My Short Stories -- #2 -- Side by Side

Side By Side

The pain was excruciating. I could hear two or three people talking something somewhere, but couldn’t deduce what exactly they were yelling.

 I opened my eyes and a gush of wind blew out of my mouth. I was breathing quickly.

My heart was beating fast and I didn’t need a stethoscope to hear my heart beats.

“Oh! Not again”, I murmured. Probably I had seen another dream about pain. But somehow, it didn’t look like a dream. Well I can’t see dreams when I am awake, I quizzed this to myself.

This was getting common now. This dream or whatever it was, were getting annoying and it always felt as though thousand needles were pinching my skin and a big rock was kept over my head as though it will crush it into two.

Somehow, I knew that I was in a hospital and some people were doing something to me and whenever they pressed that giant lever, I went into this forced day-dreaming.

I heard one person among the group yelling something which I couldn’t deduce what he was saying. He was wearing something long white and was covering his face completely.

I knew that they were up to something. Meanwhile the other guy prepared himself in order to push the lever. But why I was here, what was my name, where was I. I had none answers in my mind.

Press it, The other guy yelled, as soon as he pulled the lever down, I screamed. My head burst with pain and eyes went dark and next thing I remember I was somewhere else.

I opened my eyes and looked outside from the window which was covered by a transparent sheet. The night wasn't calm, at least I didn't hope for it now. The hailstorm or torrential rains always added misery to calmness especially when you are travelling and sleeping in a tent.  

The tent door was half open, chilly winds were running. I could easily hear the roar of wind and sound of thunder. I gazed at the sky and they gave me a definite sign.

I could hear an owl’s hooting on a distant tree and croak of frogs, but still there was bit calmness except the thunder breaking silence in timely interval.

 I opened my tent’s door and looked at the not so starry sky. There was a numbness in me, I underestimated the temperature will drop so significantly.  At this moment, I needed a hot coffee.

The night was pitch dark along with chilly winds. The thunder was there but still a little sign of rain; this was the one thing that I didn’t want right now. The sound of thunder and hooting of owl in between an isolated place can give anyone haunting thoughts.

I took closer look at my bike; it was all covered in mud, thanks to my silly short expedition to the lake shores at a great speed.

“Yes, yes you are mad”, I murmured to myself with a sheepish smile.

“What was I thinking”? I questioned myself.

Long back if I had asked the same question to me, I would have called myself insane. I mean who could pack his bags and leave the town just for the sake of something in life. Something which I wanted for myself. Something I needed to find.

Probably I was searching for myself in me everywhere. Inner peace was needed.  At this moment, people who knew me would definitely be calling me mad and why wouldn't they do so?  They had every reason for it or I had given them many. Who would leave everything and go on an undecided, unplanned trip.

May be some mad person like me, But who cared now, I wanted this peace and for some reason I didn't cared for first time what world was thinking about me.

As people say I was a calm kid. But now things had changed. Part of me wanted something different for myself. The worldly problems left me dumbfounded. Things change through time and that is exactly what I wanted to give myself.  People don’t take this a good thing to do. But eventually I compared my reasons with people around me and my reasons won.

So one day, I kicked my motor-bike and left for the unknown roads to dazzle me. I knew it some unique experience was calling me which definitely would make me forget my worldly so called problems.

I was again smiling obviously with a grin though. At this point my only friend was my diary in which I was writing all these things.

Things especially get out of hands when you lie down in an unknown place with almost nothing to eat and you don’t know where you actually be going to end up the next day. In my heart, I knew it was almost end of the journey and it was time to head home. But one thing was clear this journey would remain the most memorable one and even in my dark time, this will be the time which will help me to get back on my feet and bounce back.

All these thoughts surrounded me as though I was clicking a photograph in my mind.

Far back, the faint moon light was glowing over the lake water. I could easily feel the coldness of the air. Nothing could beat a scenic view of lake where I had put my camp. With this, I put more wood into the fire, just to make sure I remain warm and also no animals would come near my camp.

