The Bridge Over Untroubled Waters?
"To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower:
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour."
- William Blake
The bridge was his favourite “my place” in the town. He loved to go and stand by its iron railings, whatever the weather. The warmth from pristine sun rays created a shade of chocolate to his black hair. However rare an occurrence, it was a memory he came to associate with warmth ever since. There was water, a vast expanse of it as far as one could see, and then there were trees, with
leaves of all colours and some without any – fall had set in. And every time he used his camera to take pictures of the place, he went back home to discover something new. Something that the unassuming gaze of his eyes had missed but the detail hungry viewfinder of his camera probably hadn’t. This time was no different. Browsing through his pictures for the day, he saw one, of
chains, locked in place, to the railing.
Andrew loved memories. Memories preserved in the chronological order of their occurrence. They grew vague with time, he tended to forget a few of them and added a few imaginary ones, and ended up with a rather interesting story of his own, but he loved them, nonetheless – memories. And that probably was the reason for his love for photography. The pictures were the method to his madness and helped him keep the “my stories” in order. Well, just about.
He was still staring at this particular photograph on his iPad when he saw the time. He had to call up his family back home. It was their weekly tradition ever since he had moved away. They waited for his call at this hour each Sunday evening; so that they could hear from him and ensure that he
was well. The chains reminded him of the family. They never wanted to let him go.
“There’s a lot of things you can photograph here.” They'd exclaim. “Nobody is ever going to stop you. And you can learn all you want over the internet. Why do you need to go to a foreign land to be a photographer, of all the things in the world!?”
But he was a free spirit, Andrew. In his mind, he had charted his path, the trajectory, the course, all the mathematics that a migratory bird figures out in its brain before it sets out for warmer
climates.
He called them up, exchanged pleasantries as usual and then let them know he was fine. His mother asked him if he was eating well, if he had made any new friends and if he was avoiding bad company. These were routine questions with routine replies that he had on the tips of his finger, like
the mud sticking out of his unkempt nails. They had been talking about ten minutes and at the back of his mind, he knew he'd be done with the ordeal soon, to go back to his pictures and the chains. Just when he decided to say goodbye and hang up, his father asked about his work. That wasn't a
part of the script! They hated his work for all that he did. It was the very reason for this call, which would not have happened otherwise.
“I’m doing well, Dad.” Said Andrew, in an exaggerated tone. “You need to be really creative with this stuff, think different, and give routine happenings a completely different perspective, but I'm trying my best.”
It was probably the first time he had talked to his father about work. His kind of work.
“I’m sure you are. You don’t give up easily, do you? I got a Facebook account now. Show me those pictures when you have the time.”
His father had never been that interested in pictures. His pictures. Andrew was about to say that he was a professional photographer and didn’t deem it right to share them over Facebook, but he was too overwhelmed to say anything.
“Sure thing, Dad. I'll share them all! Take care.”
As he disconnected the call and looked at the roof to soak in all that had happened, he looked back at his iPad. The chains. There were so many of them, and they all had different locks.
“Maybe it’s a cycle stand for the enthusiasts?”
But he had never seen a bicycle parked around that place.
“I should go back to see what it is!” Andrew thought to himself.
It was cold and dark outside. He stole a glance at the thermometer mounted outside his window.
“Four degrees below zero? Makes it all the more interesting.”
He wore that wry smile that had been missing for a while now; fastened his coat, picked up his camera, and closed his apartment door behind him as he left.
A closer look at the spot helped. But so did a different perspective. It was the lover’s point. How had he missed it of all the things in the world! The hopelessly-in-love had wished for their love to be locked up securely, away from all the troubles of the world. She ought to be here as well. With him. Ruby would love it. To be here; locking away their love for each other in a secure, safe, warm place.
Ten years down the line...
“So, can I take the blindfold off me now?” Ruby asked Andrew, as he finally made her stop and turn a little to her left.
