For the past few minutes, I have been wondering about all the stray dogs that used to inhabit these roads after dusk. Apart from the two I saw, I haven’t come across any. I think my thoughts have been answered. I hear barks coming from up ahead. They are growing in numbers. I switch on my torch and light up the road ahead. Cutting in from a lane on the right side a bunch of dogs enters the main road. I guess there are six or seven of them. They dash into the road and stand staring at me. One of them is black in color. They start barking madly at me.

I stand my ground. I don’t move. I keep my torch fixed on them. They are not moving. They are staying their ground. I mean no harm to them and I guess they want no harm from me. This must be their territory. The other two dogs aren’t a part of this group. I quickly turn my torch to the road behind me. I was expecting the other two dogs to be right behind me, like an ambush. But the road is empty. I quickly bring it back on the dogs in front.

They haven’t moved at all. The barking has come down a bit. They are sensing that I mean no trouble. Maybe I should just get back home. I look at my watch. It is nine thirty-three pm. It is not late. Besides, I don't know what I want to do after getting back home. Since I can't decide, I switch off my light and stay still. The dogs respond to this with a sudden cacophony of barks. I stand still and try to make out their outline in the darkness. A couple of them took a few steps forward. I quickly take up a punching stance with my legs apart. I thump the ground while I take the position so as to scare them. The advancing dogs stop in their tracks. We stand still in our respective positions. This must have lasted for a whole minute. After a long minute, I hear the footsteps of a dog. I can't make out if any one of them is advancing or not. The black dog is one with darkness. I can't make him out. The advanced dogs are still in their position. They turn back slowly and walk away. I point my torch to the ground and switch it on. I tilt it in the forward direction so the light starts falling on the road ahead. I see them walking away, all of them. I watch where they are going. They seem to stick to the main road.

I ask myself if I want to continue with my walk or call it a night. I don't think the dogs would do anything. Barking dogs seldom bite, that is the proverb. But I can’t take the risk. I wait for a while to see if the dogs change their mind and come back at me. They don't. They seem to have their own agenda for the night. Maybe they are looking out for food. Maybe they are hungry. I would rather avoid them in that case. One day's hunger will not bring out the wildness in them but a prolonged one can. I must stick to using my car hereafter. It is safer than a scooter. There will be instances where it will be difficult to navigate out from an accident blocking the road or something of that sort. But that’s okay. I have all the time in the world to find a way through them.

I turn and walk back to my home. I haven't spent much time out. The more I am outdoors and doing something, the less I am reminded of our home and what it means to me.

When we are at home for a long time, we want to get out and go somewhere - maybe on a vacation to the hills or to the beach. It was what I was doing for a major part of my life before I got married. I hardly stayed in my house. I explored places in my free time. After my marriage, I really don't want to leave home. It is the same feeling with her. She doesn’t want to leave our cozy space. It has become so cozy and intimate, every other place makes us yearn for our little space after a while. Initially, they appeal to us. The freshness and the possibilities of exploring the place await us. Soon we find it has lost its charm. We have enjoyed all it had to offer and now there is nothing new in it. We can’t make a mini makeshift version of what we have back home. That is not possible.

So the first day is fine. The second day gets to us. If we are to go to a new place from here, the prospect excites us a bit. Still, nothing can beat our home. We do complain about how hot it can get in there, how it accumulates dust over the weeks, and how it can be a pain in the ass to keep it neat and clean. Yet, it is our home. This is where we started our lives. This is where we have spent days and nights huddled together, trying to figure out our lives, how they have intertwined within a short period of time, and how they are going on from here. This is where we have shared our deepest secrets. This is where we have had long quarrels and made up for it. This is where we have entertained our guests and made them feel at ease. This is where we have cried our hearts out. This is where our emotions reside, where they are safe to come out and co-exist.

This is why our home will always be a difficult place for me to stay without her. Yesterday, even though I never express it, I was going through the same feelings. I was missing her and wanted to be with her. I was waiting for the night to get over. It was not a long night - like the first ones I had when I moved here. But every night without her is a night I want to trade in for being with her.

Stolen story; please report.

