| Creative Writing Competition 2012 India | |
| CODE | 365 |
| SETTING | College Canteen OR Restaurant |
| OBJECT | Cell Phone |
| THEME | Remorse |
Social Short Story – The Man of Mystery…
The Man of Mystery… – Social Short Story
With the noises of hustling people fading quickly, and the colors now blurred around him, he walked away from the scene. Food no longer entertained the taste buds, and the aroma of coffee was now replaced by something bigger – and horrible…
He was a mysterious man. He never talked to a lot of people, although it was them who never approached him in the first place. He was always confined in the recesses of his room, and the company of solitude was all he ever wanted to enjoy. People called him a bookworm, so was evident from his results… He was always amongst the toppers. He was always associated with achievements. He was always victorious.
But he was an enigma.
At times, he would be so friendly but at other times, he would not even care. His tongue seldom moved to speak, yet his eyes were in constant motion, perceiving all the activity around him. He was always possessive about his belongings, but there was something he was most concerned about – his cell phone.
He never allowed anyone to touch his phone. And he was always seen typing something… Sure, he did not have a girlfriend. Then what was it? What was there in his phone? What was so secretive about it?
It is a well known fact that the more one hides the secret, the more the inquisitiveness about it develops.
It was all in vain. No one ever got to see his mobile. Until today…
Sid had his phone in his hands. The one thing that had always been a question was now all his. And gathering all the courage that was left in him, he pulled a chair, and unlocked the phone…
Navigating through the main menu, he reached the ‘Saved Messages’. There, unseen, unknown and unspoken rested a swarm of texts that he had ever written to the date…
06-01-20xx 21:51
My heart shattered into pieces. And my eyes now filled with tears. It is so easy for people to mock, but has anyone ever wondered how much it hurts inside?
I am an effeminate, and I was publicly ridiculed by my friends…
My heart crushed in an instant. All the happiness of the occasion vaporised. And all that remained was the ashes of my reputation…
I never came to know of this, how was I supposed to know? I never knew I walked like a girl. I never knew I had picked up the manners of a woman. Maybe that was because I had been in the company of women more often than men. But they so understand. They connect. Look at the men. Did they ever think twice about the cause of this? No. All they did was to mock. To have their part of fun. And leave me alone and wounded with the stark realisation.
I don’t know what more to do. It doesn’t even seem that my life has a purpose anymore.
24-01-20xx 20:34
I am lost. I am confused. I feel like I am paralysed… After they mocked me openly, everyone sees me with staring eyes. Every minute, every where, they observe me – they try to watch the scene to enjoy it.
How cruel of them to not even think of the one, who himself didn’t know earlier than them?
I don’t know how to walk – it’s as if I am a toddler once again… I don’t know how to put my steps – I don’t know how to move ahead. How to turn my legs, and my hands – it’s so complicated…
I look around for help. I observe people walking, and try to imitate them. But with little success. How do they do it? How did they learn to walk in such a manner?
I try to observe their actions, but it seems to be of little help.
All I want is to run away from here, and move to a new world. Where no one knows me, where no one would judge me from the beginning. Where I could have a new start…
Sid felt his heart sinking in his sorrow… How merciless the world is! To not even give a chance to improve – all they need is news. All they need is a good laugh. And for that, they are not even concerned about someone’s tears.
He scrolled down, skipping some texts, until a whole new series of them started up…
15 July 20xx
Finally I am free! I am in a new world, as I had always wanted. I had to fight with my parents to let me come here and live in a hostel. I had to study so hard to get a score that could help me come here. And I have… I have left the hell and entered the new dimension of my life… How happy I am – at least people will not judge me from the beginning. At least they won’t make me a subject of their mockery without giving me a chance…
I have changed so much, over the time. I have turned more masculine in my actions and my behaviour. But it’s still a long way to go. A part of me will never forget the pain they inflicted upon me while they made a joke out of me… Somewhere, I am still a bit effeminate… I have to work to get this right. But at least, I improved…
6 August 20xx
Once I was a carefree child, now a bound adult…
Seems like it’s never going to be good after all…
I got so much in my life… I got all reasons to be glad. All I didn’t get was pleasure… I got success in academics – but I am judged as a bookworm instead of an achiever; I am seen as an alien than a human… When I strived for success, no one told me this is what success gets you – the pride of family, but the ridicule of society? When I look up into their eyes, all I see is them judging me – every time, every instant, and in every possible way… Why do they make me feel like an outsider even when I am one of them?
11 September 20xx
The only dream I worked so hard for shattered into pieces.
Not even a sound, but noise all around. I see people contented at my failure… Why won’t they be? That’s what they wanted… Jealous of me all the time, and wishing for my failure. I guess being talented is also a curse – you get respect in front of you, but you are being disrespected behind the facades of showmanship. And then they ask me, “You won’t be having any problems in life… What do you not have?” The ones who try to break me come to console me when I’m shattered. As if I don’t know…
He gulped as he continued reading…
How guilty he was feeling now! To mock a person who had always assayed to be happy and keep others happy! How cruel of everyone to disregard the feelings of someone who always regarded others as his friends! With his heart beating faster than ever, he continued to read.
30 October 20xx
Gossips are all in the air. I came to know of some. And they were about me. People talk about me – those who hate me talk in all their might to make me look bad. Anyone who even meets me for the first time judges me from what he has heard – guess it’s a time when they trust their ears more than their eyes. And their eyes more than their instinct…
If only they knew what all I’ve been through – how much public embarrassment I have suffered, how many failures I have been through, how many taunts I have born…
But they don’t. and they wouldn’t even try to. They don’t even deserve to know how much I deserved and how much I didn’t get…
10 November 20xx
I am crushed again. Badly. And my pain is worse than ever.
They mocked about me talking like a woman. They made fun of my shirt, and from there, took it to all kinds of levels… I know it was a joke, but it revived all those memories of the past… This can never be healed. I can never be normal again. Because the burn marks will stay on even when the burn is healed…
Wherever I go, I am lonely. Achievements have nothing to offer but sympathy.
They separate me, and then blame me for being reserved. They don’t know, and they never will.
All they do is judge. Did they ever see beyond their prejudices?
No.
All they did was to speak – and not think. Establish and not care. Mock and not feel.
This has to end. And I see no better way.
Tears dropped down his eyes. His heart was filled was remorse. The mystery was no longer a mystery. He had suffered so much in life. Yet he himself mocked him at times. He never tried to understand why he was like that…
With the brook of salt rolling down his cheek, his remorse grew stronger every instant.
Why do people not see beyond their prejudices?
He stood up and searched in the crowded canteen. Then he walked up to the body, he held his hand.
With tears in his eyes, all he could say was, “I am sorry… I am really sorry…”
He was dead…
The mysterious man had killed himself.
__END__
