In conversation with the devil

Devil: Hello, I am Devil …

Me: huh

Devil: Actually was passing by to take Mr. Rastogi… your neighbor… he’s completed his quota…

Me: quota???

Devil: life-span

Me: huh

Devil: but he’s still not done with hugging and kissing his two lovely daughters… misri and tiki… he’s asking for more time… they are very cute… 8 & 10 yrs old … you might be knowing both of them…

Me: huh ya ya…

Devil: I have a time table that I have to stick to… if I delay it shows up in my timesheet… and then the management penalizes me… they tell me to bring 5 extra guys… repeated bad performances… and I would get transferred to … Afghanistan, Palestine, Pakistan… where mass killing happens… suicide bombers… gang wars… it’s a pain delivering them in bulk… and each of them wants to talk to their near and dear ones for one last time… they were like years together… and they never talked… and now they want to do it…

Me: So did u give him extra time??? Did you??

Devil: Ya … I had to … I couldn’t see his little daughters cry… and then actually… there are some formalities to be done before I take him... there are two forms black and white… black is for the hell and white is for the heaven… filling up these forms take 10-15 mins… Mr. Rastogi has been a good guy throughout his life… he gets the white one… But I have run out of white forms… actually I don’t carry many of them… most of the guys get the black… there aren’t too many good guys around…

Me: Oh.. ok…. Please sit.. come in…

Devil: No… I am fine … actually u have little less than six hours… once I deliver Mr. Rastogi, next its your turn… can you please fill-up this black form…

Me: BLACK FORM…

Me: And LITTLE less then Six hours… I… I… you… we… check your timesheet … it has to be in the next century… we are in 2007… I don’t want to go… pls don’t take me… i love this place… I want more… I love everyone on this earth… I promise to be happy… help everyone… and be good…

Devil: Sorry… your timesheet says you hate this earth… in fact you have many times screamed at 127 decibels that you don’t want to live … and some of the reasons you have cited are… nobody loves you… you don’t have a steady - steady girl friend… you don’t have enough money… you don’t like your job… and you hate to wait for good things that scarcely happen to u…

Me: I take everything back… please please give me one last chance…

Devil: I will be back in 5 hours 47 mins… you can tell thanks to everyone u want to… no extra time… the most I can do is to lend you my cell phone for next 6 hours… it will allow you to connect with anybody you want to…

After Six hours…

Devil: Hi Dude… ready… lets rock… so how many people did u call…

Me: I couldn’t call anybody… I didn’t have the guts… my parents love me so much… I couldn’t tell them… that this was the last time I was talking with them… and my friends… if I told them they would like… come and kill you… I only called up my insurance agent to check how much… how much money my parents woo-would get… its not much… I wo-woo-would have earned more… fif..if.. I lived… one… chance… last one…

Devil: so I guess you are done…

Me: haan..

Devil: close your eyes… count 5 and open your eyes slowly… it wont be painful... got it…

Me: yaess

Devil: ok start…

Me: where am I… I am still on earth… I am alive… I can breathe… I can blink… I can I can..

Devil: yes my friend… you don’t go anywhere… you live for at least… 63 yrs more… I just wanted you to appreciate life … so that when I come to take you after 63 yrs … you don’t ask for more time… your friends want to join you … you have given all the possible love and respect to you parents, wife and children… neither you call your insurance agent as you have made lots of money… the only one thing you can crib about is the elusive girlfriends… J … and I want you to take the WHITE form…

Devil : and Mr. Rastogi also lives and he now appreciates life as much as you do … don’t worry… Bye take care… see ya…

Me: I want to call…. Where is my cell …