Toy guns can't kill people... or so I thought

Toy guns can't kill people... or so I thought

A Story by Roch Ketchum
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This is a work of fiction

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One of the few things that children and adults like alike is an ice- cream on a scorching summer afternoon. I guess there is no one on this planet who does not drool at the sight of a nice cup of sundae in this summer heat. So when my grandfather told me that he was going to take me for a treat in the nearby ice cream parlor on that fateful Saturday afternoon, I leaped up with joy on my bed where I had been engaged in a serious battle between spider-man and batman, and immediately joined him, throwing the figurines on the bed. Yeah, I was one of those ten years old who loved playing with action figures. I had a vast collection of G.I Joes, spider-man, superman, batman, any man you name it. So everyday, as soon as I got back from school, I flung my bag on the living room couch and was instantly commanding my men to battle.


I used to live with my grandfather and father in Delhi. I didn’t know where my mother was, or grandmother for that matter. Every time I asked anyone about them, they just said that ma and grandma were resting peacefully in some other place, a place so far that it will be very long before they return; very, very long. I didn’t know the concept of infinity back then, that there exist infinities in this world, things which you can chase forever and not get. Suppose that you have a girl, whom you love but who can never be yours; then that girl is your infinity. A dream you have which you can never pursue, that is your infinity. I didn’t know what kind of place it was or in what corner of the world it was where my mother and grandmother were living. Some people called it heaven, some called it hell, and some just oblivion. An empty space devoid of any material things, filled with souls which had departed from the earth.I knew how my mother looked, and my grandmother too as there was a framed photo hung with a garland in the main hall of our house. My mother looks very beautiful I tell you. She wears a bright pink saree and has the fair face of one of those Disney princesses. And my grandmother with all those wrinkles and broad mouth looked funny and cute. But they both were the only void in my otherwise seeming happy life. I missed them. There was an unspoken emptiness in my life, something which I used to ignore but at times used to come with full force, the reality hitting me heard. I used to see my friends’ mothers in the school’s parent teacher meetings, in the playground, in the ice cream parlor. Everywhere I went, I could see glimpses of my infinity.


My father worked in a multinational company, so he was often out of town due to his work. He worked day and night, had tons of work to do, but always made sure to spent time with me. I don’t know if it was just that fatherly thing in work or his attempt to make up for the people who were absent from my life. He would take me up in his arms as soon as he would return from his office, his tie loose and that weary look on his face. He somehow managed to get through the chaos, the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions which must have been tormenting his mind. Sometimes, he just stared blankly at my mother’s photo, and sometimes, at nothing at all.


My grandfather was the one whom I spent most of the time with. He used to take me to the nearby playground in the evening where I used to play with the neighborhood kids, swinging, running and jumping. It was a carefree world you know, it always is. You just need to really see. But at a young age, it’s a different thing all together. You don’t have to worry about anything. Just eat, sleep, play and repeat.


So as I walked with my grandfather on the side walk, on that summer afternoon with the sun shining overhead, all I was thinking of was which flavor would delight my tongue that day. Should I choose mango, butterscotch or black current. Grandfather walked slowly beside me, with the support of his cane. He had become weak since the past few months and had limited his outings, considering how fit he was before.Surviving a heart attack doesn’t leave you with much fuel to carry on your life normally for a while I guess.


The bells tolled as we entered the parlor, welcomed by a gentle stroke of cool air. The parlor had yellow wallpapers with imprints of various ice creams on it. Colorful cones and scoops could be seen all around, beckoning me to a world of delectation. Chairs were arranged neatly around coffee colored round tables. In the front was the counter with it’s vibrant display of various flavors, ranging from the simplest of Vanilla to Belgian chocolate chip. I could sit there for hours, enjoying the delicacies in the cool environment, staring at various people coming and going, guessing who will take which flavor. But oh well.


The woman at the counter greeted us with a warm smile. She wore a blue colored tee with a man holding an ice cream printed at the back along with a clean yellow apron. Nisha really knew how to run a shop, better than her competitors. Her warm gestures and homely behavior attracted one and all and were one of the reasons (besides the absolutely delicious ice cream) that hers was one of the most successful shops in the area. People flocked to her shop day in and day out. She was the owner and she was the waiter.


