It was dark. Pitch dark. And he lay still. A wrong move, a noisy turn would give away his position and would all his efforts would go in vain.
He was on a mission today. A mission to kill. A mission to wipe out the Enemy and to make him as well as his superiors proud. In fact this was to be his first assignment. The enemy had been quick all these days. Always attacking at the opportune moment, never a minute late or a minute early. He, so far, had tried all kinds of defensive tactics to thwart the Enemy’s quick and calculated attacks but never succeeded in doing so. Killing never occurred to his mind. Or maybe he was too slow to even respond to the Enemy’s advances quickly. But the incessant attacks and the pain to think and live through it every day took its toll and left him with no choice but – to kill.
There was no time for any preparation. Even a moment’s delay was not acceptable. He did not have a proper training to face the enemy. One look at his face and no one could even imagine that he was undertaking such an arduous task. His youth was meant to play, to enjoy life and not to kill. But this did not deter him. Not today at least. All he knew that he had to kill and he had to do it through any means. He was alone. It was his battle and he had to win it all by himself.
He took his dinner and silently slipped to his place in the dark. He was invisible to the naked eyes in the darkness. He was alert and his brain was working at a rapid pace trying to gauge the Enemy’s movements. How would the Enemy come today? At what time the Enemy would attack? Knowing the Enemy’s position was of utmost importance and that had to be exact. He would have only one chance to go for the kill and the aim had to be on target. His eyes were searching in the dark and he could see nothing. No movement. His ears were alert to catch any sound which seemed aberrant from the tranquil surroundings. He waited.
Had he dozed off? Yes, he had. A sound. He was awake in an instant. Was he under attack? No. Must be a dream. But no more sleep.
An hour passed by. No signs of any attack. Did the Enemy know of his plans? Would there be no assault today? Wait a minute. What was that? He strained his ears to catch that sound. The Enemy was coming. Yes he had no doubts about it. The time had come. He clenched his fists. All his miseries, all his pain, all his anger would be avenged. A strange madness gripped him. A bead of sweat broke down. The Enemy was closer. He could feel his heart beating rapidly. The Enemy was close. He lay still. He lay focussed. Position! His mind alerted him ‘Get the Position’. The Enemy was there. He could sense its presence. His mind calculated the position. He waited for the right moment. He knew this was the time. He knew one blow and all would be over. The Enemy too had sensed his presence and saw him. The Enemy attacked. He was ready today. Wham!
It was all silent. No one moved. It was a swift blow. A smile played on his lips. He knew he had done it. He had killed the Enemy. The Enemy lay beside him.Dead.A sense of triumph passed through him. He had successfully completed his assignment. His body was tired and so was his mind but he felt good. He had been brave and he would be at peace from here on. Darkness engulfed him slowly and slowly as he lay victorious.
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‘Deepti, where are my socks?’ shouted Ravi.
‘Shh, why are you shouting? Gullu is sleeping. See’ scolded Deepti.
‘Oh no, how did this enter through the net?’ Remarked Ravi.
‘I do not know. Must be through that opening. Look. My poor baby. But seems he has taken care of it all by himself. Brave boy. See how cutely he is sleeping’. Said a proud Deepti.
Both of them looked upon their two and a half year old baby who was sleeping peacefully with a smile on his lips. Beside Gullu lay a dead black Mosquito.
