Oblivion..

Bright flashes of light, accompanied by fragments of unfamiliar images, scattered my senses and made my head throb. And then I slipped back into the familiar pool of unconsciousness, only to wake up to a throbbing head again and again. I lay unaware of time, letting it flit by like the soft winds of dawn, unnoticed and untouched. I wished to open my eyes but my eyelids fell heavy and tired. My whole body had a will of its own now, my mind a slave to its demands as my body slowly shed the exhaustion that had it gripped in its suffocating hold.

‘Soumya, are you awake dear?’ It was my mother’s voice, soothing and cautious, as if she were afraid to shatter the sweet blissful sleep my body had given into. I opened my eyes with difficulty and relief washed over me to see her familiar beautiful face looking back at me with kind soulful eyes. I breathed in deeply the scents of my room, its warmth and familiarity a balm to my heart. I was safe here, and the last remnants of my fear vanished. The uncertainty of unconsciousness didn't bother me anymore.

‘How do you feel now? Do you remember anything darling?’ my mom asked me gently, removing my tresses from my forehead.

‘I feel okay, though my head hurts.’ I lifted my hand to my head only to encounter rough gauge and cotton. I stilled. I closed my eyes and suddenly I was scared.

‘I can’t remember anything ma, I have no idea where I was last,’ I said. I was panicking now and my mom tried to calm me down. She left the room promising to be back within a few minutes.

I stared at the ceiling trying hard to recall but all it did was make my head throb harder. I moved my head from side to side in frustration and my eyes fell on my phone beside the bedside lamp. I reached for it and my hands shook as I shuffled through the humongous amount of messages in my inbox. Twenty- five unread messages from the past week. I had been unconscious for a whole week....

My stomach lurched uncomfortably at the thought. I opened the most recent conversation and a premonition of dread filled my heart.

Sudha: We will meet at Riya’s place. Her parents aren't in town.

Me: Have you bought what I asked you to?

Sudha: Yes. I’m driving over to her place right now. The guys are already there. Hurry

Me: K..

Oh Lord!! The accident came back to me with startling clarity. High on drugs and alcohol, senses muddled, Riya had lost control of the car. The clang of metal and the burning heat of the crashed car flooded my body with its unmerciful reminiscences and I cried out in despair.

My mom came hurrying back into the room. She looked tired and was carrying blood red pills in her hand.

‘Are they dead ma? Are they?’ I cried as tears gushed down my cheeks. I had to know if my friends were safe, if they too lay in the safety of their homes. My mind refused to cope with the trauma and I started shaking, my body shivering violently as beads of sweat broke out on its surface.

‘Sshh sweetheart, everything will be fine. I promise you,’ my mom said. She made me take the pills, the red dissolving away slowly in my mouth and a bitter taste filling my buds thereafter. My eyelids grew heavy and they closed over questioning eyes full of despair as I drifted off to the familiar world of unconsciousness again where reality couldn't touch me.

  This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.