The Final Destination

I had left home. For good. It seemed that I had achieved what I longed for. I preferred the night as at this time, people are least able to distinguish between shadows, darkness and beings. I did not think much of my destination since my determination to flee was so strong. No! In no way could I stand bold and bring home my exam grades! Running away for good seemed a lot better...

I started walking down the lonely, silent lane with a bag full of crisps, nuts and other grubs which I could secretly collect, along with a bottle of water. 2 AM. I had no idea where I was going, but I had to go somewhere FAR. Far enough to hide and start a new life. I had no money, no clothes. It seemed foolish to walk with no security of life whatsoever. Yet, hiding seemed better than grades...

I suddenly realized that if I were to travel by train, I had to buy tickets. Again, was there any train which would leave the station at such an unearthly hour? If I was flabbergasted, it was only for a moment. I remembered railway tracks and a small station I had seen, in those days when I used to return late(10:30 pm)after daily tuition, hoping for good grades. It seemed more run-down and blocked, but it was a hope for me.

It took me longer than anything I had done before. My legs seemed to doubt my decisions every moment. But I raced on, through the deserted roads, right towards the run-down looking railway station. It was, well,' dusty'. It looked old, fragile and unkempt. Greenlight glimmered over the display board, which was obviously not displaying anything. The green light made things darker, through which, I could only make out the fact that the tin shed stretched for some 10 meters. The rest of the platform was open. The absence of bats and moths made me doubt the habitability of the place. There was no guarantee whether trains would come this way.

"It, perhaps, was used to go to the mines", my father had said, of course when we were on speaking terms.

"Ooh! It looks like an abandoned platform. It must have an obscure history", my know-it-all friend had said. But I assured myself, was there anything spooky here? Of course not.

Suddenly, much to my surprise, it came. Rattling and chugging, came the underlit train, black in colour. For a second, I wished not to board a train I had no tickets for, but the next second I saw myself seated in one of the coaches of the train. It was not mysterious. It had people dozing off, some were whispering while others were clearly ignoring my appearance. I took out a packet of crisps and started munching, as the train swiftly glided away from the platform.

After travelling wonderfully for an hour or so, the train stopped with a jerk. I looked out of the window but found only darkness all around. The faint light glimmering inside went off too. But I noticed that the usual murmur and tensed whispers, which is often seen when lights go off, was missing. People were extraordinarily silent. I could hear no breathing, no rustle of hairs, nothing! In the faint moonlight, I saw two men entering the coach. They were cloaked and unusually skinny. My heart gave a jolt. What if they were T.C.s?I had no tickets! I cursed myself for coming here. To add to the mystery, I did see them near me, but could not hear any footsteps.

"Why is it all dark?"I forced the words out.

"You would alight, join us in our vehicle and we will take you to your destination," said a deafening high-pitched voice.

"Why do you want me?",I asked.

Everything seemed more silent than ever. Everything seemed forgotten, finished, gone, dead.

Those men beckoned me to join them. As I moved out of the pitch dark passageway, I realized that it was filled with the odour of rotten human flesh. I was confused and thought it was best to join them. I got down, followed the men upwards, for it felt like climbing a slope. I could see nothing, but it strangely felt like a moor.

"Master has chosen you, this time. I hope you have realized", said that voice. I was too dumped to ask anything and my voice seemed lost.

It was a bumpy ride. Soon we reached a gateway and went in through the gates(I heard them creak). I got down from the vehicle(I could not see what it was, it might have been a cart), and entered the house. I followed the men through the hallway, which smelled of dead rats, pigeons gloom and sadness. There, I stood before a gigantic chair(I wasn't sure, it was all dark!)and gaped at it. A person was sitting there, for he spoke to me, but I could not see anything but a black silhouette figure.

"You know who I am?", he said.

"No!", it was me.

"You know why you're here?", he said.

"No!", me again.

"You were so tensed, ah! So tensed. You should have rested your brains. You have damaged it entirely!"

"What?"I said.

"Weren't you asleep, when this whim came to you, to leave home?"

"I thought I had successfully fled."

"Oh yes! You dreamed so. Now, listen. You will live here!"

"What? Why? How?", me the question bank.

"You will live here! (pitch raised)Now! Let go of your feelings, your desires. Everything is over."

"Why? Who are you?"

"You have entered the house of death. In your sleep. Let it sink now! You're dead! It would look to people like a...a..brain damage! Yes, you're dead!

And I wished so bad that someone would wake me up from my sleep. But no one did. It was the longest sleep of my life. I had indeed reached my final destination.