Chapter 1: The Awakening
I was woken up as usual by the sunlight that falls straight on my bed through the balcony. It was around half past six in the morning, a cold breeze which is usual in the month of Feb was entering my room through the balcony which opens to the garden behind my two-floor house built-in the center of 5000 sqft plot that I bought on the outskirts of Bhopal few years back. Far from the noise and pollution of the city I find this place a nature’s heaven. Fewer plots have sold up in the past since I bought this property and our nearest neighbor is Mr. Singh, who lives some 600m down the lane.
The back of my head was aching a bit presumably due to lack of sleep I get due the late night work I carry out at my home. Giving no further thoughts to the pain in the back of my head I decided to keep lying a few more minutes before I give in myself to the daily chores.
Lying down in my bed I could hear the birds chirping a morning song sitting of the branches of neem tree adjacent to the balcony of my room. I stood up in the balcony, as I often do, to feel the morning fresh air and to see how beautiful my garden has grown.
I am a nature’s lover and have invested lot of time and labour in gardening 18 variety of rose, differing in colour, smell and sizes. The month of Feb has blessed me for my hard work, giving splendid look to my garden. Different colour flowers are blossoming each day and I particularly like Black Lady rose which becomes darker as the winter progresses.
Since last week, as my wife and daughter, Rabia and Saira, have gone to Lucknow for the marriage of Rabia’s cousin, I spent most of my early morning in my balcony soothing my eyes with the nature’s blessing.
I didn’t realised how much time has passed until I heard the knock on the door of my room. It was 7:30 am, its time when Amina bring bed tea to my room. Amina has been living with us since her husband passed away in her late thirties, survived by a son, Amir, who is now working in Dubai. He has told her to settle in a new house, of course he would be paying the rent, but owing to her old age and long relations with my family not to mention the loneliness she will have in her new house, she has decided to live with us only, till her son returns to the city and settles here.
Being in my thoughts I forgot to grant her permission to enter, I heard the knock twice. “Come in please, Amina”. Sitting in the balcony was having my back facing the door and I heard the door, which open straight to my bed, opened up with a creaking sound. Entering the door, I heard Amina saying “Good Morrr……” and it changed to a loud scream along with the falling of tea-tray. I turned toward her to ask her about the scream but I found her skin colour gone pale. Her mouth was still open from the scream she made and was shivering, fixed at the entrance of my room. Her eyes were still and frozen in the direction of my bed.
I followed her gaze to my bed and the scene filled me with horror. On the left side of bed lay a man whose blood has completely soaked in the white bed sheet. When I turned my view from the body to the face of the dead man I was completely shocked.
“How can that be?” “How in the world it can happen?” “ Its impossible” thoughts floated in my mind.
It was me..the man on my bed… I am dead…
–END–
