the other world by isha agrawal

“Wake up,” a soft voice groans in my ears.

With a pained sigh, I raise my head and blink at the person leaning against my desk.

“It’s almost eleven at night, Shaia.” said my manager. I blink at her, hearing her words but not listening to any of it.

“You should head home now.” She said, her voice shaking a little. “It’s getting late. Take a day off tomorrow to rest.”

I might be half-asleep but the thought that I should be working doesn’t leave me. I can’t take a day off. I need the money to pay for Mom’s medical treatment which costs twice my rent for six months.

“I’ll leave once I’ve submitted this new report. I think this should work, now that I’ve removed the bug.”

“Shaia, you are like my daughter and I’ve been working here for over a decade. So I’ll tell you this one thing – these higher-up authorities…they can remove that bug on their own. The world won’t end if you take a leave.”

“I know, but we’re running late.”

“Shaia, go home. Now,” she leans forward to shut down my computer for me. “Go.”

I get up reluctantly, throwing my things spread on my white desk into my black leather shoulder bag. A sharp pain shoots up the right side of my face. I realise that my cheeks hurt from pressing against the pens and journal on my desk while I was sleeping. Taking my almost empty sipper mug with me, I take one last look at the dark screen of my computer. I need to finish this quickly so I can get that bonus money.

Pushing my black rectangular frames over my nose, I sigh remembering the day I raised my hand to take on extra work for this project. I was already drowning in the work related to three different apps I had created for this company ever since I started working here.  

I was dedicated and hard-working but even after all that dedication I was still a human with only twenty-four hours in a day. I couldn’t increase the number of hours in my day by being a workaholic. I knew that very well.

Yet here I was. The day is still fresh in my memory, the regret only deepening as days pass by.

It was the beginning of this year. I was called into the conference room, along with a few chosen colleagues of mine, and told about this new project. It wasn’t compulsory. Nothing and nobody was forcing me yet I couldn’t say no, couldn’t take a step back. Not because it was creative and would look good on my non-existent resume. But because we’d be given a hefty sum as a bonus – the money that could help me with mom’s operation.

If I received that, I could shift her from a government hospital to a private one with excellent services. I had a chance to save her, even if it was for an extra day with her.

Exiting the building, I walk to the empty parking lot. I tighten my trench coat on my waist when the wind blows. Opening the car door, I throw my bag into the passenger seat and lean against the cold metal.

I never spent a single dime of my hard-earned money on anything that wasn’t important. Mom and I still lived in that home where I had to pay rent after Dad passed away five years ago. I still wore half of the clothes I had bought during college. If I had an older sibling or someone to ask for help, I would have but I didn’t, thanks to my parent’s inter-caste marriage. I’m their only child–a child they spent years praying for. I love them, I really do but sometimes I can’t help but think of giving up.

Why couldn’t Dad stay for me? Why did God take him away? He was a good man, worked hard, and loved us fiercely. Yet, he’s the one who isn’t a part of this world anymore while the bad guys roam around freely.

Tears of anguish and frustration start streaming down my face and I give myself five minutes to feel pity for myself. Then I get in my mom’s old car and instead of heading home, take the path to the government hospital. The thirty-minute drive takes me almost an hour to cover since the car is way older than me and I’m also sleepy.

Before meeting Mom, I decided to clean myself. I can’t be unhappy and make her feel worse than she already does. So, with my bag in one hand and my phone in the other, I step into the silent hospital.

A nurse wearing a scrub nods her head at me near the reception. I’ve been coming here ever since Mom was first diagnosed. These people have practically watched me grow up, even if those visits were yearly. The sight of the stretchers and nurses with tools doesn’t even terrify me anymore like it once did.

Following the white overhead lights, I walk into the quiet long corridor beside the reception, where the last door leads to a restroom. I open the white door and leave it ajar, walking toward the wash basins. A couple of tube light hangs from the ceiling, half of it still attached to the wall while the other half swings in the air.

The reflection of my face in the huge rectangle mirror running along the wall doesn’t even startle me. I’m used to the hollow of my cheeks and the dark crescent under my eyes. I can hardly remember the last time I dressed up for something.