My sleep was gone and to kill time, I took out my almost dead pen and started to write again.

The pages were almost finished but I took out new page and started with date and suddenly a cold wave flowed through my veins. I felt as though thousand needles were pressing my skin from all around. The numbness struck me like a lightning. I started screaming. The pain was unbearable and my head burst in pain as though a bullet had pierced into it. My eyes broadened as though they will pop outside, and I closed them.

With a gush of wind blown out of my mouth, I woke up again in that cell as though I had regained my senses in that dungeon, half lit room. My head was paining hard and my eyes were burning. My hands were still tied. I deduced now these dreams were actually forced or something like that whenever they pressed that lever, some electric current was put through my head and my mind started imaging these flash memories or whatever they were and whenever they pulled that lever back up, I came back in my present senses almost amalgamating these flashes with present senses.

But I still didn't know why these people were doing these painful activities to me. What was my name? Where was I?

PRESS IT AGAIN, The other guy yelled and with that he pressed the lever back again and again my eyes went dark. Again I started seeing things.

I woke up with severe pain in my head. The whole place felt suffocated.

“I need air”, I told myself, and directed myself towards the window. The window was already making noise, definitely a storm was outside.

As soon as I opened the window, a cool breeze welcomed me. I looked out and I could see people running everywhere for shelter. Children had stopped playing in the garden and their parents were accompanying them. Rain seemed inevitable.

“Oh Clothes”! In midst of this, I forgot I had kept my clothes at the terrace for drying.

I immediately opened my door and hurriedly went up to recover my clothes.

“Oh thank God!” I said. In midst of this windy environment, unexpectedly to my surprise everything was there. The shirts, hoodies, trousers, jeans although one of my t-shirts were about to get wings and was ready to slip away from the parapet.

I quickly ran towards my parapet with a speed as though matching escape velocity and eventually got hold of it.

I was rejuvenated as though I had accomplished some mammoth task.

I was now glaring at some kids who were still playing with a trampoline. Beside that there was a beautiful sunflower field. The wind made the flowers move in a zigzag manner. There I saw one of my jackets lying there in that field.

I quickly wrapped up everything and made up my mind for a quick walk towards the sun flower fields.

I put up my black t-shirt with blue jeans and hit straight towards the field.

I was now taking a stroll or slowly rambling towards the field in midst of a storm where everyone were running in order to hid themselves from it. But here I was moving exactly in opposite direction to where people were moving.

After constant galloping, I reached the point which seemed to be my nirvana point. I reached the place where the flowers were dancing with the wind.

With the mighty sound of thunder, the rain started pouring down.

Oh Come on! As if winds weren’t enough, I talked to myself with my head pointed towards sky.

I quickly ran towards the field where my jacket was lying.

I grab hold of it and ran towards the road in hope of finding a shelter just to hide myself from this torrential downpour.

Oh Yes! I murmured with joy. I ran towards an old abandoned shop and hide myself underneath its parapet.

Waiting there for a long time, I wanted this rain to end so I could easily go back to my home. But in midst of that, my eyes glazed towards the right side of the road. My eyes were stick at a particular point as though it were glued at certain point.

I saw a girl with face as bright as moon. She was walking at a steady but slow pace on the road. Her hair was black till shoulder height. She somehow seemed irritated with her hair running all over her face because of the strong breeze. She was wearing light pink top with a design of small red flower and a blue jeans. She was carrying a shiny blue umbrella in her right hand.

I was continuously gazing at her without any sign that she might feel awkward. Although I wanted to stop that but couldn't.

In between of that gazing, our eyes finally met. She noticed that I was continuously looking at her which she tried to ignore.

Shall I follow her, but this will make me look pervert. Shall I talk to her or I should go and ask her for a shelter under the umbrella, but I was already under a parapet, I interrogated myself.

With strength of thousand elephants, I talked to her with a stammering voice.

Excuse me! Hi, I smiled.

She responded with a faint beautiful smile.

