Tranquil.
The whole world rests, sleeping off their anxieties, worries, slipping into the world of dreams. The only sounds heard in the room are mundane ticking of the clock, as if screaming to compensate, for the lack of attention during the day. Eyelids, feel heavy and close, extinguishing the last sources of light. Ears get used to the sound of the heart beats. The breathing is dampened. Guile leaves the face. Push open the gates of the dream world, expecting them to move over noiselessly.
Clang!
What in Heavens could possibly interrupt this fascinating sequence of events, that hitherto always went unnoticed ! Did the gates of dreams break? No, impossible. It must be Earth. Have the zombies woken up to take over the night? Has Dr. Doom mistaken this day to be Dec 21 2012? Saner thoughts rush in. Is someone breaking in? Fear heightens and tinges the thoughts, expecting the very worst possible. Has the laptop on the bed jumped to meet its end on the floor? WHAT IS HAPPENING?
Wake.
Open eyes very reluctantly. The body feels heavy and immobile as the muscles slowly awaken. Climb down from the bed and move towards the door, dragging the reluctant self to open the bedroom door. Dull light in a distance hits the eyes and a waft of burnt smoke tickles the nose. Oh! God! Is it fire? The very thought opens the flood gates of adrenaline and sends it gushing into the blood stream. Pupils dilate to reveal a dim hazy kitchen in smoke with utensils strewn about. Muffled cough in the background.
TRING!!
The fire alarm has tripped and the strobes of light are blinding. The cough is drowned in the wails of the alarm, screeching for help. The security phone starts ringing. NO! This is not happening. Whatever sanity is left refuses to believe that sleep is now broken and is being battered out of existence, caught by the scruff of the neck and rudely thrown back into the world of the real.
Anger.
Who or what has spoilt the beautiful night? Guilty MUST pay! Eyes slowly adjust to the surroundings. A huddled figure in the corner, trying to suppress a cough with a spatula in hand. Everything becomes as clear as the day.
A voice in the head yells, “You are at it again!!!!”
To be contd ...