She had been made to walk, blindfolded, for what seemed to her like an eternity. But it seemed like they were where he wanted her to be. Having waited for a reply to her question, she couldn’t be the patient one anymore, and pulled the scarf off her eyes.
“Wow! This is beautiful.” She gushed, as she saw the rusted chains and the locks tying them in place.
“Why didn't I ever see a picture of this?”
“This is where I realised how looking at things differently helps. And I wanted you to see it for real!”
“You could have at least told me about it. I don't have anything to tie here.” She didn’t seem to like the fact that seeing is all that she was going to be doing.
“But, I have this.”
He held a key in front of her puzzled face. Her hand mechanically opened as he placed it in the centre of her palm.
“Now all you need to do is look for a lock with your name on it.”
“You've already tied one on the bridge?”
“Yes.”
“What! Where? What colour is it then?” “I don't really remember the colour."
“Oh, gosh. Some love that is.”
“There were a lot less of these when I was here last time!”
“Sometimes, you're stupid.”
“I know. Now, make a wish and throw the key in the water.”
“But I want to see our padlock first.”
“I have another padlock.”
“Where?”
“In my bag.”
“Since when?”
“Since you called me stupid. Come on.” “What? Where are we going?”
“Start a love-lock bridge elsewhere.”
“Where?”
“You can choose. Well, from a few options that I have in my mind.”
“Crafty. But, why does your camera always have to come along with us, too.”
Listening to: Bridge over Troubled Water
Dedicated to: Simon and Garfunkel
Images Courtesy: asdClicks - that's what I plan to call my soon to be launched photo blog.
PS: The story helped me score a cent percent score in my creative writing course at JYU. Close to my heart? Hell yeah!
And a heaven in a wild flower:
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour."
- William Blake
Ten years down the line...
Images Courtesy: asdClicks - that's what I plan to call my soon to be launched photo blog.
PS: The story helped me score a cent percent score in my creative writing course at JYU. Close to my heart? Hell yeah!
The Patient Doctor
"There's an opposite to déjà vu. They call it jamais vu. It's when you meet the same people or visit places, again and again, but each time is the first. Everybody is always a stranger. Nothing is ever familiar."
- Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
- Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
I was standing at the bus stop when I saw her approach from the far end. Her face was red with cold and the brown eyes looked like a lake about to freeze. She was sneezing every now and then. Poor little thing. She opened her bag to pull out a strip of tablets from her rather huge bag. Looked like paracetamol. And then a bottle of water. But then she threw it away in a fit of rage. Yeah, they deliver bad luck in dollops these days, gift wrapped and all.
Just as she moved around to zip the bag up, this Greek warrior's helmet tumbled out of it and fell to the ground. Not an authentic metal piece really. But that wasn't the case with the mortar and pestle set that came out next. It looked like the one from my grand mother's kitchen. Maybe I could tell her a trick or two with the natural herbs to get rid of the cold?
As the bus arrived, and people began boarding, I began thinking of all the natural cures I knew that could be of any help to her. She boarded the bus and sat next to me. Destiny? No! Get on with the job doctor.
The bus came to a halt with a jerk bringing me back from my reverie. The seat next to me was empty. So was the whole bus. But there it was, right next to me, the big black bag.
Just as she moved around to zip the bag up, this Greek warrior's helmet tumbled out of it and fell to the ground. Not an authentic metal piece really. But that wasn't the case with the mortar and pestle set that came out next. It looked like the one from my grand mother's kitchen. Maybe I could tell her a trick or two with the natural herbs to get rid of the cold?
As the bus arrived, and people began boarding, I began thinking of all the natural cures I knew that could be of any help to her. She boarded the bus and sat next to me. Destiny? No! Get on with the job doctor.
The bus came to a halt with a jerk bringing me back from my reverie. The seat next to me was empty. So was the whole bus. But there it was, right next to me, the big black bag.