Since its raining heavily, can I just come under the umbrella, I have to go few blocks away, I asked her with a poker face.

Yes you can, she replied again with a smile.

I just live few blocks away, pointing my finger towards my building.

Well I live on the other side of alley, she replied. The rain was pouring down at a great speed. Despite having a big umbrella, still we both were almost drenched. I was noticing her hair which was now wet and were still giving a hard time to her. She also had a small mole on her left chin. But I loved everything, her wet hair, her smile and most accurately, I loved this walk.

With her beside me, I forgot that I had left my building behind and she was now telling me that this is the end and she has to turn for her destination.

So this is my destination, she told me.

Her friend was waiting for her. With that I pushed my hand towards her, in order to thank her for this sweet gesture. In doing so, a diary which she was carrying fell from her hands and lay open to the ground.

Oh my diary!

“Wait; let me pick it up for you”.

I bend down to pick that up and noticed that she had written something. It was her name. I was smiling.

With my eyes glued to the diary and a faint smile on my face, I read the name loud. Her name was…..

I opened my eyes again splashing a gush of air out of my mouth. My head was paining along with my eyes which I was sure were definitely red. But in all these pain, I had a smile on my face. I heard the guy screaming something mad, something smiling.

What is your name, do you remember anything? Why are you smiling, the main guy questioned me?

I didn't know the answers. But why? Why I didn't have the answers, I asked myself.

These memories seemed so real as if that were not dreams but my life’s events which somehow I was recalling again or may be these so called people were helping me in remembering that by pressing that lever. But why I had forgotten everything?

Did something happen to me?

“He is smiling, push it again and increase the current”, the main guy intervened.

Third time, when he pushed the lever, the current perhaps was more. It hit my head like thousand needles piercing together. My eyes went dark and now I could sense some anger in me.

My hands were firm on my car’s steering and I was driving on the curvy roads at a great speed.

My wife was beside me. She was angry because I had yelled at her the other night over some unnecessary high expenses which she had made without any reason.

She was angry with me and this yelling resulted in me sleeping over my couch and she keeping mum since. We were in our car travelling to one of her friend’s place.

I was annoyed as even in this journey; she hardly had spoken a word to me.

“You see, you don’t have to be quite all the time. Let’s just throw this anger aside”, I said it to her still looking for a very optimistic answer that she will forget everything and drop all anger and smile at me.

Yes, whatever! She replied me with a very angry look.

Somehow I was angry with myself on yelling at her. I never liked it. Rarely we had fights in between us but sometimes if we had any, it was not less than a tornado in a room with me more like the people beneath the tornado.

“You see, your friend will never appreciate us coming at her place with this stinking attitude”, I said.

“Damn me!” I cursed myself in my mind.

“You know what, I am not going till the time you don’t start speaking to me and if you don’t than I don’t want to go anywhere”, I told her, grabbing my car’s steering as hard as though I will rip that apart from the car’s axle.

She wasn't replying to whatever I was saying. She was still angry over last time and that made me more and more annoyed. I completely hated when she stopped talking with me.

I didn't want all that, so I thought to hold her hand in order to pacify her for my childish behaviour.

See, who is looking pretty tonight, I pointed my car’s rare view mirror towards her with a bright smile with all my teeth flashing towards her.

Her face lighted up with a faint smile when she saw her face in the mirror.

I saw an opportunity there and grabbed her hand in my hand with an aim to kiss on them.

NO! DON’T DO IT, YOU ARE NOT WORTH IT. LEAVE ME ALONE, she yelled.

Now you are pushing it, I said sorry. Now be mature and drop it, I told her.

My eyes were now totally looking at her, her left chin mole still mesmerized me with every gaze of it. I still couldn't forget the day when I saw her face and I was totally head over heels over that left chin mole.

“Here comes the rain”, I said it to myself. A faint drizzling had started and the temperature of breeze had reduced considerably.

