by sehwag ka baap » Fri Jun 11, 2004 10:21 pm
Seven Days Later ......
"The clock on the wall struck one. He rose from the chair & headed towards the ropes lying on the ground. He lifted them and tied the other ends to the hooks in the ceiling. He, then looked towards his wife with his head trembling and then looked down. She understood what that meant. The time had come.............. "
The room was lined and littered with furniture.His wife was sitting on the chair in the corner of the room that was illuminated by large wax candles which were housed on the left hand side of the entrance. She was a tough lady. But she couldn't control the drop of tear that trickled down her cheek. It just seemed like yesterday,the day she met him first. His cerulean eyes and mysterious smile had captivated her & she immediately knew that this was the man of her dreams. The last twelve years felt like twelve hours. Twelve wonderful years coming to an end now.
She looked out of the glass window. The noisy day had given way to the tranquil night. The city covered with the concealing fog , with only the lights from the houses visible, gave the city an oneiric look.This arbitrary arrangement of lights behind the fog had always intrigued her. She would try to give meaning to it,by following the trail of lights and giving them a defined shape to which ,he would only agree occasionally. This would be the last time she would be seeing such a sight.
She turned around and saw a huge portrait of her husband which almost seemed real. It captured the essence of his personality,"Regal" was the word that came to her mind whenever she saw it.
Beside it there was a picture of both of them smiling, with their cheeks pressed against the others'. She kept staring at the picture without moving an inch . She wouldn't see that picture ever again.
He found the knife he was looking for & with that he cut the long rope into two. He had to try hard. He was not as strong as he was even an year ago. He had become a broken man,his head,hand and feet trembled and lately he was even tortured by stomach cramps.
The lenghts of the ropes would be sufficient for both of them. He then caught hold of the ends & pulled to see if it could resist the weight of their bodies.... it could. He then made two loops of equal sizes at the ends of the ropes and put one of them around his neck to see if his neck fitted into it..... it did & he didn't have to do the same for his wife for her head was much smaller than his.
His eyes suddenly fell on the rat that was scurrying past the table in the centre of the room. He was reminded of his adolscent days, where he used to feed these "companions" of his which had occupied his tiny, dirty room.It had been one long journey, almost a fairytale one , but for the end .
He took a piece of cheese from the table which was set with finesse and threw it towards the rodent. He had the same feeling of satisfaction he felt in those days. " People were wrong ", he thought to himself, he hadn't changed in all these years.
He fell on the chair & let out air heavily from his mouth. His heart beat rose when he saw the ropes lying on the ground. He then saw his wife staring at their picture beside his portrait. He too turned his head to view the picture. He felt a soothing calmness run throughout his body. The picture, taken more than a decade ago was one of his most prized possesions. He closed his eyes & his entire life flashed before his eyes - " his father's ruthlessness, his loving mother's illness ,his paintings , the wars........... ".
The clock on the wall struck one. He rose from the chair & headed towards the ropes lying on the ground. He lifted them and tied the other ends to the hooks in the ceiling. He, then looked towards his wife with his head trembling and then looked down. She understood what that meant. The time had come. She headed to the chair and holding his shoulder, climbed it. He followed.Both looked into each other's eyes for some time, without blinking them. She then kissed him on his cheek, said to him the two words which he always loved to hear & put the rope round her neck , he followed . He repeated those words again within himself - " Heil Hitler ! " & both of the kicked the chairs beneath their legs.
Seven Days Later , Germany surrendered.
We are born naked, wet and hungry, and then things get worse