This is not a story about nature, not really. This is a story about how Sia's phone got wet and died. The super careful, meticulous, well-planned, Sia. But, let's take this from the top, Sia's brother and family were over for a month long vacation. The house was super noisy and brimming with activity. There were three kids in the house, two of her own, and a two year old niece and there was no stopping them. They were running, playing, yelling, laughing, fighting all day long. All routines were put on hold. Throw in her visiting parents and visitng friends and it was a house on fire! Christmas and New Year's couldn't get better than this! 

 Then came the much awaited Goa trip, the one that they undertook with the same set of friends every year. Their annual ritual. This year even more exciting because the brother and family were a part of it too. This time though they had considered Bali, but due to various considerations, finalised Goa again. It was her favourite vacation destination for so many reasons. So, itinerary ready, packing done, they were all set for Goa. Her husband's three closest childhood friends would meet them directly at Goa. All flying in on the 3rd of January. They would make one large group, she thought happily. 
 
She had booked them on an early morning 5 am, new super fast train—Tejas Express. At the last minute, she cancelled the train tickets and booked them on a flight to Goa. After all the train journey was 9 hours, while the flight would take only an hour. Also, the Mumbai train station was no place for three errant kids to run amuck. 
 
However, you know how the best laid plans can go awry. There was a call for 'Maharashtra Bandh' on the 3rd itself. There was some agitation and rioting about some battles long ago, the celebrations of which got disrupted, one crabby community against the other. No live-and-let-live philosophy here. Well, there was no way they could reach the airport. Sent back from every blockade they encountered in their several attempts, they returned home, luggage and kids in tow, dejected, but determined to reach Goa one way or the other. They booked a late night train. Oh how she wished she had never tampered with the original booking. They would have been in Goa already. She felt like kicking herself!
 
The bandh got called off at 5pm, but the job was done, they had missed their flight. 
 
Loaded onto the train, they all fell asleep, dreaming of Goa. Morning came along with the news of the train being delayed. Nerves on the edge, patience waning, minute by minute, second by second, they waited. Finally three and a half long hours late they reached their destination. Another hour to the beach resort and at long last there were hugs and smiles as the entire gang greeted each other. Day one and day two in Goa were spent playing in the water, lounging at the beach, beach hopping in the rented Mahindra Thar, street shopping, indulging in the spa, exploring the beach shacks and wolfing down delectable Goan seafood like there was no tomorrow. They even ticked off Club Cubana this time! 
 
Patting themselves on the back, they decided that a boat trip to Arambol beach was the thing to do before heading home on the 7th. This was something Sia was not very keen about, but went along with it anyway. They hired a boat for the next day after some negotiating with the boat agents. Boats for hire don't come cheap in Goa. The plan was to drive to Anjuna beach and take the boat from there to Arambol, take a dip in the sea on the way, stop for a short while at Arambol, and head back to Anjuna. Somewhere close to a six hour round trip, costing INR 10,000. 
 
Oh! did I mention that Sia's super high-end phone never left her side throughout the trip. Well, why should a day trip to Arambol be any different? After all, the phone was also her photographer on most occasions. 
 
So, on this bright, beautiful day too, bag packed with phone in it, life jacket on, she boarded the boat - Sia, dear hubby, two kids; bro, his wife, their kid; friend, wife, kid; two more childhood friends, and one guide and his assistant. The guide and his assistant were basically boatsmen, seafarers, tourist guides all-in-one, locals of Goa and excellent swimmers because the sea and water are all that they know, it is their main livelihood. Aboard the boat and settled, they were on their way, and it was exhilarating! A little way ahead and the guide re-shuffled the seating arrangement to re-distribute the weight on board. The waves were gentle, sunlight glinted off the waters, an hour went by quickly in the swaying boat. Butterflies, seagulls and dolphins were spotted in the deep sea. They wondered seeing the butterflies so far out at sea. Wondered where they would land if they got tired of flying and needed to stop. Were their wings really that strong? The dolphins were many and closer than they had expected. Then slowly they felt the sea sickness hit them. It hit nearly everyone in varying degrees. Sia closed her eyes and tried to nap.  
 
