WAKE UP TO REALITY

The alarm starts ringing breaking the silence. A new day was born. Alex slugishly move in his bed trying to reach the alarm clock. He stomps on it to stop the ringing as he wakes up caressing his face. He was never a morning person. As he sits on his bed looking around, he hears something scratching the edge of his bed. It was a familiar sound to him though as his pet cat, Morris, came up and started licking his face. He took Morris in his arms and walked towards the bathroom. A day in his life normally starts just like this. Alex is a simple man. Living a simple life. He loved the simplicity of life in which he lives right now. He freshens up and then starts making breakfast. He had to be ready for his wife and children, who were returning today from a trip to his wife's parents. He cleaned the house and cleared all the beer cans he devoured yesterday while watching football. His family is expected to reach at the airport at 8 o'clock in the evening. So, he have this last day all for himself. After life happened, days like these, where you are just with yourself, were scarce. So he is ready to cherish his last day of freedom until everything goes back to normal.

He picks his car keys and starts his voyage towards the beach. Morris is beside him, laying comfortably over the book he took with him to read on the beach. The book is titled, WAKE UP TO REALITY. Reading was always a passion and mental therapy for Alex. He met his wife, Somi too in a book club. Every night both of them used to read books before going to bed. The reading habit also got transferred to their children, Max and Shelly. Even at a tender age of 8 and 10 respectively, both of them were particular about reading at least a story before bed. Alex's family was simple. But it was simply the best for him. An ordinary quite, happy life is what most people desire at this age.

With one hand he grabs Morris and with the other he carried his book. He found a great solitary place in the beach and starts reading his book with the calming voice of the sea in the background. Morris curled up beside him, soaking all the goodness of the sunlight whereas, Alex was lost in the pages of the book. Alex never remembered buying this book and never had seen this book before. Maybe Somi bought it, it was common for both of them to find new books brought to the shelf by either one of them. As he is cruising through the book, the comfort of the windy beach and the symphony of the sea relaxes him way better than usual and he dozes off in a short moment. Slowly he feels a piercing pain shooting through his arm. It was soo subtle at the beginning but gradually it travelled all through his veins causing a burning sensation in his arms. Like a pin is in his veins and whenever it is being dragged by blood, it is cutting through the vessel. He never had felt a pain this strange ever before, that too while not doing any physical activity. The pain breaks his sleep. But something was odd. He was unable to open his eyes or even move!

It felt like his eyes are glued shut, his body is being held by strong hands pinning him down. He shrugged and struggled, but harder he tried, harder he felt like he is being pushed and restricted to even move a muscle. The pain was travelling all over his body now, pin pointing the vessels in his body. The burning was now all over the body. He wanted to scream, but his mouth was just not opening. Like his body have shut down itself without telling his consciousness. And that's when he hears a voice, " Wake up to reality baby. Please wake up! We need you. " His eyes slams themselves up as soon as this voice rings in his ears. His body was now fully in his control. Startled by all of this, he springs up from his location. " What was that? That pain, that feeling of being held, then that voice. It's so familiar. Yet I don't recognize it." He was perplexed by all of this. He grazes his vision around his location. Everything was normal. Morris was still napping, the beach was calmer than ever. " Was it just a dream? Yeah I guess. But what a vivid and awkward one at that. " He checks the time, and it was already 6 o'clock. "Oh! I better get back to home and start preparing the home for their return. " He picks up the book which was now a little bit covered in sand. Pats slowly on Morris's head signaling him to follow. Morris obediently follows his master and returns with him to his car. He revs the car and drives it back to home as fast as he could. He reaches home, throws the book on the table and starts preparing the house, and cleaning it one last time before everyone returns. He takes a bath, checks the time and races off to his car. As he sits on the car, something in the back of his mind, something random pops up. The moment he picked the keys from the table, the book, he took with him to the beach, the one that was covered in sand, the book which was close to the keys at the table, had the title, " The DaVinci Code " written on it. It was his favourite book, but he knew it was not the book he took with him to the beach. The title was something else. " Urgh… why can't I remember? I surely read some other book there. Oh nevermind… it's not the time to think about that. " It was almost time for the plane to land. He starts racing through the highway to be on time. His mind was somewhat clouded by whatever was happening today but it's okay as soon, he is going to see his kids and wife. A sharp turn came. As he turns the car, through the corner of his eyes he sees a homeless guy holding a billboard. Amazingly, at this very high speed too, the words were clearly read by him. " WAKE UP TO REALITY. NOTHING IN THIS WORLD GOES AS PLANNED. Huh.. what a vivid choice of words. " He chuckles and that's when everything came back to him. The book he took with him to the beach, the voice he heard while he had that awkward dteam. It all pointed towards one thing, WAKE UP TO REALITY! Yes… what is happening to him? Why are these words suddenly haunting him everywhere? Why are these budding up everywhere and everything he is doing? What is that bright light thats blinding him right now while going high speed on the highway? What's that loud noise around his car? A horn?

The alarm starts ringing breaking the silence. A new day was born. Alex slugishly move in his bed trying to reach the alarm clock. He stomps on it to stop the ringing as he wakes up caressing his face.It was finally the final day of freedom as his family was returning back from his wife's parental home. He looks at the clock, marks the time, 8 o'clock he have to reach airport to pick them up. What should he do in the meantime? Yes go to the beach with Morris and read something. He grabs Morris and his beach folding bed. He then turns to his book shelf rummaging through the books. Finally to stumble upon a book he never had seen before in this shelf, titled, WAKE UP TO REALITY.

A white room. The only sound there is the haphazard beeping of different machines. In between the white room, a body, devoid of any movements, rests. The body's face is covered with tubes and other apparatus which moves rhythmically with the chest. The room's door opens and the once empty room is now rustling with people. " Doctor yesterday his seizure was a ot shorter in duration than before. Does that mean he is getting better? " A women with hopeful eyes asks the man in white. " Well it is always a good sign. That means the medications are working. But I won't give you false hopes and say he will recover from this coma anytime soon. These cases are unorthodox. No scale can measure the time it would took for patients like him to get better. But I sincerely hope he gets well soon. His body is all healed up in a year's time after the accident. Only his consciousness is wavering. " The lady slowly approaches the bed. Slowly caressing his head, she bends over and whispers in his ears, " Wake up to reality baby. Please wake up! We need you. Max, Shelly and even Morris are missing you. It's been a year since that dreadful accident happened in the highway. Don't take another year to wake up from your sleep. I need you Alex. We all are waiting. " She sobs and goes out of the room closing the door behind, giving Alex the words he needed to break out of that loop so he could return into his own reality.