Confessions 2 (The letter)

Previously..
Confession 2 (Page 1)
Confession 2 (Page 2)
Confession 2 (Page 3)

I walked out of the house. I knew I was leaving my mind behind. It was difficult to make a choice, but he has just made it easier. As I walked on towards the bus stop, I felt the handbag on my shoulder getting heavier. Was it his weeping heart in there or my guilt growing larger? I couldn't resist anymore. I slipped my hand inside and took out the letter. It said..

"You might not remember the last time I saw you. It was during our farewell party. I'd something valuble in my hands that day. Something I should have given you. I hadn't it was not mine to keep - the words in that letter I held. I almost gave it to you, but then you were holding someone else's hand. That piece of paper might have turned to dust on the party floor but the words still remain with me. I realised only yesterday that holding on to that which wasn't mine has led to me being so now. I'm giving it to you now, again.

Dated: Ten Years ago
You might not know me, but I've loved you for four years. It's time to say goodbye. Where you least expect there's always someone special. I've always wished I'd been that someone for you. - JFx

Life often doesn't give you second chances, but I've been given one. I want to add one line to the letter. May I call you back into my life?"

I lifted my eyes off the letter and looked at the handbag that hung by my shoulder as if it was some kind of tabooed artefact. Hesitatingly, I opened it and took out a piece of paper. It was torn at the edges. It seemed crumbled but had been neatly straightened out and folded. I carefully opened that. Yes! the letters matched.. I couldn't stop now, but answered his question with a silent tear. The teardrop blotted the final word - life.

Days later: When was the last time I saw him? Time flies by in life. But there are moments in life you never forget. They are so clear in your mind..as fresh a memory as it happened just moments ago. Ah, there he comes..

Some moments that I can't forget - 2 (Mr. B and Mr. P)

*Story is real, even though it has been slightly exaggerated.

**Sorry for the nasty language in between. Couldn't avoid it.


You could imagine how happy a brother would be when the wedding of his only sister is approaching. So was I during last July, my sister's wedding was to be held on 11th of that month. But all my happiness got pulverized when the internal evaluation of our mini project was fixed on the same day. It was not possible for me to abstain from the function. My sister asked me to bunk the presentation and come straight away. I thought of asking for a special permission to present it later. But I had to meet S B sir for it and his impression of me is too good. He thinks that I am the 'Goonda of MH' or something. So such permission would be so difficult to get from him. Anyways, I decided to try since there was no other option.

When I went there, he was not in his room. P sir was sitting there. Then, I had that idea. He was also in charge of our mini project. So I'll ask him. He obviously didn't have any opinion about me. To have any opinion about the students, he must at least meet them once in a while, right?

I went near, and said, "Good afternoon sir, Em Sudeep from s6 Applied."

He raised his face and looked at me.

"Sir, can you please give me a permission to postpone my mini project viva? My teammates will present it and I can't come on that day. The thing is that...."

He didn't allow me to complete. Before that, he said, "Ok.. I'll conduct it after S8. Will that be ok with you?"

I almost said a thank you and turned back. That was the softness with which he said that.

Damn!! He doesn't want to know even the reason, I thought. I was obviously not in a mood to enjoy the sarcasm in it.

"Sir, My sister's wedding is on the same day. So... "

"Oh... is it so? Such reasons are so simple to create, right? Can you give me any proof for that?"

"Sir, I'll show you the invitation card."

"Ok.. Then show me that"

I didn't have an invitation card with me at that time. So I ran back to the hostel and came back with the card. I thought about the various possibilities for him to deny me the permission, on the way. But what happened was beyond my imagination.

I barged into the room and handed the card over to him. He started to look at it with a grim face. He was examining it so closely as if it was a document regarding national security or something. He looked at the front side of it for some time, and then turned it back. He stared at the back side for a few moments even though nothing was written there. I kept wondering what the hell was he trying to discover.

Suddenly, there arrived a triumphant smile on his face. He looked at me, proudly, as if he had defeated me in some wrestling championship. This time, B sir was also sitting next to him. P sir explained to both of us as if Sherlock Holmes was describing a case which he had proved with his dexterous maneuvers.

"This card looks pretty new. So straight from here, you went to the press and made this fake proof, didn't you?"

I was shocked to know that people, that too college professors would be this much absurd at certain times. He thinks that I could have made such a fake proof from a press within that much time!! If atleast I could think like that, I would definitely have been in a better position in my life.

I recuperated from that quickly, but couldn't easily figure out anything to defend my part.

"Go to hell, you sh*t head" was all what I said in my mind.

"Sir, usually in our place, we keep invitation cards as new. No one invites anybody with an old looking card"

I managed to say that much.

He frowned as if I had defied his great scientific discovery or something. At that moment, B sir came to my rescue. He said that it looked genuine and could be accepted as a reason. Then, P sir also agreed. Wow, what a good man he is, I thought, which was to be corrected later.


"So, what are you gonna bring us after the wedding? Bring us some sarkkara varatti"

Said P sir.

I smiled and nodded. Then, again, B sir interrupted.

"That's something we can have here also. Where is your house?"

"Palakkad, sir"

"So bring us some Palakkad special.. Hmm.. Well... I've heard that Palakkad is well known for Halwa. So bring that"

Now from where did he get all these valuable information?? I've heard about Kozhikkodan Halwa but not Palakkadan. But it was not the right time for an argument. I just wanted to get out of there, as quickly as possible.

So I smiled, and accepted everything, and said "oh.. Sure sir"

Again, he started to give me instructions like bring a piece of size this much, pack it properly and bring it to the staff room for us etc.

I, somehow managed to keep the smile on my face and nodded for all these even though I was saying "F*ck #&%$@ S*ck &&^$ @)**^ @#^& ^*^ ^%$@" in my mind. That's one of my greatest plus points. Seeing me, you will never think that this much is going on inside me.

Finally, it was over and I turned back saying “Thank you”. When I was about to get out of the room, B sir called me back.

"Hey, you.. come back here"

I went back thinking that this must be something really important, most probably regarding when would I have to give my viva. He gestured me to come near and said in a lowered voice as if he was telling me a secret which only he, in this world, knew.

"Do you know what my name is? It's B. So when you bring the Halwa, if I'm not here in my room, give it to someone else and ask them to hand it over to B sir, ok?"

"Definitely, sir"

I came out of the room. My mind reveled because I could go for the function without any worries about mini pro. I pitied B sir for taking it so seriously. But all these turned out to be irrelevant when presentation was postponed for the whole class.

***
I used to have a great bit of respect towards my teachers till I joined this college. I strongly believed that 'Guru' is equal to 'God'. For me, my parents and my teachers are the greatest gods in this world. Even during these days also, when I go home, I meet my teachers or at least call them, and get their blessings.


I do have certain regrets about my college life. I have done certain things which I should not have and I haven't done certain things which I should have. And my greatest regret is that I don't love or respect my teachers in this college the way I used to do till I reached this college. It hurts far more than screwing up my exams and spoiling my future. But such incidents help me a great deal to get rid of that regret..

