He took the packet and felt it between the palms. It was something he was contemplating for long. The music was loud enough to turn you deaf. The volume of the music changed with the opening and closing of the doors. Sometimes a scream of joy, a loud laughter or a crowd singing the chorus of the song caught his attention, but he stayed out. He preferred the darkness of the staircase. He took a long breath and rolled out the foil and pressed it flat. He caught his reflection in the mirror on the wall as he glanced around and was startled for moment, till he realised it was him. The beard was a month old and he had forgotten the last time he had a haircut. The eyes were red with the tears that had flowed and the dark circles were a give way about the insomnia that had crept in for so long.
He drew neat lines on the foil with the powder. He took his time to adjust them so that they all looked equal. He closed his eyes and memories came flooding. The accident, the death, the sorrow, the blame game and the guilt that he lived with. He was the only one sober and driving the car while the rest of them were high and maybe too drunk to notice the car that came and hit them. He survived, the others did not. Drunken driving, the cops said. Not him, but the other guy who caused the accident.
“Sniff it and the powder takes you to a world where you want to be”, the friends had said. Would he be able to recreate the world he lost?
He bent down and sniffed in the lines one by one. Sorrow. Tears. Reconciling. Peace. Calm. Happiness. Laughter. Seven emotions with every breath he took. 7 seconds was all it took to take him to a world he wanted.
He opened his eyes and saw his friends in the crowd. He smiled. He didn’t want the illusion or the emotions to end. Just as he gained the moment of bliss, the music changed and he heard the song they all would love to sing….
It’s not a second
7 seconds away
Just as long as I stay
I’ll be waiting
It’s not a second
7 seconds away
Just as long as I stay
I’ll be waiting…
I am taking part in the WriteTribe Festival. This is my entry for Day 2.
The pain of loss and the guilt of surviving!
Amazing… Sad and tragic and lonely but written very well!
Thank you!
Amazing how he experienced so many emotions. That stuff worked pretty quick. Brilliant write. I experienced it with him through your words.
Kathy
http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com
Intriguing…beautifully written..loved reading…I was engrossed in it and wanted to read more
keep writing 🙂
you can check out my post here:-
Karan – Grand Mother
Thank you for stopping by! Stopped by your blog too, lovely post for your grandmother. I miss having mine 🙁
It’s one of the best short stories I read for the challenge. At times, it looks disturbing but no judgement on the accident or who to be blamed.
Cheerz:)
Thank you and am glad that you commented because I was trying to reach you yesterday. Wanted to leave a comment on your post but was unable too because it took me to YOUR login and asked for a password to leave a comment. I am not sure if it was a technical glitch.
Loss and guilty are some strong emotions!
Good one 🙂
Thank you!