The nap would not have been long, it was not a quiet boat with so many aboard and blaring music, sleeping itself was not an easy task. It was time for the dip in the sea. The brave ones jumped into the waters below. Sia was scared for the little ones at first, but soon realised that they were happy in the water. It was wonderful to look on from the dry safety of the boat. She had left her bag on the seat, the floor was a little wet, she didn't want her bag to touch water. She stood on the edge of the boat, clicking pictures of the swimmers out at sea. Sea waves are powerful, and soon everyone realised that hubby was far from the boat, drifting away on the waters. The assistant swam out to hubby. Everyone clambered back on (that in itself is no mean task, it is easier to jump into the waters than to get back on the boat) and the boat set out to pick up hubby. Task done, the boat moved on again to Arambol beach. The guide wanted more money for the sea dip. The big boys were taken aback. The sea dip was part of the package. However, being in a merry and generous mood they agreed to shell out and settle after the trip. 
 
By now some folks were extremely seasick. Sia suggested they reach Arambol and take a cab to their resort at Baga beach, for the return journey. Now, being assigned the last seat to sit on, to maintain the balance of the boat, Sia was feeling a little better. The last seat experiences the least of the sway. However the last seat was also next to the guide and his foot kept swinging into her's with the unpredictable sway of the boat. She didn't want to sit there. Luckily, they had almost reached Arambol. Fifteen more minutes and the boat came to a halt. They stretched their limbs on firm ground. 
 
Arambol was not as virgin a beach as Sia remembered it from her previous visit 10 years ago, but it was still beautiful. Few minutes of rest later, they followed the guide into the hilly forrest to view the freshwater lakes, streams and rocks made of "multani" mud. Multani mud is one of the main ingredients of various face packs and anti-tanning packs. It is good for the skin. The path was easy, a gentle downward slope and in half an hour they were at the small pool of freshwater surrounded by Multani mud rocks. Foreigners there, were applying copious amounts of the mud and water paste from head to toe. It was magic mud for them. Nothing so magical for Sia, most Indians are aware of this 'magic' mud. Sia was reminded of the movie, 'The Beach'. People in search of something elusive and magical, an elixir in a place far from home, far from the known and little understood. What we don't fully understand becomes magical for us and assumes a size larger than life. 
 
It was getting late in the day and at around 3:30 Sia and company went back onto the boat for the ride back to Anjuna, another 2 hours. The car idea was shelved, it was difficult to find transport around Arambol, plus the boat would be faster than road and the boat was booked anyway. Back on the boat and settled for the journey back, the sea and waves were more choppy this time. Sia was hoping that no one would ask for another dip in the sea this time. However that was not to be. Why let go of a perfectly good opportunity for another swim in the deep. People hopped off the boat. This time nearly everyone. She too was pressurised by all to join in. She didn't know how to swim and was petrified of the water. But she was wearing a life jacket. Maybe she will just stay afloat like all the rest. They made it look so easy. The guide too promised to dive in, and not let her sink. After all they were experts. The sea was their second home. 
 
"Let go of the boat Madam, jump in." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and jumped. She hit water. Face down. Water everywhere. Then air on her back and legs. No air near her nose. She was turned upright. She could breathe again. Face up in the air. She looked around. Everyone was there with her. She bobbed with the waves. She could do it, she thought. Then another wave. Down she went swallowing water. The sound of the sea in her ears. You can hear the sound of the sea much better with your head in water than with your head out, she thought. She was pulled up again. This was clearly not working. She was scared, tried to relax, bobbed for a while. Another big wave. Down she went again. She would not remain afloat on her own. Hanging on to the guide for dear life she told him to take her back to the boat. That was easier said than done. There was no ladder to get back onboard. She tried to grab onto the rope they offered and climb. No use. Slippery and unstable due to the waves and rocking boat. After several tries she gave up. There had to be another way back. She couldn't possibly spend her life out at sea. She was stuck in water. She needed to be plucked out. But how? After what seemed like hours but couldn't have been more than 15 minutes, she was successfully lugged to the midsection of the boat and from there hauled on board. 

