And here I was sitting all alone.........
Today Morning, we had to reach this place known as "Makaudi", my father was driving the car, mom sitting next to him and my brother sleeping with his head on my lap in the backseat, and well I was busy with my mobile listening music, trance being the usual flavour.
It was about 2 in the morning that time, I was constantly glaring out of the window with my drowsy eyes trying to shut off the view, though it felt nice looking at all the trees and small huts passing by, but it was kind of boring too.. Too monotonous and well it was too dark to see anything most of the times. After traversing some distance we saw a Dhaba. Driving at night is a tiresome job, Dad was feeling sleepy too, had to open those shutting eyelids. We stopped there, Dad and I came out, it was a great relief to put the foot on the ground, my legs had gone to sleep sitting in the car for so long. Mom and Bro were rather comfortable sleeping. So Dad and I ordered ourselves some bread omelets and tea, avoiding heavy food famous for inducing sleep and sleep on the highways is the biggest enemy. Dad took out a cigarette from his shirt's pocket , popped it in his mouth and took a breath of relief. I was watching him smoke while I was sipping the tea. Wondering how long the journey will take now, I asked," Dad, when are we going to reach Makaudi?".
" Soon son, it's still a 5 hrs journey from here , it's 3:15 now , so we will reach there by 8.30.", was the dad's reply still smoking.
"Hey dad why don't you keep a driver to drive the car on long journey's , why with the tiring stuff?"
He took his cigarette out of his mouth , blew the smoke out from his mouth, put his hand on my shoulder," ' Cause son , I love to drive on a long journey, and it's sort of a occasional passion of mine, I cannot let a driver take it away, Now can I?" and then he resumed his smoking with occasional sips of tea in between.We then finished off with the omelets quickly, we had wasted a lot of time here already.Mom was still in deep sleep next to dad's seat and my bro was sleeping fully stretched at the back seat. Seeing them sleeping so comfortably, Dad sighed," Wish I could sleep like they are sleeping right now, I am feeling quite drowsy myself, but I have to drive, you feeling sleepy son?" I shook my head in negation."Good then, let's wake up your mom, and ask her to move to the backseat, I can't drive with someone sleeping just next to me.Makes me feel even more drowsy."We woke up mom and then she went to the backseat. I then took up mom's seat that was just vacated and at 3.45 we resumed our journey.
I plugged in the headphones and resumed my musical journey, dad was driving continuously humming along some ol' song to keep on going. " Dad, how nice it would have been, if we never had to sleep?" , I asked.
" No, Son , sleep is necessary , 'cause if you won't sleep , you won't dream, if you won't dream you won't have any anything to achieve. Most of the things we dream of are the things we desire in life.Besides sleep is good for the body and brain and well one day we all have to sleep a long never ending sleep, well now stop talking I have to drive and stop talking about sleep otherwise you'll go to the back seat too!"
"Aye Aye Sir!" I exclaimed and shut my mouth. With a smile he resumed his driving , next few moments I saw only trees snooping down on the side of the roads as if they were falling down by their own weight, or maybe they were too tired and were trying to get a shut eye themselves before the Sun starts off again. Getting bored , out of nowhere I found myself drowning in the drowsiness and then my eyes shut off.
I saw a cave across the river with a wooden bridge, while crossing it I looked up and saw clear sky with the moon and stars shining, the river flowed calmly below. The lands on both sides of the bridge were entirely different. The side I was moving from was mushy and green while on the other side, the land lie barren with deep cracks. The river flowing as if it was cutting both the lands never to meet. And till as far as my eyes could see the land and the river were going on till infinity hand in hand. After crossing the bridge I came to the entrance of the cave , I had a lighter in my pocket, I lighted it and went inside, it was an endless cave I walked and walked and walked, the lighter went silent after some time with last drop of fuel in it burned away, I looked back it was all the same as what was ahead of me all dark.I started to run in the forward direction hoping I would see the opening soon.Suddenly , I saw a light at a distance. I thought it was the exit but that light was moving towards me and I just stood at my place seeing this , too surprised to even imagine what it might be? I thought, " What the hell is going on around here, exits can't move.!" I heard a voice," wake up!!! open your eyes!! wake up!!"I opened my eyes in a sudden rush, dad waking me up with one hand and with other hand on the steering wheel."I told you not to sleep on the front seat.!" I looked on the road and shouted !!!, "Watch out! AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! " Dad turned his gaze on the road........................
and it all soon became dark.
