Good Old Rum

By Dikshita Dey

It was a misty winter night and the two men at the gateway of a cemetery were huddled around a flimsy fire made out of egg cartons and twigs that the younger one had managed to pull out of a dry heap of dump.

“You’re shivering, lad” asked the old one, his voice interrupting the steady crackling of flames. “Are you sure you’re not cold?”

“No, I’m alright really”; answered the other. “It ain’t the whether that’s getting into my bones anyway. He glanced at the old man once before carrying on. “Say, are you really not even a bit scared to work here? I’ve heard that apartments nearly run empty because of all those tales they say”

The old man shrugged. “People talk”; he said “when they’ve got nothing better to do” he pulled out a little bottle from his pocket, took a few gulps and flinched. “Or when they’ve got plenty to do. Either way it’s all useless” He stood up shakily and was looking around for his walking stick when the young man grasped his forearm and pulled him back to his chair.

“Hey!” grunted the old man, irritated. “What did you do that for? I gotta take a…”

“What do you mean all useless?!”; exclaimed the young bloke, cutting him half way. He glanced down at his watch and his face grew pale. “And do it in your trousers if that is necessary but you’re not leaving me anywhere right now. Don’t you see?” he lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper; “It’s that time of the day!”; he added in a whisper

“What time of the day?” the old man whispered back, unable to hide a chuckle. Thrusting the dusty little bottle from his pocket to his companion’s hand, he said; “Here, have some. It’ll help your chilling bones.” And in that same sarcastic whisper, he added; “It’ll shield you from any unwanted spooks too. I’ve heard ghosts get prepared to experience death all over again for a swig of rum.”

The young fellow looked at him with a mixture of horror and disbelief on his face while the old man laughed heartily. Then glancing at the bottle of rum he bleakly said; “You’re on your own, you crazy old fool”

There was a moment of silence as the laughter faded into the dead of the night. The shadow of the fire danced upon the tombstones, completely oblivious to all that had been there and all that would be. The old man broke the silence.

“Think of it like this, young man. They’ve nearly reached a place where you and I are yet to arrive. Almost regular passengers travelling from this world to the next. And I don’t believe there is nothing here that could keep them from turning back.”

The young fellow couldn’t think of any possible argument. Moreover, he wasn’t feeling scared anymore. The shivering had finally stopped. The old man got rubbed his knees and stood up.

“It’s almost dawn, mate. Would you be alright if I went for a piss now?” Even the young bloke couldn’t help smiling to the old man’s warm roar of laughter. He hiccupped twice before he said; “I’ll see myself out from there. I’m exhausted! Christ, I need a good long sleep”

The young fellow nodded and watched him staggering out of the gate and his view to the first left turning.

At approximately eleven thirty in the morning, the Senior officer decided to drop by to see how the new gatekeeper was doing. “I’m glad to hear your first shift went fine.” taking a puff of his cigarette, he went on; “And you’ve got quite the nerve too”

The young man furrowed his eyebrows. “I’m sorry sir?”

The officer stubbed hos cigarette hastily and replied; “You must forgive your old senior, my friend. The man who was supposed to accompany you for your first shift, cancelled at the last minute. Met with an accident they said. It was impossible to get a replacement at that time. But wait till I get the word around regarding how wonderfully you managed! On your very first day too…”

The officer went on for another ten minutes but the young man wasn’t really listening to any of it. There were a million questions swirling round his head whose answer he knew he would never come to learn. But what amazed him the most, was that he wasn’t feeling terrified at all. He jerked back to reality and caught the last words of the officer; “…tell me anything you need son”

The young man looked at the turning outside the gate of the cemetery and smiled to himself.

“A bottle of Old Monk would be wonderful, sir”; he replied and the two men had a good long laugh.

By Dikshita Dey