Still trembling, she breathed a sigh of relief. Feet on hard surface again. Even if it was rocking. She sat down to calm herself. Ragged breath. Trembling limbs. 'So, how was it?' asked a friend. 'Ok, not so good, I went under, I am happy on solid ground. Why didn't you go into the water? You and bhai are the only ones who didn't go in. Even I went,' replied Sia. 
 
'Madam, do you want to go back into the water?' suggested the guide. 
 
'No, I don't.' 
 
'Madam where are you from?'
 
'From Bombay.'
 
'Oh I thought you were not Indian. I stay at Malad Madam.'
 
'I am Indian.'
 
'Madam, ask sir to pay us 3000 more for the dips in the sea.' 
 
'It is better that you talk with sir yourself.' 
 
'Madam, you are the main person, if you say he will give.'
 
'No, this is something you have to talk to him about.' 
 
'Madam you think nothing of us.'
 
Most of the group was still in the water. It was nearly 5 pm so it was needed to herd everyone back in. The assistant was still in water too. Sia shouted, 'Everybody come back!'. People started trickling in, kids first. And the boat became rockier with people climbing in. 
 
'Sir, you sit in the front seat, Madam, you sit in the back seat.'
 
'No, I want to sit up front.' 
 
'No, you come and sit here. Let the boat get stable first.' 
 
Sia went to the last seat. She was unsettled by his insistence. She set her bag behind her so that she would not have to lean against the backrest. She didn't want to give the guide the opportunity of an accidental brush. At what moment do you start to doubt that something might be amiss? At what moment does that niggling doubt change to certainty? That itself is a journey. Sia had not reached the end of that journey yet. 
 
How much leeway do you give to the benefit of the doubt? At what point to you recognise that action might be warranted? At what point to you choose to act on newly acquired knowledge? There is no written handbook for these. 
 
Hands on the seat in front to steady herself, she waited. Once everybody was in, the boat started unsteadily. She got up to relocate. 
 
'Madam, you sit here.' She sat back. It was no use anyway, trying to walk now, she didn't want to lose her balance and tip over. The boat soon gathered a steady pace. She got up and relocated to the very front, displacing her brother and sending him to the rear end, near her husband. They settled down, guide at the back, assistant in the very front, and they were on their way back. The seas were getting rougher by the minute. The boat was still rocky. This time there would be no interruptions or stops she thought. There were roughly 45 minutes of travel still left. Hopefully they would make good time and be back before dark. 
 
Fifteen minutes later, the boat stopped mid-sea. Maybe they killed the engine like they keep doing in intervals. But this time it didn't start as soon again. People realised they were stalled and the children were startled. Discussions heated on at the back end of the boat. Again, the demand for more payment. Arguments, louder discussions, negotiations, and the guide nearly settled for 3000 more but did not look satisfied. Agreement was reached finally at 4000 more than the original 10,000. The boat started again in choppy waters, still unsteady. 
 
'Madam, sit at the back.' 
 
'No.' Decision made. She would not venture close. No matter what. She would not budge. Realisation always sits heavy.
 
Boat gains a steady pace, only to be stalled again after 5 minutes. Next demand, 'Hand over the money before we reach the shore.' Heated argument, angry shouts, disgruntlement. 

'This is robbery and extortion.'  

'Take us back to shore.' 

Some discussions later, 4000 was handed over right away to the guide anyway. The boat started.
 
Only to be stalled again after 2 minutes. 
 
'Now what? Why have you stopped the boat? We have given you all your money. Whatever you asked for. Take us back home' boomed a friend.  

'We will call the boat agents with whom we have booked the boat. What more do you want?' shouted others. No answer from him. People realised that reason and logic are now passé. Even he didn't know what he wanted. That was scary. He looked like he was sure that he wanted something, a kind of finality in his look, but he didn't know what. That was scarier. 
 
He did start the boat again. Thank god everyone sighed but it was a short lived relief. The boat was stalled again almost instantly.
 
The children begin to cry, they understood what was going on. They are being held at sea. 
 
'Madam, you come and sit in the back seat.' 
 
'No, I am happy here in the front. With my daughter.' 
 
'Madam will not come to the back! What is the meaning of this! Take us to shore!' yelled her hubby, realising something was very, very wrong and at once alert to danger. 
 