Confession 2 (Page 3)

Previously..
Confession 2 (Page 1)
Confession 2 (Page 2)

She sat down on the bed beside me. Her hair slowly floated around in the cool wind of the morning. The warmth of the sun was creeping in throught the windows.

"What's you plan?", she enquired smiling.
"You", I replied.
She laid back on the bed and closed her eyes. They looked calm. The nervousness I saw in it yesterday has completely left. I heard a music ringing in my ears. It was coming from somewhere near. She jumped out of the bed.
"That's my phone.", she replied to my puzzled look.

She went to the next room and got the phone out her handbag. I felt too lazy to get out of bed. Anyway she was coming back to where she sat. I saw deep lines of worry burrowing on her face. Something wasn't right. She tried to put up a brave face as she cut the call.

"There's a problem", she started.
"Eh?"
"The call was from Credence Hospital. My hus is admitted there. He's had a drinking problem. He went there for checkup due to stomach ache yesterday. It seems he has liver cancer."

I broke the silence that ensued "You should be going.", I said
"This is your problem, it has always been.." her words trailed away as I cut in angrily.
"Am I the one with the problem? You are the one who's had a broken marriage. You're the one who lost her son. You are the one who's run away and slept with a-" I stopped suddenly realising I'd gone too far. The silence that followed was the longest in my life.

"I'm going", she said softly. I understood.

As she walked into the adjacent room to redress I looked upon the pen that lay on the table beside my bed. I started doing what I should have done ten years ago. Five minutes later she returned. Her eyes told she'd been crying. I folded the letter I had written and held it out to her. She put it in her carrybag and walked out..

Electrifying

As the rainclouds gathered outside, Hirosh was engrossed in the circuit he was designing. It was for the robot he was making , just for fun.

His name had come up in the newspaper the previous week. The newspaper had called him an "electrifying personality," though 'electrifying' was the last word one would use to describe his personality. It was that, electricity passed through him sans the slightest harm. The newspaper had a photo of him holding a glowing bulb for which electricity came through his hand. His face was brighter than the bulb, though.

Then, you may wonder why he was working on an electronic circuit. Ask him and he would say,"i have conquered large currents, now to the smaller ones." And you would think, what a stupid answer!

As he was testing the H-bridge ICs for the circuit, his hands accidentally touched the transformer of the power supply. He felt a funny tickle as the mains current passed through his body.

He paused for a moment to savor that feeling. A smile appeared slowly, but froze half way, as he saw a blinding flash of lightning outside..

The Tachometer story

**Pals, here I am going to tell you a story,which actually happened in our electrical machines lab.It happened during our university exam.I am going to describe it in first person because it will make it more funny.I will not tell you the name of the real hero due to his persuasion(threats). **

(This doesn't deny the possibility of that brave soul being me.. ok??)

Well.. guys, as always it is, I rarely had any interest in attending classes during s6 also.Let it be theory classes, or labs, those ain't bothering me. But still, I had to get into machines lab several times for attendance. Since their department was notorious for giving lowest internal marks, friends persuaded me to get in. sometimes, I yielded, sometimes I didn't.

But of course, I never allowed anything to affect my reputation. I was deeply engaged in my own businesses when all those dirty machines worked and others took readings...

But, as usual, when the exam was coming near, I found myself at sea.(that has become so regular!!) Just one day before the exam, I started to study so hard. I didn't feel as if I've ever seen any of those machines.Dc series,shunt, and all that crap. I tried to make out how each machine looked like, how to make all those connections and all that.

Next day, I entered into the exam hall with full confidence.I got an experiment and somehow I managed to write down all the stuff.(I don't even remember which one.. Why should I? Human brain doesn't have unlimited storage like gmail inbox).

I went to fetch components. I wasn't very sure if all those were the right components since I was seeing them for the first time.(Or atleast, i felt so..) The component list consisted of one thing called tachometer.I had a clear idea of how it was used. My friend had explained everything with hand gestures since it was impossible to have a real instrument. Right then, a question came towards me.

"You want a digital tachometer or an analog one?"

Well... that was a situation which I had never thought of.I didn't even know that two types existed.I was so confused as if a child was asked to choose between his mom and dad.

Now lemme tell you guys, when such a crisis occurs in your life, try to be purely logical, listen to your brain..

And that was exactly what I did..

Analog and digital.. Both of them revolved around my head.. digital.. means what? only ones and zeros.. thats much better.. isn't it?

I thought of the two subjects that we studied in 4th semester.. Analog and digital.. I thought of the way in which I miserably failed in one of them and managed to secure passmark in the other.. wow!! That was the most logical thing that I had ever thought of..

I said in a firm voice "digital..."

Somhow, I managed to make all the connections. I turned the machine on. I had to measure the number of rotations of the machine. So, that was where tachometer came into play. I tried to memorise what my friends explained to me. Tachometer had to be inserted at one end of the rotating part. I looked at the end of the tachometer and the hole in the machine.

"Naa... this isn't gonna make it"

I was pretty sure about that. The hole was too small. I walked to the other side of the machine. The hole on that side was slightly bigger. But still, I was confused like a baby in a topless bar. I was very sure that this was the way in which a tachometer was used. May be, I'll have to insert it forcefully, I thought.

I took two steps backwards. With all my strength, I tried to insert the tachometer.

"No... Not like that !!!!"

There came a roar from behind. When turned back, I saw the lab attender running towards me. He grabbed the tachometer.

"Is this your first time here?"

He said in a grim voice. I shrugged as if I was being accused of something which I never knew about. He gave me an angry look and showed me how to use the digital tachometer. For the rest of the experiment, it was him who took the readings. May be he shuddered that I would damage anything.

When I told this to all my friends later, they were all laughing just like they were watching a Jim carry movie or something. What is there to laugh so much... huh?? I handled it very well eventhough I didn't know a thing about all those machines and instruments.didn't I??

What do you guys say??

A look back from ruins

2009 February: I see death and destruction everywhere. Those who live has lost the taste for life. I see shattered buildings all around. I am dying. I can't walk. I have nothing left in me. just the longing for the long deep sleep. Gun fire sounding at a distance. It was not like this in Trivandrum a few months before. Everything was going on smooth, until.......what started it?

It was October 2008 last year. A gossip newspaper reports unusual activity in an old abandoned godown in the out-skirts of the city. Vehicles - large and small- were moving in and out. if they suggested terrorist involvement, at least some would have half-believed their claim. But they suggested that it was a US special force assembling for some covert operation, unknown to the authorities. Police raided the building. They found signs of recent activity. But there was no trail to follow.

Then things happened one after one another. There were rumors all around. The police forces and the emergency services were in full swing. But no news came out.

There was news of gunfight erupting near Sreekaryam between factions of a highly secretive group. Police couldn't control the situation. Their weapons were no match for that of the warring factions. Though the army was asked for help, they couln't mobilize their personnel very fast. Like everyone else they hadn't expected anything to happen in this relatively peaceful city.

Obviously people were scared. but they believed that the situation would be back to normal in a few days. They were soon to realize how wrong they where.

On the morning of the new year day there was a explosion that rocked the city. The explosives used were of advanced technologies and very large destructive power. Media were soon to suggest an international link. no wonder considering the knowledge put into the design. No ordinary man could have designed the bomb.

