Act Of God

He was not able to tell why but that night seemed to be distinctly dark and the fog was so dense that it almost felt like the clouds have come down to earth.The wind was whistling through his ears which were left uncovered in that winter night.Dhruv was feeling uncomfortable walking through the Chat street which would usually be heavily crowded but was completely empty that day as the curfew was still on.

Dhruv amazed everyone when he took the slip from the nurse’s hand and left the hospital room silently where his father was resting after a major heart surgery; but now he needed another small makeup surgery and his bloodgroup was a rare one.The blood bank was only a street away but no one dared to step out as the riot was on its full rage and the curfew was on.But Dhruv had no other options. 

He was shivering when he walked down the stairs because he had witnessed the brutality of riots yesterday when a group of people arrived from nowhere and started slaining people because their leader,a local politician, was murdered by people from another sect. Dhruv managed to reach hospital safely where his father was admitted. Usually Dhruv never liked to be alone but today he was relieved to see the street empty.

 He had reached halfway down the street when he heard a groaning sound. He walked towards the source of the sound.It was coming from a dark opening in the street side that seemed to be a small garbage dump.

But Dhruv was startled when he saw a lady,half naked and brutally bruised,her left leg missing, lay there on a large dark spot on the ground.It was the pool of blood that had dried up. The woman wasn’t moving. She struggled as she moved her finger,trying to point something.

It took no time for Dhruv to understand that the almost 2 year old child that was hiding in the dump was her kid.The kid was unusually pale,silent and expressionless, undoubtedly because of the shock.Dhruv quickly bent over to lift the lady up. He started walking back to the hospital with the lady over his back.The child followed him silently.His focus was completely on the hospital gate which was at the far end of the street.




But Dhruv’s attention was suddenly broken when a roaring sound hit his ear drum.It was like waking up from a nightmare.But the nightmare wasn’t over yet.The sound was from the fierce group of people who looked quite intent to get their hands on the only figure of life that appeared on the streets. Dhruv collected all his strength and paced towards the gate ….but the weight of the woman was too much for a 15 year old boy to carry.The crowd was approaching like a wave that is eager to wash up the shore.Dhruv had to make a decision.He had 3 lives on stake…the child, the woman and himself. The securitymen guarding the hospital entrance were hoping the boy to do all the work himself.

Suddenly, Dhruv left the woman down on the ground and started running.A surge of mixed emotions subdued his thoughts.

Guilt – yes, fear -yes, angry -yes, helpless -yes……………..but……..

Dhruv was sprinting towards the kid who was now walking in the opposite direction.He rolled over the ground and grabbed the kid and started running towards the hospital.He was almost there when something hit him on the back.It was an axe , stuck right on his hip.He cried in agony and slipped on a rail at the hospital’s main gate.But before falling down he had swirled the kid towards the gate where the ‘BRAVE’ security men grabbed the kid.

Dhruv felt a breeze of cold air over his face amidst the clanky sounds of swords.He saw his father smiling down on him.He heard the clanks turn into a mysterious lullaby. The street was empty again.But it was not the same street anymore, it had witnessed  an act of God.