Sia, chalk white, frayed nerves, mind numbed, moved closer to hold her cold shivering crying daughter, to soothe her down. 'Mamma will we ever get home? Will this man ever let us go back?' Sia consoled her daughter with soothing words and held her, all the time wondering what was in store for them. Will he ever let them go? Will they be spending the night at sea? It was cold and getting colder by the minute. They were all wet. It became pitch black at night in the sea. They needed to get out before darkness descended. In the dark he could cause much more damage, it was his home, he had the advantage. Would anyone survive a cold night on the boat? When will they get rescued? They had tried to call for help using their phones, but the signal wasn't enough for the call to go through. They would have to wait here till they were rescued. Had they angered him further by talking about lodging a complaint against him. Now he knew that the minute they hit solid ground, the minute they hit the shore, he would not be spared. His only hope was to keep them at sea. Apart from stalling them, he looked like he could cause physical harm. He was edgy and dangerous. There were five adult males to two boatmen on the boat. If it came to that, the boatmen stood no chance. But someone could get hurt. There were children on board, too. Everyone on that boat was either family or friend. She had a lot to lose if things got worse. Or, what if he sank the boat? He would know how to swim to shore. The rest of them wouldn't. Will the children manage on their own in the water in the dark? She was not capable of helping them in the water, she would be useless. All other grown-ups knew how to swim, but none were expert swimmers. Would anyone survive a night in the water if the boat sank? 
 
The assistant, luckily, was on their side. He still had his wits about him. Now alarmed, he went to the guide. 'What has happened to you? Are you stupid. Have you gone mad? What are you doing? They gave the money. Now take them back to shore.' He tried to wrestle the guide to get at the controls. The guide sprung the boat back to life, perhaps to assuage the assistant. That worked. The assistant relaxed. But the boat stalled again in 2 minutes. 
 
The assistant now wrestled till he had overtaken the controls of the boat, de-throning the guide. The guide sat down, seemingly looking defeated. The boat sprang back to life and headed out to shore. 
 
Sia watched the guide lean forward. Things seemed to move in slow motion as she wondered why he was bent so low over a blue box attached to the boat, was he cutting the fuel supply or bringing out a knife or a gun, whom is he planning to go for, her hubby to his right or her brother to his left? There was no time to warn anyone. Oh! thank goodness her brother and husband were intently observing the moves, too. The guide pulled the fuel supply. The boat stalled. No use discussing and no amount of reasoning would work now. 
 
The assistant looked on in helpless bewilderment, unable to comprehend the situation, unable to fathom his partners behaviour. At that moment they spotted two boats passing near them. 

Hope, eternal! 

They waved, yelled and flailed their arms. 'Help! Help! We need help!' One boat comes closer. Sia, in sheer panic, mustering every last ounce of strength, screamed the loudest, 'Help, we need help. Take us on your boat. We need help.' One boatman jumped over and tried to help, thinking they were out of fuel. Before anyone could enlighten him, he got to work, he was able to fix the problem (plug) and decided to stay on in Sia's boat to see them to safety. The other boats started moving away. Only for the engine to be killed in the next minute again. 
 
Now, the new boatman had caught on to what was happening. He signalled the other two boats which promptly came back. Sia and the entire group were rescued and transferred to another vessel. While transferring to the other boat, Sia finally let go of her bag to help her daughter. She handed her bag over and didn't take it back. Didn't take it back because she thought they were nearly there. They were finally safe. Nothing else would go wrong now. She was in the last seat with her daughter on this new boat, her bag was in the front seat with another. The assistant went with them in the new boat. The guide was left alone on his boat. Sia turned to look back and saw him dive into the water. 
 
This boat was smaller and faster. In 20 minutes they were at the shore. Just before the boat reversed to a stop, there was this one last big wave which crashed onto the beach. It drenched the front half of the boat completely. Sia's bag with it. The bag with two phones. Her's and her husband's. Two Samsung, high-end, super expensive phones. She was too shook up to even consider her electronic gadgets at that time. 

That was the last adventure, of the last day of the vacation, and it was the Sea's. It had its last laugh. 
 
P.S. Today the Samsung folks confirmed that both phones indeed are dead and there is no hope of revival. Sia wonders how she will muster the courage to say good bye. She wasn't given any warning.