Sam

It was a snowy and windy evening. Sam was having a nice talk with his friend, Greg. Childhood memories, future plans and happy times. They recalled the time when they first met. The day was still vivid in his mind. Little Sam hardly had any friends. Ever since he was diagnosed with a rare heart disease, he could not run around, play and extract any fun out of his miserable life. After his parents divorced, he lived with his uncle who was a kind and gentle person. Although he was not rich, he tried to provide all the necessities Sam required for his treatment.

Sam was a lonely boy…..

 No one understood him, his pain and his grief, except Greg. A young and bright lad, Greg was the nearest and dearest person who actually understood Sam and was compassionate to him. If anyone was the reason for which Sam was able to keep his spirit to live, it was Greg.

Sam was having a good laugh as they went ‘down the memory lane’.

“Remember that incident Greg? Tyson was really hilarious! The way he tricked Mr. Thompson into believing that his homework was actually eaten up by his hamster. Oh! that excuse will never get old!”, Sam said laughing. It has been a while since he last laughed.

 Greg often said, “Even a feeble string of happy memories among thick clouds of sadness can bring joy to a person". Truly, Greg was an angel in Sam’s life.

Had he not saved Sam from the car accident three years back, he would have certainly died. However, death and grief was not a part of their conversation anymore. Sam’s life had changed. He was not a lonely boy anymore. He had a friend, who filled him up with daily doses of optimism, which brought out the life in him more than the gallons of saline doses every week at the country hospital. They talked about their plans to travel around the globe, meet new people, discover new cultures, and wonderful places. Really! The world had millions of opportunities, countless opportunities to be happy. There were millions of ‘strings’ of happiness all around. All they had to do is find them and grasp them tightly. A grasp which no grief could loosen up. But still, the happiness in Sam’s face seemed a bit unnatural. It was a sad and a haggard face. A face too soaked with grief to let any drops of happiness percolate into it. But still Sam kept his promise. He searched for the last string of happiness, looked for it everywhere. He caught a glimpse of the string, but as he approached closer and closer, it seemed to move away farther. He called out for his friend to guide him, to help him chase the string through the dark mist.

 He called out again.

No response….

He shouted and screamed helplessly as thick clouds began to engulf him. The desperation in his eyes was unnerving. He had to keep his promise. He tried to clear the mist around him, but the more he tried and the more he concentrated, the thicker the mist became. Darkness wrapped around him. He saw a silvery glint for a split second. ‘The string’, he thought and dived into it but stumbled and fell. He had no support. His friend who helped him to overcome every problem in his life appeared no more in front of his eyes. He was too distant. Too distant to be rescued by his friend. The silver string appeared no more. Darkness sucked him in. Way inside itself……

Sam returned to his senses. He felt something warm on his face. Tears trickled down his cheek leaving a watery impression of its trail. He had been crying. He didn’t know why. But he was. A gloomy and uncertain look hovered above his face. He opened his eyes.

The chair beside him was empty.

 The palm trees in front of him were swaying to and fro with the gusts of wind…. As if in deep conversation with him. It was quite a conversation……

He had attended the funeral the last day... The least he could do in the memory of his friend. Never did he imagine the same car crash would steal his friend from him.

Sam, after all, is a lonely boy……..

-Anastasius