9

One Last Time

It was nearly empty,
When we reached the Battle Ground.
We were one of the first ones to arrive there,
And there wasn’t a sound around.

We were standing in a vast green field,
As we passed the huge gates.
Some trees had small clusters of rainbow berries on them,
Which in the market had sky-high rates.

During the course of the next 10 minutes,
Many other people also came inside.
Dyce and Nat were walking next to each other,
And their hands had each other’s to reside.

We reported to Mr. Oliver,
After some time.
His task was to ensure that everything was all set for the event,
And also check the presence of all the participants standing in line.

Now all of us were huddled together,
On one side.
An instructor was explaining the rules of the event and I could easily imagine the amount of blood,
Going to be shed in this whole ride.

Nothing much special about them,
The rules were simple and clear.
The first round was always the most scary,
And people with weak hearts could even die out of fear.

The second round demanded,
The will to kill.
It asked to be ruthless to your fellow contestants,
And not everyone liked that slot to fill.

The third round was different,
It was a one-on-one battle.
Only about 10-12 participants remained till the beginning of this phase but by the end of it all,
Many more lives and dreams were shattered.

To meet our families for one last time,
We were given a 15-minutes break.
I saw my mother and father approaching me and just the very sight of them,
Made me shake.

The memories of all the good times and the bad times with my family,
Suddenly engulfed my mind.
I tried my best to be prepared for the conversation which I knew,
I won’t forget as long as I am alive.

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