Who am I?

No posts still, this year? This is a story I wrote long ago. I'd published it in my personal blog, but most of you might not have read it. My apologies to all who've seen it before. Here it goes:



[With great powers come great responsibility. This is my gift, my curse. Who am I?
-Spiderman, The Movie]

"Being a celebrity is not easy. It is even more harder when you yourself have achieved so much in life." This was the thought that crossed my mind while walking on the beautiful Marina Beach with my friend Emma. I could still recall the events of previous night's Christmas party...

Enjoying a warm kiss from your lover is an experience not to be forgotten. Her lips closer and closer to mine. I can still feel the taste of her lipstick. I'd just started out with Emma...when those damn reporters. They burst out of nowhere, ruining my entire day (night to be exact). Seems like they r born for paparazzi, following me everywhere, waiting to take a snap when i least expect them. The questions they ask...How long have you been dating?...Did you get together during the shoot of "Yeh Jawani"...Are you going to marry?...goes on and on...and they've got their No.1 article for Page 3.

Just when the rapid fire round ended, came the flurry of fans. The fans are good only for one thing, to watch and promote my movies. Otherwise they are hell of a trouble. The rest of the evening was thus spent in writing out autographs for my fans...couldn't reject them because i knew the paparazzi was still around and i din want to have two Page 3 articles in the same weekend.

Back to Emma and the Marina Beach, the problem was still haunting me. Heads turned around from all sides to look at us. Why don't these people leave us alone for a while? Even the beggars in the street had their say in my problems. One child, in torn clothes, and holding an aluminium jar approached us. The jar had few coins in them and he made a weird noise by shaking the jar. I refused to give him money and tried to shoo him away. But instead he turned to Emma and started begging again. I made signs with my hand telling her not to give anything. Suddenly the kid snatched her bag and ran as fast as he could away from the beach. I told Emma to stay right there and started chasing him. That was the last time I saw her...alive.

He was really fast for me. He also had the added advantage of the beach being his territory. He ran into the fishing colony, making me chase him around thatched houses and fishing boats. Then I started hearing the first hints of trouble. I looked behind me. At first i thought it was some kind of a cloud. But it came closer every second, growing larger and larger in size. Devastating was it's effect-the killer wave left nothing behind...she took my love with her. I cried out to return her to me...No she wouldn't. It was entirely my mistake...I should have shed my pride. Seconds later the wave engulfed me. I tried clinging on to a coconut tree that stood nearby...no use. The tree came off the ground. I still didn't give up. Little did i know then that it would save my life. We traveled together for half a kilometer and then the wave stopped. I thanked God for the first time in several years for sparing my life. Then I blacked out...

Days later i regained consciousness for a while. The doctor asked "Who are you?". For the first time in life, I'd been made mute. I turned my head around and saw that the boy who robbed Emma was lying in the bed near mine. I remembered flashes of him clinging on to the same coconut tree. I replied "I'm his father". The doctor cleared his throat and said, "Your son died few moments ago". I wept.