Grey Pebbles

Was it blood or water?

“Mmm…”

“Mmmmm…”

The touch of something rough, slipping over my neck; distinct.

Hissss……

The sound of that rough touch, approaching my ear; distinct.

“Ahhh…. Shit….”

The reaction, was, well clockwork; I shook off the creature, my eyes were shut, too numb to respond. I felt the chill of the underlying stone, piercing my spine.

Was I dreaming? I felt my skin, bare flesh, not a shred of cloth! The warmth, distinct.

I tried to grasp, nothing but empty spaces met me, I had no other option.

I dared to open my eyes.

I could feel the lashes separating, the pupils dilated; nothing. I was stuck. It was pitch-dark. My breath scared me.

I struggled up, my head hit the ceiling; I fell down, down onto the floor, in a tub of water.

Splash!

Light!

I gasped for fresh air.

Somebody grabbed my tresses, and pulled me back.

I could hear whispers. The pitch increased, quickly; I recognised a few voices, voices I had been hearing for the past few weeks. The language was an issue, but I reckoned the seriousness of the matter, being conveyed. I was at the centre of it all.

I tried to gain control, to get a hold of the surroundings. A light shone over my head, another one right in front of my eyes; I was feeling dizzy. I could hear the beeps. Apart from the two light sources, there was one small window on the right corner, bolted; a beam of light shone in and fell on the automatic positioned nicely in the hands of the man holding guard. He was not alone.

The light in front of me, was now turned off, I had my seconds of respite. The room was filled with low indistinct murmurs; the man who had been speaking calmly, turned into a beast now. The echoes filled the room. The last thing, I remembered was metal to my skull, I was falling.

 “Aaaaaaaaaaa…………”

The height seemed never-ending, I was falling through empty space, I could hear voices; nothing was clear.

Splash!

I fell in the tub of water, my head hit the fiberglass. I was feeling dizzy. The water was warm. I got out. Stones pierced my flesh. I had to walk. I started in a direction. I was blind. I couldn’t touch, couldn’t hear, couldn’t feel!! Yet, I kept walking.

The mind, is a powerful tool; it can imagine in broad daylight. It is working when you’re sleeping, working when you’re up, working when you’re partying; working when you’re peeing.. It never rests!!

You give it a white frame to draw on, it’ll draw those endless mazes, beautiful landscapes, wonderful sculptures, great designs, structural marvels and what not!! You give it a dark frame, it’ll bring out your biggest horrors; unimaginable, pure; you’re unfathomable secrets, everything will be out in the open, the irony being, even you won’t be able to see them, yet you will!

I was scared. I did not deserve this.

“Let me out!!!”

My voice left my throat, touched my lips, but couldn’t even reach my ears! I started running, my feet were bleeding; hell! I didn’t care! And then I hit something, someone, I don’t know! It was furry, warm; and then I fell!

I was falling again, through heights, empty spaces, oblivion!

Splash!

Light!

It was open! Sun light hit me, my eyes hurt! It were the same people. I could make out the camera in his hands. Again, language was an issue, but this time, their faces looked bright; or was it the sunlight?

The same procedure, I tried to get a hold of my surroundings, the AKs and Kalashinovs, were still very much prevalent. The lead was taping a message. I looked around. I saw someone adjacent to me, his head was covered with a rag. Children, men were all watching.

“Abdul!”

A small kid was the centre of attraction now. The old man said something in his ears.

The lead kicked the man down, he lay on the barren ground! The kid went up, the lead and the old man in tow. The lead passed the blade to the kid. The kid looked up, grabbed the man’s hair, pulled his head up. The shiny blade touched his neck now.

“Noooo…..”

His screams led to a gargle, as the blade swiftly tore through the ligaments and then through his vocal cords; blood, red, dark, spit in the air, onto the ground. Blood is the best of fertilizers they say, but I wonder, if it’ll be of any help to this land; desolate, barren!

I was numb, scared too afraid to scream; hell! Too scared to respond.

Metal, hard, cold; the touch of it on my head, sent a chill down my spine. I was not defiant, I had surrendered to my fate.

I did not hear the bang; the noise produced when the trigger is pulled, gun powder burns, and the bullet is accelerated through the barrel with it’s mark in sight; I felt metal piercing the back of my mantle, passing through my brain, creating another crack as it left my holy mantle for the journey ahead!

They say, your whole life flashes in front of your eyes, when you’re close to being dead. They haven’t been able to explain it till date, neither would I be able to; but it didn’t happen with me, or maybe it did.

I saw her, my love, my wife; that rain, the ring, the kiss. This was my life, all gone in a moment.

I was falling, falling through heights, it seemed years had passed and I was still falling, at last I hit the bottom.

Splash!

I fell in a tub of water; wait, no, it never was water! It was blood!