A HELP

What if dreams may come and turn it into a reality? What if no one remembers an old news but it harms the victim from a peaceful sleep? The stories might be told but some are shown because the words do not work but their eyes do. Help can be always done but what about those helpless people who wants to recover from the savages of life?

It resonates with a dream that haunted an unpleasant business man- Akhtar. He was, unfortunately, a managing director of a food and beverage company. He was notorious for his extremely strict rules such as doing his work inaccurately accurate with the boast of arrogance but on heart, he was only a deeply troubled person. He always used to wear a rose on the pocket of his tweedy suit. He looked more of a middle-aged person. His wife, Sandy was always doubtful of his unpleasant and hot-tempered behavior. Otherwise she was a lonely housewife who was only friends with the daughter of her neighbor who often comes to have a tea with her. Therefore, a boring couple who never shared their feelings to each other. It was because of Akhtar's tiresome ego and the limitations of Sandy. Despite the fact, Sandy do express her feelings towards her husband only to the neighbor's daughter.

Only Akhtar used to come home and watches television while Sandy tried a lot to have a conversation which never made up because he was always quiet and hardly talks. Whenever she asks about the everyday life of his, he growls only to shut her mouth but he did not hurt her a single bit. Sandy always used to get tired of his sleeping pattern which was awkward and hurtful.

In the middle of the night, Sandy noticed that Akhtar's sleeping body was vibrating. His face sweated towards his body. It was so painful that he was even moving on his sleep. When Akhtar woke up abruptly by jumping off, he continued to huff with his anxious breathe. His eyes were wide open and was scared while opening his mouth. Sandy was sympathized for her husband's pain.

"Akhtar darling, what's wrong? You are doing this for a month?" said Sandy with a concerned look.

"Sandy, I have no idea, what's happening? This is getting worse!" gasped and wept Akhtar.

"I think, you need to get to the doctor, darling. You haven't shared your feelings since two years of marriage" continued Sandy, consoling her hubby.

"I should" said Akhtar, continued to gasp.

The next day, he went into the doctor's chamber. It was surrounded with the drawings of his 'talented' clients with the board beside his desk. There was the middle aged psychiatrist who sat on the sofa. On the contrast, the other sofa beside the smaller one was a huge couch where even the patients reciprocate their feeling while laying on them. The psychiatrist looked cheerful. He actively looked at the patient with a smile. The doctor was bespectacled and taller than Akhtar.

"Dr. Rehman?" asked Akhtar who was at the door.

"Come in" said the psychiatrist, Dr. Rehman.

Akhtar's unpleasant face shocked Dr. Rehman. The unpleasant expression that Akhtar made was deepest as the extremely upright person than the other patients who came before him. It was if Dr. Rehman would touch fire that burns a lot of people easily.

"Well, Mr. Akhtar, how can I help you?" said Dr. Rehman.

Akhtar explained the dream in a certain manner that it may offend if he would share that to his wife, Sandy. It was so horrible that even an established psychiatrist like Dr. Rehman got disturbed with the actual dream. The unexpected mannerisms from Akhtar such as he was huffing and scared got the psychiatrist interested on the situation.

"Well, could you explain me an incident that bothered you a lot before you had a dream?" asked Dr. Rehman.

After all the unexplained dreams of Akhtar was coming into the point, Akhtar begun to tell the story in a certain manner of flashbacks:

"

It was the 90s. The time when I was a reckless, carefree and irresponsible twenty-three years old. No matter what comes to me, I get rid of them. I was a rich brat who had friends with no humanity inside. I was one such of the bunch. I had a girlfriend, who was kind of a gold digger, on which I later found out. I was even extremely possessive about her. My father was one of the big industrialist back then but died last year. I even lost my mother after birth. Since then, I became the latest owner of the food and beverage company. I was also rude with the poor and helpless people. We used to go to clubs every night, bunk classes and overall, that phase was an enjoyable piece. I was at the rocks! The dress you are seeing, that was not me. I used to wear the yellow jacket with white pants and a clear under garment. People used to call me the doppelganger of Freddy Mercury. Life was different back then. (smiles)

