“Wake up dear … Hurry !!! wake up”. I heard my mom shivering . Dad said “We need to leave … NOW !!!”. I scratched my eyes while yawning away my sleep when I heard a blast. It pounded through my ears and I sat up immediately. It seemed so dark – It seemed so violent – as if the light had been snatched away from our world. It looked hazy due to the thick grey smoke that had spread out everywhere. The world was absolutely grey outside my window. All I could here were gun shots , rocket blasts and … screaming.
I felt my dad pulling me towards him and we fled … we fled out in the open – We were running for our lives. I saw him directing me towards a van – a military van. He threw me in and shouted “Buckle up”. I heard the engine roar.
My mom pulled me close when it speeded its maximum and disappeared within the ever increasing smoke. After few moments the smoke cleared itself through and I was able to see. What I saw left me dumb-struck. Guns – Missiles – bombs cracking everywhere Everything stained in red – people lay dead – Several injured – everyone only ran for their lives. I heard dad say “This is it … THE WORLD WAR 3 begins” .”World war 3 ??? But how ??? when ??? why ???” – all these questions were striking in my mind when I felt a huge jerk.
The jerks continued … The van was scribbling itself through the road - striking at every moment. Suddenly a huge blow threw me off my balance and I fell against the van door. It loosened and flung open blowing me out. I trembled and hit my head in the dusty street and could only hear “Stop the van !!!” and another saying “ We cannot sir … We have to leave”. The voices and the roar vanished away at a distance. I knew that I was all alone – All alone to fight this pain … All alone to fight this fear.
I stood up scratching my head. It hurt – it bleeded. I could feel the blood staining my hand. There lay a silence all around me. It started to creep me out when – when I saw something strange. A few steps away stood a group of people. I couldn’t recognize their faces in the smog. But as it cleared I could see them – see them clearly. It was my family – my relatives , my cousins , aunt , uncle ……. Everyone I loved. They all stood there smiling up at me. I moved to greet them … but they all disappeared like ghostly figures saturating in the smog.
My head hurt even more and the same thing happened again. This time they weren’t my family. They were my friends – My friends from old school (AAS). Everyone I remember … All of them. They looked at me with a calm smile on their faces. It seemed as if they were calling me. I couldn’t move – all I did was still myself to watch them vanish like puffed smoke.
I tried to calm myself . Tried to remove my fear when showers of gun shots shattered my ears. . I ran … I ran as fast as I could blocking myself from every corner. Taking successive turns on the road I sped up. I didn’t know where I went . All I wanted was to go someplace safe and silent away from this battle field. I ended up in front of a gate. It was joined with a building. I pushed myself in and ran towards the stairs on my left. I scratched – pulled – moved myself up till I reached a closed gate that blocked the next pair of stairs. I looked around and thought – “I know this place” … But I was too tired to recognize it. I ran through the long narrow passage and stopped in front of a room. Everything inside was nothing more than trash. Broken chunks of wood … broken window panes … blackened walls etc etc. I was too tired – panting I sat on a large wood chunk and closed my eyes. I supported my elbows on the wood in front and rested my heavy head.
I must have fallen asleep when I heard someone say – “Suku … Are you sleeping ? … Wake up “ I drooled – wasn’t sure what was happening. The moment I blinked my eyes open - a flash of light penetrated through - forcing me to shut them again. Blinking them several times my eyes finally adopted themselves to this strange brightness. I was inside a classroom. The benches – the blackboard were so well known.
Then again I heard – “Suku !!!”. I stared around to see who called – It was Ananya. She was right there - beside me. Then another one said “Hey Suku !!!” – It was Aniket speaking up to me.
“Cammon buddy !!! give me the biscuits I’m starving” … I could see Arunangshu flinging his hand towards me. I got up in amazement. But there was something unrealistic about them – Something not lively. I saw two hands grasping me by my stomach … my eyes rolled to see Sneha trying to tickle me – but I couldn’t feel it. I just saw her fingers wringling on me. I could hear Aditya giggle from behind. Then Tanya came by - flying a kiss at me and everyone I knew from my second school (IGHMS) just went on with their activities. It was our break time – I realized it and felt a bit relaxed.
But this strange scenario was somewhat uncomfortable … It was not real … It was hazy … It was ghostly … Terror crept in and I ran towards the passage when – I heard gun shots. The world that seemed bright few moments ago darkened again. I looked back to see darkness seeping in the classroom and everyone started disappearing one by one from all corners. Only my friends remained – staring at me and smiling . I could see tears in their eyes – but still they smiled at me. The second gun shot rang my ears and with that my friends turned smoke within the blink of an eye . Everything turned trash as it was when I had reached there. It was just a hallucination … What I saw – My family , my friends and … I recalled the faces of my teachers … It was nothing but hallucinations.
I could do nothing but shed a drop of tear. “I don’t wanna be killed … I don’t wanna be murdered … I only want to sleep – Sleep on the laps of god” – there was only one way to do that. I ran towards the end of the passage with all my breath until I saw the shrine of our school’s temple. The marble monument sparkled in my eyes . I could here Lord calling me while stretching his hands towards me. He had a sincere look on his face that produced a positive nexus between us........
I turned to see them trudging towards me – But I was not scared … Not depressed…… I was happy – Happy to realize that my parents were safe … Happy to see my family , friends and teachers for the last time … Happy to know that I still loved them ... Happy to think that LORD longed my presence ........
I pulled myself to the edges … My hands loosened … I breathed in that cold breeze flowing past me - It was pure and devine - far away from those blood-thrirstly humdrums that had spread all around .........
The shots came closer than ever ... could feel it piercing through my eardrums ... I moved closer to the edges ... even more ...... I recalled back the faces I loved again and smiled wet ..........
All I saw was A SMALL RAY OF LIGHT - dazzling through the smoke ....... A soft air swished me like a feather ... It was heavenly .......... AND FINALLY --- I CLOSED MY EYES :)
Phew !!! It was only a dream my friends … Actually a nightmare ........ I saw it - the night before the election results came out (13 may,2011) … really an awesome nightmare … ;) ......... Well in the end Im here documenting my tale ... So it really is MY HAPPY ENDING ;)
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