Destination India. Katy Colins

grabbed my bag, almost toppling me over with the force.

      ‘Madam, I am very sorry but your hotel has burnt down. They sent me here to take you to other hotel,’ a gangly Indian man with surprising strength said, bobbing his head as fast as he was tugging my bag straps.

      ‘What? Wait. Can you just let go of my bag, please?’ I replied in shock. My hotel had burnt down? Oh my God! I needed him to let go of me so I could breathe and think, impossible to do with the ceaseless caterwauling noise around me.

      ‘Miss, we need to go now – come, come.’ He had a firm grip on one of my straps and started to lead me away like a dog on a leash when I heard someone else shout out.

      ‘Miss Green?’ I spun my head to face where I thought the voice had come from.

      An old man with peppered grey hair holding a scratty piece of paper with my name scrawled on was waving a thick arm to get my attention. The guy pulling my bag straps instantly let go and scampered off. What the …? I elbowed my way over to the tired-looking man with the sign.

      ‘Miss Green?’ he asked again.

      I nodded. ‘Yes, that’s me. Are you Nihal?’ Things must be bad as I was positive the guy I’d spoken to briefly on Skype a few months ago was a lot younger and fresh-faced.

      The old man chuckled. ‘No, I’m Deepak; Nihal is much uglier than I am. So, welcome to Delhi!’ His wrinkled face broke into a warm grin, flashing his blackened gums.

      I smiled back, wiping a layer of sweat and grime from my flustered face. ‘Thank you. Erm, I’ve heard that the hotel has burnt down?’ I asked, wide-eyed.

      Deepak huffed and muttered something under his breath. ‘No, Miss Green, that is a scam. They tell you that so they can take you to their hotel. Please don’t worry; everything is as it should be.’

      I smiled weakly. Great. Five minutes after arriving and I’d almost fallen for a classic rookie scam. I bet Shelley would have heard about that one.

      ‘Oh OK. So, please, how do we get out of here?’

      ‘Wait, I have here that I need to pick up two women?’ He unfolded a piece of notepaper with Shelley’s name on.