I bend down to set my bag and phone on the black and white chequered tiled floor. Then I straighten up and begin washing my face with cold tap water. That should wake me up and help me enough to put on a happy face for Mom. She looked rather ill yesterday so I don’t want to bring her down with my problems tonight. She must be sleeping but I know she’ll wake up, like she does every time I come to meet her at ungodly hours.

I rub my wet hands on my hair, setting them as I look around. I’m retying my long dark hair in a ponytail at the nape of my neck when something catches my eye in the mirror.

Behind me, there are four white doors for the bathroom stalls to give the women some privacy. This is an old hospital and with no funds, there hasn’t been any renovation in decades. Even though we live in one of the smartest cities in the world, the poor are still poor.

The last stall has been locked up after the pump burst open in that corner. It has been that way ever since I started coming here. So, I’m a bit curious to see the brown rusty lock broken tonight.

I didn’t use this restroom yesterday during my visit so I can’t be sure if this happened tonight or yesterday. Before that, I’m certain it was locked and no one could use it.

I take a step toward that stall with my hair half done and my heart beating wildly in my chest for some reason. I keep wondering what could have happened here that led to this. I open the door and some strange sort of light flashes into my eyes. It’s all white around me before I suddenly fall.

When I wake up, it happens slowly. I look at my surroundings – darkness, pitch black darkness, and silence so loud you can feel it on your skin. Nothing makes sense to me. My eyes take time to adjust to the darkness. Feeling my hand in the darkness, I bend forward to touch my cold feet. How were they even cold when I was wearing my ankle boots and thick socks? But instead of the soft material of my boots, when I touch my feet, I feel my fingers, so cold.

What’s happening?

Where am I?

I try to stand up. A sharp pain shoots up the right side of my body and I end up on the ground, my butt taking the good brunt of my sudden fall. I’m so exhausted. I’ll get up in a moment and then try to head back home.

Just a moment.

I’ll close my eyes and wake up to go home.

Yes, that sounds good.

Mom must be waiting for me.

I need to look good for her.

A minute turns into hours and when I wake up, soft sunlight gleams at the side of my face. Blinking slowly, I tilt my head to my right, then left, scanning where I am. The earthy smell of the wet ground, like it’s just rained, fills my nose. I rub my eyes and blink a few times before everything comes to focus. The brown and green over me comforts me like a warm embrace. It looks like a rock and then, I feel it—the softness under my back.  There’s moss-like growth everywhere around me – on the rocks beneath me, above me, and beside me.

Is it a…cave?

It surely looks like a cave. There’s a way out on my right and on my left, all I can see is a long way into darkness. Where the hell am I?

And why isn’t the darkness scaring me?

I lay still for a moment or so before I decide I need to leave.

Getting up on my feet is a painful struggle but I manage it. Dragging my bare feet, I leave the cave, my left hand rubbing my right arm which feels numb. Once I’m out in the open, I take a breath and try stretching my limbs. Everything feels so calm and serene. I could live here forever, away from all that noise.

Everything is white and gloomy…almost dead around me. There’s nothing here as far as my eyes can see. Everything is too silent, too quiet, and there’s not a single sign of life around me. Except for the sunlight, everything is barren and empty. The sun is the only source of light and color.

As I keep looking at it, I feel like I’m daydreaming about an imaginary universe. What’s going on? Is this some dream? It’s too peaceful. Almost like…heaven.

And that does it. I snap out of that daze.

Oh my god, am I dead?

Where am I?

Is this heaven?

What’s going on?

Shit, have I been kidnapped?

Oh no. No. No.

I need to see Mom. She must be thinking where I am.

I need to run to her.

Putting one step after another, I shuffle my feet, until I begin running, to what, I have no clue. But, hopefully, I’ll find something. And when I do, I’m gonna find whoever did this to me and make them pay!

Yes, that’s what I’ll do. My stomach grumbles and I realize that I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch. But I ignore the sound of it as I keep running forward and forward, to no end.