Still in mid of all the fight, this rain reminded me of the time when I first met with her. That rain, the walk towards the home and the chocolate chip cone which we had that very day, all that thoughts were popping up all over in my mind.

“You see whenever we fight, it always rain, it’s like God himself is telling us, don’t do it, stop it”, I was telling it to her.

“Remember the rain, the walk”, Look how far we have come, c’mon drop the anger. I immediately hold her hand in my hand and

I heard her yelling.

LOOK!

It was more of a cry than screaming and all I could see lights very close to our car.

When I regained my senses, everything around me was shattered. The car was upside down.

Noooooooooo!! I screamed.

I opened my eyes back in the half lit dungeon. I could sense pain now. Tears were coming out of my eyes and I was screaming, “No! Come Back”. No, still screaming as though the accident had just happened. But now I knew these were the god forsaken horrendous flashes of my past.

My head was getting heavier and now my heart also had started to pain.

There were three people in the room and I was lying on a stretcher. I remembered everything now.

I was still crying coz I knew who I was and why was I here and most important who these people were.

I saw one of the doctors coming to me and asking, “Do you know, who you are and why are you crying”?

I nodded with my head upside to down giving an affirmation to his question.

“Open his hands”, the main doctor intervened.

The other doctor came and started loosening up the bondages.

“You know, we here are giving you electric shocks to bring you back normal and its today that you have responded to this electric shock treatment, if you understand what I am telling you,” the other doctor murmured .

The feeling of living had erased from my life, I knew what had happened, why I was here and what my name was. The head was heavier than ever and my heart ache had started to increase.

All I wanted was calmness now, calmness from all the pain and suffering.

We are losing him; he is having an HEART ATTACK! The doctors started panicking.

I was accepting this pain as though I wanted this and welcome it to take my last breath.

The doctors started attaching something to my chest and I felt something bizarre. The feeling of pain hitting me was leaving. My body was getting numb. I could now feel nothing.

With this my breath started to slow down as though limited oxygen supply was getting in and I knew, it was the time for my departure from this world.

I could see the face of my love in front of me and the left chin mole on her beautiful face. She was looking more alive and more beautiful to me. I wanted her to be alive and there with me when I would breath my last breath.

But she wasn't. All because of me. All because of me.

“I am sorry, it is entirely my fault, the accident, your life, our lives”. I whispered as though she was there and she could hear me. I raised my hand thinking that I will hold her hand in my hand one last time. But I knew that this life was just over and we would re-unite back again somewhere up in the sky. God won’t be that cruel. All I wanted her to come back and hold me back again.

Leave it! He’s gone now, probably a Heart Attack! The doctor said to other doctor.

The last breath was seconds’ away and I wanted to depart with a pleasant memory. The last of her many pleasant memories.

The very first memory when we first met that rainy day when we walked with each other under one umbrella. And I recalled the memory, the very best memory of us meeting for the first time, The rainy day where I accompanied her to her place under an umbrella and at the end she had dropped her diary.

Oh my diary!

“Wait; let me pick it up for you”.

I bend down to pick that up and noticed that she had written something. It was her name. I was smiling.

With my eyes glued to the diary and a faint smile on my face, I read the name loud.

Her name was Sia.

So Sia, am I right? Pointing my fingers towards her with a blushing smile.

She smiled and nodded her head.

I aimed my hand towards her for a handshake. Well if you don’t mind, there is a nice ice-cream parlour just across the alley. People say his chocolate chip cone is the best one.

Would you like to accompany me? C’mon it will take hardly five minutes. Take it as thanks for your kind gesture.

With a smile, she nodded and I was continuously looking at her and her left chin mole. I knew I won’t be forgetting that face. Her face was there as though imprinted in my eyes and in my mind.

I remembered this memory of hers as mine fondest one. That’s why it was flashing by at my dying moments.

 And here I was breathing my last breath with her face still in front of my eyes and in my mind.

And it was time, to leave this earthly body and reunite with my soul mate.

With last gulp of air I breathed my last and murmured my last words with it,

Sia…………!