The Innocent Mistake

The Innocent Mistake - 18

"When was it not? Every bloody call is from your Sidharth. I am sick of it. Why don't you use your bloody head?", Anil snatches the phone and disconnects.

On one hand, Sidharth took pity on his mother. But on the other, he felt angered at his father's word. After few moments, his angered vanished as he experienced extreme guilt. Guilt for betraying so many people with his one innocent mistake.

"Sid?", someone tapped his shoulder bringing him out of his emotional rollercoaster ride. He looked back at the familiar face.

"Chad!", Sidharth hugged him and cried.

Chad a.k.a Chamundi, was his friend who had helped him in this unknown land. It was the same person who had heard his story and helped him to get those petty jobs through which he could sustain in this country. After all, Chad was also an illegal immigrant like Sidharth.

"What's the matter Sid? Is the baby fine?", Chad asked.

"She is in NICU under incubator.", Sidharth spoke.

"..and Sana?", Chad asked.

"She is unconscious. She went through so much pain because of me. I hate myself.", Sidharth cried.

"Hush!! Everything will be fine, Sid. They will be alright. Don't blame yourself.", Chad said.

"Chad... I.. I.. I need money. She doesn't want to go back to her father's house. I need money. I want to keep them happy. I need money.. please, help me.. I need money.. I need it by tomorrow", Sidharth cried and chanted as he begged Chad. Chad's heart sinked to his gut looking at Sidharth's helplessness.

"I would have given it to you if I had it. Whatever I had, I sent it home last week my friend.", Chad spoke feeling distressed for not being able to help him.

"But..", Chad hesitated to speak.

"But? What?", Sidharth asked with a hope.

"I would get some money tonight. You know.. it's happening tonight", Chad said.

"Please take me with you..", Sidharth begged.

"I can't, it's risky.", Chad said.

"I am ready to take the risk.. please!!!", Sidharth begged with his folded hands.

"But you don't understand. I will have to ask the chief first.", Chad said

"Please.. ", Sidharth pleaded with welled up eyes as this was his only hope.

...
...
...
Rushing silently through the innumerable containers, Chad, Sidharth and few others searched for that one container which carried new set of illegal immigrants into this foreign land. It was a full moon night and they had to rely only on the moon light to search.

Soon they heard the signal from one of their mates who had found the container after an hour of search. Huffing, the others reached him. Sidharth's mouth dried up as the flashes of the dreadful sight in which he had travelled, appeared in front of his memory.

Was he ready to witness the same sight again?

Gulping the saliva, he glanced at Chad, who shook his head as if telling him 'see, I had already told him that it wasn't so easy'. Sidharth momentarily closed his eyes.

'I don't want to go back to my parents house. You promised me to take the responsibility.' Sana's word echoed in his mind along with the cry of his baby.

When he opened his eyes, he looked determined to do anything to fulfill his responsibility. After a labourous effort they managed to open the container. Sidharth froze as the same filthy smell of dead bodies and feces hit his face.

"Sid, let's go..", Chad nudged his elbow into Sidharth and whispered. After noticing the mask on Chad's face, Sidharth quickly pulled up his own mask and nodded his head to follow. They moved through the deadbodies finding for any trace of life who could have made it alive. As they did, they collected any valuables like money, gold, silver.

Sidharth pondered weren't their lives more valuable than these? Though a little hesistant at the beginning, Sidharth quickly gathered the courage to collect the valuables himself. His eyes caught a glimpse of teddy bear which reminded him of his little angel's face. He quickly grabbed it only to realise that it came with a corpse of a little baby. Shook by the incident that he witnessed, he lost his balance and fell down.

"Sid..", Chad whispered and pulled him up.

Sidharth pointed at the little baby's corpse but in a hurry Chad overlooked the corpse and picked up the teddy and shoved it in Sidharth's hand.

"No survivors.. we need to leave before we get caught by someone."Chad whispered yanking Sidharth along with him out of the container.

They all made it safe to their vehicle. The chief distributed them their fees for the work. Chad offered Sidharth the money but found him lost.

Flashback ends

A pair of shivering hands were holding a cute little teddy bear. Those hands belonged to none other than Sidharth who was staring intently at the little teddy bear. His eyes were filled with tears as he was reminded of the baby. A lifeless body of a baby, which churned his inside and gave him excruciating pain.

"Sid..", Chad shook him out of his thoughts. Sidharth moved his eyeballs from the teddy to look at smiling Chad. Chad showed the money into Sidharth's pocket.

"It's cute. Did you take it for your baby? She will love it.", Chad said.

Those words stuck his hearts like thunderbolt. That lifeless baby would have also loved it so dearly. She held it even being lifeless.

"It belongs to her.. I can't take it.. I want to return it..", Sidharth said hysterically before running back towards the dockyard.

"Nooo.. Sid, stop! It's dangerous..", Chad spoke which didn't make it to Sidharth's deaf ears. Chad followed him.

After running for a while, Sidharth finally made it to the container. He walked back to the location in the dark. Huffing, Chad flashed the light into the container and Sidharth went straight to the child's corpse.

"Sorry..", Sidharth said leaving the teddy beside the corpse. Tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Let's go, Sid.", Chad whisper yelled and Sidharth stood up walking towards the exit. He was just half way through when he heard a voice.

"Stop, right where you are.."

Chad and Sidharth shivered. Chad started running in a hurry forgetting to turn off the flashlights, while Sidharth trailed behind far from Chad in the dark.

"Stop!! Don't move!!", they heard another voice but none of them stopped.

BAAMM!!!

Sidharth's heart sank to his gut hearing the gunshot. He stumbled upon a wooden log and fell on the ground. With a sprained leg, he dragged himself to hide into the narrow space between the container.

BAAMM!!

"Aaahh!!!", Sidharth choked hearing a gunshot followed by a painful shriek. He tried getting up from his place but he couldn't.

The flashlight flew up in the air and fell with a thud on the ground breaking the glasses into pieces and rolled back and forth.

Within seconds, Sidharth heard the footsteps noise in the far and siren sound. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks. He had gone back to return the doll to get rid of his guilt but instead his guilt list had just grown with yet another guilt adding to it.

_______

To be continued..