I've always been a cricket fanatic. Growing up in India, surrounded by a rich history of the sport and a nation that breathes cricket, it was only natural that I fell in love with it. But despite my passion, my middle-class background never gave me the chance to step onto the crease and live out my dream. I've had to content myself with being a spectator, watching the Indian national team from the stands, filled with admiration and longing. But now, that longing has turned into a fierce determination. I refuse to let my circumstances dictate my life any longer. I will do whatever it takes to make my dream a reality, to feel the rush of adrenaline as I face up to the bowler and take a swipe at the ball. I am a fighter, and cricket is my calling. I won't stop until I've achieved my goal, no matter the obstacles in my way. This is my journey, my story, and I won't let anything get in the way of making it a reality.
Today is January 5th, 2023. The second International T20 between India and Sri Lanka which will be played at the MCA Stadium, Pune. The cricket match will start at 7:00 PM.
I signed out early from my job and went back to my single room apartment, switched on the TV and started watching the game. It will start in about a minute. With the Indian Captain Hardik Pandya, choosing to bowl first on the ground where on average the team playing first wins.
"What the fuck? This is stupidity. What is he thinking?" I said out loud with rage.
"Well, he might have some plan."
The game started and both the Sri Lankan Openers, Patum Nissanka and Kushal Mendis, came out on the field. The game started as usual, Hardik Pandya the captain started with the bowling the very first over and gave only two runs.
'The start is good at least`, I thought as I walked off to take out some snacks to chew on during the break.
The second over started with Hardik handing the ball to Arshdeep who had just come out after the injury. Arshdeep Singh starts off with a loosener on the pads and Pathum Nissanka effortlessly pushes the ball to the deep mid-wicket fence. Nissanka collects Sri Lanka's first boundary of the evening.
Next two dot balls then a one and a dot again. No problem until this point. Last ball remaining and then he threw back to back three no-balls.
This was the moment that changed everything for me and India as well. A poor start from Arshdeep Singh upon his return. He Bowled a massive 19-run first over which also had three no balls in it. Kusal Mendis made the most of the no balls as he hit them for a four and a six and missed out on the third one.
These nineteen runs made India lose the match and those nineteen minutes of choking alone on a wafer made me lose my life also. I saw Mendis hit a massive six as my consciousness slipped off.
...…
After some time I opened my eyes and saw a huge line and I was also a part of the said line. After a long time, I don't know exactly but It was long.
I arrived at the bench and was asked a simple question.
"Religion?"the clerk, who looked human but was he a human I don't know, asked me.
"Hindu", I replied.
He pushed some buttons on the keyboard and gave me a ticket and asked me to move to room number 1169894015614.
After a long journey of looking through room numbers and thinking about what was going on. I finally saw the room with a huge gate.
Entering inside the room I saw another desk with a clerk but this time I was alone.
He looked at me just like SBI employees look at the customers during their lunch time, that is all the time. (A/N: Everyone will not get it. I mean you rich folks)
I passed him the ticket and he also typed some things and smirked at me. I don't know what he saw but it was irritating on top of I don't even know what the hell is going on.
"Another Stupid Death", he said while smirking and pointed to the red door behind me which looked brand him. I saw another door beside the red door which was hanging on its last threads of the hinge. From the left out paint I can say it was white.
This time the clerk handed me a pre-filled form instead of a ticket.
"Go there", He said as he passed me the form.
I didn't say anything or ask him anything as I was very confused what he meant by another death and it was stupid as well. I looked at the form and was shocked at what was written there.
It would be hell if what was written turned out to be true.
[
Religion: Sanatan Dharma
Time of Death: January 5th, 2023, 19:31:57
Reason of death: Choked on a wheat wafer
Karma: [x] Negative [ ] Positive
Destination: [x] Hell
Retention Time: 6 Hours
Reincarnation: [ ] Blank [x] Pre-filled
Reason if pre-filled: Stupid Death
Wish allocation to, if pre-filled: Clerk No. 115468
]
Was I shocked with the information I received, Of course. But something which was more shocking was that my death was no option for heaven in the destination.
"What the fuck is this? Hell, no way I am going to hell" I cried out loud but as if I had no control over my body. I finally entered the red gate and what I saw shocked me even more.
I always thought hell was much more like, a dark, gloomy, and desolate place, a place of extreme suffering and torment, a place of extreme heat and fire, where sinners are burned or boiled in oil, and a place of freezing cold and ice, where sinners are subjected to freezing temperatures. They are subjected to various forms of physical and emotional torture, and may even be subjected to the attacks of ferocious beasts or demons. Those who end up in hell are forced to endure the same suffering and misdeeds that they inflicted upon others during their lifetime, paying the price for their actions in the most painful and devastating way imaginable but what I saw was very different.
Oh, people were suffering; they were being boiled in oil and were getting their skin plucked. There were screams throughout but Hell was nothing but a huge hall, it was fully lit with white color on the walls. Proper drains to stop the accumulation of blood on the floor. Some janitors periodically wiping off the floors and massive air purifiers.
Instead of vultures and beasts there were lawnmowers and tractors. It was good, no lava pools and dark creatures roaming. All in all it was a better place than what I thought except for the screams and suffering.
As I was looking around someone placed a hand on my shoulder and I jolted back to see who it was.