Tell me your dreams

Anil returned from office, really tired. It was a Sunday afternoon. He had gone the previous evening and had been working for 18hrs straight.

"I must be having the most boring life, ever", he said to himself. "I mean who works on weekends, for 18 straight hours??", he thought in frustration.

He then thought about his life few years back when he was a school kid. Carefree, irresponsible, not a thing to worry about in the world. And then he remembered, the one thing that changed it all.

Deepak, the guy who moved into their neighbourhood. He was an IT professional. He dressed formally everyday. Clean shaven, neatly combed and well groomed. Went to and came back from office at odd hours. Although Anil thought Deepak had a boring and hectic life, he liked it. Actually he yearned for it. To be occupied, to be super busy and be all grown up and responsible. He said to himself, "I want to be like that".

Anil frowned at those memories. "How wrong and naive I was", he thought. "Now what I wouldn't do to be that kid", he contemplated. As much as he wanted to self-whine about it, he was also tired. Actually more tired than that. He dropped himself on the bed and went to snooze-land in an instance.

While deep in his sleep Anil heard a sound.

"What is that noise?", he wondered, still deep in sleep.

"Its a siren, no, its an ambulance on the road. But its sounds so nearby and it sounds like a bad cooing of a cuckoo. Wait, that's the doorbell ringing", the thoughts went on in his sleepy head.

He tired opening his eyes and felt like they were glued. The sound became more clear and loud.

"Its the doorbell. Who is that now. Let a man sleep in peace", he murmured as he got irritated.

He pulled himself up from the bed with his eyes still half closed. And he walked to the door all wobbly as the house spun around him. He opened the door and asked, "Woos that?" while yawning.

When he opened his eyes a little more and saw the person standing in front of him he felt as if someone threw a bucket of ice cold water on his face.

"Grandpa?", he exclaimed in surprise while taking a step back.

"Your surprise surprises me. I live here", his Grandpa replied.

"Are you going to let me in or stand there and block my way", his Grandpa asked.

Anil took his hand off the door and let him inside. While his Grandpa walked in, he said, "But you died 4yrs ago."

Grandpa stopped walking, turned back and said, "And then I got resurrected today?"
"That's a little late for resurrection don't you think", he mocked his grandson. "And why do you want me dead in your dream?", he asked, with a fake frown.

"Dream? What dream?", Anil asked wondering.

"The dream in which I'm dead, that dream", he said. "That's what happens when you sleep in broad daylight. You get crazy dreams. Like the living are dead and the dead are walking and talking", he said while chuckling.

Anil stood there bemused while his grandpa was walking away. And then someone called him from behind. Anil turned to see who it was.

"Anil, what are you doing standing there and staring at your granddad's picture?", asked his mom.

Anil turned back to look at his grandpa's smiling portrait adorned with garland.