My Last Cigarette

A guy,named Mike was going home after completing his night shift,he was working in a law firm by the name”Pen time”.

He was waiting for the bus and decided to light a cigarette as the mercury had dropped very low.

As he was smoking,he turned his head around to check for the bus but could not find anyone else except the stray dogs and the traffic lights.

5 min later,

A man dressed in a brown overcoat and black trousers walked up to the bus stop.

“Has the bus for Nashville left?”he asked

“No Sir,you are on time”mike answered

“OK” said he and sat on the bench and placed his black bag on it.

Mike was now a bit relaxed as now he had someone to talk.

Mike finished his cigarette and accompanied the stranger.

The stranger was old, near about 40 years old and had a pale look and was frequently coughing.

He saw the stranger shivering as the fog has started to build up and again lit a cigarette

“Its cold, isn’t”Mike exclaimed refreshing the cigarette by throwing the ash.

The stranger nodded and smiled.

Mike offered him a cigarette and lit it for him

“Mike,nice to meet you”

“Nice to meet you too” said he taking a long puff

“So what do you do for a living?”asked Mike

“I am a short story writer” the stranger replied

“Oh great!”Mike exclaimed exhaling the smoke in process.

“I love stories, would you mind narrating a one please?”Mike requested

He was hesitant but agreed as Mike insisted.

“This one is too short but real” said the stranger and got up from the bench as he wanted to narrate it with gestures.

“Once there was a man,married,working in a mall,had kids but was an avid smoker.He could not resist smoking.He would spent a lot on those pipes,cigars and cigarettes and was slowly going bankrupt ,his wife left with the kids and now he was all lonely” he stopped and coughed for a moment

“Are you fine?”Mike asked

“I’m fine”replied the stranger ,took a deep breath and continued

“One day he was going home waiting at a bus stop and smoking as he always did.A man came up to him and asked

“Are you afraid of dying?”

“Everyone is” he replied

“Do you want to die?”The man did not liked this stranger and replied

“Excuse me!”

“If you don’t then why are you smoking?”

“The man did not considered the words of this stranger and went away as his bus arrived.

He went home laughing at the stranger and slept smiling.

He did not wake up the next. day,smoking had caused him his life.”

“That’s it?”asked Mike

The stranger nodded and coughed and in the meanwhile his bus for Nashville arrived

“OK see you,by the way, I didn’t catch your name”Mike asked.

“Alan Stanford” replied he and climbed in the bus and went away.

Mike did not like the story and was cursing the stranger to turn his mood off with a pathetic story.

He turned back to the bus stop and as he sat he saw an untouched cigarette,and recalled that he had given one to Alan and he himself lit it.

Later he dismissed the thought,thinking that it must have slipped out of his pocket.

“Oh” he cried on seeing the stranger’s black pouch on the bench.

On taking a closer look he found that it had a logo impressed on one of its side saying”World Square Mall”

He decided to search the bag in order to find something that could trace the address of Alan.

But as he opened the zip his bus arrived,he climbed it and went home.

He was very tired and had an early shift the next day so he retired for the day.

Next Morning

The alarm clock showed 6:00am.

Mike woke up healthy and fresh.

He went to the living room,and plugged in the t.v as he always did for some fresh news.

Reporter:A beheaded body was found near Nashville.. A bag was found near the body..

Mike was amazed to see the bag as it was exactly the same bag that he had picked up yesterday.

He rushed into his bedroom and opened the wardrobe. The bag was still there. He picked the bag and carried it to the living room.

He unzipped it and dug his hand deep inside and could feel something sticky  he took them out and they were stained with blood.

He immediately dropped the bag on the floor,and a head dropped tumbling.

It was the head of Alan Stanford

“ZAPP”.

I turn off the TV as the  as the movie was getting scarier

I was getting chills.

I bent forward and took a cigarette from the box and lit one.

As I was half way through the cigarette, i had a knock on my door.

“Whose this?” I asked,but no one replied.

I stood up and opened the door but could not find anyone on the other side.

I looked here and there but no one was there.

I felt a bit strange.

As I was closing the door a black bag came into my view.

It was small like a pouch.

I pressed it hard to feel what was inside.

I decided to open it as I knew Osama is already dead so no possible bombs here

I opened and found a classic pack of “Benson and Hedges”

I opened and was sad as there were no cigarettes inside but a folded paper

I was sure that someone had played a prank on me and this paper is the proof.

I opened the paper and it said

“Hi there,

How are you?

Fine I guess

I want to request you

Not to smoke anymore.

So I sent you an empty box in disguise so that you can read this.

-Alan

(P.T.O)

I could not get who was this Alan and why the heck he was playing with me.

I turned the page and it said

“Stanford”

I laughed in my head as someone was really playing with me

At the end of the note few lines were written,but were not in a good handwriting,but I tried and had the note and box fell on the carpet.

As it said:

Next time

“Don’t turn off your T.V dear”

I was amazed as I was the only guy in the room and how did this Alan came to know about this.

“Can it be the Alan from the movie? I asked myself

“No” I kicked myself saying it is just a movie.

I picked the box and the paper and stuffed them in the pouch and threw it out my door.

As I returned to my living room I was startled as…

 

A beheaded figure(as in the movie)was smoking my half cigarette.

__END__