The Midnight Saint

THE MIDNIGHT SAINT



The sound of the chilly breeze that passed through the bamboos was making a flute like sound, though sweet but scary. I just had a look at my watch and it was midnight 2:00 o clock. I was tossing in the bed trying to catch up some sleep. Being just the second day in the new house I still wasn’t able to acclimatize myself to the surroundings moreover its quite dark in this house. Dan Hill is a new place that I just moved into. Two months back me, John, a medical practitioner moved into this town in search of a livelihood. I wasn’t able to find a roomy, so I decided to put up in a hostel, but the hostel climate was so sick that i decided to move into a new house. With great efforts I was able to find this home, apt to my requirements though situated in a remote part of the town. With the new wave of breeze I closed my eyes trying hard to sleep. I was almost asleep when I felt something walking behind my bed with a regular noise, I felt as if some one was in the room and I was conscious of "its or their" respiration. With every moment, the sound was growing more louder, noticeable and fearsome. Though i tried ignoring it, the sound was so incessant and unpleasant that I couldn't just do that. With one more breathing noise I was sure that there is someone in my room, my heart was pounding with fear now; I got up all of a sudden trying to look behind me when a sudden loud noise burst out in this entire calamity; It was my mobile phone which started ringing, the call was from an unknown private number. Then it occurred to me and I immediately had a look behind to see if someone was there but it was so dark that I couldn’t figure it out. Being unsure I picked up the call and with shivering voice I uttered “Hello”

“Mr. John” said a very husky voice.
“Yes it’s me” I answered.
“Mr. John it is completely immaterial for you to know who I am and what I do; what is more important for you to know is about the other person who is currently in your room. I would like to say only one thing to you which is that this man means no harm to you and it is better you co-operate with him. I once again reiterate that he means no harm to you and the best thing you will do this night is by being with him. You may call him as “JC”. I hope I am clear. Bye”
“ Hey..he just hold onn” I said in vain to only hear the clicking of his phone.

I was in total confusion when a polished voice called me out “ Mr John”.

By the intensity of the sound I could make out that he was some 7-8 steps behind me and was actually waiting for me since long.
“y yyes. Mr. JC” I replied being mystified

“That’s right, Firstly let me apologize you for approaching you in the strangest way ever and that too at this hour of the night” saying this he switched the light on.








“Oh lord! Give me some strength to withstand this” thought Andy who just kept walking along. He was not actually walking but swaying across the road. With every passing moment he felt as if he was loosing a quantum of energy and he felt as if it was taking a Herculean effort to be awake; in fact alive. The bullet had hit him somewhere below the right lung and above his liver. He already lost quite a bit of blood. To ensure that Tina, his only little daughter, was not conscious of it he carried her on his left chest. Nature too was playing the worst villain by sending across chilly breezes now and then making him feel enervated. Whenever he felt cold, he would just pause for a moment and take a deep breath then say something to himself and start walking again.

“DH- 12 miles” read the mile board.

Andy’s face grew pale looking at that. He was walking with an expectation that he would come across a town within a mile or 2 but now he felt as if the thought of twelve miles was good enough to kill him. He stopped for a moment completely hopeless and thinking if he should give up, Tina, who hugged him tight till then sprung open all of a sudden. She was surprised at his long pause and asked him if he was alright. Andy replied with a cool tone that he was looking for the route and made her comfortable. At once he felt the stimulation and desire to be alive.

“I have to be alive; for my daughter since without me she is an orphan” thought Andy and started walking briskly.








He was a normal guy, 5 feet 10 inches, curly hair, slim and had an appealing face. He was looking polite but at the same time his eyes were questioning my comfort. After I saw him, I was a bit comfortable and then asked him

“How did you make it here?”

“Mr. John, I am afraid we do not have much time. Kindly come with me immediately. Just don’t ask me any questions; as he said I mean no harm to you. I swear again. Please come” he said.

At that instance I was a little irritated since I didn’t understand what was going on but something made me feel that there was a genuine intention behind and I agreed to his request.

Within no time I wore my coat and both of us had taken a seat in his car. He pushed the vehicle very fast as if it was so urgent. 100 miles an hour-the speedometer read.






The road ahead was almost opaque to Andy’s eyes. He was walking into darkness hoping to find some help. It’s already 3:00 and it still looks a long way. Few minutes back Andy passed a board that pointed DH to be 8 miles away. Chain of thoughts began within Andy

He had questions like

“Is DH a town or a village?”

“Even if it was a town, does it have minimum facilities at this hour?” He sighed and started walking.

These thoughts only made him weak. He was all tired and wanted to rest desperately. He just found a small stone at the side of the road over which he decided to sit for a couple of minutes. The stone was beneath a tree that formed a perfect basement. He sat there and leaned his head over the tree and fell asleep. He started dreaming of his beautiful wife when she was alive and his life. Andy Clutcher was a new broker who came to that village to establish his business. He fell in love soon with a gal who was the daughter of a retired cop. They soon married with the consent of their parents and had a daughter, Tina. Unfortunately Andy lost his wife during Tina’s delivery and he was left with his daughter. Since then Andy was quite responsible in bringing up his child and took care of her all the time to ensure that she never felt the absence of her mother. His three year child would love him so much that she would always hug him tight while sleeping and doze off as if she felt safe only then, Andy would look at her innocent face and feel the warmth of his loved one, and with a kiss to his baby he would sleep.