Meanwhile the gunfire continued. Nobody was safe. The focal point of the explosion was determined as a corner of College of Engineering, Trivandrum. Half of the most prestigious institution in kerala was destroyed in the explosion.

Then came the chemical and biological weapons. Large areas of the city was cordoned off as radioactive. nobody was allowed to leave the city.

During those days you could spot people in all-white air tight suits walking around taking samples. they had "UN" marked on their suits.

In the last few days facts began to surface. It all started when students of applied electronics were asked to submit topics for their main project and an inquisitive guy requested for some suitable links. At the very instant, people drew their guns and started firing at each other. That's how the war started.

The people at the godown turned out to be United States Calamity Prediction Reaction and Neutralization group (USCPRNG, pronounced youspring). it was a team of the best people of the world the US believed could contain any situation.

What use are the facts now? everything is lost now. there is no hope.

Who is that over there? i can see two cloaked people walking on the road. Their face seems calm and determined. But what strikes me most is the lack of fear. rocks and barricades on the road float away as they approach. are they magicians or am i hallucinating? They retrieve something from their belts.

i cant see clearly. my vision is blurring. i know i don't have much time left to live.

There is a swishing sound and i see green and blue blades of light. Jedi master Jfx and Jedi master iceman.

the world still has hope. not me.....

Confession 2 (Page 2)

Yesterday was the best day of my life. Ten years I'd been wandering aimlessly, without fame, shame or anything that would make me more than excited to say "Oh that". Suddenly I felt like I've a purpose to live the moment I saw her. She poured out her heart over the butterscotch milkshake we ordered. It was the warmth of her heart that melt the ice cubes. She began:

"I don't know where to begin. So much has happened after you left me"

Questions swarmed my mind. Why does she even remember me, let alone believe I've left her! But I let her continue.

"You remember the boyfriend I had when we left college? Both of us got placement in the same company and it was time to start a new life. We decided to get married right after college. It was after I got pregnant that our relationship took a turn for the worse. Fights became a common entity. Though we had fought before marriage, I'd never felt so disconnected to him. Something was missing in our relationship - my unwillingness to belong to him.

Right after my son was born, I got the divorce notice. I was fighting a losing battle from then on. I... I lost my.." her voice trailed off. Her tired eyes had lost the spark I saw fourteen years before. They were slowly filling with tears. The blue eyes looked like a deep ocean about to overflow.

I reached out my hand to hold hers. This was my first time I touched her. Her hands felt small in mine. In between silent sobs, she managed to say "I've a confession. I've always loved you."
I was completely shaken. "Why... why didn't you ever tell me?"
She turned her head aside and said "Why didn't you?"
I'd no answer.

She turned her head back towards me. This time I saw the spark had returned to her eyes. She told me how she'd liked me from the moment she saw me.. how she noticed me looking at her in the corridors.. how my presence had been the silent comfort during sad times and encouragement during the good ones. It was like traveling back in time. Living every moment again, moment's that we'd lost. I gathered some courage and invited her home. She agreed...

It's today. The bed seems to have been slept on by more than one. But no one's around. Funny I can't remember anything of what happened after she agreed to come to my home. Was it just a dream? Na. There she comes wearing my shirt. She says with a wicked smile "Oh you're back to blogging again?"

'Dajyu' by Shekhar Joshi

I’m 11 years old and I’m about to enter seventh grade. Thanks to our school’s policy to not teach the regular NCERT English readers that contain rather boring lessons but to teach the text books issued by the Oxford University Press, we have very cute, small and interesting reads as our English texts. The contributing authors included big names like Hemingway, Doyle, Satyajit Ray, R.K. Narayan, Oscar Wilde and much to my delight; Isaac Asimov and Roald Dahl. Short stories by Asimov and ‘Charlie and the Chocolate factory’ by Dahl continue to be my favourites. However the story that impressed me most was one by an unknown Indian author, Shekhar Joshi. I rarely had emotional overflows reading a story…stories amazed me, puzzled me, made me think, made me sympathize but rarely gave me tears. And the ones that gave me those, remained etched in my memory. One by which I was deeply moved was ‘Charlie and the Chocolate factory’ about which I shall write someday later. The other one was from my very own English text of seventh grade, the one by Shekhar Joshi. I still have the text with me and it has travelled with me across the state and I must’ve read the story more than fifty times. I post it here and hope that some of you will share the same emotions that I had when I read the story as a kid of 11.

Big Brother

SHEKHAR JOSHI

Jagdish Babu saw him for the first time, at the small café with the large signboard, in the market place. He had a fair complexion, sparkling eyes, golden brown hair, and an unusual smooth liveliness in his movements-like a drop water sliding along the leaf of a lotus. From the alertness in his eyes, one would guess his age at only nine or ten, and that’s what it was.

When Jagsish Babu, puffing on a half-lit cigarette, entered the café, the boy was removing some plates from a table. By the time Jagdish Babu had seated himself at a corner table, the boy was already standing in front of him. He looked as though he’d been waiting for hours for him-for a person to sit in that seat.

The boy said nothing. He did bow slightly, to show respect, and then just smiled. Receiving the order for a cup of tea, he smiled again, went off, and then returned with the tea in the twinkling of an eye.

Jagdish Babu had come from a distant region and was alone. In the hustle and bustle of the market place, in the clamour of the café, everything seemed unrelated to himself. Maybe after living here for a while and growing used to it, he’d start feeling some intimacy in the surroundings. But today the place seemed alien. Then he began remembering nostalgically the people of his village region, the region, the school and the college boys there, the café in the nearby town.

‘Tea, Sha’b!’

Jagdish Babu flicked the ash from the cigarette. In the boy’s pronunciation of ‘Sahab’, he seemed something which he had been missing. He started to follow up the speculation-‘What’s your name?’

‘Madan.’

‘Very well, Madan! Where are you from?’

‘I’m from the hills, Babuji.’

‘There are hundreds of hill places-Abu, Darjeeling, Mussorie, Simla, Almora. Which hills is your village in?’

‘Almora, Sha’b,’ he said with a smile, ‘Almora.’

‘Which village in Almora?’ he persisted.

The boy hesitated. Perhaps embarrassed by the strange name of the village, he answered evasively- ‘Oh it’s far away, Sha’b. It must be fifteen or twenty miles from Almora.’

‘But it still must have a name,’ Jagdish Babu insisted.

‘Dotyalgaon’, he answered shyly.

The expression of loneliness vanished from Jagdish Babu’s face. When he smiled and told Madan he was from a neighbouring village, the boy almost dropped his tray with delight. He stood there, speechless and dazed, as though trying to recall his past.

The past-village …. high mountains … a stream … mother …. Father ….. older sister ….. younger sister …. big brother.

Whose shadow was it that Madan saw in the form of Jagdish Babu? Mother? - No. Father? - No. Elder or younger sister? - No. Big brother? - Yes, Dajyu!

Within a few days, the gap of unfamiliarity between Madan and Jagdish Babu had disappeared. As soon as the gentleman sat down, Madan would call out-‘Greetings, Dajyu!’ ‘Dajyu, it’s very cold today.’ ‘Dajyu, will it snow here too?’ ‘Dajyu, you didn’t eat much yesterday.’

