Killer in the blink of a lone street light

Killer in the blink of a lone street light

            It was dark. I see no lights around. The trees stopped moving. The traffic from long distances was echoing in my ears. I was stunned by the scene happening in front of my eyes under a lone street light. He was long, worn dark heavy clothes, and wearing a cap. He had an ice cream scooper in his hand and an immovable person bleeding badly, looks familiar, with his head tilted to gravity. He was half-dead, not even have sufficient energy to raise his voice out of pain. I was standing frozen in the dark shades of a peepal tree. Any muscle moved will hint the monster. So, I stayed still.

            The monster gripped the scooper tight and started pulling out the eyes of the victim. I was shocked. He screamed one last time and didn’t make a squeak for the other eye. I felt nauseous. I couldn’t resist vomiting. It caused unbearable uneasiness in my stomach and my eyes started dimming. My brain took the signals it seems. I woke up startled. It was already blue and bright. The clock was ticking seven. I was worried to see a similar dream again, with a killer scooping out eyeballs. I turned on the TV to check the news. They found a body with the same pattern of killing. Eyeballs sucked out brutally. The last time I saw the body in the spot, the head had one eyebrow hanging from the skull. I rode to the location to check the body. It was the same guy I saw last night in my dream. And the spot was the same.

            I came back home, vomited twice, and lied on the bed thinking about the weird coincidence. The scary part is, I know both the dead. A knock on my door brought me back to this world. It was the police. I opened the door and they stepped in.

            “What can I do for you?” I asked.

            “We are enquiring the neighborhood about the murdered person,” the constable spoke.

            “I heard about him.”

            “Do you know him?”

            “I do, but we don’t hang out.”

            “Okay!” They were about to turn away. I don’t know what went into me, I said, “Scooping eyes out is brutal.”

            “What?” The constable looked at me suspiciously. I cursed myself for the lack of control over my tongue.

            “I saw the body in the morning,” I covered it up.

            He still looked suspiciously at me while walking off my compound. I turned my head away and closed the door.

            The sun went down with confusion in my head. It has become darker again. I was tired but was scared to sleep. I watched TV. It didn’t help. I spent time on the phone. It didn’t help. The screens are making me doze off in blinks. I tried to talk to friends. It didn’t help. My eyelids are gaining weight minute by minute. I started strolling in my compound blinking my eyes to keep them open.

            Darkness spread around me, a long compound wall has sprung from the earth in a second. I saw no lights except a streetlight and under it the same killer with another dying person in hand. I recognized the victim. He’s the constable who visited my house this morning. The killer showed no mercy on him. He scooped out his two eyeballs with the scooper. I resisted nausea this time and I woke up on the ground in my compound. The dirt has made my clothes and hands dirty. I went inside and turned on the tap in the bathroom. I was bleeding from my hands. I saw no cuts on my skin. Not anywhere on the body either. It still bled into the sink.

            Confused and scared, I have decided to go to the police to tell them what’s happening. I know they would suspect me for a killer, but it’s the right thing to do. I will stay there in their remand and prove them wrong if they suspect me. That was my plan.

            Inspector was busy at the murder spot. He was frustrated with the serial killer. He was yelling at people. I thought it wasn’t the right time. I changed my mind and headed back home. On the way, a neighbor whom I know well for years asked me about the scar on my forehead. I touched it and surprised. I didn’t know when did I have it. The world started fading dark.  I was scared rushed back home in a hurry. I closed all the doors and locked them. I sat on the sofa gazing at the new memories that felt like I got reminded of them.

            I was digging a dagger into the first victim’s heart. He screamed his life out of his lungs and died. I stabbed into the second victim’s armpits. It went into his left lung and broke two of his ribs. I pulled the eyeballs of the constable out with the scooper. I even put my thumb into his empty space of the skull and forked the gel out.

            The memories were terrifying. They make me the killer. Where are these memories coming from? My head started reeling. I was fading out. I blinked.

            It was to the left shoulder of the killer I was standing this time, in a bright lone street light. He was stabbing through his collar bone. It was my neighbor who asked me about the scar. I didn’t move. I didn’t run away. I was stunned by the presence of the street light on our heads. I could see the killer’s face from the left. I saw the scar on his forehead. He looked familiar. For the first time, with the confidence of he won’t hurt me, I reached out my hand onto his shoulder. He turned towards me. I know him for years. And his face. No one could ever know it clear. I see it every day, in the mirror.

