MIND GAMES
One night on the bridge
Aditya Rishi

What’s the greatest animal you have ever seen? I have never been at sea, but they say it’s an enormous living beast that roars when it is in a foul mood and soothes you when it is happy. When it breathes, it breathes fire; and when it cools down, it’s ice. It is at once ferocious and gentle. You’ll have to go deep if you want to study it fully and understand its many mysteries.

One of my friends is called Doctor; why they call him that, no one knows? He is not from the field of medicine; he’s an oceanographer; he studies the ocean. He lives in harmony with nature... and danger. It’s midnight. There’s a phone call for me. This must be him. It’s always him at this odd hour.

"Would you like to see the ocean?" "Not at this hour, Doctor." "Then you will miss it. It will never be this calm again." "I live thousands of miles from sea; its mood will have changed when I reach there. For how long will it stay like that?" "It hasn’t moved for days?" "I don’t know much about the ocean, but isn’t calm the sign of an impending storm." "You talk like a layman. I see no storm." "Where are you?" "East coast." "Don’t you watch television?" "No, why?"

"There’s a hurricane warning in your area. It was in the evening weather news. I thought you’d know." "Don’t take your weatherman so seriously; no one does." "There must be some truth in it." "I see none. Right now I looking at the ocean, which is meditating like a saint, eager to send me a blessing." The communication is over, but my anxiety has just begun. I switch on the TV.

"We have a breaking news. A huge hurricane is headed towards the eastern coast. Experts say that it will devastate everything within 100 miles from the shore. The Army is evacuating everyone in this area. The Army chief is with us in the studio. ‘General, what’s the status of the operation?’ ‘We have evacuated 5 million persons to the safe zone in the day-long operation.’ ‘But there must be more.’ ‘That’s true.’ "Aren’t you going back for them?’ ‘I’m afraid ma’am, that time has come and gone, but we have stationed two helicopters across the bridge outside the town. The weather is getting worse and visibility is near zero. These choppers will leave here in half an hour.’"

I quickly call my friend. "Doctor, the blessing is coming right at you. Get out of there as fast as you can." "You woke me up, what’s the matter?" "Look outside." After he returns: "Oh my God, I can’t see a thing. Is that the hurricane?" "Yeah, but not the business end of it. You have only 25 minutes to cross the bridge outside your town. Leave now."

After one or two minutes of it, I get a message from his cellphone. "I am stuck here at the bridge. I need your help." "What is it doc?" "We are a family of four trying to cross this bridge at night. One needs a flashlight to cross the bridge, and only two persons can cross it at the same time, moving at the speed of the slower of the two. I can cross the bridge in one minute, my wife in two minutes, my child in five minutes and my mother in 10. What is the fastest way for us to cross the bridge?" "Doc, this is no time for riddles." "I’m serious." "Okay, give me six weeks then." "Six weeks? @#$%!*&@%$!..." (I’ve got to get back to him. Send me the answer within six weeks). 

Write at Mind Games, Saturday Extra, The Tribune, or aditya@tribunemail.com. The answer will be revealed six weeks from now.