The hexagonal wall clock showed the time as 11:30 PM. He was waiting for his friend to return home from a party. Sleep was sitting on top of him; seducing him; forcing him to oblige to the inevitable. But who would open the door for him? So he pushed sleep from his head and tried to lift his brows as much as possible, bent his neck up and down, twisted it clock wise and another twist counter clock wise. Now sleep would not disturb him for some time. With that he opened his laptop and started writing a story. He thought long for a title. Since nothing came to his mind, He simply started typing those words.
"I have never told you about my fears. It changes from time to time. When I was a kid, it was darkness. More than the curiosity to reach out into the darkness and find out what is lurking there, the fear that something mysterious and monstrous might reach out and grab me with its hands or whatever it has, was more profound. Nothing allayed that fear. Have I told you that I even had Nocturnal Enuresis? No. I didn't It’s called bed wetting But it was years back. Now my fears have evolved though.
People thought that School would change me. But it didn't It worsened me. The bullying of the kids, condescending looks of those teachers etc made me hate school like anything.
Have they ever pulled your pants inside the classroom? They did that to me.
The person I fear the most in school is V (Let’s call him that). ‘V’ was the son of the head of school. You know how it is, the pampering they give to him, as if the head of school would shower them with bonuses for pampering his son. He always took the role of a gang leader.
I forgot to tell you something. I was aged 12 that time. I feared the very sight of him.
After growing up a little, the fear of human beings started to subside. But a new fear started growing inside me. That’s Sciaphobia. Have you heard of that? It’s called the fear of shadows."
The clock now read 00:15 AM. He was very much satisfied with what he had typed. Now there was no sign of sleep in his eyes. He opened the door to see if there was any sign of his friend. Not a trace. The cold night was extremely still with a graveyard silence. The steady breeze touched his face and again brought sleep in him. He closed his eyes for a second and suddenly opened when he felt someone move in front of him. He felt someone scurried for cover, with a fear of getting caught. He slowly went back inside and bolted the door. He took out his cell phone and dialed his friend. No answer. To take his mind of this, he continued with his story.
“Initially the shadows were causing all kind of problems at night. Just imagine how horrible it would be to walk home from office in the middle of the night. I don’t have a brother to call upon to accompany me, no parent to wait for my arrival, just a friend who gets drunk and sleeps before I come home. Walking those 1000 meters from the bus stop to my home was like walking on a tight rope without anything to balance. That’s when the phobia intensified.
I always felt that someone was following me. I felt that the monster that tried to grab me all those years back, has come back to finish the job it started.
I ask myself ‘Why will anyone follow you?’ I say to kidnap me or rape me. When did man start raping another man? You’re right. The probability is less but who knows what one is capable of doing when he becomes desperate. So when such thoughts creep into my mind, all those years’ fear comes back to haunt me, torture me.
All I need to do is look back. No one would be there. I can breathe easy. But what if someone was really there? So I never did that. The last thing I needed was to give a face to my monster. So I fasten my steps. That was the moment when I looked at the pace of the shadow running with me. I suddenly halted in the middle of the road and just fell down. I tried getting away from the shadow but it kept following me. Taunting and teasing me. I don’t know where I got the guts. I just closed my eyes and hit hard at the shadow. I just got up and ran as fast as I could without opening my eyes. ”
The story was taking shape. The time was almost 00:45 AM and still no sign of his friend. He tried calling him again. He expected the response. No answer. He immersed himself into the story once more. At that moment, there was a slight knock on the door. It wasn't a banging though. It was caressing knock. It looks like someone was studying the door, waiting to break it. He slowly went to the door and kept his ears on the door. This time there was no trace of that sound. He wanted to open the door to allay his apprehensions. So slowly he opened it, inserted his face into the opening and peeked outside. That same cool breeze touched his face and instantly brought the sensation of sleep. His eyes started to doze off. The eye lids acted like a screen that was ready for “curtains down”.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.
He suddenly opened his eyes and saw that it was 1 AM and his phone was ringing. It was his friend. He said he’ll be back in an hour. In the background he could hear a women’s voice. It wasn't rocket science. He understood what was happening. So he continued with the story.
“I felt normal only after reaching home. The confines of my home somehow felt secure. I entered the house and bolted the door .I was still panting. At that moment there was rustling on the door. Since my back was to the door, I moved my body 90 degrees and pressed my ear on the door. That faint sound was still there. I thought, had the monster followed me to my house? I turned my body back to the initial posture and was suddenly startled. Again it was just my shadow.
I pressed my ear at the door again, straining myself to grasp the sounds. I heard something.
