Cremation Ground (standard:other, 1381 words)
Author: Shamoil Ahmad	Added: Jun 07 2010	Views/Reads: 3451/1899	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Based on growing terrorism.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


‘’What is the meaning of living like this...?’’ 

‘’And what is the meaning of dying like this...?’’ 

We looked at one another. 

An itching dog was sleeping under an electric pole hiding its face into
its lap. Suddenly some life became discernable in a building. A window 
flung open. Someone spat out from the window and the window closed. The 
dog looked up towards the window and again dozed off. Atmosphere had 
suddenly become tensed. Wind was blowing gingerly and the leaves that 
had fallen from trees were changing their side   like a pain-stricken 
patient. Armored vehicle in which the king’s men were making round of 
the city and sometimes appear to be close by and sometimes far off. 
Constant screeching sound of the vehicle was adding to the dreadfulness 
of the atmosphere. 

Suddenly he stopped, looked all about himself as though terrified and
ultimately he rested his cadaverous eyes onto me and when he put his 
vacillating hand on me, I shuddered...it gave me an eerie sensation. 

‘’How ugly is this ...the terror stricken two of us...?’’ 

‘’Are we fighting against death...?’’ 

‘’Every moment and every minute we are begging for life from death...and
there is the difference between the two.” 

Then all on a sudden he tightened his grip on my arm and said. 

‘’Do you know what happens when death spits life on your face.../” 

I was looking at him in both dread and amazement. Then for a while, he
looked into the void as he said. 

‘’This is what has happened with me...I too was aboard that ill fated
bus. Everything happened very suddenly. The bus had stopped at a 
turning and there they were aiming their guns at us...I had crouched in 
my seat. They were emptying their bullets into sundry heads. The death 
was right in front of me and I was crouching under my seat begging of 
life from the accosting death...and it spared me ...rather it spat life 
on my face and went away...they did not happen to see me...’’ 

‘’Why don’t we leave our place.’’ I said in trepidation. 

‘’What difference it will make.’’ 

‘’Then...?’’ 

For a while he peeped into my eyes. 

‘’Does it not occur to you that the man who just died over yonder is
none but you...?’’ 

I remained silent. 

‘’You won’t understand...because you are one of those who talk of
leaving the place.” 

I threw an acerbic smile as I said. 

‘And how about the killer...? Is he any different from us ?’ 

‘Ah...!’’ He went silent out of sheer exasperation. 

‘’This is the basic difference my friend...the basic difference...” 

‘’Then...?’’ 

‘’Then what...?’’ 

‘’What should we do.../’’ 

‘’What can we do ?’’ 

“ And the king...?’’ 

‘’What the king also can do...?’’ 

‘’Yes, indeed...! What the king also can do...!’’ he murmured softly 

‘’Perhaps our side of the sky will ever remain ruddy like this.’’ 

‘’And the snakes will keep flying in the air.’’ 

‘’And the environment will continue to be polluted with the smell of
gunpowder...’’ 

‘’And the king’s men will continue to patrol in an armored vehicle. ‘’ 

‘’We are the ugliest people on the earth.’’ 

‘’People in perennial trepidation...’’ 

‘’Every moment...every minute beseeching death to grant life...’’ 

‘’When shall our turn  come...?’’ 

‘’our turn...?’’ 

Suddenly he looked me in intense surprise and then his face registered a
vitriolic smile. 

‘’It could come any moment...it could be right , right here...this is a
cremation ground...here each one of us is waiting for his turn..’’ 

Suddenly a vehicle was seen coming our way. There were two passengers
aboard. When the vehicle stopped near us I was crestfallen. Guns were 
hanging down their shoulders. I was at my wit’s end...it appeared they 
were now going to aim at us. My blood pressure increased...and my heart 
began to pound heavily...throat had perched dry . In this moment of 
terror I igt appeared to me for a while that I was melting and physical 
self was undergoing a metamorphosis and that I was beginning to look 
like a camel’s knee... 

Then there was an explosion and a bullet raced past me. I scampered away
to a distance...then there was another explosion and the man with the 
face of a camel’s knee... 

Dead body had been carried away. The blood that had spilled there with
the fading sunrays falling on it presented the sight of some fresh 
pieces of lever. The crowd had begun to disperse...shutters had begun 
to be pulled down. Then someone softly placed his hand on my shoulder 
and said. 

‘’He couldn’t have been a relation of yours...was he ...? 


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