The other end

2:30 am. The little girl let out a loud ear piercing scream. It echoed all over the little 8x8 room. The scream seemed to eminate from every brick, every inch of the room. Droplets of sweat broke out on his forehead,as though they were crying out in fear. He woke up shivering, fully expecting her to be there. After the shivering subsided,he looked around the little 8x8 room, which had been his world, for the past 14 years. The only other soul who inhabited his world, was the little girl. She seemed to live,echo and resonate from every corner of the room.

Patches of fresh blood,blood curdling screams, little frail arms flinging out aimlessly in all directions. These images hautned him, at all times of the day. One would think, he would have gotten used to it, but each day, she only managed to unsettle him a little further. Just as he was about to go back to sleep, well he couldnt call it sleep anymore. He had lost his sleep ages ago.Just as he was about to while away the rest of the night lying down, he realised today was different.

These were his last few hours. The president had turned down his clemency appeal yesterday. He had been waiting for this for many years now, but the finalty of the situation struck him. He gulped down a glass of water. Somewhere else in the city, some one else woke up shivering too. As the frail old man, gulped down his glass of water, his tear filled eyes, looked at the wall, on which hung the picture of a beautiful looking angel. His baby, who was now just a photograph. He stood there staring for long. That was all he could do.Hope filled the hearts of both these men. One hoping to live, and one hoping to die. The irony was that the father wanted to die, he didnt want to live without his little princess.

At 4:30 am in the morning, the door swung open. They were here, to take him away. By now, he was overcome by a plethora of emotions. His entire life, flashed by in his mind's eye. He could stil hear the girl scream. As the doctor put the steth to check his heartbeat, tears poured down his eyes. Were they tears of remorse? Were they tears of sympathy? Were they just tears of weakness? Was he finally accepting defeat? He closed his eyes and the little girl was back.Only, she wasnt crying anymore. She was intently looking at him with her little blue eyes, as though asking him just one thing, WHY?

He buckled under the piercing gaze of the little girl. He recollected what happened, like it just happened yesterday. The little girl, calling out for her daddy. The little girl, hitting at him with her frail little arms. His evil laughter, as he thrust himself into her and then thrust the knife into her little body over and over again even after the last drop of life oozed out of her. Her soulful blue eyes looked scared, angry and deprived and hopeful. Scared because of what was happening, hopeful because she still thought her daddy would come and get her.The little princess was deprived of her throne, for no fault of hers.

He was still crying as he was led to the chamber. He wished he could have changed all that had happened. He wished he could have changed everything,he wished he could be given another chance for he was scared to die . Then suddenly he wanted to die, atleast the little girl would stop haunting him. He knew now, that he didint have a choice. Hope it seems was finally deserting him. Just, as the black cloth covered his face, he cried out silently hoping for the last time that someone would hear his plea. He was sorry. He wanted to live. Then it struck him, He didnt listen, when the little girl called out to him. He didnt listen to the cries of an innocent angel. Some sins in life are never forgiven.

A sudden jerk. They had pulled the lever.A few minutes of absolute pain, a breatless sensation and then suddenly a strange kind of lightness descended upon him. Suddenly he could see. He could see himself hanging. He could see all the police men surrounding him,he could see them all and on the other side, he could see a strange glow of light. There was a tunnel of light. At the end of the tunnel, he could see a silouhette. It was the little girl. She was looking too. For the first time in years, a divine cherubic smile lit up the corners of her mouth.

Somewhere else in the city, the father, looked at his watch. He was waiting for this moment for long now. The moment passed.Was he happy now ? He didnt know. He hugged the picture of his baby girl and cried. Nothing, would bring his little princess back to him.Nothing would ever bring back the peace of mind that he lost.Nothing would make the pain go away. He, it seems had to live, to die again another day.


Another one of those million incident in the newspaper about a man raping a 11 year old and stabbing her to death. May these bastards rot in hell.