DEATH STOOD BESIDE ME

From the moment we're born. We are in a sense, dying and the sooner we realise how impermanent this life is, the less entangled we'll get in superficial things that bring pain in our hearts. The only certainty in life is death.

The poor dies, so does rich, so does cruel men and so does priests.

This story is about my loyal friend DEATH. We are made to think of death as a negative aspect of nature. Only if people were any nicer to each other, death would have been much appreciated.

Suppose when a person turns 20, they are given the opportunity to choose how many more years they want to live. However the shorter life chosen the more enjoyable it is and vice-versa. So if the person chooses the later one, will he not be happy if death takes him? So basically its all about how enthusiastically you spend your time.

Hey, my name is Ibra. I just turned 13. I am kind of a curse to my family, on the day of my birth, my father died in a car accident. Later my mother married a drunkard name Shinoy. In the starting he was really nice to me but after the marriage every thing is changed. Both of them are drunk most of the time and I think the poison human chooses in his life has the most impact on people around him and unfortunately I am the charming curse of this family. The first time he hit me was by accident but the next time and the next and the rest of the times he just felt like hitting something, so he just did. I cried and tried to fought him but tiny fingers doesn't throw a strong punch, I suppose. My mother was there covered in her own puke, too drunk to even notice that her child is soaked in blood. I think she saw him hitting but ignored it. Hallucinations is greater than parenting, you know.

The sound of the key turning in the lock after he had been at the pub all day on a Sunday filled me with dread. It was around new year when I accidentally broke his vessel. I literally peed my pants, when I heard him coming downstairs. Sometimes I think what if all of this is just a dream, my father turned left that night, he was there in the hospital holding his child in his arms and 13 years later we are celebrating my birthday, my whole family.

But then it would have made god jealous, so its fair that I have a few rough days in my pocket. But I promise you as a narrator, this story has a good ending not happy but good, at least for me.

After a year I became his slave and he was my master. I go to school and after coming from school I did all his works. Sometimes he is sober enough to let me go and the rest I had to face him. I don't know if my mother was ever in a state of mind to think that whether she was happy with him or not!

She tried to save me from him a few times but then he hits her and if I have to choose between her and me getting hit I might choose me then. Its not about love, its just that to look someone getting all bruised up is more harsh than actually getting hit.

I passed my fifth standard and now we have to choose among French and Latin, so I chose Latin. I went to library, there I found few books on Latin literature but in the corner there was this one black covered book with a title called "INVOCARE" and under it was written summoning death. I took the book. Shinoy was gone for a week, so I read the book peacefully .There was this quote in that book

GOD WAS HERE, ON THIS EARTH,

AND SO WAS DEATH.

Many people started believing in death but death himself doesn't wanted to be believed in, so he betrayed his worshippers and turned them on god's side. He wanted men to be afraid of him rather than being worshipped. But I think death was always there in the corner, in every moment of your life hoping that you'll meet him now and accompany him in his loneliness.

I decided to try a custom from the Latin book I took. As Shinoy was out and ma was as usual sleeping, I took the book and went to the roof. There is this ritual where you can call death, I did as it was said. After reciting those prayers for several time, it started annoying me. I came back to my room.

I tried to turn the lights on but it was not working. Somebody was standing there in the dark but I was not able to see his face, and then suddenly he whispered what do you want? I don't know why but I was not afraid of the dark or the fact that some stranger was standing in my room. I suppose people around me were much scarier than the darkness. He again whispered you summoned me, what do you want?

HOLY SHIT, he is death. I asked him to help me but he strictly denied it.

He said he can't make any verdict or action against anyone, he can't be bias to anyone otherwise whats the difference in god and death? And how can I dare to argue with death so I just asked him, do you know about my situation? he replied only god doesn't watches you all, I also do. Yes I know about yours.

I asked him many questions. I asked him, when will Shinoy die? He didn't reply. I asked about my death and again he stood still. So after many questions I made him promise me that he will appear whenever I really need him. He will not help me as per his code but he will just stay with me there. I know its strange and weird but yes death is my friend now.

Shinoy was back from his trip. As usual he got drunk and if I did anything not suitable as per him he would hit me. But at least now someone was there to sit beside me and talk. I talked with death for hours and hours. Have you ever seen the scariest creature in the most humble situation? That's what it was like. I never saw his face or body but I could feel him and I was way more comfortable with him than anyone else on this earth. So many times I cried in front of him and he always said believe in karma. Verdict will be made.

One day I asked him can you ever die and if you die, who will take you soul? He said, can god ever die? We are siblings, we are given the same power, we are immortals. Its just different perspective of power that made us god and death.

I saw a poster at my school, child care number was mentioned in it, I noted it down.

One late night Shinoy came from a pub. He asked me to pour him a glass of water and told me to turn the t.v on. I gave him the glass, turned on the t.v and passed him the remote, but the batteries were dead and that made him angry. He started abusing and then hitting me. He dragged me to the stairs and then he pushed me. Blood started pouring out from my head, ambulance was called. They took me in, doctors were told that I fell from the stairs while playing. I was too afraid and weak to tell anyone anything, so I kept sleeping, so did my mother.

When I was released from hospital and brought back to home, I took the phone and called the child care number. I filed a complaint from a anonymous name. Around evening some people came from NGO and started inspecting. Shinoy was out so my mother called him, they argued for hours Shinoy knew that if they find out what's going on he will be in great trouble. Those people gave him the phone number from which complaint was filed. They threatened him that they will come on surprise inspection and left.

I knew Shinoy will kill me if they left without me, so I ran and hid in the closet. He became furious, started shouting and throwing all my stuff. My mother tried to calm him down but he pushed her badly and started running to my room, I was damn scared, I started summoning death but he didn't come. He betrayed me just like his worshippers. I put clothes in my mouth so he could not find me from my heavy breathing. He comes to my room all shouting and abusing, I was watching him from the crack in the corner of the closet.

Suddenly he slipped and fell on my train set and everything just stopped. There was pin drop silence, he was not moving. Blood started coming out from his chest but I was still too afraid to come out from the closet. After few minutes my mother comes and started screaming and crying. He is dead. He fell on the needle side of the train set. Finally I opened the closet and I saw the death of ugliest human being. On the left of his body there was this thing written by my word scramble _-

VERDICT HAS BEEN MADE MY FRIEND.