FEAR!

Fear…perhaps one of the first senses that we humans began to realize. The driving force behind all inventions, both scientific and religious, Fear is constant and ubiquitous.

To understand fear completely and truly one would have to travel unreserved class on the Indian railways.

The sheer terror you get at the mere thought of visiting the washroom in the morning is an ideal representation of what fear really is.

Just a whiff of the wonderful aroma drifting towards you from the toilets, irrespective of where you are placed in the compartment is enough to put the fear of god inside anyone let aside if there is really a need to pay a visit to the sanctum sanctorum itself.

It is then that you start to question the almighty’s intentions behind putting the elaborate digestive system in a human body; it is when you begin to contemplate if the people who pilfer kidneys and miscellaneous body parts are actually angels in disguise actually trying to extricate mankind from such situations of absolute terror.

I recently had the misfortune of traveling on one such train. The night was relatively kind with me warranting a sole visit to the washroom. By keeping food intake to the bare minimum one managed to ward off further need to visit the toilet.

It was early morning when my heart started to pound rapidly. The first thing that woke me up in the morning was the repugnant smell coming from the toilets and the realization that It might become impossible eventually to avoid paying a visit to what now seemed like a vivid representation of how hell might look like without maintenance.

I politely refused the morning tea. Breakfast was also promptly sent back hoping that this could perhaps help in avoiding the inevitable but to no avail. Nature cruelly started enforcing her power and I began to really panic.

Tiny drops of sweat started to form on my forehead, and my heart began to beat faster building up for a sonic boom. All one could now focus on was the apparent hell that awaited her beyond the door and the increasing tornado inside one’s tummy signaling that one must face her destiny, sooner than expected.

Every time someone came back from the doors looking victorious, I felt like asking them one question of significant importance, “Excuse me dear sir, but did you….err…did you… flush?”

And finally, the time came when nature could be denied no more. With a heart that almost stopped beating and legs that refused to move, I set out on a journey to my impending doom.

With short and rapid breaths, as the door came closer my entire life flashed in front of my eyes.

Slowly but steadily I moved on and soon was facing the door that said: “toilet” and “vacant”.

Sucking in my breath sharply, I opened the door and entered the dreaded room to face my doom head-on…