Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Choices- A Very Short Story

This was the best time. He pulled out all his bills. 3 lakh rupees. He tore his half of the marriage photograph and pulled out the 100 rupee-stack from the false bottom. He left 40 for Lakshmi and pocketed the rest. He kissed her forehead and stepped out, looking back just once. As the magnificent structure appeared, his steps got heavier. It wasn't legal, but he desperately needed it, as did many friends. He went four flights down and deposited the amount with his photo. He picked his priest, and was taken to the room. There were posters all around- of previous clients.
It felt good after the injection; all his worries drowned by the numbing chemical. They pushed his bed into the chamber and switched it on.

7 comments:

Preeti said...

Maybe I am not that bright, but I read your story twice and I got very confused half way through.

Are you talking about suicide of some sort? Or some delusionary drug that makes you think you are in heaven with God and then they kill you??

Akshay Rajagopalan said...

It's a kind of murder with consent, committed by a contract killing organization. They drug you and put you in the furnace- a painless death. The clients get to choose the priest who will perform the final rites. Obviously, it's all fictional- no such thing exists.

Anand Kashyap said...

Interesting.Do we have a budding George Orwell here?

Akshay Rajagopalan said...

@anand

Well, I thought of Orwell while writing this, so delighted that you could guess the link.

Anonymous said...

okay , explain why such a "process" costed just 60 bucks !

y did he tear the marriage photo and take his half rather than her's


how was "lakshmi" supposed to know what happened to him?

was she supposed to understand that his half taken meant he went to die .........

nice concept of voluntary death , such noble souls should not be called "contract killers" , a contract with a dead person does not count u know , there is no contract at all .........

y y y ,tell me y ?

Anonymous said...

oh , i re-read it again , my mistake ,

his photo = had to be submitted

he took 6000 not 60 , hmmmm atleast 6000 should cover the costs .........

but ,my other queries still hold good and need to be answered :)

Akshay Rajagopalan said...

@anon

It was a 100 rupee stack, so could have been anything from Rs.4100 to some amount fairly below Rs.3 lakh.
I didn't really bother to portray how Lakshmi would come to know. I wanted to keep it pithy and frugal with details. So you can let your imagination run wild and think whatever you want to.