Thursday, January 9, 2014

The Last Hangover

Everyone in their lives go through a phase when beauty means everything to them. Chasing butterflies makes whole world of sense, running after bees looks like the best sport and throwing stones in sad waters create ripples. Anxious crickets make terrible noises at night, their wails ricochets against each other, telling tales of barren nights and forgotten deeds.

One of those mornings while I was pursuing one of the red striped blue butterflies, I encountered an unwelcome surprise. Blocking the way was a horrible garden lizard. Filthy in nature, staring directly into my eyes, stripping me through. I froze in my strides, I watched how the most beautiful creature in my garden was  becoming pray to the most menacing devil around. Within seconds, there was no butterfly and the lizard had vanished somewhere in the bushes. My childhood was scarred beyond comprehension. I had sleepless nights thinking of the lizard, filled with dark memories of how he ruthlessly killed the pure butterfly.

By the time I got over the nightmare, I was already grown up. I didn't remember the dream, but I know there was a moment of sorrow engulfed deep within. But now I was beyond the trivial things like a butterfly and a garden lizard. Nights also lost their importance as I wouldn't go out to see the stars. I was a mess of moolah and ignorance. Holding myself in high-esteem. Laughing at the world.

When the war started, it was just rumors about the enemy striking any moment, but I was least bothered. I was sure, I would make it through, no matter what or how. I would visit the local saloon, stare at women. Their terrified faces amazed me. I would order another one of those gins that was the specialty of that place.

I tried to replay last night's events in my head but it was all blank. Where was I, what was I doing, who I was with. Nothing. Just Blank. and Darkness.

I remembered ordering my favorite gin, followed by a cab ride to the party. A few shots of tequila and I was shown to a table. Then some glasses of wine, the dance and then nothing. All I remembered was a loud noise, some sort of explosion and everything went black again. I closed my eyes again to focus on the events of last night but no success again. I put my glasses back on and I was horrified beyond imagination. Every single inch of my walls was occupied by lizards. I freaked out beyond imagination. So many lizards, making some distinct noise. They were all staring at me, stripping me through. The war had just gotten worse. It was me against a whole army. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. All I managed was to close my eyes and hope that the world will be a better place once I open it.

Slowly and silently all of them started closing down on me. They were moving slowly towards me, in a horrific motion that almost made me numb. Then there was the leader, the biggest of them all. It had red eyes and a slithery tongue. Inching towards me slowly, my jaws jammed in horror and one last move and silence

Sunlight was filtering shallowly through the slits in the window. One of the rays was particularly vengeful towards me and was staring me straight. In the backdrop, coming back to life was playing in a twisted melancholy. My will to carry on sleeping was interrupted by a loud thud in the attic. Lazily and quite unwillingly I motivated to do a round up of what made the sound. And my efforts were vaporized in vain when I could not locate anything. it might have been the prolonged effect of the last night alcoholic endeavors. Back to my bed, I covered my eyes with the blanket and spat on the sun's face. The early morning dissolved into eerie silence broken randomly by birds outside.

The silence drifted me into a dream. There she was, she was all tears, all love. "I dont want to be a mom, I will never be a mom, we shall adopt kids. You would hate me once I become fat. I will be ugly and useless, you would hit me without reasons". And then she hugged me tightly, tigher than an affectionate hug, it was almost strangeling me. She was trying to strangle me; I put all my efforts to get her off me. And there she was, the leader of the lizards.

"wont you kiss me?"
"get off..what are you..?"
"Kiss me please. Dont hate me"

And there she was back again. I started crying. I kissed her like never before. I was trying to calm her. I kept hugging her till she slowly evaporated in my arms

I drank more, I drank till I passed out on the floor. When I woke up it was past dusk.I was shivering, I was paranoid. Something was around, something was stalking me. There were strange whispers outside. Was it another one of those practical jokes that my friends so often pulled on me? My panic led me to switch on all the lights in the room, the bathroom. Even the mantlepiece. I closed the curtains. Shut off the windows and just laid back on the armchair. I planned to keep myself awake the whole night to avoid whatever danger was lurking around me

There were gunshots being fired outside, random sounds of some explosion. Even my sense of security was going awry. There was a lizard on the wall. I took out my bat and smashed the creature. There was blood all over. The room was spluttered with small fragments of skin and meat. The head was nowhere to be seen. The enemy was defeated. The gunshots outside seized, there were no explosions. My eyes became heavy, this was going to be a long sleep. Something I had not had for ages. The war was over.

And then the biggest explosion I had ever heard

I woke up with a start. My head felt like a rock. I looked around, it was all white and gleaming. I had never felt so heavy before in my life, this had to be the worst hangover of them all. And then the picture became clearer. It was a hospital. There were people around me, they were all looking at me. Their eyes were sympathy and joy at the same time

I had lost my arms and legs

I was like a limbless lizard

I laughed and slept

2 comments:

puja said...

Its an amazing story. Its been so long since I las read one of your works that I had almost forgotten how well you write.

Ravenholm said...

thanks girl

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