It’s claustrophobic and dark inside. Though I share the congested surroundings with 19 others, I feel alone. We don’t speak to one another though we are thoroughly bored and looking for a way to escape the confined space. I smell. Badly. All 20 of us smell and I cannot stand it. But there’s no escape.
Suddenly I feel light and get a feeling of flight though it’s fleeting. Then the whole confined space reverberates to a rhythmic beat. Shortly, the lightness returns followed by violent tearing noise. I want to suppress the cacophony when, lo and behold! There’s light!
I am enjoying this new experience when I feel moist at one extremity of mine. It’s not comfortable.
“Cigarette?”, I hear this word for the first time. I get an uncomfortable feeling of self. “Matches?”. This is the next word I hear. Arrgh…it’s searing hot at my other extremity. Each cell of my body is on fire. The smoke generated passes from one extremity to the other, sometimes slowly, sometimes in a rush, as if sucked by a monster who goes at it with such fervour, as if his life depends on it. I see the writing on the wall, I would soon be reduced to ashes.
With whatever strength remaining inside me, I push extra smoke into the monster, willing him, pushing him to stop this torture and spare my ravaged body. But to no avail. In between giving devilish oral treatment to me, he holds me in front of himself, staring at my burning extremity. I see him! I see his bloodshot eyes clearly. And I see no mercy in them. He is bent upon turning me to ash, one puff at a time.
Suddenly it dawns upon me. He has killed many of my ilk before, in similar, sinister manner. He is a habitual serial killer. He won’t rest unless he has sent me and my 19 brothers to their deaths. And he won’t stop at that. He will go in search of more victims.
At that moment something snaps within me. I am ablaze with a feeling of vengeance. Revenge.
I will my burning body parts to rebel. They are now combusting to produce the vilest poisons, which enter the monster’s body via the smoke he inhales. This passion of his, will be the cause of his own death now. I manifest the poisons to burn his insides, just as he is doing it to me. I know I am burning to my death but this vile creature will not know what hit him. He will keep enjoying his little fling with the likes of me and then suddenly, one day his insides will start burning, one cell causing the excruciatingly painful downfall of its neighbours.
Perhaps he reads my evil thoughts, because I am suddenly thrown away, whatever remains of my tortured body and the last thing I feel, is being violently stomped to my death.
Yatindra Tawde
[zombify_post]
