Game over
An eerie quiet enveloped me as I became painfully aware of the situation I was in.A faint breeze nuzzled against my cheek but even this seemed hostile to me, given the predicament I was in.
I stood there, in the middle of a battlefield, looking as lost as baby in a topless bar.I had nothing to protect myself with save a piece of wood.Time stopped for a while and all I heard was the wailing silence.
This is it, I said to myself.It's a dream for us mortals; to proove our worth in a time of crisis.Here was my oppurtunity and I couldn't have been worse prepared.Sweat trickled across my brow and exploded onto the ground like a busted dam.My comrades were well entrenched; they had an eagle's view of what was going on.I looked at their direction and all I saw was disillusion.Maybe it was pity; who cares.
It was now or never.
I looked around for a weakness in my enemy's plan.I was surrounded by ten able men, each of them circling around me like a falcon over its prey.I met their gaze and saw nothing but an urge to crush me; my soldiers.Their faces were so familiar but now it seemed that each of them had put on their mask; their transformation from Jekyll to Hyde was complete.They had been my friends a few hours back.
Now I looked straight down the ground; my nemesis stood there, not more than a few feet away from me.He brushed off the sweat from his face and stared back at me.His face broke into a smile; it wasn't a reassuring one.My throat felt parched and I longed to be anywhere but here.He tossed the grenade from one hand to the other with such nonchalence that it was hard to believe that he had sealed the fate of six of my comrades with similar grenades.
He was my best friend.
Left; right; left; right; left....
I shook my head, to break away from the hypnotic trance I looked around for one last time and then crouched over there with nothing but wood in my hand.
One last toss and he was off.He ran with surprising swiftness; as if to hurry me up through this ordeal.But, when your end is near everything happens as if in slow motion.Every step he took seemed as if to crush my resolve; every step brought him closer to his destiny.
Our destiny.
I blinked once and talked to myself.I was living in a madman's dream.I held my weapon a little more tightly as he came even closer.With great alacrity, he hurled the grenade at me.It was travelling at the rate of knots but it seemed to float towards me.
I moved away a little and it moved a little; towards me.I moved a little again and still it moved towards me.It had one name written all over it: Rohit.
It was within reach when I let go.I swung my arm with all my might as it came screaming towards my toes.I swear that I could hear the music in its dance towards destruction.
I missed and heard the death rattle.It was no less than an explosive one to my ears.I stood there as the only victim of the violence the grenade had spawned.
I looked towards my comrades as they walked towards me; a wounded soldier in the middle of nowhere.Then I looked up at my nemesis.
"Cleaned you up," was all he said as he went over to congratulate his mates.
He cleaned me up alright; I was the worst possible batsmen to have walked this planet.
"Tough luck, yaar" ;"Saala bowled a good yorker, hahn?Almost as good as yours," my team-mates said.
I looked back at him and smiled.He had learnt well.
He's still my best friend.
I stood there, in the middle of a battlefield, looking as lost as baby in a topless bar.I had nothing to protect myself with save a piece of wood.Time stopped for a while and all I heard was the wailing silence.
This is it, I said to myself.It's a dream for us mortals; to proove our worth in a time of crisis.Here was my oppurtunity and I couldn't have been worse prepared.Sweat trickled across my brow and exploded onto the ground like a busted dam.My comrades were well entrenched; they had an eagle's view of what was going on.I looked at their direction and all I saw was disillusion.Maybe it was pity; who cares.
It was now or never.
I looked around for a weakness in my enemy's plan.I was surrounded by ten able men, each of them circling around me like a falcon over its prey.I met their gaze and saw nothing but an urge to crush me; my soldiers.Their faces were so familiar but now it seemed that each of them had put on their mask; their transformation from Jekyll to Hyde was complete.They had been my friends a few hours back.
Now I looked straight down the ground; my nemesis stood there, not more than a few feet away from me.He brushed off the sweat from his face and stared back at me.His face broke into a smile; it wasn't a reassuring one.My throat felt parched and I longed to be anywhere but here.He tossed the grenade from one hand to the other with such nonchalence that it was hard to believe that he had sealed the fate of six of my comrades with similar grenades.
He was my best friend.
Left; right; left; right; left....
I shook my head, to break away from the hypnotic trance I looked around for one last time and then crouched over there with nothing but wood in my hand.
One last toss and he was off.He ran with surprising swiftness; as if to hurry me up through this ordeal.But, when your end is near everything happens as if in slow motion.Every step he took seemed as if to crush my resolve; every step brought him closer to his destiny.
Our destiny.
I blinked once and talked to myself.I was living in a madman's dream.I held my weapon a little more tightly as he came even closer.With great alacrity, he hurled the grenade at me.It was travelling at the rate of knots but it seemed to float towards me.
I moved away a little and it moved a little; towards me.I moved a little again and still it moved towards me.It had one name written all over it: Rohit.
It was within reach when I let go.I swung my arm with all my might as it came screaming towards my toes.I swear that I could hear the music in its dance towards destruction.
I missed and heard the death rattle.It was no less than an explosive one to my ears.I stood there as the only victim of the violence the grenade had spawned.
I looked towards my comrades as they walked towards me; a wounded soldier in the middle of nowhere.Then I looked up at my nemesis.
"Cleaned you up," was all he said as he went over to congratulate his mates.
He cleaned me up alright; I was the worst possible batsmen to have walked this planet.
"Tough luck, yaar" ;"Saala bowled a good yorker, hahn?Almost as good as yours," my team-mates said.
I looked back at him and smiled.He had learnt well.
He's still my best friend.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 at 8:12 PM.
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