I set off at once, the green stuff safely in my pocket and my spirits soaring. The lovely Bangalore monsoon weather had breathed life into me and I gliding rather than walking, inspiring cool, wet air. My adrenaline was pumping and blood was rushing all over my body with vigour when my hands went cold and my feet felt like lead. The change was sudden and unbelievable. In less than a second, I had changed from the guy who can challenge and conquer the world to a sitting duck who can take no more in life. What caused this change?
I saw a man, some man mind you, making straight for me with his mighty sword (read umbrella) pointing at my chest where my beauty had stopped her hard pumping, and something schizophrenic about his face. The weather now turned tyrant, freezing me to the very bone when, as fast as it had left, reason came back to me. I decided to put the intentions of this old mad-man to a slight test and made a quick step laterally when my worst fevers were realised. The sword changed position too, moving laterally to continue pointing straight at my heart. I almost sank but again my brain saw reason.
I planned a one-handed defense of my life, hoping I was up against nothing supernatural. My defense was well-planned though it was done in a flash. A slight push would unbalance an aged adversary while a quick tread would complete the job like clockwork. The adrenaline rushed back and the baby was pumping again when again, my brain came to the rescue.
At closer inspection, I found that the man was indeed known to me. He was one among the million odd slight acquaintances of my father of whose face was the only part of their personality I could recognise.
He hailed me, and to my surprise he was actually a well-wisher, inquiring the wherabouts of my injury and actually going to the extent of wishing me a speedy recovery.
I heaved a sigh, not only of relief but also one of amazement (I never sighed in amazement before) at the sheer magnitude of my imagination while hailing my quick thinking. I won the battle, the umbrella was not a fake, the man was not mad and I had a hearty meal accompanied by a hearty mental laugh at myself and my imagination.
All's well that ends well. :)