Six Lives

One of the six short stories based on six emotions. This one depicts anger.

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Trust is a thin thread amongst allies
And allies are usually treated with lies
With every other decision a fool takes
Thinks of himself or herself  being wise

In a group of ten people in a village out of which nine say that Swine flu is caused because of pigs, and they do speak the truth. One such speaker of truth when moved to another city was confronted by nine other people who spoke “the truth” as they claimed: Swine flu is caused by birds and so the speaker from village started to judge his decisions to the point that he went crazy. India is a country of diversity with “speakers of the truth” coming from all cultures and background and we are also the people who are not untouched by the reality and in the process of being reality-touched some of us end up being insane. Versatility within diversity, unity though mutiny. This does not have to end here. Philosophers ask; Who are we? Where do we come from? What will/ have become of us? But the common has only one question: Whom do we trust?

A man woke up in a messy room of a local motel near the new highway leading to Agra only to be confronted by two spirits he saw in dreams and now for real. Dumbfounded, he rushed to wash his face only to see the two spirits still standing behind him. He rushed back to the room but he could not see the door to leave anymore or the windows for the same matter. It was as if he were packed in a cabin of wood and so he sat calmly on the floor shaking to the bones and perspiring through every pore. Seeing his condition the first spirit of Anger spoke:

Three lives you have to take but six in turn will be on row
Each for the common good so choose wisely your foe

The second spirit of Tranquility further spoke:

Six lives you have to save by sparing only three
The only common good that there is, is the way of humanity

The man gave his trust to the first spirit and thus turned to blood. With blood in his eyes and revenge in his thoughts, he could see everything now in fire. He packed his knife and went to the home of the merchant in darkness. While the merchant slept the man rushed the knife through merchant’s heart while muffling his scream, and thus one life was taken and five were destroyed (the family of the merchant). The merchant embezzled the man’s money that he earned through a life-time of hard work.

The man then went to the home of the nymph and murdered her. She, the devil, who took away his son from him only to ruin the son’s life for another man. The boy committed suicide compelled by both the loss of love and dwindling economic condition. The man’s wife went crazy. This was an act of rage. There is always more to situations then personal vendettas.

The man was from an upper caste. The police got the wind of these actions and so the man ran. He ran as far away as he could but he could not escape from the guilt. There was rage and then there was fear. The man trusted the wrong spirit. The man could only take one more life and so he jumped into Gangas for he could not swim. He knew the truth all along and he couldn’t save six lives, for he couldn’t trust himself and let the spirit of Anger sway his decision. As he sank to the bottom of Ganga he saw the spirits sinking with him too.

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