Exam missed, but girl impressed

It was the festival day when all our relatives came home and we were very happy chit-chatting about the funny incidents we went through as a family until the chit chat moved on to my job issue. I told my uncle about me preparing for the IT bank special officers’ common written exam. He asked me all the details of where and how about my preparation and exam center. Meanwhile, my elder cousin brother voluntarily offered me that he would accompany me on that exam day. He said that he too had some work there to be done on that day.

It was exam day and we were started late from Kavali. We should have started much earlier than we did. It was almost 12:30 PM when we reached Tirupati and there is only half an hour to reach my exam center. To our surprise, it started raining at that time. Brother is trying his best to stop any means of transport that goes to my exam center. An autowala stopped and we got in. He told us that he would take us half the journey as he had to go another direction from there. That’s the best option we got on that rainy day and we thought that we could catch another vehicle from there and move on.

Autowala dropped us somewhere where he promised. Thank god another auto-rickshaw came which goes in the same direction where we wanted to. Brother stopped the vehicle, asked me not to worry as there is enough time to reach the center by 2 o’clock. I argued with him that the exam would start at 1:00 PM. This argument made me check my admit card once again which proved us both wrong. The exam timings were specified as 10:00 AM to 01:00 PM. I was shocked and my brother was disappointed to know the fact. Our hurry about reaching Tirupati earlier would have blindfolded our vision while checking the timings at home. I wanted to reach the center at any cost of time anyhow. The autowala drove a few feet, brother stopped me, asked me to get down, apologized for the autowala. Autowala is a good man. He demanded the justified fair for the very little distance I’ve ever hired a vehicle for. I paid him and we started walking towards the bus stand with desperation.

It seems like my brother doesn’t want me to bother about the missed exam, so he started acting naïve to see me happy. We came to a crossroad where the whole distress turned into excitement. A girl got down from the auto-rickshaw. Our both attention went on her. She was beautiful in her salwar, hanging a bag on her left shoulder opened her umbrella, and started walking attractive. I have fallen for her and my brother has already started following her back. I followed my brother from two feet back. I know my brother is very good at girls. I fear doing things like following thereby frightening girls, I don’t feel good doing so. After a short walk, she stopped at a door, took out keys from her bag, and was trying hard to open the door. I stopped at a flag pole nearby, sat there tying my shoelaces, and was watching the scene with one eye as my brother proceeded very near hitting on her. She looked up, I stopped tying and paid attention to them. Then she said ‘brother! brother! could you please help me open the door?’ Brother is the only word I could hear clearly. My brother was shocked but went on with a small conversation with her. The scene ended more sobbingly than the titanic. I couldn’t stop laughing like anything at that time and my brother was embarrassed.
We looked back our way home with two great failures noticeably because of our foolishness. The rain started pouring when we took a few steps back to the bus stand. A Scorpio guy gave us a lift, he drove across the street and the rain has become violent enough to stop the Scorpio. That guy stopped the vehicle under a bridge and waited for the rain to stop.

The rain stopped after an hour. Brother got down, went to a shop nearby to buy something to eat. The Scorpio guy went to have a smoke. I stayed in the vehicle with the door open thinking about the missed exam. Then I saw her again with the umbrella under the bridge wandering like she was searching for someone. She soliloquy walked here and there near our vehicle a couple of times. Then she stopped by and asked me where my brother was. I told her that he went to bring some snacks. She started talking with me, “Can’t a girl and a guy be brother and sisters? Why would you boys always disguise ‘it’ with friendship?”

I don’t know what they talked about exactly. I didn’t understand their conversation clearly and why is she talking to me if I was not the person she talked to earlier?

I thought she has fallen for my brother and came back looking for him. But she said to me “Let’s be friends like as a brother and sister.”
“Friends? like as a brother and sister? If you are afraid of making new friends, don’t disguise it with siblinghood.” I set her facts right.

“So what do you think? Any girl you wish for would come to romance with you or what?”

“I’m not asking for romance. If you like a person and want to make some friends, your trustiness should not depend on calling them, brother or sister.”

