My Human Body
A huge window besides my bed gives a clear view of the lawn. It is still early, I could sleep some more, I said to myself. A sticky feeling on the bed bothered me; yet I decided to doze off; morning jobs during winters are never pleasant.
An hour passed by before I opened my eyes again. I found myself wrapped up in my quilt. I closed my eyes, but an irritating roughness on my back disturbed me. I couldn’t manage to get up even to check the time, let alone to get down from my bed. I opened my eyes, when something on my head was interrupting my view. I tried to raise my hand to check what it is, and realized that I was moving something really light, thin and thorny.
That disgusted the very core of me; I closed my eyes for a moment to make myself believe that it’s just a dream. I dared to look down, and found a strange shape of body appearing under the quilt. I moved myself, and saw that body moving. It felt like something else, someone else. I tried to shout, but was unable to do so. It was as if the body was not mine.
My mother walked into the room, she sensed some movements and asked me if I was awake. I tried to respond but found being incapable of doing so. She left the room assuming that I was still asleep. She came back to wake me up with some warm water. I was still lying there; trembling with the fear- the fear of unknown. I stayed there, waiting for my mother to look at me and tell me what has happened; I lied there waiting to see myself from my mother’s eyes when I failed to see myself from my own.
A piercing scream followed the uncovering of my body. I stared at her befuddled, expecting an explanation for that scream. She slapped a pillow on my face and ran outside shouting in a trembling voice. My father came in, saw me, and froze in silence. My brother ran towards my room and abruptly moved out to ask my mother what is that.
My mother’s words: “A BIG, GIANT COCKROACH!”
A big giant cockroach?! Where? Who? Me? What has happened to me? Who is going to tell me that? I expected them to come to my room and tell me, “It’s some kind of infection”. Like always, I was expecting them to soothe me by saying “you’ll be fine soon”. Whereas, no one came to my room for a long time; I was just lying there, unable to move, not knowing how this body needs to be moved.
I saw them running to other rooms, probably to find me. Then I felt a vibration besides my pillow, they were calling to talk to me. I wish I could tell them I am right here, just in a different body; a slightly stickier, scratchy, thorny, and disgusting body. Huh! My mother cannot call me a cockroach; she must be talking about something else. Even if I am extremely disgusting, she can’t call me a cockroach. But, perhaps, she did. In that case, is she right? I contemplated.
My father walked inside, taking my name. He stood at a ‘safe’ distance from me, and stared at me staring at him. He made a disgusted face, but stood there staring at me; perplexed, uttering my name. I tried to nod, but I don’t know if I managed to. He constantly asked me if I am me. I tried to sit, move my body, blink my eyes; but I don’t know if it looked the way I felt it to be. He signaled my mom to come in, after being convinced that I am harmless.
My mom comes in with some salt in her fist; which, after staring at me for few minutes, she circled around my body. I sensed there is something really very wrong here. Whenever she does that, she is either very frightened or cannot find any possible remedy for the crisis. That scared me; I wanted to understand what was happening?
My father took out his phone and called our doctor. Whenever any illness is detected in the family, quickly a call goes to that doctor to seek an immediate medical attention. This time, he did not (and could not) explain the ‘illness’ to the doctor, so he called him over as soon as possible.
I heard my mother talking to my father in a trembling voice, being unable to absorb the sight. She had extreme fear in her eyes, and was constantly asking “How did this happen?” From the initial denial of reality, she came in terms with the ‘transformation’. The doctor came. I am sure he would have rejected to even examine me after looking at me had there been no obligations to do so. He suggested them to keep this news to themselves, and to give him some time to see what he could do. With certain false expectations, he left.
My mother, accepting that the cockroach was me, came and sat beside me. It was already ten in the morning. All this had made my brother skip his studies. No meal was made at home. All were just roaming around me. When the clock struck eleven, my mother suddenly realized that the ‘patient’ needs some food. She went to the kitchen and brought some bread for me. I, being really hungry because of all these anxieties, wanted to snatch the bread from her hand and eat it right away.
Since, I was lying on my back it was really hard to turn around with only my legs. Looking at my helplessness, they helped me to turn around, in order to eat. My mother got disgusted by my claggy body; and suggested to give me a bath. The nearest possible way to do so was to bring a hot towel and clean me with it. Rubbing of that towel on my body felt extremely painful and tormenting. I tried resisting it, but I felt simply powerless.
My mother brought me something to eat, and left me with my brother in the room. He could not leave the room due to his fretfulness, and was constantly confirming if I am moving, and hence, ALIVE.
It was made clear that I will not be let outside till I am fine; as it will be really impossible to explain my condition to anyone else.
I was really worried about calling in sick for work. What would the reason be? That I need a few days off because I am a cockroach now?
I was uneasy about being dependent on my family for petty chores like cleaning myself up. I was worried, the most, about not being able to transform back into a human, into a human body.
I was worried to wake up to THIS BEING A REALITY NOW.
(Inspired by Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis)
Hit recommend and spread the love. ♥
(Follow ‘One Day Story’ to have an exciting reading experience)
