He was feeling the cold mud … it was slowly creeping through his legs …or was he going down ?
"Loneliness is such pain, isn't it? … it creates such a painful heat in the heart that sometimes you prefer to treat it with something as cold as death ...”
"Who are you ... I cannot see your face in this darkness"
"How does it matter... anyway you only choose this dark night and the comfort of this quick sand. Well I can understand the limitations of an old man when it comes to choices for a suicide ..."
"It’s not a suicide... I call it a journey to meet someone very close… and how do you know all these... Who are you??”
"Let that question remain there ... you have less time left ... good bye and see you soon"
He felt the mud rising slowly through his chest ... he could feel the cold smell of death. Someone said ‘people will see their whole life as a flash back just before their death.’ But for him it was too late ... the mud started rushing through his nostrils ... he started searching for a ground below. But the dry sand slowly swallowed him more deeply... he struggled to keep his head higher and tried to shout ..
"Hei wake up ... another dream???”
Kalpana was holding his shoulders; rubbing her sleepy eyes ... It took a little while for him to come back to normalcy.
"Yeaah, don't know why ... it was so real ... I was a very old man and there is this quick sand and ...
"Come on ... it’s just a dream"
"But it’s so real honey ... so real ..."
"You should first stop watching all those crazy old movies online... "
"Well honey ... if that was about the movie I watched last week, dear it was Inception, one of the best movies at that time ... and you know what, I watched it first day, second show and ..."
"... it was a Friday 16th of July 2010."
"Sh**, God oh God these girls ... what all they remember"
"Hmmm ... but you might remember 17th July ... don't you ...
"Why not ... our weddin..gg ... no no it was not in that month ... our house warmingggg .. or was it .."
"Enough ....don't struggle ... it was the day when a stupid boy from my class,who didn't even talked to me for three years, came and proposed me and finally end up making my name in passport look even worse by adding his name as my surname ..."
"Goshhhh ... how could I miss that ... that 'special' special class, getting that chalk missile attack from Thomas sir, standing on my knees and looking at that beautiful eyes and seeing that beautiful little smile from my three year long untold love ... I still don't know what gave me the courage to come and propose you just after that class...may be that smile ... and what a change it made ..." he said, holding her closer to him.
"Life is sometimes like that dear, your world can change in the flick of an eye lid..." she slowly whispered to his ears.
"Good bye honey ..." seeing her happy smiling face through the half opened door, he walked hurriedly towards the elevator. He was already late for office.
He was the only one in the elevator and he felt strange. In this peak time an empty elevator is a rare thing.
He pressed Level 0. The numbers 11, 10 , 9 started showing one by one. Suddenly the elevator stopped. Even the floor number display disappeared. He started to search for the elevator phone in that darkness. Suddenly his cell phone rang.
"Hello"
"Hello son...how are you". The sound felt familiar to him.
"I am OK .. I did not get you?"
"Forgot so fast?... we talked yesterday also ....I was watching you going down the quick sand"
He started to sweat,
"Who .. who are you ..?
"I am just an observer ... watching you and all the time and when it’s time to say good bye I just stop by here ..."
He disconnected the call in a hurry. He was gasping and sweat was pouring out.
The cell phone rang again. This time he took the phone and bang it on the floor. Every trace of blood was evaporated from his face ... Suddenly the elevator phone started to ring. With trembling hands he slowly took the phone. It was the same dreaded voice.
"Banging your phone will not make a difference son.... "
"What .. what do you want now ??? Was that just a dream or ...."
"Well .. What do you think?”
"I... I don't know ...and what now ..?"
"As I told I am here to say goodbye ...you have seen enough now … its time for you to go back ..."
"Go back where ..."
"Where you belong ..."
"But this is where I belong, this is my life ... this is all I ever wanted ..."
"I know... and that’s why you are here and believe me that’s exactly why you need to go back son ..."
" But I ..."
"Sorry son ... no more questions ... its time ... Good bye ..."
"Wait ...”
The phone got disconnected and suddenly the lift started to go down in full speed.... it was almost like a free fall... he tried to scream, but his voice was not coming out ... The elevator took a sudden shake and before he could think much, he was thrown up and his head banged to the ceiling ...
“Wake up you #$#% … yes you in the second last bench”
Thomas sir shouted in anger.... He opened his eyes. He saw a piece of chalk in the desk...
"You come here in front of the class and stand on your knees"
As the whole class was laughing he slowly walked to the front of the classroom and stood on his knees.
He looked up watching the smiling face of Kalpana who was sitting on the first bench. As the pain was coming up from the prick he gave to his own hand he kept looking at those beautiful eyes and slowly gave a smile back.....
