The last Cigarette

Dash!! Lost in his own thoughts he suddenly lost control of steering wheel and next minute he was thrown out of the car and was lying in pool of blood. There was not much time left. With shivering hands, he lighted a cigarette. That the cigarette is going to last 10 more minutes gave him a feeling of joy. He was very much aware that probably that’s how long his life was going to last.

While watching the burning cigarette, Life started flashing in front of his eyes …so many plans…so many goals… He had always loved the style of gently stroking cigarette bud so as to remove ash from the tip. Lying on ground, he couldn’t do it. Sarcastically, he smiled at himself.

Half way through, the feeling of ‘this cigarette is going to extinguish’ occurred to him. He needed another, but there was not much time left. Life is the ultimate goal, he thought. But in his case it was being cut short. This was not how it was supposed to end.

He looked at the stars in the sky. Someone had told him that your thoughts are disjointed but creative. He started drawing imaginary lines, joining various stars, trying to make sense out of it. Just when he thought he had found some pattern everything seemed to be going dark, stars became hazy. That’s how the life had been to him. Eyes went moist.

It was time for the golden shot. He enjoyed it like never before. He sensed the feeling where one knows he has lost but has no qualms.

Slowly the cigarette extinguished….