The Taste of Death

A Short story

This happens in the year that euthanasia or mercy killing was finally allowed in India ,thanks to some socialist fanatics who wanted so, for obviously freeing the occupied hospital beds by vegetables, who were unable to think and act (That’s what says their Charter framed some seven ago from today) . Suicide became common. Not only vegetables but normal humans were even resorting to its loopholes.

But that’s not what this story is about. Ranjeet had a habit, to pursue which he would go to great extents). That day he went to Akhi’s place, akhi showed him his stash, which he wanted to dispose off. There were some bottles of juice (six pack), labeled Nagpur Police in official format and to next of it were some small shiny balls , no less than I millimeter in diameter. Ranjeet and akhi dealed the stash for some 280 bucks. Akhi hid the pellets in Ranjeet’s foot’s sole and the Nagpur Police bottles in his trunk (which were inconspicuous) .He easily got by the police and his landlords aka as “his parents”. Got to his room and had IT!!! And for next two nights and two days he was dead, only to realize later, it would have been better. He woke up the third night only to vaguely remembering himself doing it. Seeing his sole cut he realized the pellets were gone, so he searched for the Nagpur police bottles, finding five empty ones, he searched for the sixth. After a futile search of three hours, he decided to go to Akhi’s place. In his groggy state, he got on his car and speeded on the highway to Akhi’s. But, fate did’nt wants so, rather he got hit by a truck and was paralyzed head to toe.

After two months of death, he woke up again, only to find himself worse. He could see but not move his eyelids or eyelashes. He could hear but couldn’t move his ears (which accidentally he had never accomplished). He could think, his brain was alive. His brain somehow keeping body’s nervous system alive. The doctors on seeing this took some plans for his survival. A nurse was employed to pour eye drops on his eyes , so that the may not sore up. A nurse to feed him, another for cleaning him and a full time doctor to his care. Some four months later his landlords came. A surge of excitement flew through his body, his ECG and EEG showed some activity, but could not interpret it. His parents decide to give his one eye to a little girl, then his tympanic membrane , to an old man, then his liver to some rich guy, his lungs to some relative , kidneys to some lady minister, etcetera. No that his other ear was going away, he realized he had only one eye left!!! The medical board decided to leave the eye and give the body to medical companies. His body was leased to twelve companies for five years each. Some mutated his legs, some his nose, some his hands, some his brain, some even wanted to touch his eyes, but they were forbade and thrown of the agreement and re-leased. In this painful episode. Ranjeet every waking hour wished for the death, which he had already tasted twice.

But only after his eighty-sixth birthday, they were able to comprehend his brain signals and realized what he wanted to ask for the past sixty-two years, DEATH. The State, after careful deliberation on the euthanasia act, which was still in effect agreed to his wishes and decide to cremate him on an electric pyre. When the fire burned, His body twitched, first time after sixty-two years.

And this, my dears is the story of us in evolving to what we are today, through selective mutation done to us, making us to survive anything and everything the only thing we were unable to generate through Ranjeet’s body was sound eyes and that my dears is the reason for our poor eyesight.