Karma in Play – 365 Flash Fiction #29

“A Banana? Was that what it was all about?” He shouted and then he looked back at the road and showed a finger. He got out of the car and inspected the wreck. The rear tires were flat.  “Damn!” he said and looked all around. His elbow was also aching. The most deserted highway and the sun was bend on letting his ass on flames. He wished he had a beer. He looked inside for some water. As usual there was none in stock. He was hungry as well; He eyed the banana that lay on the road side but did not feel like picking it. He looked up and closed his eyes as the sun ferociously beamed at him. This is going to be a long day, he was sure. If only whoever it was, had not thrown that banana out, if only that damn thing had not crossed the road and if only he had not tried to save it. He looked at the banana again as it lay on the floor evidently mocking him.

He turned again and looked at the road behind. “What?” He was shocked, He thought he did not, “but…” he looked away. He was probably blinded by the sun. Now he could see it clear. It was lying half dead pinned to the road. His attempt to save had only saved it from the front tires, but the back tire which was now flat without remorse had rolled over it pasting it to the road. He looked at it and spat out a few times. This is the first time he has sacrificed something for nothing. His tire is flat; no change tires, a swollen elbow, thirsty with nothing to drink and the damn thing he wished to save is lying there partly torn. “Ugh” He was a miserable wreck. He spat the last available wetness in his mouth. After he did that he thought he should have swallowed it, but the sight of it lying there made him puke more.

He was not sure how long he was going to be there and he had to get rid of the gruesome sight before it haunts him at night and then maybe then he would be able to eat the banana that started all this. He looked in the car to find something solid and long and all he could see was a broken pogo stick that he himself was not sure how it landed there. He thought “this would be the best and mostly the last use for it”. He took the piece out and walked towards it and stared at it for a moment. He was not sure if it was dead. His plan was to now take out the last remaining trace of life from it and liberate it from anymore pain and suffering.

He looked for some more time and decided it was dead and slowly started scraping it out of the road with one side of whatever he had. It did not move and as he wiped his sweat from the forehead, a few drops fell on its head as well. It slightly moved so the sweat could dampen its mouth. It opened its eyes looked at him and became still again. This time it was truly dead. He looked at it in utter shock

Some idiot throws a banana out, an ill fated miserable iguana runs for it and gets run over by the tire and his good heart making him turn his car to the left side wrecking it. Finally when he tries to liberate the life form from extended agony his sweat falls into its dying mouth. Whose Karma is being played here he wondered.

Written for Flash Fiction Friday Cycle 34 – Wacky is as Wacky does

16 thoughts on “Karma in Play – 365 Flash Fiction #29

  1. Very interesting concept – who’s karma, indeed?

    Some lovely images here and I could almost taste the dry dustiness
    of this setting! 🙂

    (just one constructive criticism – keep an eye on your tenses, there were a few lines where the narrative went from present to past in the same sentence.)

  2. I watch my karma very closely, the minute I screw up it falls back on me in spades. Great story!

  3. A good deed never goes unpunished. – Gore Vidal The reader can almost feel fate playing out in the story. Well Done.

  4. It is said that you will get what you give, and perhaps he made its last moment a peaceful one?  Who can say.  Hopefully, he’ll get out of that situation and a bit of good will come back around.  Nice look at that irritating entity called ‘conscience’.

  5. It is said that you will get what you give, and perhaps he made its last moment a peaceful one?  Who can say.  Hopefully, he’ll get out of that situation and a bit of good will come back around.  Nice look at that irritating entity called ‘conscience’.

  6. I like how you have managed to address the prompt and incorporated the bizarre with the profound.  Nicely done.

  7. Fate deals us a hand… Conscience is how we play it… Karma is our “reward”…

    Very well done, Vinod.  Thank you for sharing.

  8. Atlast, you could escape from your good/bad karma and shared your experience with us! so congrats! Nice escape!

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