A Monstrous Ordeal

It was precisely 12:04 AM. Saturday night had barely just died out and Sunday’s candle was flickering to life. The heavy, nauseous feeling of burden had been hanging like a thick, grey cloud over my head since the start of the week. Even weeks before then; only I had suppressed the gnawing feeling, shoved it aside, never allowing it to surface on the vast waters of my consciousness, despite having been warned, chided and scolded by many — how can you live like this?! If it were me, I would not survive even a day! You had better do something about this and soon! I had nonchalantly set aside all the horrified faces—the wide-eyed looks filled with surprise first, and then contempt, only contempt; the screwed-up noses succinctly displaying their owner’s distastefulness; the jaw-hanging disbelief—I paid no heed to it at all. It’s not their business, I adamantly thought. This was my monster in the closet, not theirs.

But it was only a matter of time. And well did I know it. The inevitable would eventually rear its ugly face in front of my defiant one; I had no choice but to face it. And sure as all the jeers and taunting, it was back to haunt me. Despite all my absent-minded cockiness, now in adversity’s face, I stood defeated. If only there was a way out. But like the last gasping breath with which Saturday had faded out, I realized there wasn’t. It just had to be done.

Even as I stood ready with my facade of bravery, all the ‘what if’s came screaming back to haunt me. The sweaty palms never quite relinquishing their moisture despite the incessant rubbing against my pants, and the perspiring forehead were tell-tale signs of my nervousness and deep-seated fear. They can’t know. They must not know. I hadn’t come this far for nothing.

I slowly pushed the door ajar, its squeaking creak shattering the silence. I gasped in horror at the sight before me. No! It couldn’t be. This is not how it was supposed to be. But they didn’t call me determined for nothing. I took my last wholesome breath for the moment and then finally waded into the deep, murky waters of my worst nightmare come true…

After a gruelling two hours, I stood triumphantly surveying my surroundings like the mighty king who had just won a well-fought battle. My room was finally clean.