Family Short Story – Through My Eyes
Photo credit: Scarletina from morguefile.com
It had indeed been a great day. After a very long time I had finally got the chance to take a free stroll in the beautiful park. The street dogs around there somehow seemed to hate me for no reason and had never let me walk around peacefully. But thanks to the people who had taken them away on the previous day, I now had the freedom to do so.
Just as I was about to finish my second round around the garden I heard some distant shouting. Though the voices were mixed up, I could clearly recognize my brother’s distinct voice. I could feel that he was in some kind of pain and crying feebly. Even before my mind could process the information my legs started moving in that direction.
I had run almost two streets across before I could see what was happening. Three men had surrounded my little brother, and one of them struck him on the head. My body burned with anger. With me around not even my father could lay his hands on him, and this guy was a nobody. As I bolted with rage, one of them turned around and saw me. Panic struck, he called out to his friends.
I was just about ten feet away from them when I felt a sharp pain surge through my body. I came down with a thud on the ground. The huge guy next to my brother had hurled a sharp stone onto my leg. The edge had pierced right through my knee and blood gushed from the deep cut. Though I was back on feet in a moment, I wasn’t fast enough. The car zoomed away from me.
Though my body felt numb, my legs were not ready to give up yet. As the wound continued to bleed I hobbled behind the car. They turned towards the main road and I recognized that was my opportunity. The traffic there would give me enough time to catch up with them. I ran with all my might and as I hit the main road I clearly identified the bright red vehicle, emitting a bad smoke, caught up in the signal. But to add to the woes of my bad fortune, the signal turned green before I could get there.
The sound of my brother’s voice echoed in my ears as a tear rolled down my cheek. The car was now blending into the traffic and getting away from sight. I cried out for help but nobody seemed to care. Mingled thoughts ran through my head. Why had I never felt the need to ask for a cell phone? How could I be so ignorant as to leave him alone? How would I face my parents?..
As I tried to approach the people around for help, instead of listening to me, they seemed to get scared. None of them would even let me go near. How could they be so cruel? But, this was not the time to think about the unfair world, I had to somehow get to my brother. As I limped helplessly, images ran across my eyes. The first time I had seen him in my mother’s arm. The first time I had seen him cry. The first time I had seen him walk. The first time he started to talk. The first time he fought with me and how he forgot about that in minutes. All seemed like a distant memory now.
I forcefully put a barrier against my thoughts and tried hard to think straight. The red car diverted from the main traffic and turned left, and that caught my attention. My body seemed to know what to do next as I ran towards a small lane to my left. The street was diagonal and inclined towards their path. Being the fastest runner in the family, I sincerely hoped to beat them this time.
My body was not helping me in the cause, but my will was strong enough to lead me through. As I reached the end and turned right, my body froze. There was not a single vehicle in the area. It was as if I was stuck in a maze. I ran around for some time and was beginning to feel weak and hopeless when my nose struck a rough smell. I recognized it immediately. It was the same bad stink of the smoke from the red car. Though it was faint, I knew that this would be the last hope I could seek. As I followed the trail, the odour grew strong.
The car had stopped in the branch road and was in front of an old crooked house. I glanced to confirm that there was nobody in the car and also no one guarding the entrance. It was already dusk and there was particularly no light in and around the house. This was a challenge that I had to face. I was sure that there were three strong men in there, but there could well be many more. There was no other way to confirm this but to creep in.
I managed to get in un-noticed. Though there was no illumination in the house, I could see things well. This was the first time I realized that I had been gifted with good night-vision. I noticed that there was a narrow stair inside the house which led to the floor above, from where I heard voices of men laughing. Though the stairs were creaky, I climbed up softly without a hint of sound.
As I reached the top floor, I saw a dull lamp lit at the corner. There was also a dusty table and the three men sat around them. They had an evil grin on their faces and were busy drinking something. I swivelled my head around to locate my brother. There he was, on the floor, unconscious. His face was covered with a cloth and had dark stains of blood. The sight set me on fire once again and my body was no longer in control. I ran with a hot head and pounced on the guy who was nearest to me. As my hands and legs were too weak to hurt him, I banged my head on his face and my teeth were deep in his neck.
That was when the same huge guy who had hurled a stone at me before, kicked me on the chest. I flew off ground and landed hard next to my brother. The last signs of energy drained from my body. But my brother was there and I could feel his breath. The worst of my fears had not happened. He was alive and that made me feel lighter before my eyes closed shut.
Sounds of bangs and thuds forced my eyes open. My head was whirring and vision was blurred. It took me some time before I could visualize what was happening. All I could see was a riot of people. There were shouts of anger flying around. There were people wearing the same coloured uniforms and carrying sticks, beating up the kidnappers. The huge guy was the only one fighting back. One was held back and the other one was on the ground, bleeding badly. I felt better that I could get at least one of them. I turned around to get a better picture. There were two big dogs standing there and I understood that they had followed my trail. I no longer regretted getting hit on my leg as once again my eyes drew blank.
I hated the smell of the doctor and hospitals. I knew where I was before I regained consciousness. As I slowly opened my eyes, sounds of relief came out from people around me. My mom, dad and brother were there, waiting for me, teary-eyed. My brother had a small band-aid on his forehead and was not seriously hurt. But, he had a mixed expression on his face. Though he was happy that I was alive, I could clearly see a sense of fear gripping in his eyes. I knew something must have gone wrong.
I tried to force myself up but failed to do so. There was some part of me missing. I bent my head down to see what the damage was. I had lost one of my legs. It was wound in a white cloth with some medicine on it. My brother jumped down and hugged me, crying badly. I gave out a feeble snarl to assure him that it was completely alright. That was a sacrifice I would willingly make anytime for him. Neglecting the wreck I was, seeing my family back together and safe, overjoyed me. I wagged my tail and barked softly in happiness. I knew they understood my language clearly.
I never regret having lost my leg that day. After all, it was just one of the four. But my family was my soul and I could never live without them. My parents had taken me in when I was all alone on the street, almost dead from hunger. They never treated me as an orphan street dog. They loved me like their own and I reciprocated equally. I owed them my life.
–END–
