The rain had turned into a drizzle by the time I decided to leave. I ran through the light drizzle towards my car. The downpour had resulted in many puddles across the road and I was not successful in avoiding them. By the time I reached the car, my shoes had sucked in most of the water. I got into the car, removed my shoes and socks. As I started the car, the stereo blared out something loud. I shook my head back and forth as I started working on the pedals and wheel. It was nearing midnight and way later than I had planned. Sunday nights had to end by ten but this evening my insistent friend extended it 2 minutes to midnight.
The roads were empty this late on a Sunday night and it took only fifteen minutes to reach my apartment. I got out of the car and walked towards the gate. I searched for the key hole in the dark. I angled the lock towards the faint beam of light coming from a distant street light. It helped; I inserted the key and turned it but it did not go the necessary full circle. I tried again with similar results. I was getting desperate now. I continued turning the key insistently and forcefully. A few turns and curses later, the key completed the full circle and lock clicked open. I removed the lock and chain from the gate and pushed the rickety gates open. As the gates opened, the key fell out of my hand. I bent down to pick the key. When I looked up I saw one of the gates rushing back at me at alarmingly rising speed. I pushed my head back to avoid it, lost my balance and my backside hit the ground with a thud. As pain shot up my back, I heard dog coming towards me barking. When the dog reached closed by, it recognized me and started wagging its tail. I looked at it annoyed. It seemed to have a surprised look in its eyes. I shoo-ed it away and walked back to the car.
As I was driving into my usual parking spot I noticed that my neighbor's car was not parked in its usual spot. There was a dog lying there instead. I parked my car, got out and was walking towards my home when i remembered the dog. I turned around and saw that the dog had not moved a muscle. All the noise from the parking, opening of the door and banging it shut had no effect on it. I walked towards the dog to inspect. When i got close i saw that its eyes were only half closed and its mouth was half open. Though not an expert on the topic, I realized that it was dead.
A dead dog near my house was disturbing. I did not feel bad for the dog as I was going through a phase where death seemed a welcome change. I inspected the dog visually to find the cause of its death. I saw tyre marks close to its head but did not notice any injury. I looked around for clues but found none. I gave the dead dog a last look and walked towards my home.
Disturbing thoughts of a decaying maggot infested dog lying besides my house hounded me as i got into my bed. Even these thoughts could not keep me awake for long. But the sleep was not peaceful. I went through experiences that seemed real but were too absurd to be real. I remembered these distinctly when I woke up but now the details seemed to have slipped into some unreachable corner.
I woke up some time during the night due to some noise from outside. I heard people talking right outside my window. A few of them were crying and others howling. I got up and decided to find out what was happening. When I opened the door I saw that the street lights were still on and the sky seemed dark. I walked out of my door and saw a number of dogs standing around the dead dog. The talking stopped as soon as the dogs saw me. They stared at me with varying levels of passion.
Soon they ignored me and their focus turned back to the dead dog. Some lamented about its early demise. Others talked about the dog's acts of kindness. A few protested about humans being responsible for the dog's early death. I tried to say something but could not. I don't remember what happened next but think that the scene continued for sometime.
Nothing untoward happened but there was something very disturbing about it. Though the dogs were crying and talking there was a kind of terrifying quietness. Though it had seemed dark when i woke up, it was not exactly dark outside. Instead some light from the horizon made the thick clouds every where else red, orange and yellow. It seemed like a storm was about to blow in.
Like most nights I was relieved to wake up. Some days i remember my dream for a few minutes after waking up. But soon the memory fades and only a vague impression remains. But most of the days I feel relieved to get out of a dream.
I searched the web to determine how to get rid of the dead dog. I found the Corporation call center's contact. I called up and was attended to politely. They said some one will come by and clean up. Soon I met my neighbours who informed me that they found the dog dead in the afternoon. It seemed to have died naturally. They had informed the local corporation guy to clean up.
An hour later, I gave the dog a last look as I was driving out. I received a SMS from the corporation at around noon that the carcass has been removed. That evening I parked my car in peace. The dogs who ruled the streets went about their business as if nothing had happened. The dead seemed forgotten.
No comments:
Post a Comment