She pulled back her hair over her forehead with her fingers and said “Why can’t you?”

I got down from the vehicle, closed the door, and said, “Because friendship is trusted and unrestricted. I have many friends and half of them are girls. We never feel embarrassed while we talk. We discuss anything without hesitation. They help us hitting on girls and we tease them before their crushes. This strengthens our bond! Some find brothers and sisters in us, some find soulmates, and some stay being thick friends regardless of gender. We never promised one another to be like this or like that at first. It happens automatically! If you wanted to be a friend, be a friend. The time would decide where it takes.”

Brother returned by the time I finished my version. She smiled and stood silent. The Scorpio guy also came back. He started to check out something and asked me to check out my files and documents as another guy who was there with him before we get into the vehicle was found to be a thief. The girl walked off when I was checking out my documents without saying goodbye after such a deep conversation. I noticed it and watched her go. She looked back blushed, walking a distance from us.

I took a step forward to call her. My brother stopped me with his hand and gave me a piece of paper with a phone number as he showed her going.

The third side of the coin

I wonder about dreaming! What I dreamt last night might be a casual one with different scenarios.
Everyone is hurrying about something in my home. It depicts a festival environment but with known and unknown guests and relatives around. Everyone’s caring for me especially. After a while, I realized that the festival was my wedding. It was a no-shock moment for me instead I was happy about what’s happening in my house.

I had a lot of excitement and hell lot of questions running in my mind at that time. I wanted to see how beautiful the bride would look! and confusion of how did I say ‘Ok’ without knowing the face of the bride at least? Secondly, I have my sister unmarried at home and how could my parents forget to care about her? are they gone mad? I was angry with my dad and the rest of the relatives who have their hand in this proposition.

Among all these exciting, confusing, and frustrating things that were going on around me, the shocking news that my wedding is going to happen in the coming hours of time totally driven me insane.

Dad spoke to me,
“Son! common, get ready yourself to invite your new life.”
“Dad I was excited to take my new life but, how could you do this?”
“What did I do son? It was your wedding, if someone’s wanted to do something, that would be you!”
“Dad! I want to talk to you as a family. Please try to understand what I am saying.”
“Is there anything wrong son?”
“No, but, why this now? I’m only 22 and not even a job holder. How do you think I can look after a girl who comes into my life? I’ve not even seen her once till now and I haven’t spoken a word about this to you and you haven’t spoken a word about this to me. I haven’t invited any of my friends. I can’t make this easy on them.”
Sister brought some water to us during our conversation.
Looking at her face, I couldn’t stop myself from bursting out into tears at my father.
He was moved. Maybe he never wanted to see his son crying out loud. He took me to the father of the bride, whom I never met yet.
I stayed outside their home and dad called him out!
The father of the bride asked me “Hello boy! how do you do? Is everything ok from our side?”
I said, “Everything’s ok uncle, I just wanted to talk to your daughter once!” That’s the first time I called him uncle.
“But I think she shouldn’t come out at these earlier hours of the wedding”
“This is very important! so please!” I requested.
He didn’t speak a word much. He went inside and came along with his daughter. I can see him whispering something in her ears while coming out. I can guess what the father of the bride is afraid of, the critics!
He showed me to her pointing his right hand towards me. She looked at me blushing, I smiled.
I waved my hand to her and asked “Can we walk along a while?”
She went inside to get herself something, meanwhile, her dad came to a step forward towards me and said “Back home early. We have no much time.”
“I wanted you to come with us, sir.”
“No! it’s ok! I just wanted you to come back early.”
“Not like that sir, I wanted you to come with us too. Because I know how hard it is for parents sending their daughter with the groom before the early hours of the wedding.”
“That’s why I chose you and I’m glad to tell you this”
I had my head downed and smiled. Bride’s father doesn’t know what’s hidden behind that smile as I do.
The bride came out, we all took a walk to nowhere. I saw the girl for the first time and she’s walking beside me. She looks cute, a little bold and she’s blushing. Dad started to talk with the girl giving me a chance to talk with the bride’s father. I don’t know where to start and what to start. My silence made the bride’s father throw his attention to a roadside samosa cart. He bought some for us. That time I wouldn’t hesitate to take from him. We were walking eating the stuff, which gave me a start.
“Uncle!” this was the second time I called him uncle.
He paid attention,
“I hope you know I’m jobless”
“I know boy! but I only care about sending my daughter into such a good family!”
“Yes of course ours is a good family but I’m just 22 and jobless. I hardly survive myself, I still depend on my father, how could I look after a girl if I can’t look after myself? I’m not asking to stop the wedding. I’m asking to postpone it to the next few years. I promise I’ll marry your daughter even if it takes ten years for me to settle down in life! It’s your choice! you may or may not wait for me. If you wait I promise I will.”
After thinking for a minute, he said “you have made the point boy. If it really takes ten years, I can’t say I can await my daughter.”
I looked back to see her once before I accept his decision. She gave me a look that a man dies to get one from a girl.
Bride’s father offered dinner in a nearby restaurant. He moved in first and I followed him behind. When I turned back to call my father and the bride in, they were not there. I searched for them till I found them from a window of the restaurant. I just stood there looking at her talking to my father.
I have already thought of the two sides of the coin. On one side, the bride’s father would be angry with my late realization, or on the other side, he would accept my wedding postponement proposal. But he said something else, “I can’t say that I can..” This might be the third side of the coin, the thickness side, on which a coin can spin.

