I heard the ambulance siren. It became louder and louder, and I wondered who it was being rushed to the hospital. The ambulance stopped just ahead of me and a man from inside opened the door, and stared at me, “Who is the patient?” I asked.

“Who cares!” said the man in the ambulance as he lit a cigarette, “We just go, pick up patients and try to reach the hospital before they die. This fellow inside’s got his first heart attack, but I don’t think he’s going to survive!”

I peered furtively inside the ambulance and stared at the people taking the dying man to the hospital, they were my two neighbours! I looked at the one on the stretcher and got the biggest shock of my life.

It was me.

“Hey!” I shouted, “This is weird! What am I doing on the stretcher? I’m here, alive and well! See!” But nobody looked at me, as if my words couldn’t be heard.

One of my neighbour’s was speaking, “One moment he was walking, next moment boom, massive heart attack!”

“Was there any warning? Blood pressure?” my other neighbor asked.

“Not that we know off,” said the first man, “But he could have been shouting at somebody!”

“Yeah he was always yelling. I remember him losing his temper with me!”

“No!” I shouted. “I don’t always yell!” But nobody heard me.

“Hope he goes fast, I don’t have leave to stay in the hospital!” said my neighbor, “Anyway he never helped any of us!”

“Bit of a selfish fellow wasn’t he?” said my second neighbor.

“I’m not selfish!” I shouted, but again nobody heard me. I looked at the patient on the stretcher. He was gasping for breath. I turned to the ambulance driver, “Why don’t you drive to the hospital?” I asked, “The man might die!”

“What’s the hurry?” asked the ambulance driver, “I doubt I’ll get paid this time too. Bit of a stingy fellow was he!”

“You know him?” I asked.

“Yeah, he rammed me with his car once, and me and my family starved for a week, because he didn’t pay for the damage!”

“Listen!” I shouted at everybody, “Don’t let this man die. That’s me. I promise to be a better person if you will let me live!”

It seemed I came out of the nightmare, I heard the ambulance siren again, and saw it passing me.

“What happened?” asked a friend, “You seem to be in a daze!”

“Did I yell at you yesterday or the day before?” I asked.

“Ah well, but then you always do!”

“I’m sorry!” I said, “I’m going to try and change, I don’t want to go out of life that way! And do I owe you any money?”

The sound of the ambulance siren suddenly changed and started ringing like joyful bells..!

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