The Punishment

Creative Writing Competition 2012 India
CODE	466
SETTING	Terrace OR Bedroom OR Living Hall
OBJECT	Cell Phone
THEME	Overcoming Fear

Intrigued by the constant ringing of the phone, Simon removed the receiver and howled

“What’s cooking at this hour?”

There was a momentary pause at the other end after which his wife’s voice came alive.

“Your mother is sick. She needs to be taken to hospital right now!”

He did not expect that. He stared into the receiver in disgust. There was a momentary silence and hesitation. The lady in his bed realizing the situation dragged him further towards her sensing he might leave in haste. He forgot his mother for a moment and fell voluntarily into the grab of that woman.. Anger and irritation were ruling, at that moment, in his mind than pity and care for his old mother.

He knew his wife was talking from his mother’s place. Fighting hard with his initial reactions to reach his mother, he gathered his concubine in his left hand and thundered into the mouthpiece,

“You useless rat! You know I will be on an important assignment at this time. What the hell you people are there for? You take care of that old goose!”

Snapping the phone dead he eagerly turned to her with a smile and started ravishing her. To him time appeared standing still. He was out of the world for more than an hour.

The sharp shrilling tone of his mobile phone at about 11.45 in the night rattled him out of bed. The ring tone clearly announced that it was his boss. Opening his eyes widely to shake off the dizziness he pressed the button to hear. He became fully conscious when his boss was barking into his ears.

“Hey! Snap your brandy! Get on your goddamn heels! Half a kilo meter away to the left of the second signal light near Fourth Cross on Highway No: 47! Make it fast buddy!”

Before he could gather himself and say,”Yes Sir!” the line went dead. He threw the handset desperately and started groping for his dress cursing his fate. She rolled and moaned in the bed extending her hands searching for him. He kicked her into life and ordered her to jump off the bed and run away. He pushed her out, left the apartment and ran for his automobile in that chilly night.

That was a residential colony and the night outside was very calm and cool in quite contrast to the warm bed in which he was in ten minutes ago. Simon jumped into his car and shouted at the night watchman to open the gate and slipped into the top gear even before the gate was fully opened. The road was bereft of any traffic at that hour and he raced fast towards NH 47 rattling as many curses as possible in the wind which questioned seriously the ancestral origin of his boss.

On reaching the spot he could see his boss spitting a series of instructions to the department over his mobile phone. There was one another officer by the side of his boss. Simon parked his car near the spot and went running towards the boss. The boss looked at his wrist watch and smiled with a surprise. He went near his boss and wasted one salute.

“How many curses you threw at me while jumping off from your warm bed!” enquired the boss putting his hands around Simon.

“None Sir!” replied Simon promptly.

Unmindful of the response, the boss dragged him to the spot waving away the answer. There was an old woman who was almost floating in a pool of fresh and smelling blood. The sight was quite awesome. It was visibly a hit and run case. After a brief introduction the boss put him in charge of that dead body and continued to issue instructions over his mobile phone to the ambulance and to his department. Simon stared at the dead woman scornfully for one moment, recalled the beauty that was on his bed an hour back and removed his handkerchief to ward off the bad smell. Already flies had started swarming the body and ants were forming serpentine queues.

“Simon!  Be here till help arrives”

Even without waiting for his customary nod, the boss threw himself onto his car and beckoned his friend to take to the wheel. Before Simon could wink his eyes, the car sped away. Removing his cap and cursing his fate he kicked hard on the road and turned towards the dead woman. There was total darkness and the wind was cold. There was not a soul in that arena at that time and he was alone with that corpse. She sure would have been dashed against the road by a speeding idiot. She, nay nay it was lying sprawled with the face partially twisted. The place was lonely and the silence was eerie.

The moon was not in full flight and there were none, not even a stray dog around him. The night was awfully cool. The image of the dead woman came haunting whenever he closed his eyes tiredly. He felt extremely uncomfortable and shivering. Usually he was a hard nut to crack but not on that night. He was physically weak and tired. He felt dry in his throat and longed for a shot of whisky and a cigarette. But he had none on that night.

He turned his head and looked far on both directions. That was a small road leading into a row of houses some one kilometer away and there was rarely traffic at that hour of night. Vehicles speeding fast on the NH 47, some distance away from that spot, injected various sounds into the dead night. He became restless.

“Guarding a dead woman at that time!”

