Optionless

A constant beep woke him up from his dream. He squinted his eye and fumbled for his mobile which had slipped somewhere inside the bed sheets. The incessant beep ringed inside his head as he struggled with his sheets. Finally he hit snooze and went back to his sleep. He could afford another five minutes before he got up and hit the shower.

He wasn’t looking forward to the day. Being treated like dirt in office was not something in his plan. Always a good performer in college, he shouldered the burden of many expectations. But it was his own expectation that troubled him the most. Past two months had been the worst, both professionally and personally. His least favourite colleague had been transferred to his department as his superior. Long hours at office would leave him tired for anything else. That didn’t go down well with his girlfriend who constantly nagged him for not giving her the due attention.

Right now he wanted to forget all that and enjoy the five minutes of peace. Suddenly he felt really light, as if he was weightless. Then he realised that he was floating in the air. Directly below him, he saw his own body lying on the bed.

‘Oh! So this is what happens when you die!’ he thought.

Recalling all ghost movies he had seen, he tried to play some tricks of his own. But to his utter dismay, he had no control over himself. His soul went of in different directions.

‘This is no fun’, he realised. ‘That’s not how it should be. If I got no control even after death, then I’d rather live’.

Slowly his soul floated back towards his body and he woke up with a jerk. Somewhere near his head his mobile was beeping again. Hitting snooze was not an option now. He finally pulled himself up, not looking forward to the day ahead.

‘I’d rather live’