It was a cold Friday afternoon. The rain was pouring incessantly and young Sashi was pacing up and down the hallways of the large living room retrospecting the sufferings and hardships that he had faced. In his mid-20s he had undergone a great tribulation which not even an adult could have imagined. And as he reminisced, tears of joy rolled down his cheeks unabatedly. Several years have passed but still he could recollect those incidents. Those memoirs were still afresh in his mind. In fact, it was etched deep in his heart never to be forgotten.
Sashi was just 10 years when his dad passed away from Acute Respiratory Failure. His dad was a business tycoon. He remembered his dad engrossed in his work always and stayed away from home all the time due to the engagements with his clients.
His mom was a fashion savvy who would spend days altogether on a shopping spree with her friends. She would sleepover at her friend's house for days. She wasn't the home maker that was expected of her.
He had all the comforts that any one of his age could imagine yet he was devoid of love, care and affection. He did not get the Parental care like his peers.
Being brought up from a Christian family, he never skipped his Sunday school classes. He tried to be a good child of God but there was something inside of him that he yearned for, something that he could not express. He felt like he was a total loser. The word 'love' was completely alien to him. Neither was he familiar with it nor did he experienced it.
In his days at secondary class, he was always bullied and jeered by his mates just because the other boys were exceptionally taller than him and he was considered a midget. He was never appreciated in anything that he did. He did not fare well in his studies and that was one reason why the teachers did not have a liking for him as well. He was considered a pip-squeak and an inconsequential child and thus paid less heed for his growth and development.
Dejected at school, he would come home only to find that he is all alone. He had thought of giving up his life several times but he did not have the courage to do it.
He wasn't arrogant, he never flaunted his wealth. He had the best school bag, the latest toys yet no one wanted to be friends with him. He was dropped to school every day in a different car, the very reason why his classmates envied him. Somehow the hope that fate would be nice to him kept him going.
After graduating from senior secondary , he met a new bunch of peers who were totally different from others. It didn't take much time for him to enter their fold.
About a month in to their friendship, he was called to a meeting to discuss on the upcoming Halloween. The date and time was fixed. He was perplexed to know why the meeting was scheduled at 12.00 Midnight. Still he did not want to question why the meeting was fixed at such odd hours. This was the first time he got to be in a company of friends and he could not think of losing them.
Quite excited for the first meeting, he got ready and reached the place on time. The meeting venue was at an old farm house. The meeting started on time. He was handed over a black robe and was instructed to maintain complete silence. The lights were off and the meeting room was lit with candles. There were incense sticks all over. He was also bewildered to see strange faces. As the meeting began, one of the elderly man performed the rituals and was followed by the induction of new members. There were two other new members. They were asked to sign on a piece of paper after which their index finger was pierced with a needle and the paper was attested with blood below the signature. He could not comprehend what was going on and it sent a chill down his spine. There was fear inside him but he kept that to himself. The meeting ended at 1.00 AM and he drove back home. He spent the rest of the night thinking about the incident.
The next day at college was a day to remember. His friends gifted him the group Tee-Shirt which had a logo of their group printed on it. They skipped their last class and went to a nearby restaurant. He decided to treat his friends on such a joyous occasion. They had their meal and parted their ways.
At the stroke of midnight, when the moon turned blood red and every single soul were in their slumber. They would wake to life. The meetings were now held at the Town Cemetery. As usual, the meeting began with a ritual and this time they were made to drink the blood of a goat. It was a terrible experience for him gulping down the raw blood. But somehow he managed to finish the cup of blood. He was given a script which was read aloud by the members in toto.
This unusual meeting was held very 1st Sunday of the month.
The day that they had eagerly been anticipating had arrived. That unfortunate night, Sashi was all alone at home when suddenly his phone started buzzing. It was Yanthungo. Initially they had planned to party after the 'Trick or Treat'.
Barely ten minutes later, Kheza's car was at his door step. Yan and Amugha had come with him.
They halted their car at the nearby driveway and went about door to door collecting sweets and candies. Later, they hit the famous 'Bokato's bar'.
After an hour, all his friends were in an inebriated state. Sashi was sober. He did not want himself nor any of his friends to follow the footsteps of his dad who succumbed to liver failure due to excessive drinking. But what more could he do, his friends were adamant and all his efforts to stop them proved futile. He couldn’t do anything but helplessly watch them.
At around 23.00 hours, they moved out of the bar. They had a little scuffle outside the bar with some other guys for no obvious reason.
They started for home. He persuaded Khezha to let him drive but his friend insisted on driving. Sashi was quite tensed. He alerted his other friends but they were all in their fantasy; each in their own world. No sooner had he said those words, there was a loud bang. They had met with an accident. It was a head on collision. As he regained his consciousness, he was dumbfounded to see blood spilled all over the place. His friend who was driving had died on the spot. His other friends were all in a state of shock. They could not believe their eyes. There was no one around to ask for help. The passers-by helped them in admitting in the hospital.
The next day he woke up with a startle. He remembered last being injected by a nurse after which he lost consciousness.
As he came to his senses. He was greeted by a young lady who happened to be from his college. She introduced herself as Amen. She was serving as the President of the College Evangelical Union. She introduced her other members to Sashi. They had even brought Real Juice and fruits for him. Sashi was taken aback. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined that other people had concern and care for him. He was in fact expecting his group members to be nearby him during his troubled times but he was wrong. They were no where to be found. His eyes were swelled with tears. He could not explain the inner joy that he experienced at that time. For the first time in his whole damned life, he felt he was being cared and loved. He broke in to tears. The EU members comforted him and sympathised with him. They wished him speedy recovery and even invited to the Weekly fellowship once he joins college. The EU team left after a short prayer. During his short stay at the hospital, he was frequently visited by the EU members. He felt comforted when they talked with him. His heart was soothed just with their presence.
Sashi was discharged from the hospital two days later. The first thing he did when he reached home was burn the shirt that his friends gave him. He joined college the next day and was greeted by the EU friends. He even attended the fellowship and he felt completely renewed. He brought his old friends to the EU fellowship the next week and their lives were transformed.
The next week, they paid a visit to Khezha's grave and laid a wreath. They were all in tears for poor Khezha could not redeem his soul.
As he was reminiscing and wiping his tears off, Amen came in to the room, hugged him, gave him a kiss and they went out for dinner.
Disclaimer. This work is purely fictional and the names, characters does not represent anyone in real life.
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