THE STORY OF LIFE | A 21ST CENTURY RAMAYANA

BLUE DOOM

Roaring blue sea, thundering black sky. It smelt, felt and yelled Doom.

Ram gazed upwards and the image of the white shreds of thunder reflected in his eyes. He blinked, hoping to see the sight disappear when he opened his eyes again.

But it didnt. The sight turned worse.

"Sir, move from there! Theres a boulder coming your way!" Pawan yelled and ran towards Ram and Lakshman.

Ram and Lakshman held onto the railings of the ship and looked back. A black limestone like boulder rock stood on their way, and in the immense wind and rain, seemed to sway. Seeing the heavy rock sway in the wind, they could gauge the winds power. It could kill them easily with a single blow.

"Bhaiyya, Run!" yelled Lakshman and held Rams hand, pulling him away.

Ram shook up and ran behind Lakshman to the central deck.

The ship flung them from left and then to the right. All of them swayed with the ship's axis, and frantically held onto the guardrails for their lives.

Jamshed groaned in the pain. Pawan was holding onto him, but the strong movement of the ship twisted and turned his muscles.

"Arhh! I cant.." Jamshed yelled as he was thrown off towards the other side of the ship beyond Pawan's bounds.

Ram heard Jamshed's pain even in the tearing roars. It was at that moment that he realised, what he had gotten everyone else into.

"But Ram, you didnt tell them to come through this route," a voice spoke in his head.

"I didnt, but I didnt even stop them," spoke another voice.

"Its not your fault Ram. The weather is not in your hands."

"It may not be, but now that it is not, I am lying helpless here. I cant even get up."

"So what? Even you're a human Ram, you need to save yourself too. How else will you save Siya?"

"I know! But I cant sacrifice all these people for solely my sake! Siya, if she ever would come to know of this situation, would too have said the same thing."

"She would have thought of other ways."

"She wouldn't."

"She would have.."

The never ending battle of thoughts in Ram's head made it difficult for him to keep his eyes open any longer. The salt water all over his face and the chaos around him made him feel dizzy.

His voice was going numb, he could feel his hands getting colder and colder.

"Bhaiyya!!!"

Lakshman shook him up but Ram's eyes werent opening too their fullest. In a sharp twist, Lakshman was flung off from Ram towards Jamshed. From the other side too, he could see Ram struggling to breathe.

"Lakshman, save Ram! Save Ram!" Jamshed tugged at him and pleaded.

"You come with me to the other side Sir.. We'll go together !"

Lakshman stood up against the ferocious movement of the ship and clasped onto Jamshed's arm. His grip has become loose owing to the groans in his body.