His
shoulder felt sore, he tried walking but it seemed too much of work. It was as
if he had forgotten the art of walking and moving around. He knew his family
would be both shocked and happy to see him walk and be normal again, and so he
rose up like a phoenix and how. He started walking making a way out of the dark
passage, next he found himself on an empty street with street lamps which were
too bright for his eyes. He looked around for an auto rickshaw and tried to
figure out his own exact location, and in the process got into a taxi which was
carrying other two passengers.
Apparently
the other two were office colleagues who were returning from their late night
call centre shift. Peter looked at them but they royally ignored him, he wanted
to ask them the name of the area where he got into the cab from but they just
continued talking amongst themselves. He asked the driver and he too ignored
his questions. As rightly said, when in need the world tries to run away from
you.
He quietly stared outside the taxi
window and awaited the moment when he could reach home; hug his mom and
announce to her that he can walk now on his own. Suddenly it struck Peter that
before he reached a vegetative state, the last thing he remembers is sitting in
a similar taxi at a midnight hour returning from his own office. He clearly
remembered the accident which shook him and from that day till now he couldn't
even open his eyes forget moving.
The taxi passed his home and Peter just
couldn't understand why the driver wasn't acknowledging his plea to stop the
taxi, maybe he was drunk was what Peter could guess. The other 2 guys sitting
next to him got down a mile away from his home and Peter sneaked out too.
Before he could try and search his pockets for money the taxi took off at
lightning speed. Peter's hands were still in his jeans pockets and all he could
find was an old bloated 100 rupees note which he placed back into his pocket.
He walked towards his home, it was past midnight and thus the lights to his Portuguese
style bungalow were out. His pet dog who normally awaited his arrival at the
gate was missing, and the whole bungalow was looking a lot changed. The colors
were different, the clothes hanging in the balcony were different, but one
thing was the same; it still smelt the same. Every home has its own aura and
Peter felt at home.
He rang the doorbell and no one answered
the door. He peeped inside from the window and could see only darkness, so he
sat on the porch outside till the morning sun arrived to surprise his mom.
The morning sun arrived with all its
force and was shining as bright as possible.
Peter opened his eyes only to realize he
again couldn't move even a bit. He looked around and found himself amidst
silence. He was disappointed, he had reached his home, and how did he come back
to this place again? And between this whirlpool of thoughts, he heard his mom
crying but couldn't see her, and slowly all noises again became silent.
Peter's mom and his whole family were
present near him, at the graveyard to mark his 10th death anniversary. He had
died 10 years ago at 2 am midnight, in a cruel accident between his taxi and a
speedy truck.
Live your life when you can, because
death does not allow you to even move... It makes you still and helpless...So
fulfill all your dreams when you are alive, show love and care to your loved
ones when they are alive and you too...
