A Journey In Odds

I'll be honest with you...

I didn't feel a thing that day.

They say when life's draining out of you, everything you ever did, your whole life will play before you, like a movie. But believe me, when I say this, it doesn't. All I could think was about my broken legs. It was so weird to watch them crippled like that. I tried to move, but my body refused. Lying there motionless, in that smearing of blood, I finally decided to give up.

It was my time.

............

Life as such has always been generous to me. I was born, slithering into the filthy waters of a slum, lost, and abandoned. I never knew my parents. But that was the last of my concerns. Like everyone there, I too was in the race of survival, a race to live against all odds.

Life in the slum wasn't as terrible as you would imagine. Everything I ever needed would come by, not in class or luxury, but It was enough to comfortably get by. But life had other plans for me.

I always felt left out. I was so invisible. Nobody here cared about my existence. I wanted to be known. I wanted my existence to mean something to someone, anyone. It wasn't going to happen in these slums, I realized.

That's when I decided to move out, out into the world. A world of which I've only heard stories of being merciless and daunting. A world, everyone I knew, was scared of. But I knew I had to take my chances.

.........

Things were different in the new world, I knew it instantly. From the very air I inhaled, to the people from whom I sought recognition, everything was different.

The air reeked of death, every breath burnt a hole inside me. People here recognized me too, but it wasn't the kind of recognition I wanted. The definition of existence was something else in this new world.

Everything I had heard about this world was true. It was merciless and it was daunting. I had made a mistake leaving behind what could've been the best possible life for someone like me. Realizations dawned upon me, but it was too late.

The first blow came hard, from behind, breaking my legs. I collapsed. There was a hole in my abdomen and blood was everywhere.

I'll be honest with you...

I didn't feel a thing that day.

They say when life's draining out of you, everything you ever did, your whole life will play before you, like a movie. I tried to move, but my body refused. Lying there motionless, in that smearing of someone's blood, I finally decided to give up.

It was my time.

..............

"Eww blood... Ma...look at this. I told you that the vaporizer repellent is of no good. Look at this mosquito I just killed...", shouted that little girl, "We should also get a mosquito bat. It's so much easier."