A shorter version of the story I planned to expand into a novel. Please view.


Road to Ruin

It is said in the music industry that one minute you may be famous, and in the very next you might become yesterday's news. That statement held true for Jimmy Davis.

Davis had shot to fame with his fantastic debut, a single titled by him as "Slither" and had earned him a top 10 entry on the charts, a great achievement for a newcomer. However, it wasn't easy going for Davis, and his band struggled with success after their great debut. "Slither" was soon forgotten by music fans, and the new rock singer soon found himself in choppy waters.

Jimmy set aside his career disappointments temporarily for his marriage with long time girlfriend Sarah. It was clear that the couple would find it tough to survive but Jimmy was confident of making a name for himself on the demanding rock circuit.

A few bad reviews later, Jimmy lost his battle against drugs, and quickly forgot the tough times he had in rehab the last time he turned to cocaine for his troubles. The negative publicity didn't help his cause, and cocaine was taking a hold on him that was far from desirable.

A mild success with the song "Dead Horse" convinced Jimmy that he was on the right track, and for a while at least people flocked to see the 'crazy rockstar' in action. He picked fights with members of the audience and even threw his guitar at one heckler who was persistently tormenting him.

Throughout these troubled times, the only comfort he had was Sarah. She had suffered a lot because of his antics but she still nursed him every time he had one of his fits.

Jimmy never understood what his fans wanted. He gave his music every bit of his soul, yet fans seemed to want more - as if dissatisfied with his best. He often yelled at Sarah for trivial matters, such was his frustration with his music and life.

Then one day, Sarah gave him the news. She had been feeling funny for some time, and while consulting her doctor, she found out that she was pregnant.

"You're going to be a father now," she told him.

Jimmy was ecstatic, to say the least. He had felt happy for the first time in years. He swore to Sarah he would clean up his act, and rid himself of the wild rocker lifestyle. It seemed things would turn out to be right after all.

Nine months had gone by as if it were only nine days. Sarah went into labour, and Jimmy was nervously pacing the waiting rooms. When a doctor approached, he knew something had gone wrong.

"What is it? Is she alright?"

"We tried to tell her, but she went through with it"

"Went through with what? Tell me now!"

"We warned her that her body might not withstand delivering a baby, but she went through with it. As predicted, there were complications."

"Complications? You mean she's....."

"I'm sorry."

All that he had ever loved was now gone. When he asked to see the baby he was shown that she was in the incubator, since she had a complicated delivery.

He was preparing for Sarah's funeral. On the way, he visited the hospital. To see his child over there made his heart leap. He had already transferred his love.

He felt a sensation of hollowness as he stood in the church. His band members stood with him every step of the way.

One the way back, he once again stopped by the hospital again. None of the doctors would look him in the eye. A senior surgeon with tears in his eyes gave him the news. His child had not survived.

The complete emptiness within him was mind-numbing. He did what he had always done in such a case, he wrote a song. "November Rain" had been borne out of his grief and misery.

Fans and critics raved about the song, but Jimmy didn't care. All he had ever cared about had slipped out of his grasp. He felt like he was losing his mind...........



Excerpt from Dr. Ross' journal -

"The patient is mostly silent and unusually calm. He barely speaks, and remains staring into blank space most of the time. He often awakes at night with a scream, shivers and quails with extreme vigour. It takes more than half the staff to keep him under control at that time. In this state only one word is repeatedly mentioned, a female name - Sarah."

Dr. Ross was head of a renowned mental institution. The patient here is Jimmy Davis, a long way down the road to ruin.




Short story by Shayak Chakraborty
Read 883 times
Written on 2005-11-29 at 17:13

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Mark Reynolds
Sorry i called it a poem. caught up in something else. That would be an excellent story for the world to read.
2005-11-29


penfold18
What an excellent piece of work this is, captivating and would surely make a good novel, you indeed have a talent my friend and good luck if you decide to go ahead with it :-)
2005-11-29


Mark Reynolds
That brought tears to my eyes. I know many people that suffer from things like this. So sad, but a good poem.
2005-11-29