The Last Uno
It was December, and the roads were empty, filled with silence. The world we knew once, was changing right in front of us.
The streets, the games we played and the cycle rides were vanishing through the thin air like it was never there. The people became much closer than before, as they were forced to meet each other everyday due to the lockdown.
One day, as the dead wind passed through the windows of a lifeless apartment -pushed the curtains open
and entered in like it owned the place. Suddenly -someone woke up. The room seemed dark, hopeless but with some memories, pictures pasted on the mirror with old double sided tapes.
The mirror seemed faceless as its fragments of face parts went missing.
The room was dusty, dead and unclear. A layer of dust, which was upon the tables and chairs made it look old. The bed he slept seemed way older and ripped apart, where the bed’s inner layer appeared like the wound which had been left open for days.
He placed his leg down the floor and moved slowly towards the mirror. He looks at the pictures, which were pasted on the mirror. His family , Father, mother and Brother were in that picture. His Friends,
three of them were Roshan, Aaron and Nathan.
After looking at it for a while, he brings himself towards the rest room to freshen up. The tap turned right, the water slowly filling the hands and trying to get out at the same time, but he moved his face towards his hands and splashes the water on his face.
The water started dripping from his ear towards the neck and then he grabbed a towel which seemed to be an old, dusty and torn one. He grabbed it, from the hanger where its corner was rusty. Suddenly- he shouts,
"Is the breakfast ready, Mom?."
His voice echoed throughout the house but the silence came in place of answer.
"Maybe she might have gone somewhere. I’m starving." whispered to himself.
He walked towards the kitchen, and slightly touched the handle of the fridge, tried pulling it backward to open it. The fridge’s door opened. His eyes were curious to find any food left, then he was so shocked that there was only...a piece of bread and all other things were empty and rotten. His eyes turned dead and his stomach growled.
Then he took that one piece of good bread. Once he closed the fridge door, there was a name magnet stuck to it, reading... "Don’t forget to finish your homework, Shyam."
As he picks the food and moves towards the hall, he hears something echo through his entire body—his friends playing Uno and enjoying it to the fullest. He then, after hearing this, slowly started to move
towards the hall. He grabs the handle, pushes it down and the door creaks and his friends are playing Uno. The place felt so bright, filled with happiness and joy.
"It’s so peaceful, enjoying and playing Uno together with our friends, right, Shyam?" asked one of his friends.
"When did they...", Shyam thinks...
"Grab your cards and join us. You said you will come within a minute. Where were you?... That’s fine.
Place your card now." said Aaron.
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The windows in the hall were closed and the hall’s center was well lit up for the game.
Shyam grabbed his cards, which had number one blue coloured card, number three green coloured card, number seven red coloured card and a plus four card in his deck. He had four cards in his hand.
Suddenly-
"It’s your turn now, Shyam. Place the card from your deck." said Nathan.
Shyam thinks for a second, his hand shakes and tries to pick the number one blue coloured card, draws it out. The game goes on.
As he was consciously into the game, the dead wind entered through the windows of the kitchen and made the things fall down.
Shyam hears this and sees his friends, no reaction was expressed. He kept the three cards upside down facing the numbers side towards the table. Shyam again went back to the kitchen and saw that the things fell down. He picked the pan, spoons and plates down from the floor. He then arranges it, but there were no plates except one broken and cracked plate.
"Where are you, Shyam", calls Aaron.
"I’m coming, Aaron", said Shyam.
Every step he takes, the happiness starts to flourish towards the door to hall. He then grabs the door handle’s of the hall way and pulls it down.
"Ahhh...Here he comes. Come on come on", said Roshan.
Shyam sits on the chair and picks the deck but it seems to be only one card. "Did I have one card... or three cards? Maybe...I might have missed the...count.", said to himself.
Aaron draws the card, then Roshan and Nathan do. Shyam’s so eager...
Shyam sees his victory in front of his eyes, his friends looking at him for his last card to be placed on the old, brown table.
As Shyam’s hand picks the card, he pauses for a moment-his heart pounds faster with eagerness to win and his hand goes straight up into the air and forcefully drops towards the table with the card on his palm facing upwards.
"UNO...", shouted Shyam. Breathes heavily and looks towards his friends with a victory smile.
As he slammed the table, the whole house felt like thunder had crashed inside it. The bright light which was lit up in the hall’s center had gone dark, his friends suddenly started disappearing one by one and all
the cards except for a blue six, a green six, and a red six—left on the table, untouched for years. He couldn’t believe his eyes, everything he saw was just....
Reality shatters—no friends,
no game.
Just silence.
Just him.
