As the Wheel Turns

He tried hard to focus on his next action. Screaming at the top of his lungs didn’t work; he imagined the sound of his voice traveling through the lid and getting stuck in the fetidity of dirt and manure a few inches above him. He tried his best to control his breathing, but the humid air around him seemed to be depreciating every second. He raised his head, hit the lid, and his feet thrashed about, kicking the mahogany. He raised his hand and touched the wood above him; its fragility became apparent as it creaked, sending stabs through his pounding heart. Apart from his heavy breathing, it was the only sound he had heard for the past few minutes after he had woken up. Then he thought he heard voices beside him, and he immediately knew they were the voices of his neighbors, people unfortunate enough to face the sorry state of Death. But I am not yet dead, he thought. I’m not supposed to be here!

Let me out! He screamed as he repeatedly banged on the wood. The creaks turned into loud thuds. He heard the voices coming closer. They were beckoning him to come with them! He banged harder, ignoring the wetness of his palms. Soon, he couldn’t see anymore as tears filled his eyes. Let me out! I’m still alive! He continued to scream while banging and scratching the wooden surface that seemed to be his doorway to death. He was getting weaker every second, but the voices were closer than ever. And shortly the coffin was filled with his garbled cries for help. His entire body thrashed around the tightness of his confinement, hitting every surface of wood it could hit, and then it happened. Another piercing silence ensued, followed by the creaking of the wood above, louder than ever. He was still sobbing tears as he watched the wood crack open. And with the loudest scream he could muster, he watched as the earth’s soil fell down upon him, swallowing him in darkness.