“So, which flavor does Varun want today?” she asked, bending down and handing me a plastic spoon so that I could taste and select one as she fondly ruffled my hair. I glanced at the various flavors displayed in the glass cabinet. Neatly arranged in rows of five as they were, my eyes wandered from one end to the other. Nisha let me taste some flavors, and I finally settled for dark chocolate in the end. Yes dark chocolate was not exactly in my head but I had never tried it before, so it was a welcome change. It was deeper and richer than any of those chocolate ice creams I had had in the past. What was specially intriguing was the hint of dark caramel flavor beneath the chocolate. Nisha quickly served the ice cream, deftly taking out two scoops of the dessert and placing them in a paper cup.

“Here you go champ”

Handing me the cup, she generously pulled a chair for my grandfather to sit. 
“Thanks a lot child”, grandpa said as he sat down, placing his cane by the wall. I sat across him on the opposite side of the table with my legs dangling in the air.


“It’s my pleasure, please let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be right there”, she said, beaming. Her face shone in the sun rays from the front glass window, and she looked really good, like and angel in disguise.
It’s not everyday you find people like Nisha. I mean most of the shopkeepers just focus on selling their products, rather than really interacting with customers. You go to shop, buy a commodity, pay them and go. They probably won’t say much. But there are also people like Nisha, whose heart warming gestures may brighten up your day. They interact with you just like a friend, and then slowly they just become a kind of extended family.


You know, sitting there, in the ice cream parlor with my grandpa beside me and eating that dark chocolate, I felt on top of the world. That cool cream moving down my throat, that rich chocolaty flavor delighting my taste buds and the feel of that paper cup with condensed droplets of water on the outside, was a bliss. We don’t have many such moments other than in our childhood. We always have something due, something in the back of our mind, which has a habit if reminding us at the most inappropriate moments that we have things to look out for. You may have a meeting tomorrow for which you haven’t prepared, or an exam just round the corner. You may troubled about how to make up to your girlfriend or how to get away from your parents wrath. The thing is we are always preoccupied with some or the other thoughts which never leave our mind no matter how hard we try. But at that moment, a in the air conditioned paradise, I felt truly touched.


I finished the ice cream, licking the cup for the last traces of the dessert. We bade goodbye to Nisha, who cheerfully waved back.

“Come back soon”, she said while serving another customer, her face reflecting her pride in succesfully serving well yet another customer.

“We sure will”, I said as we moved out, once again in the heat.
When we reached the house, the main door was slightly ajar which was an unusual thing because there was no one due to come and dad was also out of station, so there was no chance of him coming so early. Warning bells, started ringing in my head. My grandfather must have also sensed it, as he asked me to stay quiet. We moved inside, careful as to make no noise whatsoever.


As we stood in the lobby, there was crashing sound, like glass falling. My heart was now beating at a thousand beats per minute. There sure was something wrong. My mind started considering all the possible worst case scenarios adding to the fear. Brain has that habit. Whenever you are scared, it will remind you something bad, something ominous to add to your fears.


My grandfather held my hand as we tiptoed to one of the rooms. An eerie silence prevailed, with fear lurking in the air. As soon as we started walking out of the room, there were footsteps, those of a person coming down the stairs.

“Come Varun, now”, my grandfather quickly led me to a cupboard, his whole frame shaking as he wobbled with the help of his cane in one hand and my hand on the other.

“Now you stay in here and don’t make any noise. Is that clear?”

I nodded in quick approval. I couldn’t speak anything. There was a lump in my throat and speaking right then, right there seemed liked an impossible thing to me. I should have said something. Something brave, but the ball in my mouth refused to move and not even a single syllable could find it’s way past.He quickly hid me inside the cabinet and shut the door. There were rows of slits near the base of the cupboard door, so I could see grandpa’s feet.


Suddenly there was sound of steps approaching as another set of foot appeared. A kind of verbal battle was going on between the other person and grandpa. And then,there it was. I saw the other person take out a gun from his socks. There was click, and then a thud as someone fell down. 
Grandpa.

I didn’t know what had happened but the other person quickly turned and ran away. Sensing safety, I came out of the cupboard. And the scene which my eyes saw, haunts me till date. There was my grandfather, lying on the floor, motionless. The light gone out of his eyes, his mouth slightly open.

“Grandpa?” I whimpered, my voice barely coming out. I tried shaking him.