Until a fateful night that changed my whole phase into an incorrigible situation. Like every day, my girlfriend, friends and I were coming out from the club with the vintage looking beautiful cars. The car was crimson red and was tall at the front with the ceilings open. Perks of being a rich man's son, is it? I was driving drunk. My girlfriend was continuously hugging me. On the back, two of my best friends were singing some disco songs from the 90s. The radio was on because that we were listening to the Football (Soccer) World Cup commentary. As it was a strike, therefore the streets were empty. The only people we saw were the helpless people who were sleeping at the footpath of the street. Despite the fact, it was enjoyable.

Until then, I unconsciously bumped a rickshaw which was stood on the corner of a small, dark bridge which had only the car headlights shown in the dark. As soon as the rickshaw was bumped, it sounded and rotated into the right angle that almost broke the railing of the bridge. The rickshaw puller was an old, sickly looking thin and pale man who wore a blue shirt and a white with blue stripped long loin-cloth. He had a mustache and a grey hair. We hopped out angrily from the car. I took a lever from the bottom of my girlfriend's seat. I was furious that he just looked petrified at us. Back then, I had no sense of remorse. We laughed at his scared face which we weren't supposed to.

"Why the hell have you kept the rickshaw in the bridge?" I asked angrily.

"Sir...I am just an old man who is just sitting for some breeze. Otherwise, I have a grandson and a wife to take care of! I even lived in a wrecked house -" explained the old man.

I hit him with my bare hands and choked him.

"Who gave you the right to sit into the breeze, you poor bastard?" I smiled with a certain sarcasm.

"Look, sir, I am here for relaxing. By the time, I will go home, please leave me sir! I mean no harm!" screamed and wept the rickshaw puller.

"Do you know who I am?" I shouted angrily and choked his shirt collar.

"Sir, I am a poor man! I mean no harm" he repeated.

I stroke down the rickshaw puller with the lever and hit him continuously. He was feeling more painful but I had no thought of it. It was somehow, stupid and worse.

"Sir...please forgive me...I mean no harm sir! I am a poor man, sir" he screamed continuously. I even didn't notice that my girlfriend was having a tear on her face. I was such a jerk!

Till the continuous torture that I did to the rickshaw puller, I noticed that blood was coming out from his head. He was screaming to death that his breath was about to stop. I stop striking him. My friends grabbed me. I was blank and sat down on the floor near the dead body. It was bloodstained.

The police rushed on to me and took me to the lockup. I saw his wife, a healthy old lady who was weeping hard and had a child on her arms. She just spat on me in the lockup. I even cannot recover from my guilt. The worst part was she was cursing me that, I would not get a successful life, unless, I learn how to forgive. The most of all,  I gained my humanity from a child, the Rickshaw puller's grandson-whose eyes were lovely as a deer. I cannot stop praising the eyes. It was really beautiful.

My father bailed me when one of the officers revealed that according to the post-mortem report, he was suffering for a brain hemorrhage. The court even released me from the prison after six months because of brutally beating out a senior citizen. My friends abandoned me, my girlfriend married a guy much richer. I got a job but am not happy with it and still adjusting it. I thought, this might be forgotten for the time being but I had no idea that it would retain in my memory forever.

I feel guiltier because in my dreams, the ghost of the rickshaw puller was freaking me out all night by coming to the bedroom. He said "why did you kill me, sir? I haven't done any harm to you!"

The weeping of the old rickshaw puller petrified me from sleep. I feel insomniac by now. I even feel breathless. The nightmares, struggles and guilt keeps coming back! I even cannot interact with my wife properly when it comes to life. I love her but cannot admit my feelings. What should I do now, doctor? I am sick and tired of it!"

