Rope: A Short Story

He was alone that day on a deserted road. Darkness was engulfing like his brooding thoughts. The images of tomorrow were looming large like big questions. Plans for the day went all wrong. Yes, he couldn't find the right job. Why, nothing seemed to work his way. He cremated his father only two days ago. All the near and dear were present. Praises were heaped on the dead man proclaiming him as the only honest and nice guy around in those parts. It is a different matter they didn't care for himself for his father left him nothing. Well. He took away nothing with him as well. He remained as 40-year old legacy, now standing all beside himself, forlorn in a neglected parts of a strange city.

"What the heck!" he muttered to himself. He had survived after all, that too many a hard time. What remained were personal problems to solve that needed a bold attitude and face to go with it, not the problems of the world and its peace. In fact, the moment he woke up from his makeshift bed on a railway platform the harsh reality of the world stared in his face. No doubt he possessed some good education, that was decent enough for old world, but fit enough for performing some religious rites in the community at the most in today's times. Also he could comfortably fill up a job of dingy clerk in any of those rundown garage sale stores in the city. He wondered what he should be doing with all the knowledge acquired in the yesteryears of penury under his learned dad's tutelage, all those Sanskrit texts of wisdom. Pity, no modern official certificate could vouchsafe them and brand adequately his credentials in some degrees to secure a decent and that too a globalized job with six- figure salary.

A whistle from the distance awakened him from gloom. " Hey, You! What on earth are you doing there at this time of the day? Don't you know about Curfew imposed in these parts of city?" Roared a khaki-clad, stick-wielding man. " Don't you know you are supposed to be inside?" The cop frisked his person roughly. In the process, he recovered a rope from the back pocket of the stranger.

"What this is meant for?" He thundered.