THE SEPTEMBER NIGHT

The date was 7^th of September 2005. I had a very long day. College felt like it would never get over and the traffic on the way home was never-ending. I just wanted to reach home soon and fall on my bed. At last I reached home, heaved a sigh of relief and went to sleep. I do not know how long I slept. Felt like ages. And then I was up. I checked my phone, it was 2 AM. That’s when I heard the knocking at my door. It was 2 AM in the morning and there was someone knocking on my door.

I thought I imagined it and so tried sleeping again. The knocking resumed, this time louder. It was more of a desperate sort of thumping. I couldn’t imagine who would be at my door in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, I got up, put on my spectacles and went to the door. Then I thought about it once more, took out my knife from the drawer and opened the door, the knife ready to strike at possible upcoming danger. There was a man, probably in his 30s lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

For a moment I stood there transfixed. I had no idea what was going on. Then coming back to my senses I tried helping him up. I somehow lifted his limp body, brought him in and propped him on the sofa. I checked and felt a faint pulse, he was alive. That’s when I noticed the bullet wound. Someone had shot him in the stomach. I had to call the ambulance, soon. I tried calling all the ambulance services, but to no avail. None of them picked up. This man didn’t have much time. I had to do something fast. I decided against calling the neighbors for help. Just when thought of going out to look for a cab or an auto, I heard a guttural scream pierce through the night’s silence.

I turned back. It was him. He looked up at me with fear in his eyes. But it was only for moment. His expression of fear disappeared and he smiled. It was unlike any other smile I had ever seen. It was sinister, scary, that of a mad man. And in the next moment he did the impossible. He took out a gun and shot me in the leg before I could react. As the pain surged through my body, I fell. I heard another gun shot. I looked towards the man and saw that he had shot himself in the head.

I screamed like never before and woke up in my bed. It was all a dream. I checked my phone, it was 2 AM. And that’s when I heard the knocking at my door…