An Encounter with......Me

ROME

The year is 400 BC. In the heart of the city of Rome, stands the Colosseum. Today, it is filled with people from all over. Merchants, astrologers, peasants, every one has come to watch the show. The Roman Emperor is seated with his queen next to him. The atmosphere is electric. All you can hear are the drum beats and the roars of the crowd. In the field below, stands a Gladiator. Dressed in a bronze armor, he stands there in the center of the field waiting for his worst nightmare to step out of the cage in front of him. He knows the crowd would love to see him die a brutal death. He has to win to see the sun the next day, to live to fight another day. His heart is pounding but he has to stand firm, there's a weird rush of energy through his hands but he doesn't know what to do with it. The cage in front of him opens slowly. A huge lion steps out of it. Sweat drips down from his face. He gets ready to fight the beast. Suddenly, another cage right behind him opens and another lion steps out of it, bigger than the first one. A momentary chill passes through his body. He had not expected this.

MANCHESTER

It is 2008 AD. It looks like the whole of England is present in the "Theatre of Dreams", Old Trafford. The whole world is watching. Today is the UEFA Champions' League Final. It is the day all players dream of, all their lives. The match is between Manchester United and Chelsea. Yes, an all England final at Old Trafford. It cannot get any bigger than this. But Manchester United will have an uphill task containing Chelsea. Four of their main players are injured and two are suspended. They could not have imagined a worse condition going into the final match. The moment the players step onto the field, the stadium erupts. The toss takes place and the captains walk back to their respective teams. As ManU's captain, the no.7, walks back to his players, he knows this is going to be the toughest night of his life and probably the most memorable too. He looks around at the audience. Frankly, he has his all on stake today.

ROME

The lions step toward the Gladiator. He is the only one left. All his companions are already dead, their bodies scattered about in the field. He only has a harp to defend himself against the beasts. The lions approach him slowly as if sizing him up. He steps sideways to be able to see them both. And then it happens. One of the lions springs at him. He rolls out of the way but before he has time to get back on his feet, he sees the other lion charging at him. He stands up but the beast jumps at him taking him down instantly. He lands on the ground, head first. The beast is standing over him, ready to tear him apart with its claws. The sudden impact has blurred his vision temporarily and his mind is not thinking. He sees his death in front of him. I rush to the occasion and pull him up. He slashes hard at the lion with his harp and drags it away, long enough to get away from it. The huge beasts seem to be conspiring in getting him down. They ambush him again, only this time it is worse. Both pounce at him at the same time. He is scared to death but I pull him out of the way. The lions clash in midair drawing a huge applause from the audience. They are angrier than ever before after this humiliating episode. I whisper in his ears and he is back on his feet ready to face them again.

MANCHESTER

The referee blows the whistle and the match gets under way. Chelsea take possession and they start attacking from the word go. An outstanding cross and Chelsea's striker has the ball and only the goalkeeper in front of him. He strikes it hard....the goalkeeper has no chance. Its a Goal!! Chelsea have struck in the 3rd minute. The stadium goes silent. ManU's captain shakes his head in disbelief. The play gets underway again. ManU has the possession. They advance towards Chelsea's goal. The Left winger delivers an accurate pass to the no.7 and the captain strikes it towards goal. The ball is travelling fast but is stopped midway by the goalkeeper. He passes it back and its a counter attack!! Chelsea's players are swift. Their passing is impeccable and ManU already seem to be lagging behind. The center midfielder chips in a clever ball and the striker just pushes it past the post. Ten minutes in and two goals down already. ManU are shell shocked. The captain is horrified. He knew it would be tough but this is devastating!! His head drops. I think its time I stepped into the picture. I tell him to fight. His mind refuses to believe that ManU can win from here but I keep at it. Finally, I am able to infuse some confidence in him and he whispers to himself " Let's Do it!"