Akhtar burst into tears while even explaining the situation. The criminal had he become and the pain he had been through was far of a different scenario. It was the severe-injury on Akhtar's mind that had a lot of unclear feelings towards his family and loved ones.

Dr. Rehman realized his frustration regarding from Akhtar's nightmares and sleeping disorders. It was critical of Akhtar to overcome the nightmare. Then, Dr. Rehman continued to revise on the notes and the flashbacks that were written in the notes. Furthermore, an idea stroke on Dr. Rehman's cheerful mind.

"I would prefer you to go to a graveyard or a park" said Dr. Rehman in a deep voice.

"Why?" asked shocked Akhtar.

"See it from yourself. Then we will discuss about it on the next appointment" said Dr. Rehman.

Akhtar was concerned about the task that Dr. Rehman made that was kind of strange. It was something that did not make him sleep the whole night. Sandy smiled at his strange insomniac behavior. She realized his problems as well as the doctor even told her the confession towards Akhtar's feelings of his wife.

The day after the appointment, Akhtar went to the park at dawn. The park had more trees than just a long brick-filled road. Most high class people in the park were still jogging around while Akhtar was walking to notify the understanding the value. As long as he jogged in the park, he was trying to consider what the doctor meant about.

Suddenly, he saw a kitten on the grass beside the bricked ground. The kitten was spirited white fur and the angelic green eyes. But Akhtar just walked away from the cat because of its beautiful stare but a stare of begging in need. When Akhtar was continuously jogging, he smelt the gentle and flowery odor from the back. He looked back again but he overlooked. But he saw the kitten down. For what had he noticed that its back leg was injured plus was crippling while was walking.

For the first time, his heart of a 'Grinch' turned large and his humanity stroke on his mind. He smiled at the baby kitten and took it to his home. He even showered it as if he was treating a baby. He smiled for the first time after five years of his life. While he was giving the bandage to the kitten, Sandy smiled. She saw her husband who looked calmer and kinder. But on the inside, she had tears of happiness that she rubbed quickly to act normal. On the continuation, she cleared her throat on purpose.

"Hola, my dear marido (husband)! I am seeing you in a jovial mood? Whom are you looking after?" smiled Sandy.

"Sandy, I want to say something. For the first time in my life, I am feeling happy for real. I realized that if a small child makes a mistake, we have to adjust and look after them, rather than getting bothered about their antics. Children are curious, you know?" said the jovial Akhtar.

"I expected this from you, my love" said Sandy but interrupted something.

"I want to say something: I love you so much! I know it's cheesy but I have no other choice to express it!" chuckled Akhtar who felt a little awkward but happy at the same time.

"What about your ex-girlfriend?" giggled Sandy.

"She's a bitch!" laughed Akhtar.

After the incident of the cat, he went through the slums to look for the rickshaw puller's family. He even looked at the old newspapers from the archives to collect the picture of the rickshaw puller and his family. Until, he went to an orphanage. Akhtar asked the orphans to line up to know their background story one-by-one. But the last one told the background story similar to the old rickshaw puller. He was probably seven years old. He even matched the picture with the child who's lovable, bird like eyes could not be deceived. On the further note, he even revealed that his grandmother died due to old-aged complications.

He adopted the orphan and they lived happily. Even the kitten gets off to the orphan's lap every day. It was devastating and a joyful event for the couple like Sandy and Akhtar.

Thus, Akhtar became a philanthropist and a social activist. He even opened an orphanage that at least he could interact with the kids. He even repent all his worst doings and make Sandy's relationship for the better as friends. All is well that ends well.

On mind, I want you readers to deduce something on my story that what if the kitten was the reincarnation of the rickshaw puller? What if the doctor was one of the angels of The Almighty who gave a solution? Is this only a miracle or more than a miracle? What if it was an alternate reality if the rickshaw puller was really killed by Akhtar? Or is it his sickness that the rickshaw puller killed himself for the financial needs of his family? According to the history of human beings and animals, we all have to help one, then help others.