Short story - I

And then she laughed. He always loved that laugh of hers; made him forget all his sorrows. It felt like everything was right with the world. It took him 2 years to garner enough guts to tell her how much he loved her. He proposed to her on a full moon night and she accepted. And just when things were finally looking up, he was stationed at the borders.

She smiled and her eyes twinkled in mischief. He just wanted to prolong the moment but suddenly, he felt dizzy and things moved out of focus. He woke up with a jolt and found himself in a dark room; not a speck of daylight. He did not know where he was; he did not know for how long he lay there. The last thing he remembered was the grenade falling right in front of him. Yes, the grenade! He tried moving his hands and legs, and was relieved when he found out that he could move them; with some difficulty of course.

Sameer talpade belonged to the establishment of Rajputana rifles. He had been stationed near the borders as soon as the war had escalated. A week later, orders had been given to take over the enemy bunkers en route to Pt. 6785. And like his colleagues, he had mastered his fears. The nation came first, even before her. As he made inroads into the enemy territory, everything came back in a flash – the good times they spent, the tiffs they had and the stupid names they called each other with. And then fell the grenade; blacking him out.

After a lengthy contemplation, he concluded that he had been caught by them. He was now a PoW. He had to think hard; he had to think fast - so as to make good his escape before they returned. As he felt his way across the room, he could hear footsteps. He tried finding any sharp-edged metallic piece; just one slash near the throat – it would be quick, subtle and slightly messy. Suddenly the footsteps came to an abrupt halt. Did they spot his movement? Impossible! He was very good at stealth. And then he heard another set of footsteps. As he prepared himself to lunge out and get at least one of them before it was too late, he heard, “Sameer. I’m sorry to say, you’ve lost your vision. The grenade was very powerful and exploded very close to your eyes. They could not take it.” And then it seemed like the whole world came crashing around him. “Crying is good. It helps you get rid of fear and frustration”, she once quipped.

She had passed away a month ago in a car accident just before his orders arrived. But then he had been taught that the nation came first before everyone. And everyone included her.

As Sameer strained his eyes to cry, he realized that his tear glands had deserted him. He could sense the doctor standing right in front of him with a puzzled look. After what seemed a while, he asked, “Doctor, did we capture Pt. 6785?” He replied in affirmative. And then they needed no second invitation as tears started rolling down his cheeks. The harder he tried, the more uncontrollable his sobbing became. He muttered a thank-you to the doctor who replied, “You are very lucky to come out of it alive. Someone out there must be praying very hard for you”.

She was smiling again.. and laughing.

He called out, “Nurse, can you give me a shot of morphine?” as he prepared to go back to the world where he could see - where he could see what he wanted to see.

_____________________________________________

PS1: Brickbats and bouquets are welcome. Any suggestions to improve the story line are also welcome. Suggestions for the title of the story are also welcome.

PS2: Went for the informal IIM-K meet at CCD. Was fun. And interactive. The seniors seemed pretty cool and definitely non-geekish! K looks like a fun place to go.. :D Cant wait for 3rd week of June.. :D

PS3: Hard disk crashed!! At home and at room! My posts, short stories and lots of other stuff - vanished! :((

PS4: Still feeling senti about leaving IIIT. I guess that has been the general opinion throughout the batch.