All of a sudden there was a deadly noise and Andy woke up his eyes to find tina not in his arms…






“Buy some scissors, tincher, distilled water, Orange Juice and one honey oat chocolate” said JC.
He handed me over some currency and kept his look firm on me while asking that. I went in and it took me around 5-7 minutes in fetching them. When I was back JC looked irritated
“Do them quickly we don’t have time”
“But why do I, you haven’t even told me who you are and I have been courteous enough with you till now. Tell me why I am made to do all these at the middle of the night”
“Patience” he said. Saying this he again pushed the car like a jet.







“Is this girl yours” said a stammering husky country voice that looked like a monster with tina in his arms.
“Yyy..yes” Andy replied.
Tina was awake and crying now. The man gave her into Andy’s arms and said
“She was wandering on the road; I thought it was an animal but later saw this tiny girl who brought me till here. What makes you sleep in winter under this tree mad fella” said he.

“ Well I am Andy … Andy Clutcher and this is my daughter Tina” said Andy
“ok”
“I am hurt and was traveling to Austin when my car broke down; I think I need immediate help”
“You need immediate help hah Austin is 200 miles away, will you survive till then. I think there is a town that’s 8-9 miles away from here. We can go there. Come with me”
“Is it DH” Andy asked
“Yes” He said.” It is DAN HILL”.





“This is an emergency medical store, what you want me to do now.” I asked
“Find out if they have some A-ve blood, we need 1300 ml of it” said JC “Also bring in your mini medical kit” He looked very serious
.
It now started occurring to me that this man wanted me to treat someone ill for which he could have asked me, may be he did not have enough time. I rushed back with all the medications, tools and Blood along with 2 saline bottles and other miscellaneous things. For the first time the man looked happy with my responsible conduct and he gave me a smile of gratitude.





“Have this rum, it keeps you warm” said the monster. Saying this he offered a jug.
Andy savored it and indeed within minutes he felt a little energetic and warm. Tina was sleeping in his arms and they were cruising at a good speed to reach Danhill any time in the next 5-7 minutes.
“Who are you and where are you going” Andy asked
“Keep this card and tell me when you want some woodwork to be done at your house” they call me “Christie”.
“Where are we going but” Andy asked
“Dr William Johnson a specialist in treating injuries. How did you get this one”
“My daughter” said Andy, “she out of innocence played with my gun taking it to be a toy. It hit me right here” he showed the wound. “She doesn’t even know what happened to me and I have to survive, she has no one in this world” said Andy wiping his eyes now.

“Look at that” said Christie showing few lights. The milestone that just came across read Dan hill (DH) 1 mile away.
They arrived in dan hill and waited at the new residence of Dr. William Johnson to only find his house locked.

“Patience” uttered Christie to Andy’s impatient looks.





There was something queer about JC. He wouldn’t utter a word but regularly check if I was comfortable, he would glance at me periodically and then ensure that the needle is not falling below 80 miles an hour. We were rushing in the car and it looked like we were nearing my locality for sometime. Within a minute my doubt was cleared as we ran down the street in which my house exists. At the end of the street I could find a parked vehicle with a stout man waiting outside my house.

When I got down he greeted me with a nod and showed me Andy who was half asleep.
“He is a nice fella called Andy and he needs your help immediately” said the man.
With the help of the two people I could manage safely in resting Andy onto my bed. We did the necessary arrangements to start off an operation.
Something occurred to me then. I found the man’s voice quite special. The man who brought Andy here in his vehicle. I felt as if I heard that voice. I knew that voice.

“What are you waiting for” asked JC “start off” he cried

I all of a sudden recollected myself and began my arrangements and preparation for Andy’s surgery. I required some timely help now and then for which both JC and the other man were apt. It took me almost 5 hours to complete it after which I could bandage Andy properly and let him sleep off. After the entire effort I came out. JC and the other man asked me questioningly “Do you need any help”

“No” I said.
“Ok give this chocolate to the girl” said JC(with a smile).
“Yeah she must be awake” said the other man.
I too being tired had gone in and freshened up. I gave the chocolate to the gal and then came out to offer my guests some coffee when I found no one in my corridor. I went out of my gate and looked at the road but there were no vehicles and no sign of these men. There were no signs of vehicle tracks also on the road covered with little snow.


Where did they go, did they vanish I thought.


That very evening Andy handed over a card to me saying that he wanted to convey his sincere gratitude to the man who helped him in the middle of the night and requested me to call the person showing his card. But there was nothing over it except the two letters JC.

I told Andy what happened and he was surprised about my experience too. He told me that this man called Christie knew that I was Dr. William Johnson and I treat injuries.

But I never knew him or his face earlier.

“Why not” I just thought, it just occurred to me that the previous night’s call was made by the same man. It was the same husky voice that interacted with me and told me that some one was in my room.

But who are these JC’s. What do they represent? I wondered when I just saw the backside of the visiting card which made my legs weak

The Visting card given by Andy had a message behind it. It had a water mark of Lord Jesus Christ with a sentence
.
“He initiates, he mediates and he finishes it safely” Jesus Christ (JC)


Ravi Shanker
July 17, 2007