The DREAM

I was in Delhi working for an MNC. One evening I met Amresh shopping in the market. We decided to have dinner together. After dinner, we started discussing various matters.

“Amresh, do you know? I can predict the death of a person?” I said.

“Come on. What nonsense !”  Amresh said.

“Yaar! If I look in the eyes of the person, I can tell when he is going to die.” I said confidently.

“Okay. Look into my eyes and tell me about my death.”

“No jokes. Why should we try out this unholy power that I have got?”

“No, Satish. I want to know about my death. Look into my eyes and tell me when I am going to die.” said Amresh.

“Okay, let me start.” I stared at Amresh very closely. I looked into Amresh’s eyes for 3-4 minutes. I was horrified. I wiped the sweat on my forehead.

“What happened Satish? Could you not see my death? Or am I immortal?” Amresh said laughingly.

“No…No. I could not see your death in your eyes. I think I do not have that power anymore.” Saying this, again I wiped my forehead.

“I knew you were bluffing. Satish, do not bluff on such serious matters.”

Now I was compelled to tell the truth. “Amresh, you are going to die just after we reach home” I said in a low deep voice.

“Oh my God! That is great. So your authenticity will be tested very soon.” said Amresh with a burst of boisterous laughter. “Satish, you come with me to my house. So that you can arrange for my funeral quickly.”

I saw Amresh was terrified from within. He was scared to stay alone. He needed my company. I agreed to accompany him to his house.

We reached Amresh’s flat in Connaught Place. After entering his flat, Amresh made arrangements for two beds. He changed into a nightdress. All of a sudden I saw Amresh getting choked as if somebody was throttling him. I got horrified. I ran with a glass of water to him. But Amresh was getting strangulated and I could not bear the sight of his wiggling. He was trying to say something but in a couple of minutes, he was silent. Amresh had left this world. I was so much horrified that I drank two glasses of water wondering what to do further? Amresh’s dead body was in front of me. The police arrived and saw me sitting near the dead body. They did not need any more evidence. They handcuffed me and  dragged me the police van. I tried to resist going with them, and kept shouting “No. I have not killed him. He was my very good friend.” But police paid no heeds to my cries. They took me away in the police van.

And suddenly Bhaskar came into the room and tried waking me up. Maybe I was shouting aloud. I was awakened and I thanked God that it was just a dream.

I got freshened up and had breakfast. Bhaskar asked me why I was scared in the sleep. I told him my dream. Mentioned my power to tell the death of the person by just looking into his eyes, and how our friend Amresh died in front of me despite my warning him.

Bhaskar said, “Such weird ideas can come only in dreams”.

“No.no. This is true in my case. I can tell your death by just looking into your eyes.” Satish told Bhaskar.

“Arey, just now I woke you up from a dream and you are saying you have the power to predict one’s death by just looking into his eyes,” Bhaskar said.

“It is okay if you don’t believe it. But I have got that power.” I said.

“Okay. Tell me when I am going to die.” Bhaskar.

“Let me see in your eyes,” I said and in a short time, I was staring into Bhaskar’s eyes. After 3-4 minutes of looking into his eyes, I started sweating. Bhaskar realized that I was terrified.

“Do not worry. If you cannot know the death, nobody loses anything. Forget about it. But please, don’t fool anyone this way.”

“No, Bhaskar. I could see that you will die very soon, in few hours.” I said.

Bhaskar was shaken up. He wiped perspirations on his face. And all of a sudden, Bhaskar was getting strangulated. He was getting choked. I was also horrified. Bhaskar tried to say something but his voice got muffled. The movement of his legs and hands stopped. And he was no more. Soon the police arrived and took me to the police station. I plead, ”I have not done anything. We were good friends”. I shouted for help. But no one from police listened to me.

Chandu entered the room. He found me screaming in my sleep.  He shook me. I woke up, and realized that I was dreaming, I was relieved.

Quickly I freshened up. I saw that Chandu was smiling at himself. I asked Chandu what made him laugh.

“You were kicking vehemently. You must have had a horrible dream.”

I told him about the dream.

Then he said,”WHAT? How can one tell the death of the person by looking into eyes. Absolutely good imagination.”

I could not bear this, ridiculing the power which I had.

I dared Chandu that was a dream but I was sure of predicting death by looking into the eyes.

“Ok. Tell me my death.” Chandu looked at me.

I looked back and stared into his eyes. After 3-4 minutes I was terrified. I wiped my forehead. “You are going to die just now Chandu.” Before I could complete my sentence, Chandu gasped for breath and in no time he was dead. Police arrived at the scene and took me along with them. I kept shouting but no one paid any attention. I was made to enter the van. I resisted by throwing my hands and legs. 

And then only Dilip woke me up. He  said, “looks like you had a bad dream.”

He then paused for a minute, looked at me and took a deep breath, “Satish, there is shocking news. Our group members Amresh in Delhi, Bhaskar in Chennai and Chandu in Kolkata were strangulated. All of them were found dead.”

These words from Dilip struck me like a thunderbolt. I was petrified.

I got up and went to the washroom. I opened up the tap of washbasin, splashed some water on my face, and reached for a towel. While wiping my face I looked in the mirror, in my eyes.

I was shocked at what I saw in the reflection of my eyes.

Vijay Likhite