The scorching hot sun shot a glance at me and beads of precipitation ran down my forehead. I swiped my card against the detecting machine and the “ding” sound ensured me that I could enter.

I meandered my way towards the library and opened my laptop’s lid. The gleaming screen presented the class in front of me. Here I was going to wait for the next one hour, until I could finally travel back home. However, little did I know the journey back home today would not be the same as before.

Seconds stretched into minute and minutes prolonged into an hour. Finally, the class came to a halt and I rushed out of the university. Anticipation was towering inside me and I wanted to sprint my way home. I crossed the barricade out of the university and caught sight of my driver sitting on a rock. I signalled to him to come and he opened the door of the car for me. I sat inside the car and tried getting comfortable in it, while the driver ignited the engine. I pulled out my headphones and plucked them in my ears.

Adrenaline rushed through the length of me when a realisation dawned upon me that I was travelling back home after one whole month. I soon indulged in the cacophony of music, but my driver kept mumbling something that I didn’t pay any heed to. We were still passing through the streets of Karachi when I realised that there was something uncharacteristic about my driver that made me feel uncomfortable.

He kept speaking about his hardships and how poverty was drowning him. I listened to him for a while and realised that the way he spoke was not normal. His speech started to become blurred and his voice started to fade away. I grew a little concerned, yet I remained tranquil from the outside. I asked him not to worry and pray for better days from God, but he spoke more and listened less to me.

Our car came to a halt on a signal and I started to think of solutions to the current uneasy situation I was facing. I was still uncertain if I should go back to my hostel or go to my house. Being in this dilemma, I heard a deafening bang. I tilted my head towards the front and saw that our car had smashed into a bike in front of us. My heart skipped a beat and my eyes froze on the scene. My driver continued to drive, leaving the bike rider on the ground. Although the person had not been injured, the bike was damaged.

I wanted to scream at my driver to halt the car and apologise for the mistake to the bike rider, but looking at his unconcerned condition, I decided to keep my lips sealed. This mistake of my driver made me decide I had to return to my hostel.

I asked my driver to turn back towards the hostel, since I had forgotten something behind. He babbled something as well, but I just kept sending inaudible prayers for help. Considering the situation of my driver and the distance yet to be travelled, I decided to ask him to pull over a fast food restaurant I saw at a distance. The moment our car stopped in the parking lot, I sprinted my way out of the car and rushed inside the restaurant.

I immediately called up my parents and bombarded them with questions about what sort of person had they sent to pick me up. A flow of emotions came out of me abruptly and I screamed it out, until I realised I was safe now and I had nothing to worry about.

My parents consoled and asked me to stay calm. I sat down in a corner to get back to my senses and ordered something to eat. My parents were coming to pick me up from there themselves, so I

was now more relaxed. Soon it was discovered that the driver who had picked me up was not in his senses due to some pills that he had taken.

When I was finally back home that day, I realised the importance of home and how safe this place is.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 7th, 2023