On 16/9/2013
With the creepy feeling and suffocating with heat, I woke up
and check the time and it was 2:09am. To get a better
access of the slow-motion fan of maximum turned speed, I planned to sleep on
the floor with the assistance of the thin bed sheet. I was about to sleep when
roommate said “Tshering, toilet jo gay.” We went and came back.
I was about to sleep on the floor when she suggested that I
can sleep on her bed and she will sleep on my bed with my friend (by the way I
had a friend who came for a sleepover). Liking the idea of not having to sleep
on the merciless hard floor, I lay on her bed.
I closed my eyes and felt little unusual sleeping on the
other’s bed but without caring I tried to get sleep. Sleep seems miles away and
my mind started wandering all around and finally got stagnated on the movie I
watched on Saturday (The Conjuring (2013) -latest horror movie.) The movie wasn’t
that scary but realistic and relatable with the daily happenings.
I crossed my fingers and scolded myself to think something
pleasant. At some extent I succeeded but again the images from the movie
started popping out. I tossed left and right with the hope that I will be able
to fall sleep with the change of direction. I was about to drift into the
little subconscious state when I heard a loud bang on the door. I got alert
with the shudder.
Mastering the every ounce of my courage (I believe there
wasn’t much left), I woke up to inspect what is happening. I switch on the
light and found that we haven’t latched the door (we because I don’t remember
who came last after going to the toilet). I latched it and made my bed on the
floor and slept near them (even two meter distance seem very far).
I laid on the floor, saw cupboard at the diagonal edge of
the room triggering the scene from the ‘The Conjuring’ where the ghost jump
from the cupboard and attacked the victim. I held my breath, closed my eyes and
tried to divert my thoughts. To despair, hallucinated the shadows moving and
heard the clear crack of the door and heard clear footsteps in the corridor (I
knew someone was going to the toilet at that moment but…..)
I moved to my bedside and without trying to wake my friend I
held her hand, being a light sleeper, she woke and asked “Hang awa ya?” (“What
happened?”). “Menang ophu mala, young
kheyna. Gadang gae” (I am scared and I can’t sleep, give me your hand.) I
answered. She dozed off after giving hand. I held it tight as if promising to
never let it go.
Holding a hand definitely helped me but sleep was far away.
It was useless, so I stopped fighting and let my mind wander in the desired
direction. I don’t know how long I stayed like that (seemed pretty long), my
friend Sonam waked and asked “Oma bu ma yeb chin mo?” and I said no.
I thought of calling mother but I discarded the idea as I
wasn’t a child anymore. My thought shifted to the similar incident when I was
in class 10, I couldn’t sleep that night. I pinched my little sister who was
sleeping with me to make her wake up, she flinched but it was futile relying on
her. I called “Ama, Ama…oh Ama” who was sleeping in the adjacent room. “Hang
ya?” she answered, “Menang ophu mala.” I said. “Baza guru drang ne yebcho.” I
chanted holy mantra and tried to get sleep for a while but it was hopeless. After
some time, I again called mother and this time she came to my room and slept
next to me. She asked what happened and I said I am not able to sleep as
someone had died in the locality. She asked me to think something pleasant and
try to get some sleep. She hugged me, I believe it was magic of mother’s love
as I slept shortly after that.
I missed mother and wished she was here with me at that
moment, with a sigh I pretended that she was here hugging me tight and
asking me to sleep. Assuring me that she is always there for me, I knew morning
wasn’t that far but finally I dozed off. Shortly after, I felt it was that not
more than 10 minutes or more, I again the heard constant knock on the
door. Reluctantly I woke up and opened
the door and saw my friend next door asking us to wake up. They woke up but I
slept on my bed and my roommate said “Tshering wake up, we have morning assembly
today.” To my rescue, my friend Sonam said “Let her sleep, she slept in the
early morning only.” Thanking her
mentally I slept again.
At 7:00 am sharp I woke up and
sighed “Thank God” It’s over, the longest night with the shortest sleep and
promised ‘No More Horror Movies’.
Not so long ago, there was this
timid girl who always hated the light because the moment the lights empowers
the world, her shadow followed her. She didn’t exactly hate the light but she
blamed the light for the appearance of her shadow. As she would describe the
ugly dark shadow of her, she hated the fact that shadow copied her every move,
she detested the fact that it reflects everything she does, she despised shadow
for a reason that it is an exact replica of her, she reviled the ugly truth that
it will never leave her alone until she leaves the world. She refrained from
doing anything with the fear that her shadow will copy. She punished the shadow by standing still;
she would stay in one corner hiding from her own shadow.
When the sun waves goodbye to
the day and submerged behind the farthest mountain, a girl’s smile beamed on
her face. Though her happiness was temporary, she would enjoy the moment in the
absence of her shadow. She loved her privacy, she loved her OWN time and she
wished that shadow will vanish forever from her life.
One beautiful day, she saw a
kitten chasing its own shadow, running and playing with it. Even with nobody around
kitten looked very contended and happy with the simple assurance that its
shadow is forever with it.
A girl looked at her own shadow
and saw a dark and thin shadow standing still with shoulder hung as if it has
been heavily loaded, as if it is carrying the whole world’s pain. “Oh my god!”
with the utter shock she covered her mouth with her little hand and saw shadow
doing the same. She became curious and moved right, the shadow moved right and
when she stops it stops, then she raised her left hand up and waved and saw
shadow doing the same. She jumped with the excitement and started dancing and
saw her shadow doing exactly the same.
That day a girl realized that
she wasn’t running away from her shadow but herself. Loved one might leave,
friends might betray, others might hurt but shadow will do no harm and stay
with you forever. Shadow plays when you play, laugh when you laugh, run when
you run, fly when you fly, dance when you dance and cry when you cry but never
leaves you even when it is dark, its just that you don’t see it. It stays with
you forever. From that day onwards shadow became her best friend and she
stopped running away from the shadow and herself.
And she lived happily ever
after.
THE END J J J
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| Photo Courtesy: Bing Images |
