Prompt: A romantic getaway gone wrong.

“Honey, where are we going?” Sonia asked eying the drab scenery as they drove down the dirt road, inhaling fumes from roadside garbage fires.

“It’s a surprise.” Ravi repeated, though with diminishing confidence.

“We’re here.” Ravi said pulling up near a cottage. The lock on the door confused him.

“Yay?” Sonia raised her eyebrows. The river next to the cottage was almost dry, but had several puddles of stagnant water teeming with mosquitoes.

Ravi’s shoulders drooped and then he spotted something. “Hey it’s a bell!” He shouted ringing it. “I bet the cottage itself is awesome.”

The couple waited until finally a man turned up from a nearby brick hut. He introduced himself as the caretaker.

When Ravi and Sonia stepped into the cottage, they were not impressed. The the furniture was rickety, the upholstery shabby, and the windows drafty. But when Ravi noticed the jacuzzi, his face lit up. “Please fill it up so we can use it right away.” He ordered the caretaker, while making puppy faces at Sonia.

“A hot outdoor jacuzzi does sound romantic. I guess this was the main attraction.” Sonia conceded with a reluctant smile.

“We can only fill it with cold water Sir.” The caretaker objected.

Sonia barely managed to keep Ravi from throttling the caretaker. 10 minutes later they were racing back to civilization, AKA Mumbai.

“A cold jacuzzi in the middle of winter!” Ravi repeated between sobs while Sonia steered furiously to avoid trucks and auto-rickshaws.

#TellTaleThursday with Anshu & Priya done using the situation prompt they posted. Thanks Anshu and Priya for hosting this.