IT WAS NOT A DREAM(Shakeel Umrani) It was pitch dark outside. The rain was pouring down in torrents. The window of my room was open and the door was ajar. Suddenly I saw a shadow passed through my window. I was much alarmed to see such a weirdly dark figure in that stormy night. I rushed to close the door. Meanwhile, someone struck my head with a heavy object.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a strange room. Surely, it was not a dream. At first I could not figure out what was going on. But after a while it seemed that the room was a bit familiar to me. I might have seen it in my dream, thought I. Now I was acutely conscious. I tried to get up, but the second moment I had to give up the notion. I was feeling weakness and my head was drowsy.
Where am I? Rose the first question in my mind and soon the flashback started. I thought about the misfortunate incident of the previous night – rain, storm, the queer silhouette and finally the wound behind my head. My hand moved spontaneously behind my head. Narrowly I examined the wound on my head, but could not feel any pain. Nothing was there, as if the wound had miraculously healed down. There was no obvious sign of injury or swelling.
I mustered up courage and stepped out of the bed in order to inspect the room closely. The room was not well lit. The first thing I came across was a calendar hanging on the wall. The page at display was showing the month of October 2013. The second thing I glimpsed was a bizarre picture depicting grotesque figures of an unknown creature. The next thing I glanced over was the scariest of all. Because it was the poster of the movie which I had been watching the previous night prior to this mishap. It was a freaky scene. A zombie attacking a man with a mighty hammer. The man is striving to save his life.
Adrenaline drifted in my spine and my heart almost stopped beating. I was still unable to disentangle this mysterious labyrinth of occurrences. In retrospect, I started weaving the chains of events. I was exactly watching the same movie along with my three friends. It freaked us out and we were quite terrified. What happened next? I forced to retrieve my memory. The storm had been building up outside the moment we were watching that scary movie. I stayed late-night in my cousin Kiyya’s home with my two friends Balach and Chakar. We set out for our respective homes as soon as the movie had ended, I memorized...
I was on my way to home. Darkness prevailed all around except the occasional flashes of light from the lightening which though lit my way, but further aggravated the awful night. No sooner did I reach my apartment then it began to rain, remembered I. The rain gained strength…And, then,.. I left the door ajar to close the window so as to stop the rain water getting into the room. Whilst I was going to close the window, I was stunned by someone. What happened next? Things were flashing back in my mind.
Presently I was alone in that gloomy room. To my dismay the door was invisible. The idea of a room without a door astounded me. I was mercilessly trapped in that spooky room... Suddenly my bed slid abruptly with a creaky sound and started jerking. I cowered with fear. I thought about my cell phone. Simultaneously a musical tone began resounding. It filled the air with a tormenting noise. The sound was coming from the bedside.
I ventured to turn up the pillow and then found my own mobile phone ringing. Immediately, I grabbed the phone, but what was more frightening for me was my own number calling me. I checked the number once again to ascertain my doubt. Yes…. It was my own number. I wasn’t mistaken. Nevertheless, I picked up, “hello” uttered I with a feeble voice. “Hahahaha”, a formidably ludicrous voice rattled in my ear from the other side. “Who ar, are you?” I asked meekly clearing my throat…. But, I got no answer except irrepressible laughing sounds from the other side.

Next evening at five pm Kiyya, Chakar, Balach and I were again gathered around Kiyya’s lawn taking sips of tea. But I was still listening to their gruesome laughter around me. I felt like to kill all those rascals laughing mockingly at my hapless plight. Kiyya was my cousin who had recently completed a course of Interior Designing from a foreign university. Chakar and Balach were our mutual friends. The former was practicing as a physician after completing his MBBS, while the latter was a final year student of Psychology in a local university.
“How was your last night dear cousin”? Asked Kiyya, convulsing with laughter. “I hope you liked the pictures”, inquired Chakar, adding insult to my injuries. “How was the phone call”? Grinned Balach. “So it was your plot” asked I holding back my anger. “Everything was planned” remarked Kiyya.
Now listen to the rest of the story in Kiyya’s words.
We knew that, as a writer, you are curious about weirdo things because of your inquisitive nature. And you always sought our opinion about the plots of your stories. One day we hatched a plan to dupe you. It was also a test of our professional skills. We intentionally chose a scary movie and invited you therein. We meant to frighten you and also pretended to be afraid. While you were busy watching the movie with Balach and Chakar, I sneaked away and reached your apartment. I had already gotten your keys.
I changed the internal shape of your room by replacing the wallpapers, and hung some strange pictures on the wall along with the poster of the scary movie. Your room was not less than the set of a horror film. I also changed the direction of your bed. After completing my job I returned back to join you. You were so absorbed in the movie that you did not notice my absence.
Dr. Chakar mixed a slightly intoxicating drug in your soft drink before you left my house. We followed you secretly till you reached home. We scattered around your apartment. You were quite afraid and also the weather favored us to aggravate your misery.
“And who the hell hit me from behind”? Interrupted I. “It was Balach, our young psychologist”, Uttered Kiyya. ‘You were not hit with a hammer but with yesterday’s newspaper”. He pointed towards a rolled paper lying on the table. “Balach knew that”, continued Kiyya, “you were already scare and a little blow would knock you down.
The drug had had its effect. You were soundly asleep. We transferred you to your bed and repositioned the bed against the door so as to conceal the door. I changed the SIM of your mobile phone and replaced the caller tone. Then I skillfully covered the door with wallpaper similar to the color of the room before moving out. During this entire period, Doctor Chakar constantly attended you to ensure your safety.
We did not move away after shutting you down, but waited patiently in the adjacent room for your quick recovery. We broke into as soon as we discerned that you had gained your senses. “I would have died if you had not rescued me”. Said I, breathing a sigh of relief. One day we were boasting of our professional skills, continued Kiyya. We wanted to test our ability by pranking you.
Balach believed that he could terrify you psychologically. Hence he arranged all those stuff that worked effectively. Chakar, on the other hand, was certain that he would put you into a sound slumber without befalling any harm to your health. And so both succeeded in their tasks. As far as my role was concerned I proved that I am an adept interior designer, caz I changed your room beyond recognition. We got what we desired. Kiyya remarked boastfully.
I was silent and thinking because I had also got something...…the idea of a unique story for the Annual Story Competition.

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