A Different Album

Teen ni teen ni teen ni , yeah that’s the sound of my vehicle and people used to get terrified on hearing this sound, but this was my horn making my entry as well as which would make me bypass all the traffic rules. I was alerted of a case and I’m on my way. It’s not ambulance but yeah it’s my fellow comrade vehicle because that’s the second one for people who I save. My medium of transport is so big, comes only in one color and no one can afford to buy it. It’s always full of water. I love my vehicle and yeah it’s my Fire Engine and I’m a Fire Fighter. The two colors I like are red and khaki, one the color of my automobile and the other being my uniform color. Whenever we were alerted of our very close friend ‘Fire’ we always used to be there in no time but this time due to heavy traffic I was a bit slow. More than extinguishing the fire, my view was only focused on saving people who my fellow companion has captured and kept as a hot hostage. I should say that we are the people who have used 3 out of the 5 elements. We use WATER to blow out the FIRE and jump from the top floor in AIR and land almost safely in EARTH; except for the sky we use the remaining 4 extensively in saving lives.
I need to make it as fast as possible before there are any casualties. I thought of becoming a service man, but ended up being only in fire service for my education. I didn’t even have the minimum qualification to attend the military selection. Sometimes I feel dejected for not making up to the military but as and when time went I’ve realized that this job is on par with military, even a step ahead of military in one aspect. There they used to fight with anti social elements or terrorist whom we can capture or put an end to. But controlling this big time beautiful hot devil was not at all easy and at times he used to blow us off just in a flash. We always used to refer him as a visible-invisible man, because he can burn you from anywhere and turn you out into ashes in no time. I reached the spot and the fire was at its best attempt trying to blow off the whole floor. It was on the 11th floor and we wasted no time in climbing to it through the ladder. This time it was so intense and yeah the reason for that was blast of 2 gas cylinders. I somehow managed to enter into that house through the balcony entrance.
Well, I should say that was one of the horrible scenes I’ve seen in the recent past, everyone in that family including a small boy was killed in fire. It was one of those unluckiest days for me where I couldn’t save people. I started shouting to check whether there is anyone alive in that place even though I knew the answer. I could hear someone crying, maybe I got used to it always or it’s someone really crying. I can really hear someone shouting for help, I broke into one of the room where my close friend has just started to enter. There was a girl in mid 20’s crying out aloud. Before the fire could occupy the room I carried her by lifting her in my arms and was rushing towards the ladder, when she jumped out of my arms and rushed inside again to the same room. I was scared thinking that she might go and fall in the fire, but she was searching for something in her room and pulled out an album from her shelf. I couldn’t wait for her to get her belongings and pulled her like a horse which is unwilling to move even after it’s whipped else we would be burnt into ashes in no time.
The fire was getting intense, I can withstand it for a while just because of the protection I’m wearing, but in no time it would burn her, so I threw her from the 11th floor into the safely tied net at the basement. I took a cigarette from my pocket and lit that in the fire had 2 puffs and got down in my ladder. I always used to do that after every successful accomplishment. She suffered a little amount of major injuries in her hands, shoulders and little bit on her face as well. I should say she is till now one of the beautiful persons I’ve saved in my life. Till the time we were extinguishing the fire she was crying sitting in one corner and not getting into the ambulance to get treated for her burns. Once everything was done we had to again pull her into the ambulance to take her to hospital. Even I was in the ambulance along with her, to get myself treated as well. All the way to the hospital she was crying and cursing me altogether.
She was made to lie on the bed next to me in the hospital, where she continued her cursing which was totally unusual for me. It’s the first time someone is cursing me for saving their lives. I still remember the small boy whose whole family I saved including his puppy and who sends me rose on every month from that time. He is the one who prays for me whenever I was on such a mission and I used to call him back just to ensure that I was safe. And there was this 70 year old lady whose life I saved after 4 continuous hours of struggle who treats me like her son. But she was totally on the contrary side cursing me all the while and said that even she was supposed to die with her family and why did I ruined her life by saving her. She wanted herself to be burnt into ashes in the same fire because she was responsible for not turning off the gas, she has no one to go in this world and at least I should have made a little bit earlier to that place so that I could have saved her family. I couldn’t hear her keep on cribbing about what had happened. She cursed me saying that I would soon die in a fire like her family had and she was non-stop. In an utter desperation I replied back to her saying, “If there is fire anywhere next time I would take you there and throw you into it, don’t worry”. I should say that completely silenced her.
I couldn’t sleep properly after those words and wanted to apologize to her, but she was fast asleep then holding that album in her hand. I slowly took that album out of her hand and started to have a look, the first few pages were full of her family photos, there was a little gap in between and then again there were a series of photos, this time not her families. It was of the great men, who died while serving the nation; it was mostly military officers and policemen. My respect for this girl rose like our fire engine ladder and was so proud to save such a patriotic girl. I wrote an apology letter and kept that inside her album. The next day morning when I woke up she had left from that place and no one was aware of her whereabouts. There was a letter by my side indicating her gratitude and told her that my letter has given a new meaning to her life. It was a small letter from my side but with lot of positives in it, “Life is like you; I mean life is beautiful, and it’s just like my cigarette, I mean its short so enjoy your life. Its just coz you have lost your family you have got a negative shade on life, but imagine about people like me who doesn’t knew what family is. In that way you are really gifted. You are born to live and I was born to save you as well, its destiny that we met and we are, more than you I’m still alive. Every time in my life I win the battle against fire, but you don’t have to battle against anything just need to live your life. Don’t worry time has an answer for everything, so move on with your life. God Bless you.”
From then on after each mission instead of a cigarette, I used to read her letter in which she had even mentioned to give up smoking. A few days later she came to see me when I was badly injured in a life saving mission and I was admitted in hospital. She was in tears and felt really felt bad when I told that her curse has worked on me. I just winked at her and said that I knew this was going to happen right from the day I joined, I’m happy that I was alive for such a long phase saving many lives and even saving one of the beautiful person in earth. She completely broke that moment but was just amazed of my positive energy even at that moment. I don’t know whether we were in love at that time, coz I haven’t realized it anytime. I opened her hand and kept something in it and closed. Hmmm… you people wanted to know what it was, just check out her album.