Then from some direction would come a cry of ‘Boy!’ Madan would be there even before the echo of the call could be heard.

‘Anything for you, Dajyu?’ he would call out repeating the word ‘Dajyu’ with eagerness and affection of a mother embracing her son after a long separation.

After some time, Jagdish Babu’s loneliness disappeared. Now, not only the market-place and the café, but the city itself seemed like home to him.

‘Madan! Come here.’

‘Coming, Dajyu!’

This repetition of the word ‘Dajyu’ aroused the burgeois temperament in Jagdish Babu. The thin thread of intimacy could not stand the strong pull of ego.

‘Shall I bring tea, Dajyu?’

‘No tea. But what’s this “Dajyu, Dajyu” you keep shouting all the time? Have you no respect for a person’s prestige?’

Jagdish Babu flushed with anger, had no control over his words. Nor did he stop to wonder whether Madan could know the meaning of the word ‘prestige’. But Madan, even with no explanation, had understood everything. Could one who had braved an understanding of the world at such a tender age fail to understand one, unimportant word?

Having made the excuse of a head ache to the manager, Madan sat in a small room head between his knees, and sobbed. In his situation far from home, his display of intimacy towards Jagdish Babu had been perfectly natural. But now, for the first time in a foreign place, he felt as though someone had pulled him from the lap of his mother, from the arms of his father, and from the protection of his sister.

Madan returned to his work as before.

The next day, heading for the café, Jagdish Babu suddenly met a childhood friend, Hemant. Reaching the café, Jagdish Babu beckoned to Madan. But he sensed that the boy was trying to remain at a distance. On the second call, Madan finally came over.

Today that smile was not on his face, nor did he say, ‘What can I bring, Dajyu?’

Jagdish Babu himself had to speak up- ‘Two teas, two omlettes.’

Even then instead of replying, ‘Right away, Dajyu’, he said, ‘Right away, Sha’b’, and then left as though the man were a stranger.

‘Perhaps a hill boy?’ Hemant speculated.

‘Yes,’ muttered Jagdish Babu and changed the subject.

Madan had brought the tea.

‘What’s your name?’ Hemant asked, trying to be friendly. For a few moments silence engulfed the table. Jagdish Babu’s lowered eyes were centered on the cup of tea.

Memories swam before Madan’s eyes-Jagdish Babu asking him his name like this one day … then, ‘Dajyu, you didn’t eat much yesterday’ … and one day, ‘You pay no attention to anyone’s prestige …’

Jagdish Babu raised his eyes and saw that Madan seemed about to erupt like a volcano.

‘What’s your name?’ Hemant repeated.

‘Sha’b they call me “boy”, he said quickly and walked away.

‘A real idiot,’ Hemant remarked, taking a sip of tea. ‘He can’t even remember his own name’.

Confession 2 (Page 1)

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to characters and incidents in real life are purely coincidental.

When was the last time I saw her? Time flies by in life. But there are moments in life you never forget. They are so clear in your mind..as fresh a memory as it happened just moments ago. It was the batch farewell party and I couldn't take my eyes off her, I never could. It had been like that for 4 years.. the best of my life.

When was the first time I saw her?
"Hey you! come here" I turned my head around, being careful to keep looking down and not look in the eyes of my caller.
I slowly walked up to him.
"What's your name?", he asked.
"John"
"Don't you have a father?" he inquired with a mocking laugh
"John F Xavier" I replied.
"Describe her"
I turned to look at the person standing next to me. She was about my shoulder high. I started to open my mouth when she lifted up her face to look at me. The only thing I saw was the untold helplessness in her deep blue eyes. They were beautiful.

I walked to my class wishing her to be in it. She wasn't there. Destiny's playing dice with me as usual. I exhausted all the contacts I could gather in the college. By the end of first day, I found out which branch she was in and more importantly, her name. That evening, I went to the canteen with my friends. After the snack, we waited for our transportation in the bus bay. Then I saw her again. She was more beautiful than in the morning. I became a regular in the bus bay from then on.

It was just the beginning. I watched her for four years. Every time she walked through the corridor. The times when she laughed aloud or cried silently. Her first love - the hot senior. Their break-up. The guy who consoled her and became her second boyfriend. Her love for chocolates and ice-cream. The tragic death of her father. I knew everything about her but didn't know her. She never talked to me, ever.

Thinking back, she was pretty close to her boyfriend by the time we passed out of college. They must've got married. I never inquired about her to anyone afterwards. It was time to move on.

I've been on the same job for the past 10 years. Boring is the least you can say about it. It goes on and on until yesterday I got a postcard. "Meet me at 10, Desert Mist" Even after 10 years, I could instantly recognise the handwriting. I couldn't sleep the night and after 24 long hours now I am waiting for her. I'd always waited for her..

Here she comes. I can recognise her gait from a distance. She walks into the ice-cream parlour and finds me sitting beside the corner table. I can't take my eyes of her. The feeling's same as the first time I saw her. My heart warms as her beautiful lips part to utter the words-"Stop blogging, I've lots to talk."

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.

Final Ch: Volver - The Return

Ch 1: Tele
Ch 2: Tele - The origins
Ch 3: DEEPAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ch4 : The Truth!!
Ch 5: Emotions

Now I'm leaving everything behind. Not just my school, my house or my town, I'm leaving this world and Neha.

Today was the last day I had on this planet, in 20th century. I cannot believe that two days ago I was living a carefree life, going to school, wooing gals and laughing. Yes I've forgotten to even smile after Dad told me the truth. The shock kept me completely silent for day. There wasn't much I could do. Dad had taken the decision to take me to future. All three of us got special permission to go Home.

"This is my real Home. This is where my heart lies." But the thought that I don't belong here brought me back. I couldn't return without saying goodbye to my Neha. Dad must've read that going through my mind. He invited Neha over to lunch with us today.

She looked more beautiful than ever in a white skirt and black top. I couldn't take my eyes off. Somehow I managed to gulp down what was on my plate. After lunch, I invited her to my room. We talked for long, but I wasn't able to bring myself to tell her that I had to go away for ever.

Time flew by and the clock struck 4. Mom called out to me "Tea's ready. Please hurry before it cools". Neha rose from the chair. I bade her to continue being seated and ran to the kitchen to get our tea. Mom must've sensed the reason for my hurry. She asked, "Did you tell her?". I replied no. I held the cups in my hand and returned to my room. While leaving, I had closed the door beind me. She was saying something to herself inside.

"Damn!! how disgusting...they changed my name from Neetha to Neha!!! One day I'll have my payback." I was dumbstruck. Was the dream coming true? Surely she cannot be carrying a gun. I was just being paranoid. I pushed open the door silently and made a snorting sound to indicate I was back. She panicked and pulled the trigger. "Hell no!" I thought.

The pain was unbearable. I fell down. Neha rushed to my side shouting my name. Then she placed her hand over the bullet wound. I want to say "Now it's no use. You've killed me, bitch" but the words never came out. I felt darkness surronding me as I closed my eyes.