Footsteps
Footsteps running for cover. They are trying to hide from me.
But why do they have to hide?
I got the answer in another couple of seconds. Strategically, the ideal time to attack the prey is when it’s not expecting it.
Two hands entered through the door and started strangling me. The hands were hairy and it gave the feel of a butcher’s hand. Although the hand was human-like, the nails were not nails. Am I confusing you? It was claws. Can you imagine a monster with a human hand and claws?
I felt its claws tearing into my neck and counting the nerves. I felt the flowing of blood down my stomach to the groin area. I don’t know why. I didn't make any noise. But when its sharp claws cut one of my nerves, I couldn't resist longer. I just shouted as loud as I could. I never knew that I could shout like that.
Suddenly everything stopped, my nerves were still intact. The monstrous hand was nowhere to be seen. It was all happening in my mind. In that instant, I failed to realize that my pants were wet. ”
It was almost 1:45 AM. His friend should be here any moment. He read everything once and was satisfied with the flow.
Bang. Bang. Bang
Someone was banging the door. All the panic that was hidden inside him came back again. He didn't know whether to go to the door or hide somewhere. He decided to confront the monster this time. He slowly went to the door and kept his ear on the door. The monster put its hands out and grabbed his neck. The pain was excruciating from the beginning. Without thinking, he shouted as hard as he could.
Suddenly 2 people grabbed him from behind and made him sit down. 1 person took out a syringe and filled it with medicine. The needle pierced his skin and the sedative started mixing with the blood.
Dr.Arun threw the syringe in the bin and looked at Selva and enquired “Anything new today?”
“No doctor “said Selva looking at a paper. “It’s the same story.”
“Ok. Let him sleep for some time. Keep a close watch on him”
“I’m sorry. I had to stop the story abruptly. You know I was terrified. On that fateful night I had reached home by 11:30 PM and to keep my mind off my fear I started writing. My friend did come back home drunk and he saved me from that monster.
I slept happily that night without any fear. It was probably the first time in my whole life. But the next day when I wake up, I’m in this place. These doctors say that I’m mentally unstable. They also say that I killed my friend that night. It seems I’m recollecting those events again and again.
You know something, I haven’t told them about the monster.
They don’t know the things this monster can accomplish. But I know. It killed my friend. I’ll find that monster and destroy it.
But I don’t know its face, right? How will I identify it?
Simple
I’ll kill everyone who was responsible for creating this monster.
Please don’t tell them my plans. It’s our little secret.
I still couldn't ’think of a title for the story.”
"I have never told you about my fears. It changes from time to time. When I was a kid, it was darkness. More than the curiosity to reach out into the darkness and find out what is lurking there, the fear that something mysterious and monstrous might reach out and grab me with its hands or whatever it has, was more profound. Nothing allayed that fear. Have I told you that I even had Nocturnal Enuresis? No. I didn't It’s called bed wetting But it was years back. Now my fears have evolved though.
People thought that School would change me. But it didn't It worsened me. The bullying of the kids, condescending looks of those teachers etc made me hate school like anything.
Have they ever pulled your pants inside the classroom? They did that to me.
The person I fear the most in school is V (Let’s call him that). ‘V’ was the son of the head of school. You know how it is, the pampering they give to him, as if the head of school would shower them with bonuses for pampering his son. He always took the role of a gang leader.
I forgot to tell you something. I was aged 12 that time. I feared the very sight of him.
After growing up a little, the fear of human beings started to subside. But a new fear started growing inside me. That’s Sciaphobia. Have you heard of that? It’s called the fear of shadows."
The clock now read 00:15 AM. He was very much satisfied with what he had typed. Now there was no sign of sleep in his eyes. He opened the door to see if there was any sign of his friend. Not a trace. The cold night was extremely still with a graveyard silence. The steady breeze touched his face and again brought sleep in him. He closed his eyes for a second and suddenly opened when he felt someone move in front of him. He felt someone scurried for cover, with a fear of getting caught. He slowly went back inside and bolted the door. He took out his cell phone and dialed his friend. No answer. To take his mind of this, he continued with his story.
“Initially the shadows were causing all kind of problems at night. Just imagine how horrible it would be to walk home from office in the middle of the night. I don’t have a brother to call upon to accompany me, no parent to wait for my arrival, just a friend who gets drunk and sleeps before I come home. Walking those 1000 meters from the bus stop to my home was like walking on a tight rope without anything to balance. That’s when the phobia intensified.
I always felt that someone was following me. I felt that the monster that tried to grab me all those years back, has come back to finish the job it started.
