The Unknown Number
Mehak Chawla
What if the nightmares you see are an excerpt from the future? Or an anxious ghost hunting you at all times? Even when you’re asleep?
We’ve all encountered with heart throbbing nightmares, have woken up midnight wondering if something’s wrong. But what will you do if the nightmares actually take a shape of a ghostly day?
It was yet another day at work, spent eyeing on the laptop screen trying to shoo away all the stuck thoughts and fears from the past. Following the monotonous work routine, engaged in producing fresher content, the phone flashes an unknown number. This anxious mind got engulfed with thousands of names of people who’ve distanced and yet remained close to my heart. Hurriedly picking up the falling phone, a familiar happy voice said, “Hey, long time. Thought of catching up.” Trying to get recollect whose voice it was, she continued, “This is my new number, I texted you regarding my old number being out of service, right?” As soon as she mentioned about the text, I thanked my gut feeling to be right about the call being that of a distanced friend. She was my classmate in college and a really close friend, but life took its course and distanced we became. It really had been a long time, so I kept away the anxious me aside and replied “Hey, yes I remember. How are you doing?”
“How is work going?”
“How is everyone at home?”
This round of throwing questions and actually knowing how easy life was going kept the silence at bay for a while.
She, unlike me seemed a chirpier than usual, and answered all the questions with intricate details.
“It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen you this optimistic. I am glad.”, I said.
“Today’s special, I have given up on worrying about unalterable situations.”
Surely it was different. She was different, but in a good way. This made me talk to her just the way we used to during college, I told her what’s been going on, about the nightmares, and about anything and everything that was possible. Being the way she was, she listened and suggested some meditation exercises and techniques.
“All such dreams and nightmares reflect upon your inner inhibitions and worries. I’m sure there’s more to your nightmare. All the things you see in your dreams hold some relevance”, she continued.
No matter how much I wanted to disagree, the facts got stuck in my brain and I couldn’t help but agree to what she was saying.
“How to get rid of these thoughts and worries? I really feel trapped”, I couldn’t get more vulnerable.
“There’s a small way that has saved me and I think it can help you too. But it requires a little more effort”, she added.
I asked her to tell me what worked for her. And I would see if it would fit me.
“Okay, I’ve tried this a lot of times but I finally got successful two days back. It was a bit of a painful journey of accepting and letting go off yourself but eventually it really has helped me. I would really want you to…”
I continued to listen until I asked her to pause, while I picked up the other call from a familiar number.
“Hi. I tried calling you a lot of times but I couldn’t reach you.”, she sounded concerned. I tried to turn the pages and recall the voice while she continued speaking with a heavier heart, “My sister, your friend passed away two days back. Could you please come over?” My heart sank and my mind tried to grasp what I was just being told.
“But I was just talking to her on call”, numbness surrounded me while I told her this. Shivering, I looked at my phone to switch calls back and there wasn’t any call record.
You know sometimes there’s no bigger enemy than the memories. Memories of a failed test, a saddened goodbye, a led-down relationship or of a lost friend, it can come rushing in at any given moment. Sometimes it hits you when you’re feeling stranded and sometimes when you’re at a party, giggling one moment, and crying the next. And if it hits you remember it just isn’t you, all those faces you see around are just as similar to you undergoing the same emotional trauma of being haunted by the memories.
I still don’t know whether it was my mind playing tricks with that phone call or whether it actually was her. But whatever it was, I guess more than terrified I was glad that even if I was hallucinating, I was talking to her about the parts I’ve never said it out loud. I guess that solace is what we all crave for.