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I opened my eyes and saw myself in a room with a light shining above me..I sat up straight rubbing my eyes, my head aching like hell. I somehow, after a few mins came out of the room, I found myself to be in a hospital.Two rooms later I saw my parents and my bro on their beds sleeping , I went inside dad had some stitches on his head and some injuries on his body, mom and bro had some minor injuries . " Thank God everyone is safe",I said to myself. It was such a relief to see everyone alright!. I sat there for a few minutes waiting for the doctor or nurse to arrive. Next 15 minutes no one came. I saw a park outside through the window.
"Better get some fresh air outside.., maybe by that time the doctor may come", with this thought in mind I proceeded to the sunny outside!
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Under the shade of a tree I sat down watching the passerby's , I laid down and watched the leaves ruffling as the winds passed through them, and the sun trying to sneak its light in between.I kept on looking at infinity when something popped up in my mind Flashes of my dream, the accident all came to my mind all of a sudden.It all was starting to make sense, the light approaching towards me in that cave was the vehicle which was coming towards us. It was all my fault!, I had slept, and that broke Dad's concentration . It was all my fault, with agony and guilt I hid my head between my knees, reciting it again, and again "It was my fault, I SLEPT!", a few moments later I lifted my head and saw all the people happy, enjoying themselves and I was sitting here all alone!. I stood up and proceeded back towards the hospital room.
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I entered the room my Mom, Dad and bro still sleeping. I placed a kiss on their foreheads and sat next to them waiting for them to wake up and talk to me. I saw my father slowly opening his eyes, the doctor then arrived. I stood up to let him sit on the seat I was occupying all this time. He came next to my father, took the seat , and started checking his pulse. I asked," are they alright?". The doctor did'nt say a word.Still laying on the bed my dad asked him," What happened to us?". The doc with his expressions unchanged replied," Well, you had an accident last night , your car had collided with a jeep on the highway, luckily the jeep was not running at high speed, were you drunk?".My dad nodded in negation.
The doc continued,"Luckily all of you escaped with some injuries, the locals brought you here to the hospital, thanks to them you are still alive." On hearing this my dad looked around trying to find something and in sudden desperation asked,"Where is my elder son? Is he alright?". "Hello, I am he... ", I waved my hand to him smiling.The doc interrupted me in between," Actually sir, we were not able to save him."
NOT ABLE TO SAVE HIM ??? What the heck?? That means not able to save me?."Hello, I am here, see..I am okay!". The dad looked at me with moist eyes, the doc continued," actually the glass of the front windshield, broke off, during the accident, and..." with a little pause..." and one of the piece pierced right through his head, He was dead when he arrived here. I am sorry, there was nothing we could do.....", hearing this dad broke down to tears.
"WHAT???? this cant be true.. I am alive ,hey !!, I am alive it cant be true.", I shouted but nobody listened. I ran out of the room and went back to the room I had woken up in. I went to the bed beneath the lamp hanging from the ceiling. Somebody lie there, covered with a cloth. I went up to him, after watching the bed for a moments, I finally pulled down the cloth.
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I kept on looking at that body......"Tis true, I am dead, this is no dream." There I lay , on the stretcher , realizing it was not a bed, I saw myself, my whole face smeared with blood, a huge swelling on my head with a cut in it.That bloody piece of glass had gone right through my skull.It all made sense now, the headache, the blackout, No wonder no one could hear or see me, why I did not dream while I was sleeping in the hospital?, yes it all made sense, Dead cannot dream, and I was dead. I cried , I did not know what to do..I shouted,"What now??What!!!!!" .
A voice rang in my head ,"Sleep , close your eyes, you have been awake too long, you lived your time, its time for your final sleep", I kept looking at the my body, with one last gaze, I laid down where my body lay, closed my eyes.The light ran away from me, I was thrown back into the dark.
It was my final Good Night.