I don't know how long I'd been unconsious. My mind wandered between lower levels of consiousness for what seemed like hours. When I regained consiousness, the clock next to me read 9 pm. I looked down at the chest, the place where a bullet had pierced through hours before. It had healed. Miracles ceased to surprise me, but there wasn't even a drop of blood around. What more? I can regenerate?

Dad came in. He didn't look happy. He handed me a letter. I instantly recognised Neha's handwriting as I opened it. The letters seemed shaky like she couldn't control her hand. The ink had blotted here and there by her tears.

"Dear Deepak,

I'm Hari Seldon's heir and I know the Truth. Your dad told me you are going to the future. It hurts me to leave you. You'll always be in my heart.

Love,
Neha."

I turned my head to face Dad. He answered my questioning look.
"She was the one who healed you. Not just once. She was there for you before too. Nothing else could've saved you from the internal head injury when you fell off the scooter that day."

Monopoly

chapter1

“Angetine Phigteror not available...may I suggest u Bilos Derthigh” asked the druggist.

“No let me check some druggists near by “ said Shawn.

“Sir if u want u can….but I would like to tell u that u wont get it” said the druggist.

“hmm!!” Shawm smiled towards the druggist without showing his enamel ,as he opened the door of his Carrera GT. “durr…rrrr…rr..r…”the car passed BLETIQUE Druggists and Chemists building...Shawn gave it a full throttle as he flew through the Havana International Airport Highway.

It has been a long time since he left Cuba at the age of twelve. Shawn’s parents shifted to Shanghai to work for Fujitsu Shipping Corporation. Both his father and mother were in FSC as port engineers. It was at FSC Havana they fell in love and got together. As FSC was forced to close its operations in Havana due to labor problems Shawn’s parents were shifted to FSC Shanghai along with many other employees. Life was difficult in Shanghai for Shawn and his brother Smith as Chinese didn’t know Spanish. But they pushed through, learned Chinese. His father resigned from FSC and started export business in Shanghai. It grew at an amazing pace. Shawn and Smith never looked back since. They spread their business from export to real estate to automobile to petrochemicals at a blistering pace. It was at such pace that the communists of china started calling them MONOPOLY. The government of China restricted them from any further investments marking them as a foreign company owned by Cubans. That was how Shawn was reminded of Cuba. He called it nostalgia and his old man asked “why waste a week in Havana? Our old little town ha..ha ..”. But Shawn wanted to go there and stay for a week. His secretary arranged for his landing in Havana. He took his Carrera GT with him, which he cant live without.

Travelling away from Havana, there are two railway level crossings at Jaguey Grande (about 13km from Havana) and approaching Ranchuelo (about 10km later). Both of these are ungated and have "stop" signs - drivers should stop, look and listen before crossing.

After crossing Jaguey Grande he stopped at another druggist and asked for Angetine Phigteror but it was the same again. Only Bilos Derthigh was available.

A new monopoly was taking form in Cuba the ultimate monopoly of the 21^st century.

(may be continued) ………………Aj

BANG!!

continued...
(it is advisable to read the first half of the story before continuing in case you have forgotten the storyline.)

He so wanted to talk to her, be near her… clear up his confused mind and somehow wrest back the memories he most definitely was missing. But how? Whom to ask? And what will he ask them “Could you tell me how the beautiful girl whom I have been loving secretly is in my house and seems to know all of you?”… ya that would be nice. Damn… he kept to himself and to his own room all morning… trying to find answers. Furthermore he dint have the courage to face a situation in which he might once again be found wanting in his understanding… who knows what else has gone on in this household while his memory was in the “write error” situation. It was a rainy day and most of the inhabitants (which was more than usual thanks to the relatives staying over for the night) kept to the house … so he remained in his room till afternoon avoiding all company until his mom came to call him for lunch.

Lunch went pretty much the same way as breakfast except she looked a bit downcast but still sat next to him… should he talk to her after lunch? He washed his hand and turned around to catch her eyes, she also seemed to be waiting for the opportunity to talk to him… he took a step towards her, when his mom whisked her away to the kitchen to help her. He retreated to his bedroom.

He made up his mind. It was best if he talked to her… alone. But no such opportunities presented itself till evening. At one point he considered going to sleep, and maybe when he woke up everything would become clear. But slumber does not dawn on a turbulent mind easily… the frustration began to mount and as he sat at his desk thumbing through an old magazine she showed up at his door. He stood up immediately and their eyes locked. She also wanted to talk to him desperately. He sensed it in her eyes. She stood there motionless for a moment and all eternity it seemed before she turned round and walked away at someone’s call… well that’s it enough! He decided whatever the truth there was no meaning in waiting… Better sooner rather than later.

He waited for ten minutes before moving out of his room. She was not in the kitchen… his cousins had gone out thanks to the benevolence of the rain gods. His mom and aunt were chatting away in the dining hall while there respective husbands sat discussing politics in the front room. He made his way up the stairs and headed straight for the farthest room after checking the adjacent rooms… there he found her.

She was standing by the window looking out into the darkness that was building up outside… the skies were still murky so like his own mind. He did not know what he should ask her. She was dressed in a blue churidar… lighter and darker shades of blue mixed in an abstract design. Her hair was being swept back by the slight breeze into the room… he could not see her face… he moved forward uncertainly. Just then a lightning forked across the skies and she suddenly turned her head away from the window. He caught a glimpse of her face and realized she was on the verge of tears… she turned an accusing look upon him. “I…”, he began. “you have been avoiding me…”, she interjected… she was wearing minimal make up and light pink lipstick… she looked beautiful. As always… he reminded himself. he did not know what to say. Of course it was true. “You have not talked to me all day and have not even given your face to me… I want to know… What is wrong with you?” she carried on in the same vein. Just a memory lapse dear, nothing major, I just cant remember how or when we fell in love, he thought in his mind. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Or is it just that you don’t like me any more? Am I a disturbance to you?”. She was an angel in tears… a sad sight to behold. “Never my dear…”, he said from the bottom of his heart… “Then what is it? tell me…”she implored. He had no words to comfort her, he took up her hands in his and squeezed them… this made her lose all control. She broke down crying on his chest… he was taken aback initially but hugged her close to his chest… “I love you dear and I will never lose you…. Never…”, he whispered in her ears… she kissed his chest and continued sobbing into his chest. He pulled her closer to his chest and her blue glass bangles splintered and fell to the floor… neither of them noticed… they were in a world of their own. He would remember and treasure this forever, he told himself. Nothing was going to pluck this memory from him.

