Ressurection

I still remember the day, I met with an accident, while riding my bike. I was rushing past a line of vehicles stranded on the National Highway. I enjoyed speeding in excess of eighty kilometers an hour on my bike. Just as I had cleared the line of vehicles, I further twisted the throttle, for I knew, the road was completely clear then. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a large bull came running towards me. It had been chased by another bull after being defeated in a brawl, that had blocked the traffic so long, about which, I was completely unaware. I hardly had any time to respond. I couldn’t even apply the brakes before the bull hit my bike with a half a ton of brute force. I was flung off my bike because of the impact, and made to land on my back on the hard divider of the road. I lost consciousness instantly.

When I woke up, I was in the I.C.U. of a hospital. I asked for some water as my throat felt completely dry. A nurse moistened my lips with a soaked sponge. When I asked for more, she simply put her index finger on her lips, indicating me to keep silence. I knew I could get no more. I tried to look around, but, something in my back didn’t allow me to turn. I was then overcome with sleep. The next time when I woke up, I was being wheeled along the corridor of the hospital on a stretcher. Four attendants picked me up from the stretcher and placed me on a bed.

An excruciating pain shot up my back as it came in contact with the linen on the bed. As the pain subsided, I looked around and found my mother sitting beside me. Her serene face told me a lot. She didn’t speak to me immediately, lest tears might flow down her cheeks. She only stared at me in apprehension. Since, I was unable to keep my head turned towards her any longer, I bade her come near me. She placed her right hand on my chest, and said, “How are you feeling now?” I tried to utter something, but, no sound came out. It was only then that I realized that my vocal chord had been rendered inactive by the accident. My eyes welled up with tears. I tried my best to control them, but, the more I tried the more I cried. I knew, if I cried, my mother would feel the greatest pain. But, I couldn’t fight them back. That’s when I saw, how strong my mother was. She wiped off my tears and said, “You shouldn’t cry, my son. What has happened, has happened. But, there is still hope. I have spoken to the doctor. He has said that your vocal chords can be rectified later, but, at present, your broken ribs need to be healed. So, don’t cry. Prepare for the first step. The next step will come up in course of time”. 

After all my medications were over in six months, I was to be released from the hospital. I waited for my mother to come and take me. But, surprisingly, she did not come. She had come to me the previous evening, when my speech therapy was successfully carried out. I sat there expecting her to turn up any moment. She had come to meet me every day. She had given me hope. It was only her inspiration, that had kept me alive. I had never known her to be so strong prior to my accident. She would be trembling with fear whenever the doctor injected a syringe into my veins. I was astonished by her strength and resolve after my accident. But, why hasn’t she turned up yet?

I was sitting in the lounge of the hospital, thinking of her. The receptionist was attending to other people. There were many people moving about restlessly in the lounge. I was feeling tired. Suddenly, I saw my mother at the gate of the hospital. I almost stood up with joy. But, my health wasn’t strong enough to support my legs till then. I swayed a little and fell flat on the ground. My eyes blacked out. I woke up in my mother’s lap. She was slowly caressing me. When I looked up at her, she was smiling. I spoke with a little stammer, “Shall we go home now?” She said, “Of course, my son! You shall go home and face the world. Be strong and considerate. Do not be hasty”.

I looked up at her and said, “I don’t have any fear, when you are there with me”. She smiled and got up. “Where are you going?” I asked. “Home”, she said, and started walking towards the door of the reception. With unsteady steps, I followed her. Then, I saw her rising in the air. I too felt myself light and feathery. I also started rising into the air along with her. Both of us reached a beautifully decorated gate. She turned back at me just before entering it, and waved her hand in a gesture of farewell. I didn’t quite understand her indication. I was awestruck. Why is she behaving in this manner? Then she entered the gate, which closed behind her. My hitherto light body turned heavy and the pain in my ribs returned. Once again, I found myself in the reception lounge. I was on the ground, and the hospital staff were all upon me. They were resuscitating me. Someone called out, “Look! His eyes are opening”. Someone heaved a sigh of relief. Someone ordered for the stretcher. There seemed to be a pandemonium all around me. I was lifted onto a stretcher. I recognized someone by my stretcher. Yes, that was my brother, who stays in the United States. He looked at me with swollen eyes. I passed out once again.

When I regained consciousness, I was still in the hospital bed. My brother was standing beside me. I looked at him, and asked with a stammer, “When did you come?” He looked at me with moist eyes. I asked, “What is the matter? Why are you crying?”

He told me everything. My mother had died of a cardiac attack, the moment she heard the news of my accident. The neighbors had called my brother, telling him of the double tragedy that had befallen him. So, he had to rush home, to see me.

I was crestfallen. What is this? I saw my mother clearly for so many days when I was hospitalized. If she had died, how could she come to me and strengthen my nerves? What was the meaning of the gate that she entered into? Was it the gateway to the other world? I do not know the answers. But, I clearly understood what my mother wanted to tell me, when I had followed her till that Gateway. She wanted her son to be strong enough to face the hardships of the world alone. She knew, I was not matured yet. But, her interactions with me in the hospital certainly brought a massive change in me. I, no longer was the same haughty brain that I had been so long. I changed myself completely. I needed to satisfy the soul of my mother. I couldn’t hurt her feelings, her hopes and aspirations about me. I folded my hands and prayed to God, that I may be able to fulfill the last wishes of my dear mother.