[SoS Story contest] The Duty and The Death...

Day 2,337, 11:37 Published in India Croatia by Vijayakrishna

For those who do not like serious issues, please do not read 🙂
Read the SOS contest here...

I am making a small attempt to poke our consciousness, of the youth, how we neglect our duties when we should attend them and consequences we face our actions in a novel way. Hope you will like it....


I was walking home slowly, dragging feet out of tiredness from a full day cricket in hot Sun. I turned down the request of my friend to drop me home as I loved to walk alone. I believed these walks always help to think of issues on hand. That particular day I was really not myself, my friends commented that I was unusually calm. They were right the death of our maid’s son was still in my mind. He was a young kid, full of energy n enthusiasm.

‘What did he do to die?’ I could not stop from asking myself this question. As I walked thinking about it, I dashed into an old man. We both fell down.

‘Oh, I am really sorry, I did not see you, I was..’ I tried to apologise, he stopped me with his hand as he got up, looked into my eyes and said ‘It happens to all of us, lost in thoughts’

I managed a meek smile. ‘I am searching for some pharmacy, could you please help me?’ he continued.

‘Oh! Yes, it’s nearby, two streets away, I can take you there if you want’

‘That would be so good, thanks’

‘Are you new here?’

‘I am not new to this place, I am infact very old’ old man was observing the place as they walked

‘I never saw you here’

‘You are just too busy to observe each and everyone, I am not even a cute girl for to observe me’

‘Hahaha, it is not like that, I normally go this way daily’

‘Well, I was always here, going around, you would not have noticed me even today if you did not happen to bump into me’

‘Ah, sorry about that, I am glad you were not hurt’

‘But you do seem hurt, what happened?’

We were lost in talk n it never occurred to me that we have been walking for quite some time and still yet have not reached the store…

‘Well, it is nothing..’ he hesitated

‘You can lessen your burden if it is not personal; I can sure advice you if possible. I grew old not just like that you know?’

‘Hmm, it’s just this incident is not going out of my mind, I tried hard not to think of it but I just can’t get the death of a young boy out of my mind’

‘Oh! I am sorry for your loss, was this boy related to you in some way?’

‘Not really, he was a kid 6 years old, our maid’s son. He used to come with her on Sundays, I really like him. He died of an accident yesterday. ‘

‘If he is not related to you, why are you worried? Just divert your mind’

‘It’s not if he was related to me or not, such a young boy, barely 6 years’

‘So, you say that 70 year old deserves to die and not a 6 year old?’

‘No, not like that, it’s just that his death made me uncomfortable somehow’

‘Hahahaha’

‘why are you laughing?’

‘You are just like all others, just like all’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You fear death, when you knew that boy died, you suddenly remembered that it could even happen to you. You are now afraid that you will die someday’

‘No, I am not afraid’ he said in a low voice

‘You must not lie, all are afraid of death even after knowing it is inevitable, people do fear it’

‘…. May be I like the boy that is why…’

‘You would have gone to see his final journey if you were so attached…’

‘How can you say that I did not go there, maybe I did?’

‘Hahahaha, I do know certain things. Death is fearsome to most. You think death occurs without a reason, just by chance?’

‘I do not know’

‘Humans have to look at these things as their duty, taking birth, growing up, doing things they should while alive n finally going off the stage, all are part of their duty’

‘You are old, you can say all this easy’

‘I am not saying all these just because I am old, right from the time I took birth, I have been seeing people cry n fear death’

‘You must have through a lot’

‘Yes, I was and I am. You must not expect life to be full of flowers. Even those flowers fade away after their time to blossom passes.’

‘May be you are right’

‘It takes time to accept certain things, I do not fault you for what you feeling, it’s human nature, glad it is there in you’

‘I guess, I am good enough to shed a tear for others pain’

‘Leave that tell me what will you do if you see that boy alive again?’

‘I will be very happy to see him again but I guess death will not return him’

‘Well, they say Death always follows you, better you do your duty before it catches up. You should not fault it for that, it’s death’s duty to take you off the world’s stage when your time is complete’

‘I better not think of it’

‘You have to, the youth have to think of their duty, deliver it when they can, you never know when death will catch up.’

‘Deliver my duty? What do you mean?’

‘I mean, do not get drowned by your daily life, allow yourself sometime to think of others. I have some pals, who welcomed me to them, they left a legacy for others to follow’

‘Your pals?’

‘It is not often I see those these days. I just wish you will not become another ‘somebody’ who lived. I just wish your guilt of not stopping your car to help that kid yesterday will not wither away. Use that to change the things around you. Do not let me down.’

‘What? Who are you?’

As I realised, we were at the same spot where the kid died, I could see all that happened yesterday. The kid was hit by a speeding bike, he feel down bleeding, as people mobbed trying to stop bypassers for help then I saw himself in car, ignoring all this in a hurry to reach the movie theatre before show begins…

It was like a fast forward, everything happening in a quick manner. When I was back to my senses, I looked around for the old man, found him smiling at me in some distance. As I tried to move towards him, I saw that old man walk upto some middle aged person and keep his hand on his shoulder. No one noticed the old man except for me; he was not visible to anyone. As the old man put his hand on the middle aged person’s shoulder, that person collapsed catching his chest n wringing in pain.