Then she suddenly pulled away from him and wiped her eyes… the mascara had spread onto her face. “I have to go…”she said. “What? Now? Why?”, he asked. “You just have to let me go… You know I have to go. This cannot last…” . “ Why not? , I am not letting you go… not for anything in this world”. Saying this he caught her hand and pulled her closer, but she wont come nearer. “Just let me go…”, she was pleading… he pulled harder but she refused to let go. He closed his eyes to shut out the pain… to win her and lose her within the space of 24 hours would be excruciating. “ Let me go…”. The sound pounded in his ears. “ Let me go or go and make dosa and chutney yourself…” the voice said. Wtf ? He opened his eyes to see he was in his bed hanging on to his moms hand… it was early morning. No it could not be a dream, no… he felt like screaming out loud. “ Let go sleepyhead”, mom said. It was all a dream. Damn them all. Mom made her way back to the kitchen muttering something. Why had the gods been so cruel to him? “ f( ) ( k!”, he cursed quietly. “ Go and get a shower… else you will be late”, mom shouted. He just wanted to just flop back down on the bed and continue his dream… damn. It had been so confusing… but so sweet. Dream or not At least he had her… she had been with him, she had loved him, she had even cried for him… “ f( ) ( k!”, he cursed again. Pining on dreams aint gonna help you he said to himself. Maybe a shower in the cold water might. Still cursing he collected up his dress and went into the bathroom.

He stripped and stood under the shower. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “ It was all a dream… goodbye, dream…” and he let the shower run. The water was cold… it struck him like a thousand needles… he dropped his head and... DAMN!!! What the?. He shut off the shower and hurriedly dried himself not daring to look. Ran into the room half naked and stood in front of the mirror… there it was… on his chest…there was no mistaking it. He felt something in the pocket of his T- shirt slung over his shoulder. He put his hand in and pulled out the splintered remains of blue golden bangles... . A pink imprint of beautiful lips shone clear on his chest…
*******************************THE END*******************************

**once again this is not a part of the chain story doing the rounds now.

**the author would like to thank the devoted fans for waiting patiently for the rest of the story. sorry it took so long and thanks for your support.

Ch 5: Emotions

Life is all fun and enjoyment, I thought. I was too late to discover that it wasn't so... too late when is discovered myself, my powers. But life gave me a second chance. Here's my story, the story of a woman.

I was born to rich, normal parents, or so I thought. Through my teens i had everything i wanted, be it the Barbie girl, round the world tour, or the Mercedes I got when I was still seventeen. Money was power, and it could buy anything. I was in the second last year in school when I met someone...

He joined my school in plus 2. From the first day itself, I fell for his good looks and cool attitude. I knew I was in love. The moment I looked at him something started burning in my head. It was not like the simile 'burning passion', this was real, physical. I felt some kind of connection between my mind and his, and felt my emotion passing on to him. It was really weird, but the same day, he asked me out. It was heaven from then on.

We dated for months. Then in December, he had to go to visit his parents in Dubai. I didn't see him for a month. When he returned everything had changed. He didn't like me, he never had... It was all my doing, my power had forced him to love me against his will. I was crestfallen. I can still remember that day - it was my 18th birthday.

When I returned home, mom and dad were waiting with my presents and birthday cake. I fell crying on mom's outstretched hands and opened my heart. She took the whole incident with much less surprise than I expected. I asked her, "Mom, is there something I should know?" She replied.

Days passed on, but after knowing 'the truth', it was never the same. Suddenly life seemed to have more meaning. I felt some kind of responsibility to human race. Though we were the superior race, we were the aliens on this planet. The feeling of being alien in a place you called home, it's unnerving.I joined CET the next year.

It was the second day in college that I saw the man of my dreams. He had the looks of Tom Cruise and poise of Hugh Grant. I told myself never to tinker with her emotions. As I walked past him, I tried a weak smile hoping he would notice me. It was beautiful... Amazingly, he asked me out the next week. I couldn't utter the words to express my happiness, but i think my nodding head conveyed the message to him.

That evening, we were at Lords. I was sipping on the last drop of limejuice, when I unintentionally started to pass on my emotion of love unto him. I stood up, trying to control the power. I told myself "I shouldn't make him fall in love with me. It will ruin his life. How would he ever understand that I can control emotions..". He tried to calm me down, and told the story of his life. He didn't know why he had the power or where it came from. His parents were so distance from him that they never cared to reveal to their son 'the truth'.

All that is history. We married and have a son, Deepak. Deepak's dad told me few weeks ago that our son's in love. He wasn't sure the girl felt the same for the boy. And then the day came when the dreaded accident happened. I had gone out shopping and saw the whole thing. Deepak suddenly shifted in his seat and the scooter went out of control. I ran towards them, but the crowd prevented me from getting anywhere near. I saw a girl getting out of the car that stopped just inches from Deepak. My power burst out upon her, and I could see the effect. The girl (whom I later came to know was the girl my son was after) felt an instant urge to help my son. She took him to the car and drove him home. I called out to my hus, but my voice was drowned in the crowd.

When I reached home, dad took me aside and said to me, "Our son knows I can read minds. The time arrives that he should know 'the truth'. And one more thing, the girl he's after, the one who saved him today, is Hari Seldon's heir!"

Ch4 : The Truth!!

"Damn!! how disgusting...these assholes changed my name from Neetha to Neha!!! One day I'll have my payback.". Neha was talking to herself, but she didn't know she is being overheard,Yes!Deepak, it was him.....!!
Stunned by the other side of his dear girlfriend he made a snort, Neetha realizing the presence of a stranger, in panic, shot from her revolver (hidden inside her hand bag) in the direction of the sound. With a loud yell Deepak fell down, Neetha felt a thunderbolt running down her spine and rather caught out.Deepak was rolling on the floor with pain, he was miserable. He felt like the angels calling out to him, "Deeepak....".

"Eh!! What the hell?? Shit!! A nightmare.It is already seven and I'm not ready for school yet.Shouldn't have seen 'The Unfaithful' the precious night." Deepak stopped rolling on the floor and got up to get ready for the school.
But why the hell did he think of Neha as a traitor, the reason she would turn rebel is not going to be as filthy as a name.The question dogged him to the class and he found no respite from his thoughts. Even in Neha's company he felt off sorts.
"Why are you so moody Deepak???",Neha asked.
"OH!! Eh!"as if just waking up from a dream."No,nothing". He longed to tell her about the dream but something held him against.
"Is there anything that i can help you with??"Neha looking very much concerned.
"Its so nice of you Neha darling, but no nothing of a great concern.Just that I'm having a minor head ache.." Deepak evading the temptation to open himself up.
"Ok...then i guess you need to take some time off... "Neha replied.
"Yeah!! I guess i get going now Neha dear..See ya tomorrow...."
Dé·jà vu!! He felt he had talked to Neha in an almost similar manner sometime back. This has become a pretty regular occurrence nowadays this,Dé·jà vu!!
"Some thing's wrong somewhere, the only person,one i can trust, who will have a solution for this problem is my dad..But he's off to some business tour from the next day of our 'small freak accident'. He had left in haste, never gave an indication as to his departure..."
He walked back home for he wanted to stack up his thoughts into a neat pile so that he can figure out whatever his problem was.
A pleasant surprise waited for him back home, his dad had returned from the "tour". Deepak was ecstatic and cried out with joy, for he felt comforted and safe.
At nightfall he went to his dad for some counseling on his problem.
"Dad i believe you might have read my mind already,eh..i don't know what's happening I'm confused..eh..."
"Say no more son...I understand.Once me too felt the same. Yes son you are gifted too..like me and like many others who roam this world.The next few things I'm going to tell you is going to take a lot from your part to assimilate in one go...But I've to do this, the time has come for you to know the truth."
Deepak stood amazed and anxious, what on earth was going on??
"Listen boy, I've been away to see some of my old friends, them belonging to group called The Council of AEI.I know its going to be too much for you to take in but you have to be patient and listen.AEI is 'Aliter Encampments for Ithopia'. The world is not what you see around boy, we are time travellers from the world of Ithopia. The place you call Universe is just another part, in fact the primordial part of a greater system called Ithopia. We are from the future boy! You are unique because during the years of my research about our past you were born. The so called business tour i was away for, was a journey back to our time because after that accident i grew concerned about you, for in this primitive place there is no automotive security and the people here are very slow for they take hours to reach just 500km(less than half a minute journey in Ithopia),I've got the permission from the council to take leave from my assignment for a couple of earth-months. We have the science of psychohistory**(developed by the great mathematician Hari*) so I can most often predict the future correctly, and that's what you know as my mind reading capability.We are researching about the possibility of settling in the past because our world is getting crowded more and more.We live in the planet of Earth in fact right here but a 10000 years hence..And the deja vu you have been having is because you too have the elements of psychohistory in you so you tend to see a lot things of the future through your dreams.Take your time to come in terms with the reality and and when you are ready I'll be taking you for a trip back Home....."