“Grandpa are you fine?” No answer. Just an eternal silence, which seemed to pierce through the space around me. I was still scared that the other person might be in the house. So I went out of the room.

“Varun, is everything alright?” Malti aunty, our neighbor rushed into the house. “I saw a masked man running away from your house, so I came to check. 
“I… I don’t know aunty, grandfather is not listening to me.” I started sobbing, and clung to her.

“Okay, okay where is he?”, she said gently stroking my hair.

I led her to the room. She went near him, her steps stiff. She held his wrists for a minute, and then got up, shaking her head.

“What happened aunty?” I asked her

“He’s gone child, he’s gone”
………….
So yes, by now you must have come to know what had happened. My grandfather died of a heart attack, he couldn’t endure a second one. Police came to our house after that to investigate. After a long investigation. They eventually caught the thief. Cash and jewellery was recovered but not my grandfather.

It was revealed the he was just a small thief, and was carrying a gun, a toy gun for that matter,just to scare off someone who might oppose. He showed that gun to my grandpa, and as soon as it clicked grandpa had a heart attack due to the stress and fear. And he was gone.


Sitting here, today, by the window, sipping on my coffee, I can still feel that fear and feeling of loss I felt that day.I mean it’s so sudden, that a perfectly going day can transform into something which haunts you for your entire life. I sometimes think what could I have done. Could I have done something to save my grandpa? The answer is, I don’t know. I seriously don’t. Even after all these years I haven’t found the answer. One moment we were sitting there happily in the ice cream parlor, and the next it was all gone. All the happiness, and the joy of my grandfather’s company vanished. I never thought any of those bad things could ever happen to someone close to me.I knew that people died, but I never thought I would lose my grandpa like that, and would not be able to do anything except helplessly watch him die. I never thought many things, never imagined many scenarios, never knew many things. There are many things which turnout in the most unexpected of ways.Nothing surprises me much now.


Toy guns can’t kill people, or so I thought.

© 2017 Roch Ketchum


Author's Note

Roch Ketchum
I would love any kind of feedback that you as a reader think. Do share your opinions on how I can improve as it matters a lot. Thanks for your patience and time for reading this.

My Review

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Featured Review

The story is well-written. You follow the reader's rule. The who, what, when, why and how of every scene on the story. I liked the family history and the human contact in the story. Was a sad ending to the story. To lose a beloved Grandfather. Would break your heart. Thank you for sharing the outstanding story.
Coyote

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Roch Ketchum

7 Years Ago

Thanks Coyote
Roch Ketchum

7 Years Ago

Though I always prefer to go with my thoughts, and prefer to include the element of imagery wherever.. read more
Coyote Poetry

7 Years Ago

The story was details and you are welcome.



Reviews

The story is well-written. You follow the reader's rule. The who, what, when, why and how of every scene on the story. I liked the family history and the human contact in the story. Was a sad ending to the story. To lose a beloved Grandfather. Would break your heart. Thank you for sharing the outstanding story.
Coyote

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Roch Ketchum

7 Years Ago

Thanks Coyote
Roch Ketchum

7 Years Ago

Though I always prefer to go with my thoughts, and prefer to include the element of imagery wherever.. read more
Coyote Poetry

7 Years Ago

The story was details and you are welcome.
There are a few grammatical errors in there, though I really did enjoy it. I love the use of detail and imagery you ued. Just like Brianna, I was smiling until the smiled diminished towards the end. Truly a sad ending to come down to. May I also make a suggestion? In the first sentence of the first paragraph, instead f using "like alike," how about substitute that part with "One of the few things that children and adults ''alike enjoy,"" to me it sounds better.

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Roch Ketchum

7 Years Ago

Thanks a lot for your review. I will definitely keep in mind, the points you made about grammatical.. read more
First, by paragraph two I was smiling. Then, towards the end of paragraph two the smile disappeared. I was wondering how did she die.

Very sad. I almost cried and it takes a lot for me to cry when I read something.

The description is excellent.

Great job on this. I enjoyed this. I do want to say there are some grammatical errors. Again great job.

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Roch Ketchum

7 Years Ago

Thanks a lot Brianna. Great to know that you enjoyed this one. Thanks for pointing out the errors. I.. read more

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Added on March 3, 2017
Last Updated on March 3, 2017
Tags: short story, life, writing, fiction

Author

Roch Ketchum
Roch Ketchum

Bengaluru, India



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