“If We Must Die”

He was sitting right at the edge of the bridge like he might fall down any time. Nothing seem to bother him. With closed eyes he sat there in complete tranquility. When I looked at him it felt like he was sitting there for eternity. This was the game; he liked to play with himself, and called it, "Rebirth". Sometimes he would close his eyes and walk right in the middle of traffic; sometimes he would also hold his breath beneath the water till the very last moment. He was bizarre in his very own way. No one knew what his real name was, people called him by various name. I called him manic.  

I had met him when he was standing right on the edge of terrace wall. From far it looked like he was about to jump. I yelled, shouted he didn't respond, clueless what to do I ran down to call people from the building who could help me. This was our first meeting.

We had managed to save him but instead of thanking us he walked off with anger. Couple of days later I met him again on terrace. This time when I tried to talk to him he just showed me his middle finger and walked off. 

It was 3 am when my doorbell rang as soon as I had open the door pushed me in corner on my own house and started to yell. “What is your problem why did you save me, why did you call people to save my life? You thought I was dying right? What is problem with you people?” I was taken back, I was completely speechless I just sat there listening as he kept shouting and yelling over top of his voice.

The next day in the morning he met me again.

“I know I was rude but I hate when someone disturbs me when I fake my death.”

“Fake your death?” I asked. 

“I like to fake my death I do it every now and then. I like to feel what it will be like when I die. It is death that gives true meaning to our life without death we would have no motivation to live for. That is why I do this fake death exercise. Where your body has to still and here you stand at one place where you know you're one step could be the end of your life. Here I am not in my past nor am I thinking about the future, I am just living in that moment, moment called present. Many fear death many of us live in the future but forget the present. And therefore it’s only after you conquer the fear of death we will be free. Every passing moment is surrounded by death. Death means it is all over but we ignore it (death) and we keep fighting with our self with the world for no reason. We fight on the basis of morals, principles, truth, and reality. Views politics et al. People need to learn and embrace death if they have to live but they don't they are too scared.”

As his words kept playing back in my mind suddenly I was bought back to my senses. I was lying in the bed of an hospital I could see his reflection in the mirror he stared at me with a big smile on his face. I knew he was there to stay here for a long time.