This was too much for young Deepak, he didn't speak a word but stood gaping at the stars wondering if they looked the same from some other world he couldn't even think of and if the dreams were to come true,he would think no more..... He couldn't sleep,he feared he might see something he didn't want to...The world around him was changing and so was he......

**Psychohistory has been assumed to be implanted into the human genome by some technique developed long after our era.(OH!! By the way for those readers who don't know what psychohistory is, its a mathematical thesis presented by the mathematician Hari Seldon in the epic Foundation series .... )

Bang!

He parted his eyelids and immediately shut them. The early morning sunshine was flooding his room. He reluctantly pulled them apart once more but shut them again quickly. This time it was not sunshine… it was a face, a face he knew very well, but…. How? Here, now? I must be hallucinating, he thought. But before he could complete the thought he heard the voice, crisp and clear…. calling his name. He opened his eyes believing there must be something really wrong. She was smiling… he looked around to make sure exactly where he was. He was in his bedroom alright but then how could she be here with him in his bedroom? But there she was standing right next to his bed, looking as beautiful as ever, with his bed coffee in her hand. Could it be that they were married? Too ambitious, he thought. She handed him his coffee and headed out still smiling. He walked out with coffee in his hand and saw her and his mom talking animatedly… whoa! This is getting more confusing by the second. How in hell did they come to know each other?

He went back to his room and tried to cast his mind around in an effort to remember something he might have forgotten. There was no way he was going to forget anything that brought her this close to him that easily. He had a very slow bath and headed to dining room for breakfast. Everyone was already seated and mom was helping them with the food. He took up his usual seat and was just about to start when she came in and took the seat next to him. His first reaction was to look at the others but they all seemed as if there was nothing out of the ordinary happening in that room that demanded their attention. The usual casual talks ensued and to his surprise she was involved in it as well. He kept on glimpsing at her as if she was a vision he was having and could vanish at any moment. Nothing of the sort happened and he retreated to his room to mull over what was happening.

Everything was normal as ever except for the fact that she was in the house and everyone else thought it was perfectly natural and it wasnt as if she was there for the first time… they knew each other. And he dint have a single clue how this had all come about. During breakfast he could not help notice that she was also stealing glances at him… and whenever she looked at him there was something special in her eyes… he could feel it.

She was a point of interest for him to put it rather mildly and his first and only love till that point in his life to put it more truthfully. At least he remembered that. He could still remember, the day when he had first seen her and the way his heart skipped a beat when he saw her smile…that beautiful smile… every time she passed by with her friends he would lose track of what he was doing and would snap back to reality once she was out of sight. He would lay awake at night for hours thinking about her But that all seemed so long ago. He soon found out that she was the same year as he was and studying computer science. He never wasted an opportunity to pass by that class. Initially he used to take great care to make sure that she dint catch him gawking at her but as time went on he felt that he should let her know that he … well, was interested in her. She caught him, rather he allowed her to catch him looking at her one day. He caught her eyes and held the eye contact for a couple of seconds before she broke it. It was the sweetest thing. At least she would now know that such a person existed. Before long he got introduced to her by a friend of his who was her class mate. She was just as gentle and sweet as he imagined her to be, maybe even sweeter. The eye contacts which caused sparks in his heart became more common and actual hopes of getting to know her more and even striking up a relationship with her came alive. That is as far as his mind would go. No further. He hadn’t mentioned his interest in her to anyone. Maybe some of his friends may have guessed but he had never admitted to it. And he now wakes up one fine day to find her in his room with his coffee in her hand. Something must have happened. He pinched himself hard and to his relief he experienced pain. But he still couldn’t make head or tail of what was going on…..

***To the notice of fellow bloggers- This is not part of the chain story doing the rounds now. The rights to edit and complete this story remains with the author and J.R.R Tolkien only...

***If yo think the name given to this story is not apt please bear with me... It is just an effort by the author to arrive with a "Bang!" as promised...

Ch 3: DEEPAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i tried to scream but no words came to my mouth .deepak must have gone unconscious as he showed no sign of movement ..........the driver must have seen deepak in the road .he brought the car to a screeching halt .
i heaved a sigh of relief . the wheels were just inches away from where deepak lay.the car doors opened and from it emerged the most gorgeous girl i had ever seen .she had ruby cheeks and a freckled nose but i think that made her look cute .her hair was straight and she wore a golden spectacles.she was wearing the same dress that girls of deepaks school used to wear which made me confirm that she belonged to his school .on seeing deepak on the road she ran to his side ,anxiety in her face, trembling a bit.the commuters soon started crowding over deepak.soon he had disappeared from view.some guys helped me to get up while some others went to see if the scooter was fine and to remove it from the road as it was blocking the traffic.

i realised that there was no time to waste as i had to go to my sons side.i saw her rubbing my sons hands and giving him a bit of a shake trying to bring him back to his senses .she brought out a water bottle out of her backpack and sprinkled some on to him.he stirred a bit.i could see that there was a bruise on his head (must have happened when he hit the road).the girl asked the driver to take deepak inside the car and that she would drop him to his house.i drove home in my scooter and they followed behind in the car

deepak was soon resting in his bed with the girl by his side .i was sitting a bit far away on a rocking chair.the driver had gone outside to hav a puff.once again i found myself trying to read the girls mind.she looked like she came from a rich family.her behaviour seemed good .one thing that i couldnt understand was why she was giving such a lot of attention to deepak. i presumed that it was because they were from the same school.she looked like she must be in the 7th or 8th standard.
maybe her father was a businessman or perhaps he must be a doctor to be able to afford the esteem car .suddenly it striked me that perhaps the girl might be neha.it was true that i had heard a lot about her from my son but i had never seen her.in fact i had never cared to have a look at her photo.the description given to me about neha matched the girl in front of me.so i decided to ask her name.
Neetha Hari she replied. i asked her whether she knew my son."yes of course he is my classmate"she said.
ohoooo classmate eh were they just classmates or were there something else between them.......i could see something in her eyes which told me that there must be something more than a classmate relationship between them .did my son had more than one girl friend. well he has only told me about one .were he hiding some others from me??
deepak was finally stirring from his bed .i went to his side and helped him sit upright.he rubbed his eyes and asked me what happened.
but before i could say a word he said."hi neha ,how did u reach here?"
"Neha"i exclaimed ."no deepak this is not neha this is neetha hari "
daddy this is neha all right . neha is short for NEetha HAri ......
"ohhhh" i exclaimed .so this was my boys girl friend neha after all..............



