Meteor SX-1250 is hitting earth tomorrow. Ram woke up from his bed with no hope of survival. He was not one among the blessed ones to move to Mars. He was not gifted with sufficient money. ‘What does it matter?’ He thought , it can only make one live for one more day. Technology is not mature enough to keep one alive for more than a day. He was ashamed, for having worked at the Global Space Research for more than 20 yrs he was not able to save man kind from the terrors of Space. He was not even able to make to the ExoBase, his creation in Mars that can hold human lives for a day. He was only a scientist, not a billionaire nor a celebrity. ‘What does money matter he thinks when the whole human race is to be wiped off’. There are still the hoping ones that the other side of the world would be still intact to support human lives once the strike has occurred. Ram knew for sure nothing gonna be left over. Yesterday was his last day at office. He was given a honorary farewell and the prestigious medal for his excellent service in the organization and his work on ExoBase that still keeps a hope of life.
It was for this medal he spent his whole life for. He rewinds his moments of life, his ambition as a kid to join the GSR. So many kids dreamt of it, but he was one of the very few ones to make it into the GSR. It was not easy for him, he struggled a lot, missed a lot of life to get into GSR. It was not all over, he wanted to be the best of GSR. He conceptualized and developed ExoBase. He earned money and popularity. He felt he was the most genius species of this universe, or people made him feel so. When he walks on the roads, the mothers would show their kids what they need to become, like Ram rich and famous. All his eyes were on the medal. Now he got what he dreamt for in his life. But his heart was not content. It fails to accept the fact he is going to die.
Dejected he turned on the TV. The news reporters are gone, no scientists describing how the meteor will hit and with what probability, no more religious priests hoping life by praying their gods, no more advertisements… Just soft music for the souls to die the next day. Infact he was expecting the channels to broadcast his achievements, but nobody bothered him.
He set out to see what the world was doing. He never bothered about the world before. To him they are just a bunch of idiots who knew nothing. He felt he was one of the very few drivers running this world. On way he saw a kid teaching his little brother how to drive a bicycle. He asked them how does it matter when they are going to die. ‘I promised him to teach’ said the little boy with a smile. In his smile there was no fear of death, he could only see the satisfaction of having kept his promise. Ram felt bad for he never kept his small promises for he always assumed his work was more worthy than anything for this world.
And further down the road he met an old man planting a tree. He knew him before as he has seen him on TV, the man who plants a tree daily. He asked the old man why he is killing trees, for every tree he gives life is going to die tomorrow. I hope, said the old man, ‘for very tree I plant today a life would be saved tomorrow’. There was meaning in his hope, for he had the right to hope for having planted tress for so many years. Ram thought to himself what he had done to this world. His scientific research was nothing, it never gave hope for anything – a tree would have been more helpful he thought.
‘Howzaat’ he heard someone scream. There they are the big boys playing cricket. He knew them very well for they used to break his windows with their sixes. Ram was always angry with these boys for he felt they are of no use to this world, wasting their time playing and more importantly troubling him breaking his windows. So what reason you guys have he asked curiously. For, by playing cricket there is no promise to keep nor a purpose to solve. The guys mocked at him ‘There are few more windows that are left for us to break’. Ram could see their faces. In none of them was a feeling of missing something. They lived their life the way the wanted. They have nothing to lose, nothing to miss. Ram thought of all the wonderful things he missed in life hoping a better future. There is no future he thought.
Ram was surprised. He thought the whole world would be grieving the fact that it is going to get destroyed. Fools they are, he thought ‘They are hoping for a miracle’. On his way back home he saw a little girl crying. He was happy somebody is aware of what is going to happen. He asked the girl why she is crying. ‘I want to fly a kite’ she said. ‘My Mom says from tomorrow I cannot fly kites. Ram was moved. He decided to cheer the girl. Oops he didn’t know to make a kite. His scientific knowledge didn’t help him. He went to take the help of the big boys to help him make a kite. Never in his life Ram did this, he always felt he could do everything and he was the master of everything. He felt very mean for he didn’t know how to make a kite. Having got the kite done he went to the girl and spent almost two hours flying kite with her. The smiling face of the girl rejoiced him. She hugged him and kissed him. Ram felt all joy on earth. It was the happiest moment of his life. He was so excited he forgot the world is going to end. Even his medal did not give this satisfaction.
He reached home and called up his old friend. He had promised him to call the day before the world ends. Ram never meant it when he promised for it was just an other promise he used to make and never kept. His friend was very cheered, for it was the first time Ram had kept a promise. They discussed for hours their good old times. When he finished the call Ram was unhappy for his friend never wished him for his medal, an achievement that took him 20 yrs of hard work. In his bedroom he could see the rose plant die starved of water. He poured water and went to sleep. In his mind there was no thought of destruction.
He woke up next morning to see the beautiful bloomed rose. In his mind there was hope of life.
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