I was greeted by the fierce sound of water gushing against rocks. I tried to open my eyes, too much hard work .
The sun scorched its way through the light clouds above ;its heat was intense and its blessing was cursing . Vultures circled high up above me .I sighed as i tried to breath in the excruciating heat . Slowly , i opened my eyes . The heat burned them. I lifted my head, red liquid trickled down my chin unto my bare chest and then unto the sand i lay on. But for the tattered shorts i wore ,which i suspect were once wholly, a healthy pair of trousers, i was naked . The sound of water beating against the rocks had gotten louder now. I guess i was almost awake now . I lifted my hand to shade my eyes from the scorching sun.I had hairy hands,I was hairy. And i was bleeding . How long had i bled for ?
Slowly and painstakingly, i sat up and looked around. Behind me , so much sad as i had seen in my entire lifetime . A rich mass of golden sandy shores which seemed endless. No trees , no life . Nothing ! I'm fucked , i thought . The rocks were to my west . There , the tide came in and beat the rocks hard . Where i lay was gentle sloping into the sea- which still didnt make sense to me . The birds up there had probably seen the blood and was waiting to make sure i was just meat . I dragged myself to the water . I was thirsty . I needed to stop the bleeding . After what seemed like eternity ,i took a sip of the salty water . I immersed myself into the shallow water . The warm water gently massaged my aching body . I liked it . I liked it a lot .
I walked back unto the dry sand and took a better view from a standing position . Nothing had changed .i looked into the horizon . Clouds had begun to form and the wind was coming in. It was going to be a stormy night . Where was i ? How did i get here ? But the most important question - who was i ! I needed to find answers fast . But first , i needed shelter.
In as much as I wanted to lay at the shoreline, I had to go,to find a shelter,to find food. At the thought of food,my gut screamed in approval. I turned,hesitantly,and walked away from the shore.
A long trail of footsteps lay in my wake . I had been walking for about an hour,or so I guessed. It had to be about an hour . I had no wrist watch. Certainly no wall clock. Just the sun to emphasize how sure i was. My gut said it was an hour and I believed my gut. I could not trust a man who didn't even know his own name . The wind was getting stronger now . The water against the rocks now sounded wild - even fearful . I quickened my pace and hoped I'd see something or someone . I was getting desperate . My legs slowly began to desert me. I knew my time was up. What a cruel way to die. Alone .without friends . Without knowledge of where u died . Without insight as to if u had lived your life to the fullest . My legs shivered at every step i took . My heart's pounding vibrated my ribs.
I was afraid . I didnt want to die . Not here . Not now. Not with the knowledge I'd be bird feed if I gave in to the long hands of death . That thought was not in the least bit comforting. I kept marching on.
Each step more painful than the last . The wind had started blowing the sand hard. The sun was almost gone now . The clouds i had seen over the horizon had come .i needed to get to higher ground . If it rained now ,the rain would make it difficult walking in the sand . I was a mess. I was scared .
A half hour later , it begun pouring,the mud felt like glue . Every step i took weighed me down. Every ounce of muscle ,every fibre of tissue ,every bit of me , down to the last cell, asked for rest . But i dared not oblige. I was freezing . The cold would make me sick. Even worse probably kill me. But did i care ? Boy ,i didnt ! Lightening shot across the sky,this was new to me. It terrified me. Then there was thunder,loud,very loud . I jumped once or twice. The rain knew no mercy . It was getting stronger. It was darker as well. I couldnt see much .Would i last the night ? If i did , it would be a miracle . I was hungry . I was thirsty . I was a broken man . I fell to my knees. I cried.
I cried for me . For my demise . My unfortunate soul. I cried for i was weak. I screamed . I was a dead man walking. I cried . I cried . But my tears could not be seen . The rain would not let it drop . I cried for that too. I wanted my teardrops to fall but Life's cruel ways wouldn't give me that luxury . Did i really have a choice . Did my decisions end me up here ? I was a man . But i wept like a baby . You would too if you were me . I cried . My heart was bitter . I was angry . I spun around . I might have walked in the wrong direction . I should have walked toward the rocks ,i thought to myself. I tried to think. The tears and rain made things diFficult.
It was dark now . That did not make things any easier . I was still on my knees . I did not know how late it was now or how much further i needed to go. I was drained and could not go on. I fell on my chest and was quickly covered by mud and water............
The thought of being in his shoes... Interesting read dear.. Patiently Waiting for Chapter II.
ReplyDeleteThank you sir.
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