I ask myself ‘Why will anyone follow you?’ I say to kidnap me or rape me. When did man start raping another man? You’re right. The probability is less but who knows what one is capable of doing when he becomes desperate. So when such thoughts creep into my mind, all those years’ fear comes back to haunt me, torture me.
All I need to do is look back. No one would be there. I can breathe easy. But what if someone was really there? So I never did that. The last thing I needed was to give a face to my monster. So I fasten my steps. That was the moment when I looked at the pace of the shadow running with me. I suddenly halted in the middle of the road and just fell down. I tried getting away from the shadow but it kept following me. Taunting and teasing me. I don’t know where I got the guts. I just closed my eyes and hit hard at the shadow. I just got up and ran as fast as I could without opening my eyes. ”
The story was taking shape. The time was almost 00:45 AM and still no sign of his friend. He tried calling him again. He expected the response. No answer. He immersed himself into the story once more. At that moment, there was a slight knock on the door. It wasn't a banging though. It was caressing knock. It looks like someone was studying the door, waiting to break it. He slowly went to the door and kept his ears on the door. This time there was no trace of that sound. He wanted to open the door to allay his apprehensions. So slowly he opened it, inserted his face into the opening and peeked outside. That same cool breeze touched his face and instantly brought the sensation of sleep. His eyes started to doze off. The eye lids acted like a screen that was ready for “curtains down”.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.
He suddenly opened his eyes and saw that it was 1 AM and his phone was ringing. It was his friend. He said he’ll be back in an hour. In the background he could hear a women’s voice. It wasn't rocket science. He understood what was happening. So he continued with the story.
“I felt normal only after reaching home. The confines of my home somehow felt secure. I entered the house and bolted the door .I was still panting. At that moment there was rustling on the door. Since my back was to the door, I moved my body 90 degrees and pressed my ear on the door. That faint sound was still there. I thought, had the monster followed me to my house? I turned my body back to the initial posture and was suddenly startled. Again it was just my shadow.
I pressed my ear at the door again, straining myself to grasp the sounds. I heard something.
Footsteps
Footsteps running for cover. They are trying to hide from me.
But why do they have to hide?
I got the answer in another couple of seconds. Strategically, the ideal time to attack the prey is when it’s not expecting it.
Two hands entered through the door and started strangling me. The hands were hairy and it gave the feel of a butcher’s hand. Although the hand was human-like, the nails were not nails. Am I confusing you? It was claws. Can you imagine a monster with a human hand and claws?
I felt its claws tearing into my neck and counting the nerves. I felt the flowing of blood down my stomach to the groin area. I don’t know why. I didn't make any noise. But when its sharp claws cut one of my nerves, I couldn't resist longer. I just shouted as loud as I could. I never knew that I could shout like that.
Suddenly everything stopped, my nerves were still intact. The monstrous hand was nowhere to be seen. It was all happening in my mind. In that instant, I failed to realize that my pants were wet. ”
It was almost 1:45 AM. His friend should be here any moment. He read everything once and was satisfied with the flow.
Bang. Bang. Bang
Someone was banging the door. All the panic that was hidden inside him came back again. He didn't know whether to go to the door or hide somewhere. He decided to confront the monster this time. He slowly went to the door and kept his ear on the door. The monster put its hands out and grabbed his neck. The pain was excruciating from the beginning. Without thinking, he shouted as hard as he could.
Suddenly 2 people grabbed him from behind and made him sit down. 1 person took out a syringe and filled it with medicine. The needle pierced his skin and the sedative started mixing with the blood.
Dr.Arun threw the syringe in the bin and looked at Selva and enquired “Anything new today?”
“No doctor “said Selva looking at a paper. “It’s the same story.”
“Ok. Let him sleep for some time. Keep a close watch on him”
“I’m sorry. I had to stop the story abruptly. You know I was terrified. On that fateful night I had reached home by 11:30 PM and to keep my mind off my fear I started writing. My friend did come back home drunk and he saved me from that monster.
I slept happily that night without any fear. It was probably the first time in my whole life. But the next day when I wake up, I’m in this place. These doctors say that I’m mentally unstable. They also say that I killed my friend that night. It seems I’m recollecting those events again and again.
You know something, I haven’t told them about the monster.
They don’t know the things this monster can accomplish. But I know. It killed my friend. I’ll find that monster and destroy it.
But I don’t know its face, right? How will I identify it?
Simple
I’ll kill everyone who was responsible for creating this monster.
Please don’t tell them my plans. It’s our little secret.
I still couldn't ’think of a title for the story.”
No comments:
Post a Comment