I start walking back to our home. I light up the road ahead just to check on the dogs. They are not here. The light falls on the nearby house and its garden. The mango tree stands bare. Soon it will be the mango season. I love mangoes. They are a kickass fruit. I remember last year when we had come walking on this road just before the monsoon began, the mango trees along the road were in full bloom. This tree and the ones adjacent and opposite to it had mangoes that were drooping down from the branches. I could easily pluck them. I actually wanted to. But it wasn’t appropriate. So I admired them as they lay on the tree, inviting me. It took me back in time to my childhood days.

There was a huge mango tree in the apartment complex we stayed when I was in my early teens. I had a lot of friends. One of them was a fearless dude. He would climb this tree to the topmost branches and pluck the biggest mangoes. They were of the raw kind. If my memory is correct they hardly lasted till they ripened. It was a competition between us and the bats as to who would salvage the lot. The bats loved the ripe ones more, so we would pluck them off when they were raw.

Raw mangoes are a treat in themselves. One of us would rush to our home and bring a plate filled with salt and chili powder. We would dip these raw mangoes in them and enjoy the rush of flavors. That is one time I never wanted the fruit to be sweet. If it was sweet the whole fun would be lost. I think this is the best way to eat raw mango. It is tasty in itself but the added zest of the salt and chili powder just takes it to another level.

I used to bring some of the leftover mangoes back to my home. Mom would cut them into thin slices and serve them in the same way. My brother loved it. He has always been a spicy person. Given a choice he would most certainly go for the things that aren’t sweet. He only eats them if he sees me eating something sweet. He needs company for it. I am quite the opposite. I would always opt for the dessert section in a buffet. My eyes always go to them. I scan them thoroughly and look for the dessert that is unique. Then I make it a point to focus on it if it turns out to be good. I skip the ice cream, fruit salad, and the usual stuff. You can get them anywhere. I believe in a buffet one should always try out the things that are unique. After you have tried them, you can stick to whatever you have liked the most. Also, make it a point to try out every dish being offered. Even the salads. A spoonful would do. But do try. They can surprise you.

On my way back I take out my phone. I know there is no network. Yet I check it once again. It shows me what it has been showing me for the whole day, a dead network. I know I must register the fact the networks are not going to come up anymore. But I don’t. There is no way I can single-handedly figure out what to do to get it back online. As I have previously said, I find myself pushed back in time along with the disappearance.

I know I have been someone who has always yearned for such a day to come. If my Instagram can speak for itself right now it would express its surprise at not finding me spending at least five minutes in it today. This is something new for it. On a normal day the only time, I would be away from it would be when the network is down, or I have run out of my data pack. As soon as I am back online, you will find me doom scrolling through it, trying to catch up to the things I missed out in that small instance.

The latest thing that has grabbed my attention is Reddit. I am not proficient at it but I know it is a really powerful thing. I have been into some of the communities in it. I think it can turn out to be the next big thing in the coming years. One of my best friends is a huge fan of it. He has even sent me a text in capitals exclaiming Reddit is the thing of the future. It came out all of a sudden one evening. I had to call him up and ask him what it was all about. He sounded excited. He couldn’t explain it to me properly but the gist was that Reddit was evolving at such a pace that made him feel it held the future of the internet with it.

I am someone who enters and exits it whenever I come across some interesting articles. I like to read the comments that follow below it. It reminds me of the comments under youtube videos. They are a gem. I sometimes stop the video midway and read the comments to get a feel of it. In there you will find some of the best puns, life stories and experiences, curses and gang wars, and whatnot. I have introduced it to my wife. She did have a bit of fun reading all the comments in one of the comedy videos. But she hasn’t stuck to it. She is more into consuming them whenever she is doing some work. These videos act like an engaging agent for her. She actively listens to it while she is going about her primary task. She is a good multitasker in that regard. I can’t do it. I need to focus my attention on one thing before I can think of jumping into another no matter how trivial it is. If I wake up to the sound of a YouTube video in the morning, it means she is busy cooking breakfast.

Instagram, Reddit, and YouTube sit in front of my home screen as I unlock it. I click on the Reddit icon to see the ‘Not connected to the Internet' message pop out. I exit it. The only apps that will be of any use to me are the alarm clock, camera, calendar, gallery, notes, and music player. I open the music player, search for my favorite Malayalam rock band and play their album. The groovy tunes of Nada Nada play out from the phone. I max out the volume, stash my phone back into my pocket and continue on my way back home.