The Night Shift Unheard Of
I
and my mate scurried through the empty hall. The light rustling of
leaves and continuous chirping of the cricket were the only sounds
that reverberated. No one was present. It was finally our time to
take control of the night. The whole day the hustle and bustle of the
men had made the place inaccessible to us. Tonight when finally the
last person left the room, the lights turned off. This was our cue.
The moon was kind to light our way. It was time for revenge.
We
didn’t have any particular grudge against the people of this
company. We used to live in harmony with them. We made ourselves
inconspicuous to make them feel comfortable. We never disturbed them
when they were busy working. We even worked the night shifts, to keep
the place bustling as they probably wanted. I always wondered if the
work we did was appreciated or not. There was always this nagging
doubt whether they even acknowledged our presence. But nevertheless,
we kept working to our best.
Every
night our schedule would be the same. Like ghosts of the night, we
would step out of the darkness into the now moonlit room. Our duty
was to scan the room and make sure it’s cleaned up. I wanted my
buddy to take the east corner of the room where the moon shone the
brightest. He had a slight sight-impairment. But he would refuse to
work alone and preferred to tag along with me. So I reluctantly let
him follow me around. It did reduce our work efficiency, but
friendship comes first always.
We
would first survey the dustbin. It would always be overflowing with
so much garbage. But occasionally one can find something useful
discarded by mistake. Almost every night we would find food thrown
away. It would infuriate me how men could waste so much food without
a second thought! How irresponsible of them! We didn’t mind
salvaging the perfectly good food and devouring it for dinner. Our
stomachs full we would finish examining the whole room. We made sure
to leave our signature footprint everywhere just in case anyone
doubts whether we covered the whole room. They didn’t keep track of
our jobs but we cannot take the risk of unemployment can we?! I heard it
was quite rampant nowadays. Better safe than sorry.
Last
night we were preparing for our shift when I glanced and found that
the lights were still on. Peeping again after some time I noticed one
young woman sitting at her desk. I had never seen her work so late. A
creature of habit I was already restless to start working. Then an
ingenious idea struck me. What if today I finally present myself in
front of my colleague? The thought of being apprised made me yearn
for it more. Would she applaud me for my hard work? I was already
dreaming of a promotion. Maybe they would let us access to the room
on the first floor. I decided it was worth the risk. I nudged my
friend and took the first step towards what was the onset of a
disaster.
We
walked towards the dustbin cautiously, heart pounding fast,
expecting her to turn around any moment. We reached it but she did
not pay any attention to us. So we moved in closer. She heard us
maybe and swung around and something very unexpected happened. She
screamed like she had seen a ghost! Panicking ourselves, we skittered
back to the darkness.
Tonight
was revenge night. We finally came to know how under-appreciated we
were. Tonight we will quit. But before we quit, we sure will wreak
havoc at what was once our beloved workplace. It brought tears to my
eyes that I would have to sabotage all that I loved once. But
injustice is something I won’t bear. “No, sorry Boss”, I had
mustered the courage to say it. No more docility. Even my buddy was
instilled with my resentment and today he decided to take one step
ahead and venture out alone, trying to maximize the damage. As
planned we attacked all the cables first. Gnawed, bit and tore them
apart to shreds. Oh! The satisfaction! With fire in my blood, I went
to the next target in queue- the soft cushions of the chairs.
Engrossed in my mission of demolition, I barely heard the cry for
help. When I was out of my stance of revenge, it was too late. My
dear friend was breathing his last. I couldn’t believe it. The only
day I wasn’t there for him, turned out to be his last. How could he
not sense the poison he was eating? All my anger flushed away as I
held him in my arms wishing I wasn’t so foolish. If only I hadn’t
been greedy for a promotion, my innocent friend would have been alive
now! In the last moment he weakly told me:
“My
dear friend, do not let my death be in vain. Teach the humans a
lesson. They didn’t appreciate our co-operation. Now show them our
revenge! Be a menace, a nuisance. “
“Yes,
I promise,” I replied as his eyes drooped and he was gone.
Sad Ending :(
ReplyDeleteSadness triggers revenge. :P
DeleteTerrific ending!!!!!!
ReplyDeletethank you :D
DeleteHey it's so nice. Viewpoint of a tiny creature. Loved it. Could never have thought in this way.
ReplyDeleteThank you :D
DeleteSensational!!!
ReplyDelete