Angel in our home

No one knows when dreams start and end. It simply rolls down in our minds like a play while we are sleeping. Being through all my dream experiences I would confess that every dream is a mixture of virtual emotions. I had a dream last night that made me feel so cherished for a little angel. The dream started like this,

I was sitting in the front row in a function hall and watching the performances of little cute children with keen interest. I had my father, some of my family members, and also some close relatives with me. Each group of little cubbies was doing good and making me laugh with their adjustments on stage. Some of them are acting hyperactively while some doing their own movements. They are really adorable to that even a blind heart wouldn’t stop pulling their chubby cheeks. I really loved them. After a children group(some random group presently doing on stage) finished their performance, the event organizer called the last group on to the stage.

My interest in watching them in action on stage wasn’t down yet. The last group started performing some act with dances. As I grasped, the last group had a little kid, the younger of them all who was set to play the key role in the act. His turn came. All other little buddies paused their versions, but the kid stood stubborn. The audience was waiting to see him in action. A girl among them noticed the situation and started to teach him to do. She is so cute, active, and seems elder to that kid. I thought she was his sister. Parents and guardians who were sitting among the audience started a discussion with their fellow members about that girl. Anyhow she managed to end their act by making him involved somehow.

I was impressed with her spontaneous reaction and the way she made him perform. I took her up with my hands, kissed her cheeks. She smiled at me and looked at the audience. Every parent had taken their children to the dinner section and started feeding them along with pep talk. I was expecting her mother to come and take her from my hands. No one came yet. I called the organizer and asked, “She has no mother. Sir! you wait here I’ll look over for her grandpa,” he said. I felt so sad about her mother and didn’t show it to her.

I just kept talking with her in a childish way. She too kept talking with me with her blissful face and head-nodding sometimes. She is a cute, active, and intelligent girl. In the meantime, the event organizer brought along with him an elderly looking man in the suit.

“There’s your grandpa, go with him cutie!”. I told her.

She shifted on to his hands, kept a gloomy face with looks pointing down. The active girl looked passive suddenly.

Then I told her grandpa, “Who is her father? What does he do? I am sure he would definitely regret missing her act today.”

“He will be…” the elderly man tried to speak more, but I interrupted him.

“Who would like to stay away from this little angel for a moment? She must be a hill treasure of happiness for your home” I told his grandpa.

Then he said, “Yes! she is, we have two hundred and forty-six such hills in our home”. He smiled at me and turned back walking with her. Looking at the elderly man the organizer told me about his foster home. I was shocked to know that girl is an orphan. Besides all pity, the short time relationship with her in my hands made me feel like missing someone from the family. I watched her talking with that elderly man in her own blissful and head-nodding style all the way to the entrance gate. He once stopped and looked back at me, but the little girl kept on talking with him in anxiety. I wrinkled my eyebrows and shook my head to him. Then he spoke,

“Want to take some treasure home?”

–(my dream ended here)

I still can’t figure out what was that happy feeling! Is this the feeling fathers feel for their little angels? I can’t know till some father confirms it or I personally come across the situation.