ROME

One of the lion jumps at him, but he gets his harp in the way at just the right time. The lion is dead, the Gladiator lets out a sigh of relief but he has no time to relax. The other lion pounces at him and hits him in the face. His head guard flies away and he starts to bleed from right below the nose. He is tired and this blow from the lion almost knocks him out. He doesn’t want to fight anymore but I urge him on. The lion smashes him again and this time knocks him down. He sees the light fading away from his eyes. I battle with his mind, his senses. I want him back up but his body refuses to oblige. The lion goes for the kill, goes for his neck. At the last second, I scream in his head and he is back on his feet. He picks up a sword lying nearby and drives it into the lion’s body. It dies. The crowd lets out a huge roar. They have seen something special. The Gladiator stands in the center of the field. He is bleeding profusely, he cannot feel his left arm and he can fall down any minute. But he has won and that makes him feel good. Suddenly, two gates open and men riding on chariots come out to kill him off. He looks up at the sky, calls his God and lets out a cry of agony. I tell him that I’ll be there with him till the last minute but he is not listening. I tell him to go for it, once more. He doesn’t want to but I am not in a mood to give up either. I strengthen his grip on the sword, conquer his mind and he opens his eyes to give it his all, one last time.

MANCHESTER

The game kicks off again and I am incessantly trying to talk to the captain. 15 minutes pass by and neither side scores. Then the captain gets a ball in his favorite spot and kicks it towards the goal. The ball is curling in the air but the goalkeeper is quick too. Well, not that quick either, he is a just a fraction late and the ball hits the net. 20 more minutes pass and the sides are battling it out in the middle. Its almost half time when the ManU’s center forward breaks through and slices the ball past the goalkeeper. The crowd goes berserk. The captain is delighted and I ride on him. Second half gets underway and Chelsea are attacking with full force now. Some of ManU’s players seem to be getting tired, the captain notices it but he knows they do not have good substitutes today. Infact they are too slow one time too many, Chelsea’s striker gets past all of them and sends the ball flying into the back of the net. The captain is loosing heart now and I am having a tough time convincing him. He gets the ball and rushes towards Chelsea’s goal. A defender trips him and he smashes into the side boards. His head has burst wide open and blood flows out without restraint. He is lying there motionless. The medical staff rushes to the site. They ask the manager to substitute him immediately but I am still asking the captain to fight. The manager agrees and I am shouting now but he is not responding. Just as they are about to carry him off, he whispers “I’ll play”.

ROME

The chariots rush towards him but I am standing by his side. He is fearless. He aims at the rider on the first chariot and throws his sword towards him. It strikes him in the chest. “One down, one to go”, I tell him. The Gladiator is now all set to tackle the other one. As it approaches him, he takes the harp out the lion’s body and stands firm. The man shoots an arrow at him and before the Gladiator has time to react it has penetrated his thigh. He cries out in pain, I am having a difficult time holding him up. I tell him to finish him off. With everything he has left in him, he takes the arrow out of his thigh and throws the harp at the man on the chariot. It travels through the man’s heart. He is dead. The Gladiator falls down on the ground, exhausted. The crowd applauds him. I congratulate him; together we have won against all odds.

MANCHESTER

The captain stands up. He is leaning on my shoulders and I tell him to give it his all. He receives medication and walks back onto the field. Few minutes later, ManU get a penalty kick and they convert it into a goal. The score is 3-3. ManU have to win if the captain has to save his job. He knows this is do or die. 5 minutes left on the clock and neither side seems to be dominating. The captain is feeling light in the head. His mind tells him to leave the field. I keep on fighting with his mind. Suddenly, Chelsea commit a foul and ManU get a free kick. The captain has to take it. He steps up. By now, he is totally exhausted. His eyes are red. Blood is dripping down his face but he has listened to me, and that is why he is still standing out there. He looks at the goal. Old Trafford is silent. His whole career flashes before his eyes. "Finally, it has come to this", he thinks to himself. He kicks the ball, it flies over the wall. He looks at the ball fly and realizes he has kicked it a bit too high. He closes his eyes in disbelief. All eyes are fixed on the ball. It seems to be going over the goal. Suddenly it dips, the goalkeeper is late in his movements. It hits the net at the back of the goal and the stadium erupts. The captain kneels down on the ground. He lets out a cry of relief. Chelsea's players look on in disbelief. ManU win the match and the captain smiles. He thanks me for all I did for him today.

By now you must be thinking that who is this good for nothing creature taking credit for the victories of these brave men. Well, …any guesses!!! You know me by many names. But I am who I am. I am the “Human Spirit”. I was there in 400 BC , I am here in the present world and I will be here long after you are gone. I have driven the world for ages and I will keep at it as long as humans inhabit this planet. I am behind the most incredible achievements of mankind. I am the one who doesn’t let him give up. This was how I met the Gladiator and the captain of ManU. Have we met lately? I can’t say because I meet so many people everyday. I can’t remember you all. What about you. Ask yourself!!