{to be completed by someone else}

Ch 2: Tele - The origins

Life has always been different for me. Since I was a baby, I could hear voices in my head...voices that never seemed to exist for others. By the time I'd grown to give meaning to words, I started realising that these voices were peoples' thoughts. I discovered I could read minds. I remember the first time when I tried to control my power. I was in the first standard and the exams were coming up...

Usually when I don't concentrate at hearing someone's thoughts, there's just a faint mumbling.. There's no use trying to decipher it, 'cause it will be a mixture of so many thoughts from all the people around me. That day I was desperate. I was not at all prepared for the upcoming exams. I knew the teacher had all the questions in her mind. I had to get it out of her somehow or I would fail. All day I concentrated on her. But the friends around were making so much noise, both in their heads and otherwise. After the final period, she walked out of the class. I followed her and had my final try at concentrating hard. I started hearing clearly-"I hope the students study enough, especially...". I didn't realise i was walking with my eyes closed. I barged right into her at that moment. She turned around, furious...

No one like their minds to be read. They somehow got some hint that I was reading their mind, like you know when someone's staring at you even if you're not looking at their direction. Maybe that's what distanced me from everyone. Mom and dad were always fighting. They decided to end the relationship when I was in 10th standard. I cried all day, I did not have a single friend to share my sorrow. Dad took me in after that and I buried my sorrow in books. It helped me in getting admission in CET.

It was the second day in college that I saw the woman of my dreams. She'd the elegance of a queen, the innocence of a child and beauty of an angel. I told myself never to read her mind. As she walked past me, I smiled and her lips parted like a blooming red rose. It was beautiful.. Next week, I asked her out. She obliged, I jumped for joy.

That evening, we were at Lords. She was sipping on the last drop of lime juice, when I unintentionally started reading her mind- "I love you and I know you love me". Happiness overflowed in me. Suddenly she stood up, shaken. I realised I'd made a mistake. Was it too late?.. I tried to calm her, but that's when I had the shock of my life. She thought, "I shouldn't make him fall in love with me. It will ruin his life. How would he ever understand that I can control emotions.." I tried to keep my cool. I knew that there was only one way to prevent her from going away. I told of my powers. She is the first and the only person who knows I can read minds. We married 4 years later. Our love bore a son. He's now studying in a school 15 minutes away on our Lamby.

My son wasn't growing up alone, like me. He had many friends, even a girlfriend-Neha. She was occupying much of his thoughts those days. I should've warned him to give more impetus to studies and try to pass in that day's 'surprise' chemistry test. But the cute boy always melted my heart and I could never hurt him. There he came. By the look of it, he didn't seem to have done very well in the exam. Ya, he was thinking just that. We got on the Lamby and were on the way back. Then I thought he'd said something to me. I turned my attention to him.
He asked, or I thought he asked “Eh…… You can read my mind??”.
Unconsciously, the words blurted out of my mouth..“How did you know???”

My son seated in the back seat suddenly shifted his position in shock. I lost control of the scooter and both of us fell down. I fell towards the left, but he fell in the opposite direction, right in front of an approaching car...

[to be continued, by someone other than Inquisitivo and me]

Ch 1: Tele

(this is an endeavor to create a marvellous piece of literature [may sound gibberish to the envious.... :-) ] )

“Haaaa…..”, muscle fibers forming the conjunction between the upper and lower jaws stretched like elastic and a gush of air rushed out of the orifice that resulted. In short, a Big yawn. I sat up in my bed, another not-a-holiday day (sigh), the brain waves, with nightmare^ as its output had it been fed to a CRO, still remained in my head thanks to a prolonged delay time*.

Everyday 7:00 am this used to be the routine, thanks to some scrubbing by my parents(Its to early for me btw). But I realized the importance of the situation and so didn’t bother.

Oh!! By the way … I’m Master X or whatever and I study in a school affiliated to the central government’s board..Err...CBSE they say. Ok … my family was a typical middle class family with my mom and dad doing mediocre jobs earning enough to keep the house going and saving a lil bit.

“How are the zombies doing??” a voice from the other side of a levitating (when the senses are dozing hallucinations are quite frequent) daily asked. He’s always pricking.

“Eh…….ohh……aaaaahhhh”, I replied. “Dad!!!”

A cup of coffee and little visit to the toothing corner. Address nature’s call and some water through my head, (phew) I was ready for school. Dad would drop me off in his 1980’s Lamby (Yuk!!!! I hate it, but I'm obliged). The school was 15 min far on it, 2 min if ‘twas a Karizma and 30 min for a public transport vehicle. I jostled to get my things as he started his scooter.

“Oye…How’s Neha??”Dad asked.

Neha was my gal friend (kinda). But in my house she was just one of my good friends. But the way dad probed me was just annoying, as if he knew the truth.

“Fine, dad”, my trembling voice.

Today I was supposed to have a surprise test (err….in our school surprise tests are scheduled i.e. our profs used to give clues. "Huh!! Why call it surprise test then??") Last night I had chatted off for about four hours and so couldn’t find time to do the not-so-important study. It was chemistry and I hate it like hell. But the prof for the subject was sturdy and obstinate. I used to mug up most of the time but this time I was really in some trouble.

As he let me off in front of the school, dad consoled me to take the test without fear. That sort of chilled me out a lil bit.

But how the hell did he come to know of the test?? He’s spying on me?? Che…. No way... He might have anticipated a test, that's it.Anxiety,suspicion and perception at the same time.

The test went rather bad,in fact horribly terribly wrong, for me and so had to do the imposition for 5 times (they still think I’m in KG).Rest of the day went gloomy.

Again strangely enough dad seemed to realize I had an off day and was soothing me. Such instances of understanding were getting bizarre by time thanks to my sci-fi freak mind. Dad has always been very kind and passionate towards me, but it was like now sort mind-reading or some kinda telekinesis(Or may be I'm taking it too far...aaahhhh).

I thought,”He perhaps can read my mind” so I decided to test it out.”It’ll be cool if he were like Mr. Parkman# in heroes”

Next morning, on the way school. “Dad!! Do you read?? Alpha calling beta...Do you copy??”I thought.”Yesssss..did ya say something??”said dad.

“Eh…… You can read my mind??” I thought without a vocally replying in a questioning and no so questioning tone.

“How did you know???”He asked(without much thought).

Aaggghh…..I almost fell off the scooter…..

^ nightmare-consisted of zombies and vampires.( do vary from cockroaches to blood-sucking Dracula at times, hehe....very versatile dreamer)

* Delay time: like tat of transistors.

# Mr.Parkman- a character in Heroes, a hit series airing on Star World.

(To be continued by someone else....)