The Last Bus
By
Samresh Kumar Shrivastava
Date-28/05/2011
FADE IN.
EXT. A CROWDED BUS DEPOT-AFTERNOON
A man is standing and waiting for the bus. He seems to be an educated, urban professional, very well dressed, carrying a backpack and a few expensive looking gadgets like a cellphone, an ipod, a laptop etc. He is feeling out of place as he prefers air travel and is used to luxury. However, due to reasons unknown, his flight got cancelled and unfortunate events landed him at that bus stop. The other passersby are not very prosperous, in fact, they are very ordinary. He seems to be the odd one.
His phone rings. He picks it up.
MAN
Hey man! How are you? Yeah…actually rite now m stuck at some bus stop. Waiting for the bus but its taking a long time .don’t know what to do? it will take me another 2 hrs to reach the nearest hotel…yeah yeah…m planning to fly tomorrow now so you can plan the meeting tomorrow with the clients .I will be surely available… .Okay..bye…take care.
He hangs up and looks around. The scorching heat is making the wait worse. He starts searching for some shade to sit under.
All the people are busy, one way or another.
A vegetable vendor cries his wares. A paan wallah makes a paan. A bearded man smokes a bidi, sitting. A small, nude, kid runs about. A man in a police uniform reads the newspaper. An elderly man scratches his crotch. Two men talk among themselves, keeping a close eye on the man. A crippled beggar is trying to write something on a piece of trash.
The man finds a place to sit. He puts his backpack aside and drinks water from his bottle.
A person is sitting beside him. The man asks him
MAN
Hello…haan…bhaiya….yaha agli bus kitni der mei aati hai?
He does not respond, but simply stares blankly into the man's eyes. The man asks again.
MAN
Hain???yaha bus aati bhi hai ya naam ka bus depot hai ye.
He still does not reply. Suddenly the man hears a voice.
STRANGER
Behraa hai ye bechara….sun nahi sakta aur naahi bol sakta hai.
He turns around to see a bulky man standing in front of him.
MAN
Oh…I am sorry.accha aap kuch bta sakte hai bus ke timings ke bare mei?
STRANGER(giving a mischievous smile)
Arre…aa jayegi sir.Bas thodi der aur intezaar kar lijiye.
The stranger scratches his beard and departs. Not losing the man's gaze for a moment.
The man finds this person to be a little weird.
He sits back down and dials a number.
MAN
Hey sweetie!...how r u? kya kar rahi hai? I am dying to meet you….bahut yaad aa rahi hai teri…
A few people are constantly watching him while he talks on the phone. Their expressions are not easily discernible. They are standing all around him.
The crippled beggar is still trying to write something.
The STRANGER lights up a cigarette, standing a few meters away from the man. The man smiles, he is absorbed in his phone call.
As time passes, the crippled beggar begins walking towards the place where the guy is sitting and busy talking, with his beloved, over the phone. He is crawling and dragging himself on his crutches and gets very close. Suddenly, the man becomes aware of a presence and looks up to see the cripple's face mere inches from his own. His eyes peering into the man's. He is carrying a piece of paper. The man gives a start and holds up his phone for a moment to ask the beggar of his motives.
MAN
Kya chahiye bhaiya? khulla nahi hai mere pass abhi.
The beggar does not reply. He simply hands him the piece of paper and begins to leave.
This makes the man utterly confused. He unfolds the piece of paper and tries to read. It says:-
YESTERDAY IT WAS ME, TODAY IT IS YOU.
After reading the note he looks up to find the beggar going further away. The man is quite genuinely surprised and seeks a reason for the beggar's behavior. The beggar turns around, passes a mischievous smile and starts moving away again.
By now, the man seems to be very disturbed. He has no clue about what he should do next, how should he act? He follows the beggar and calls out to stop him.
MAN
Ye kya diya hai tune muje?kisne likha hai ye? Tell me goddamn it. What is this piece of shit?
The beggar would not talk. He simply puts a finger on his lips and stares at the man. He starts to leave again but this time the man tries to stop him forcefully.
Enter; a policeman.
POLICEMAN
Kya baat ho gayi sir ji?kyu is bhikari k muh lag rahe ho? (to the beggar)chal bay bhaag yaha se madarchod….
MAN
Sir ye dekhiye…isne pata nahi muje ye kya diya hai? (handing him the piece of paper)
POLICEMAN
Kya hai ye?(reads it)arre sir aap ye kin chakkro mei padh rahe ho.chalo mere sath,aapko aapki bus tak chodd deta hu…..yaha koi bus nahi aayegi.
MAN
Kya??yaha bus nahi ayegi?to fir kaha ayegi?(the guy is very tensed now)
POLICEMAN
Muje pata hai kaha ayegi aapki bus….chalo mere sath.
The policeman makes a sign to the bulky STRANGER which the man had met previously and he comes over.
POLICEMAN
Zara sir ki help kar,inka samaan uthaane mei…inko bus pe chadaana hai.
MAN
Nahi…main apna samaan khud hi uthaa lunga.
POLICEMAN
Jaisi aapki marzi sir….
The MAN starts walking with the POLICEMAN and the STRANGER.
2-3 men also start following them. The crippled beggar watches them go into a dimly lighted gully.
Darkness and a lot of heartrending sounds follow. A lot of screaming and shouting as if someone is being tortured.
A bearded man wearing a black bandana and bloodshot eyes appears, waving a knife. This disturbed man is part of a group called “KRUUR SENA”. They are a lot of frustrated men who are not able to succeed in their lives. They have never tasted success and can’t bear to think that there are others who do. They simply hate people who are happy with their lives. Any smiling face hurts them. Their mission is to eradicate happiness and make the human race miserable.
FADE OUT
FADE IN
EXT. SAME CROWDED BUS DEPOT-AFTERNOON
A family is waiting at the bus stop. Man, woman and a kid. They are talking among themselves and seem to be quite content.
A few meters away a grotesque man can be seen sitting. He has lost one of his arms and a leg. He is partially blind. His skin seems burnt, bearing many scars. Slowly, he moves towards the family and gives the man a piece of paper and smiles mischievously. The man reads the paper. It says
THE END
The man watches him go away. After a few paces, he stops and turns backs. He is none other than the young MAN we saw waiting, once, for the bus that never came.
CUT TO BLACK
*****************************END******************************