He threw his cap in desperation. Suddenly he heard somebody chuckling and he felt almost frozen. Gathering his nerves and focusing on the sound he looked around sharply and wearily. A chill ran through his backbone. Putting aside his doubts he listed intently. Nothing was heard again. A line of perspiration started descending leisurely behind his ears. He was puzzled. He was sure he had heard that sound. He upped his shoulders, pursed his lips, removed his handkerchief once again, wiped out his face and started heading for his car.

There again! The chuckle was heard. This time very sharp and clear! He was startled. He looked all around. Except the demon sized trees dotting the road there was no life. Of course a dead woman on the road! Perspiring heavily he looked down at the corpse unbelievably.

“Is she sitting and chuckling at me!?”

He lost control of his senses and clouds of fear engulfed him quickly. He started running away in extreme fear.

In that cool, calm night the experienced police officer ran desperately for about five minutes. The thud thud of his boots echoed loudly since there were no other noises there. Piercing the darkness he ran like a mad man. Suddenly he stopped and attempted to calm his heavy breathing. In a flash his ailing mother’s face developed before him. Panting heavily he closed his eyes and remembered about that phone call from his wife. He should have been actually running in the corridors of the hospital to help his mother. But…

Cursing himself profusely he attempted desperately to contact his wife’s mobile phone to know about the condition of his mother. But his wife’s phone was rightfully dead.

He felt the cold numbing and biting. Because of urgency while moving away from that bitch he had forgotten to bring his cigarette pocket.

“Sh*t!” he cursed.

No brandy and no cigarette! A shivering night and a dead body!  Closing his eyes, calming his nerves and heaving a deep sigh, he felt ashamed of himself. After standing there like a mad man for a few minutes he invited courage and started walking back slowly towards his car, parked fifteen meters away from that corpse. On reaching the car with a racing heart he opened the door and rested against the cushioned seat, keeping the door open.

The cool wind and the enormous tiredness made him close his eyes involuntarily and pushed him into a deep slumber in moments.   He would have slept hardly for a few minutes, when suddenly he heard a chilling voice around him.

“Oh My dear son!”

he was jolted from his sleep and he jumped outside the car door dashing against the steering wheel in the process. Putting his hand on the service revolver he looked around with trembling limbs, doubts and extreme fear. He could make out nothing in that darkness except the trees which remained silent watching him desperately and waving their heads in sympathetic vibration.

A mild breeze was on and the moon was behind a passing dark cloud. There were no sounds except his heart beats. He drew his breath deeply and attempted to laugh away his fear. In that semi darkness the corpse looked awkward at some distance. When he stared at the corpse for the second time accidentally he felt it was moving again. A chill ran through his nerves like a lightening and he skipped a few heartbeats. Again he felt he heard somebody whispering something with a trembling voice around his ears. He looked around and found nobody nearby except that sprawling dead body.

To compound his worries his mobile phone rang sharply cutting mercilessly into that weird silence. With great hesitation, he moved towards the phone kept in the glove compartment of his car. When he neared the phone it went off. He looked at the number. It was an unknown number. He felt globules of perspiration around the back of his ears. He removed his handkerchief unsteadily and wiped out his face.

He was thoroughly shaken. He closed his eyes for a brief while. In his utter confusion he did not attempt to call back that number. He found out to his dismay he could not even stand with his trembling legs. Fortunately there was a bottle of water in his car, kept there in the evening. He removed the water jug from the car and drank a cup of water to steady his nerves. But he badly needed shots of stimulating brandy to revive him. He may collapse at any time!

“Oh my dear son!”

he was rattled again by that hoarse voice within the next few minutes. He was sure he heard the voice very near him. He almost fell on the road, gathered himself and started running away from the corpse once again. He had the heart in his mouth while running and he clearly heard his heartbeats. After having run foolishly for a few minutes, he stopped and looked back over his shoulders with narrowed eyes. Even in that dim moonlight he could see that crumpled body lying there like a pocket of beans.

“Relax!” he told to himself, heaved a sigh and started counting one to twenty a bit loudly. He stood there like a coward to draw breath. He understood clearly.

“It is a punishment!” Dragging him out of the sweet bed and tossing him up and down in that road again and again!

He recalled the incidents of that night and felt he should have reached his mother in time to help her. He avoided helping his mother when she needed him most!  A punishment had been imposed on him to stand guard for a dead body in the dead of night! An unknown calmness descended on him since he had realized his mistake.

He went near his car once again, this time without fear, removed his mobile phone and started calling his wife. The moon had by then come out of the cloud and was brightly shining on the corpse. The breeze appeared extra ordinarily cool and benevolent. He could hear with happiness the whines of an approaching ambulance from a distance. To add to his joy his wife’s reassuring “hello!” came live on his phone.

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