Ludhiana City:
Despite the late hour, the hustle and bustle of Ludhiana city extended in all directions. While some people were returning home after a day's work, others were just beginning their tasks at this time. Amidst the narrow lanes of the city, a sharp voice pierced the silence, "Oye, Lucky... I'm telling you stop running. Look, there's still a chance to surrender yourself to the police. Otherwise, this time, you'll be behind the bar for so long that no one will be able to save you." Constable Banta Singh shouted from behind, panting as he was chasing after her. He was struggling to catch her as His portly belly was making running even more challenging for him.
Lucky was intentionally sprinting through the labyrinthine streets, making it impossible for Banta to keep up. "The police force of 6 states are looking forward to arresting me. But its impossible to catch lucky. you need more luck to do so." lucky chuckled. she jumped and in the next moment she was hanging through the edge of a nearby balcony. In a swift moment she was on the roof.
"Listen, Lucky... give me my purse. Commissioner Sahab's car key is in there. My job is at stake," Banta pleaded this time. Finally, Lucky turned around to face him.
"Please..." Banta clasped his hands together.
"Ok Fine… if you are insisting so much," Lucky smirked. She pulled out the purse from her pocket and tossed it towards Banta Singh. Banta Singh caught it immediately. But as soon as he opened it, he became more furious. The purse was completely empty. He shouted furiously,
"You wicked girl … you are going to pay for this. I won't let you go."
"Catch me if you can." Lucky waved the bunch of keys in the air, sprinting up to the rooftop. From there, she dashed across the roof. In just a few moment, she settled into a large white car, still catching her breath. As she turned the steering wheel, her eyes swept over the entire car.
"Oh my my... Mini Cooper Countryman... must be worth at least fifty lakhs. Now i wonder where the Commissioner got all the money to buy such an expensive car? Probably enjoying the public's hard-earned money. Well, in the black market, i could fetch at least ten lakhs for this beauty."
But just then, gunfire echoed through the air, shattering her dreams into pieces. She glanced through the rearview mirror. The entire police force was chasing her.
"Now what's wrong with these cops? Can't they just appreciate a beautiful girl's hard work and let her go?" Lucky rolled her eyes and pressed the accelerator. The next moment car swong ahead at full speed. The police vehicles lagged far behind.
"Sir, should i fire? Trust me i can deflate all the tires in one shot. Only this way we can catch her easily" Banta singh suggested to his senior inspector Preetam chaddha.
"Absolutely not... the car is too expensive. Even if it gets a single scratch, my transfer is guaranteed. Just keep tailing that thief." Inspector Preetam Chaddha replied worriedly. He was following the car on his bike with full speed, while constable Banta Singh was sitting behind him. But Lucky remained elusive. The chase continued for nearly half an hour, leading them out of the city.
Ahead, there was a narrow bridge spanned over a small canal.
But the problem was condition of that bridge. After analysing its situation it was clear that it would have been able to handle even the pedestrians with great difficulty. So it was hard to say that the bridge would be able to handle such a massive car. Lucky had no other option but to stop the car.
As the speeding car suddenly screeched to a halt, a victorious smile spread across Inspector Preetam Chaddha's face.
"Caught you, slippery fish! Today, finally the fish got entangled in the net."
"I am afraid to say the reality is somehow different, sir..." Constable Banta Singh replied, nervously swallowing as he gestured ahead. Seeing the view in front of him Preetam Chaddha shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
The car reversed a few steps, and in that swift moment, they deciphered Lucky's intentions which cause to create panick inside them.
"Oye, Lucky... don't play such tricks, I am begging you... just stop!" Preetam shouted from behind, but it was too late. Lucky simultaneously pressed the accelerator and released the clutch, propelling the car into the air like a rocket over the bridge. Banta Singh covered Pritam's eyes with his hands.
"Look away, sir... you won't be able to bear this." The car landed near the end of the bridge, and as expected The entire bridge collapsed into the canal with a tremendous crash. Fortunately, the car had already reached the other side. But after such a fall, most of its windows were shattered. After reaching a few distance on the road, the car stopped. Lucky shook her head in disappointment and stepped out. In a quick observation she found smoke emanating from the engine.
"Phew... What a pity. Such a wonderful car collapsed in just a leap? Now I doubt if I get even five lakhs from this." She slung her bag over her shoulder, closed the car door, and walked away calmly. Within moments, Preetam also managed to swim across the canal with the remaining police officers. However, upon seeing the totally damaged car, he almost fainted.
"That crazy girl crashed all the nut bolts of this car. its not even worth for 5 thousands now. God ! how am i going to face commisioner sir."
Well This wasn't the first time. Lucky often vanished like this after joyriding expensive cars. Lock-picking was her special talent, and she had a knack for it. She would always pick up any expensive car from anywhere and leave it abandoned anywhere after a few days of fun. She was so clever that the police were never able to catch her. They only knew her as Lucky, but that wasn't her real name. The police officers themselves gave her the name "Lucky." No matter how hard they tried to catch her, Lucky always managed to slip away with her good luck. The police kept chasing her, but she remained elusive. Today was also no different.
She was in the border area where the railway line passed. As Lucky came across the railway line a goods train started to passing by. For a few moments, its pace slowed down, and seizing the opportunity, she successfully boarded the moving train. The compartment she entered had nothing except empty wooden boxes meant for storing grass, fodder, and fruits. After the day's chase, exhaustion weighed heavily on her, and she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
After a long sleep she woke up by the surrounding noises. Judging by the lights coming from outside she guessed its morning time. Blinking her eyes, she looked outside. The train had stopped at a station. Nearby, vendors were selling goods, their voices echoing.
"Tea... Anyone wants tea..."
"Hey, kid... come here. Bring me a cup of tea," she signaled to a young boy wo was selling tea. In his hand there was a big kettle and some paper cups.The child stared at her with curious eyes. Lucky's appearance was indeed peculiar for him. She wore a black T-shirt paired with black jeans. Her tangled hair had bits of grass stuck here and there. Without saying a word, he poured hot tea from her large kettle into a paper cup and handed it to her. In return, Lucky handed the boy a ₹50 note.
"Keep the change." she said to the kid.
Seeing the money, a smile appeared on his lips for the first time.
"Which station is this?" she asked, sipping the tea.
"Palampur."
The tea seemed to stick in Lucky's throat as she choked. Looking around, she muttered, "Oh god... how did I end up here? I can't even go back. Those police officers must be waiting for me, with all their pomp and show."
Understanding her desperate situation, the boy quickly put out a packet and give it to her.
"What's this?" Lucky squinted at the packet.
"You must be hungry... have it for now."
In the paper-made packet, there were some pieces of babroo (a type of snack). Lucky wanted to pay for it, but he showed the same ₹50 note.
"That's more than enough." Saying this, the boy went on his way. Lucky sat down on a nearby bench and began to eat comfortably. As she ate, her eyes fell on the paper packet.
"Dog walker needed! Salary ₹20,000." What did a blind person need? Two Eyes! For now, Lucky had found what she was looking for.
"The jobs of tending cows, buffaloes, and goats—I've seen plenty of those. But a job of walking dogs? That's a first." She popped the last piece of babroo into her mouth, stood up, and adjusted the packet in her pocket. At least now she had a place to stay for a few days.