that!

Where did it go away? No one knows.

What was it? A guardian spirit? Probably.

A lost soul? Probably not.

But whatever it was, it has saved my grandfather from being the dinner of those hungry dogs and it had become an example of a perfect midnight companion!