'You want me to bowl? Eh? Play bat ball?' Mama said and laughed, 'one last
ball before you die?'
Mama tossed the ball in his hands.
'Yeah, bowl to me,' Ali said.
'Oh really?' Mama said and laughed.
Another ball lay next to Ali's foot. Ali brushed the ball with his feet towards Ish.
The ball rolled to Ish. Ish sat on the floor leaning against the manager's table. His
toes whooshed out blood and he couldn't get up.
'Don't come near me,' Ali said to Mama.
'Oh, I am so scared of the bat ball,' Mama said and pretended to shiver in jest.
He tossed the ball in one hand and held the trishul in the other.
Ish picked up the ball slowly. Ali's eyes met with Ish. Ali gave the briefest nod
possible.
Ish lifted the ball in his hand. The captor noticed but didn't react. Ish threw the
ball towards Ali with all his strength.
Slam! Ali struck the ball with the bat. He had one shot, and he didn't miss it.
The ball hit Mama's temple hard. Mama released the ball in his hand to hold his
head. The ball fell on the floor and Ali kicked it to Ish. Ish threw it again, Ali
connected and slam! The ball hit the centre of Mama's forehead.
Ali's shots were powerful enough to get balls out of stadiums. At five feet range,
they hit Mama like exploding bricks. Mama fell down. His trishul fell on the floor.
Ish used it as a stick to get up. The captors ran towards Mama. Ish came from
behind and stabbed one in his neck. The other captor saw the blood gush out,
the killer look in Ish's eyes. He opened the bolt and was out of sight in ten
seconds.
Ali kneeled down on the floor. He held his right wrist with his left hand.
'Oh my God,' Ali said, more in pain than surprise at what he had done.
Mama lay on the ground. His temple had burst. Internal bleeding had made his
forehead dark and swollen. He barely moved. Nobody wanted to go close to check
his breath. His eyes shut after five minutes and I checked his pulse.
'It's stopped. I think he's dead,' I said. I had become an expert in dead bodies.
Ish's arms wrapped around Ali.
'It's hurting a lot Ish bhaiya. Take me home,' Ali said. His body still trembled in
fear.
'C'mon move that wrist. Ali, you need that wrist, keep it alive,' Ish said. He
hobbled towards the door to leave. He used a trishul as his walking stick.
'We saved him, Ish we saved him,' I said as I shook Ish's shoulders from
behind.
Ish stopped. He turned to me. He didn't give me a dirty look, but something
worse than that. He gave me the look of indifference. Sure, I had let him down for
lots of reasons. But why was he behaving like Who was I? Like he had nothing
whatsoever to do with me. Ish turned and started to walk.
'Hey Ish, wait for me. I'll help you open the door' I said. I reached the door.
Ish hand gestured me to get out of the way.
'Ish, c'mon Ish, he is alive. We, we did it,' I said.
Ish didn't say anything. He left me like I was one of the dead bodies and walked
out.
avery
(avery)
#1