The old man slowly disappeared from my sight as I heard an echo of the old man’s words ‘Death always follows you, better you do your duty before it catches up’

Here we go, for those who do not like serious kind of issues, better not read any further, I can not guarantee you will like it.
I like do discuss things which most of are comfortable to skip normally. Mostly these topic do not go home, they stop at some angry moment or a moment which pokes our consciousnesses. It's a small attempt to poke at that conscious of us, the youth. I kept it short for lack of time. Hope you will like it.


I was walking home slowly, dragging feet out of tiredness from a full day cricket in hot Sun. I turned down the request of my friend to drop me home as I loved to walk alone. I believed these walks always help to think of issues on hand. That particular day I was really not myself, my friends commented that I was unusually calm. They were right the death of our maid’s son was still in my mind. He was a young kid, full of energy n enthusiasm.

‘What did he do to die?’ I could not stop from asking myself this question. As I walked thinking about it, I dashed into an old man. We both fell down.

‘Oh, I am really sorry, I did not see you, I was..’ I tried to apologise, he stopped me with his hand as he got up, looked into my eyes and said ‘It happens to all of us, lost in thoughts’

I managed a meek smile. ‘I am searching for some pharmacy, could you please help me?’ he continued.

‘Oh! Yes, it’s nearby, two streets away, I can take you there if you want’

‘That would be so good, thanks’

‘Are you new here?’

‘I am not new to this place, I am infact very old’ old man was observing the place as they walked

‘I never saw you here’

‘You are just too busy to observe each and everyone, I am not even a cute girl for to observe me’

‘Hahaha, it is not like that, I normally go this way daily’

‘Well, I was always here, going around, you would not have noticed me even today if you did not happen to bump into me’

‘Ah, sorry about that, I am glad you were not hurt’

‘But you do seem hurt, what happened?’

We were lost in talk n it never occurred to me that we have been walking for quite some time and still yet have not reached the store…

‘Well, it is nothing..’ he hesitated

‘You can lessen your burden if it is not personal; I can sure advice you if possible. I grew old not just like that you know?’

‘Hmm, it’s just this incident is not going out of my mind, I tried hard not to think of it but I just can’t get the death of a young boy out of my mind’

‘Oh! I am sorry for your loss, was this boy related to you in some way?’

‘Not really, he was a kid 6 years old, our maid’s son. He used to come with her on Sundays, I really like him. He died of an accident yesterday. ‘

‘If he is not related to you, why are you worried? Just divert your mind’

‘It’s not if he was related to me or not, such a young boy, barely 6 years’

‘So, you say that 70 year old deserves to die and not a 6 year old?’

‘No, not like that, it’s just that his death made me uncomfortable somehow’

‘Hahahaha’

‘why are you laughing?’

‘You are just like all others, just like all’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You fear death, when you knew that boy died, you suddenly remembered that it could even happen to you. You are now afraid that you will die someday’

‘No, I am not afraid’ he said in a low voice

‘You must not lie, all are afraid of death even after knowing it is inevitable, people do fear it’

‘…. May be I like the boy that is why…’

‘You would have gone to see his final journey if you were so attached…’

‘How can you say that I did not go there, maybe I did?’

‘Hahahaha, I do know certain things. Death is fearsome to most. You think death occurs without a reason, just by chance?’

‘I do not know’

‘Humans have to look at these things as their duty, taking birth, growing up, doing things they should while alive n finally going off the stage, all are part of their duty’

‘You are old, you can say all this easy’

‘I am not saying all these just because I am old, right from the time I took birth, I have been seeing people cry n fear death’

‘You must have through a lot’

‘Yes, I was and I am. You must not expect life to be full of flowers. Even those flowers fade away after their time to blossom passes.’

‘May be you are right’

‘It takes time to accept certain things, I do not fault you for what you feeling, it’s human nature, glad it is there in you’

‘I guess, I am good enough to shed a tear for others pain’

‘Leave that tell me what will you do if you see that boy alive again?’

‘I will be very happy to see him again but I guess death will not return him’

‘Well, they say Death always follows you, better you do your duty before it catches up. You should not fault it for that, it’s death’s duty to take you off the world’s stage when your time is complete’

‘I better not think of it’

‘You have to, the youth have to think of their duty, deliver it when they can, you never know when death will catch up.’

‘Deliver my duty? What do you mean?’

‘I mean, do not get drowned by your daily life, allow yourself sometime to think of others. I have some pals, who welcomed me to them, they left a legacy for others to follow’

‘Your pals?’

‘It is not often I see those these days. I just wish you will not become another ‘somebody’ who lived. I just wish your guilt of not stopping your car to help that kid yesterday will not wither away. Use that to change the things around you. Do not let me down.’

‘What? Who are you?’

As I realised, we were at the same spot where the kid died, I could see all that happened yesterday. The kid was hit by a speeding bike, he feel down bleeding, as people mobbed trying to stop bypassers for help then I saw himself in car, ignoring all this in a hurry to reach the movie theatre before show begins…

It was like a fast forward, everything happening in a quick manner. When I was back to my senses, I looked around for the old man, found him smiling at me in some distance. As I tried to move towards him, I saw that old man walk upto some middle aged person and keep his hand on his shoulder. No one noticed the old man except for me; he was not visible to anyone. As the old man put his hand on the middle aged person’s shoulder, that person collapsed catching his chest n wringing in pain.

The old man slowly disappeared from my sight as I heard an echo of the old man’s words ‘Death always follows you, better you do your duty before it catches up’