He tried remembering how he had got down here. All he could get from racking his brains was sounds and lights. And alcohol. Lots of it. He could remember himself downing shots after shots. Not pausing for breath, not pausing for etiquettes. He could get a faint recollection that he was trying to get drunk to forget something. And by the looks of it it had worked.
He tried rummaging his pockets in the faint of hope of something solving his mystery. He had his wallet. Which gave him all sorts of information about himself. But they were not something he had forgotten. He looked at his Driving License. The surprise of having your photo taken was quite evident from it. A thin question was visible on his lips and a basic incredulity everywhere else. He kept looking for something in his pockets. Something. Anything.
Keys, coins, phone and hand kerchief later, he finally hit jackpot. A small crumpled up sticky note. In his eagerness to know , he almost tear the note into two parts.
"Call me -1234567890"
The note was written in some red colour ink. He just willed himself it was not blood. Not freaking blood. The handwriting was all neat and tidy. Like someone had hoped that he got the message. And got it clearly. He tried to remember who had given him this note and a faint memory sprang up.
"Hey beautiful, can i buy you a drink"
"Why not ? Sure!"
"Hey Mr.B can i have a Long Island Ice Tea and a beer."
"Coming right up ,dude."
"So before we get drunk, do I have the privilege of knowing your name?"
"Ooooo.. That is so lame. And perhaps the worst pick up line ever. Anyway for what it is worth , I am Prabha"
He stifled a huge laugh. He was sure that person he remembered saying those lame lines was somebody else speaking from his mouth. How lame was that? Privilege!!!!Anyway lame or not , he still got the number! How he ever did that after that line was a mystery! Anyway, take that , Manav! In your face. He remembered a bet of some sorts with Manav, with the lady's number in the center of the wager.
He clutched that note harder as if it would help him remember. But the alcohol in his system was a tough enemy to fight. He felt himself feeling nauseous but controlled his urge to puke his stomach out. He remembered his friends in High school saying "Puking just makes it so much better!". He knew that was true but he could not risk spilling the "Beans" in this place. Not quite.
He looked around the place. There was moss all around. The stink of the place was pathetic. There were puddles of mud everywhere. And it was dark. Dark enough to get him in a contemplative mood. Or was it the liquor in his streams?
He took out his mobile. No signal. He switched on its torchlight. The ominous Battery Low warning crept up and he knew he did not have long of this light. He could see walls. And all sort of Graffiti on the walls. Some proclaiming true love , like one between a certain Raghu and Rani, some showing existence of Underground crews , some just cuss words . One thing this proved was human being were aware of this place. And that cheered him up a bit.
He tried to get up and a killing pain shot through his entire body. He had tears in his eyes and an involuntary scream escaped his lips. He tried to pinpoint the source of his pain and could see that his leg was bent in a funny way. Not a way in which human leg can bend. Now he was scared. A broken leg, a memory that wasn’t quite helping him out and a place that resembled his worst nightmare. He screamed for help. Five times. The place seemed to mocking him with echoes.
He tried focusing his light elsewhere to have some clue as to where he was. He saw a ladder that looked like it could use a renovation or two. The ladder was very like the ones he had seen in some Hollywood movies. These ladders were the route into
MANHOLES!!!
He was inside a freaking Manhole cover. And by the looks of the darkness all around the Cover had been pulled back on. Just as realisation hit him , his mobile whimpered and went out , taking with it his only source of company.
He tried to think calmly and figure out some way. The alcohol kept making him scream. But all he could hear were those echoes.
He knew he had to move up the ladder some way and lift the cover up to get out. But his leg and his strength were not really his best resource at the moment. Yet he tried. Crawled to the ladder like a baby. On his way to the ladder, he let out very audible gasps of agony. The pain was intolerable.
He kept thinking of all the survivors tale he had read in the Reader's Digest. How everyone had these burst of energy come out of nowhere to help them in their quest of survival. Where were these now? When he needed them?
Somehow he made it to the bottom rung of the ladder. Then started the ordeal. Slowly he tried climbing up the ladder. Five rungs he had climbed when he could not bear the pain and let go. He landed on his bad leg and screamed in agony.
He knew not how many tries he had made to climb up the ladder. He did not even know what day it was or how long he had been down here. All he was sure of was he had enough of the trying. He could not bear the pain anymore. He was thirsty , hungry and god knew what else. He just wanted numbness to surround him now. And if that numbness came through death , so be it! He thought about what people would be affected by his death. His mother was all he could come up with. And maybe "Prabha". He was now laughing like a lunatic. He remembered his favourite song and it was so apt in his situation. He tried singing it.
"There's a lady thats sure, all that glitters is gold
And she buying a stairway to heaven"
Led Zeppelin was his stairway to heaven. Yet no Led Zeppelin could help him now, now when he needed a stairway out of this hell. He could almost feel his life escaping out of his body. Slowly and surely this place was wringing the life out of him.
He tried looking up to where the manhole cover would be. He tried to will it to open. Maybe some sort of Metaphysical ability he had and he had never known. It did not budge.
And just like that he remembered the days events. Maybe it was the alcohol wearing off or maybe it was the life flashing before ones eyes cliché everyone talks about.
"So Prabha what do you do? And drink up please coz my questions will kept getting lamer."
" What I do? You seriously dont remember me?"
"Remember??"
"Wow ! That is a shock! You seriously dont !"
mumbles incoherently
"Ha Ha Ha! I had you boy! I so had you."
"You are bad!! Very very bad."
"You dont know how bad I could be.."
"Why dont we take a walk and you tell me!"
"Hold your horses Romeo.."
"Oh come on, a walk cant possibly hurt you."
"Ok. Lets go. This place is killing me anyway"
........
"Oh leave all this boring talk of bio data will you. Dont you know how to hit on a girl."
"I will show you if you give me your number."
"Oh , that way! Wat if i like playing hard to get?"
"Oh come on. Just give it to me wont you!Please"
"You really know how to play the charm factor ,eh?"
"Ok here goes."
She reached out into her bag. Pulled out her lipstick and a sticky note.
"And this something to make you call."
She reached out and planted a full kiss on his cheek.
"Bye! Waiting for your call."
He remembered walking with a skip in his step and not seeing the open manhole cover. He remembered the pain and fainting from it.
His brain was not under any duress anymore. He knew what had happened. He could remember that kiss. A smile waltzed on his face. He could hear sounds. As if the man hole cover was being moved. Dismissing it as a figment of his imagination, he tried to say his final prayers. He could see light coming from the manhole cover. Smiling at the games his mind was playing, he tried lying down. The manhole cover was finally open. His body was limp. His soul had found its stairway to heaven.