Listening to: Waterloo Sunset, The Kinks
Dedicated to: My classmates at XENX041 - Creative Writing in English.
Images Courtesy: Google Image Search
PS: This is my first class assignment for the afore mentioned course. And the writing prompt was - Reconstruct the owner of this bag (and possibly their day leading up to this event). Also, how did the bag end up here in the classroom and where is the owner?
A Century of Lies - !00 Truths
DISCLAIMER: This post has been done under intense peer pressure and (friendly) fire. The author of this blog, in no way confesses these as his own views in full or part. This is being posted because the author hates breaking promises and (seriously) had nothing else to do, once he got over with the torture of exams.
So I've been tagged, yet again. And I forgot to mention in the disclaimer, the responsibility of this kind act, lies with, Akansha again... So sit back and enjoy my hundred, weirdest of truthful lies!
1. Last beverage: Instant Coffee
2. Last phone call: Received: Sud Dialled: Sud
3. Last text message: AirTel - to inform me that I'd missed calls. So people do actually miss me, sometimes.
4. Last song you listened to: Yellow, Coldplay
5. Last time you cried: Yesterday... not today... hmmm no. Yeah. Sure about that.
HAVE YOU EVER...
6. Dated someone twice: Does a no suffice?
7. Been cheated on? Nah... never.
8. Kissed someone & regretted it? No. Wait... does a teddy bear count?
9. Lost someone special? No.
10. Been depressed? Yeah. That's like perennial.
11. Been drunk and threw up? Nopes.
LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:
12. White
13. Green, Blue (it said four up there... right?)
14. Black
HAVE YOU:
15. Made new friends: Yes, always.
16. Fallen out of love: In... probably, how does falling out feel like?
17. Laughed until you cried: hmmm... maybe yes. Don't remember though.
18. Met someone who changed you: Not really. I'm back to being me of late.
19. Found out who your true friends were: I guess I'd never be sure of that.
20. Found out someone was talking about you: ME. Yeah! 'twas like... who's he? never seen him before!
21. Kissed anyone on your friend's list: No.
22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: Many... Some... relatively... quite a few.
23. How many kids do you want to have: At least two... :)
24. Do you have any pets: No. Dying for a labarador... as soon as I'm on my own.
25. Do you want to change your name: No ways... My blog would go so meaningless if that were to happen!
26. What did you do for your last birthday: 'twas Diwali... the world burst crackers and ate! And, I cut a cake for only the second time in my life...
27. What time did you wake up today: Woke up 10.30AM, and I tried yoga!!!
28. What were you doing at midnight last night: Watching Scrubs Season 1... chatting.
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for : This stupid engineering thing to get over and a doj from TCS. I desperately wanna work!
30. Last time you saw your father: It's been about 4 months :( miss you dad.
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: hmmm... errr... OK... forget it! Wish there was one!
32. Most visited web page: Gmail
WHAT's YOUR:
33. Name: Aseem Sood
34. Nicknames: aZoed... I know that sounds stupid :) They did call me Ashu too, once. asd as in asdscribbles
35. Zodiac sign: Scorpio
36. Male or female or transgendered: Male.
37. Elementary: St. Joseph's Convent, Bhatinda. St. Joseph's Convent, Hoshiarpur.
38. School: St. Joseph's Convent, Hoshiarpur, DAV Amritsar, DAV New Shimla.
39. Colleges: JUIT, Waknaghat, Solan.
40. Hair color: Black with lotsa grey.
41. Long or short: Keep changing. Short for good, right now.
42. Height: 5'8''... add another half inch to that for my convenience! :)
43. Do you have a crush on someone? I can't say a no to that...
44. Ever been in love? I guess... yes. Though I believe a one sided thing is more like a tale of heart breaks! :)
45. Piercings? None.
46. Tattoos? None.
47. Righty or lefty: Righty.
FIRSTS:
48. First surgery: 'twas something minor... Thank God!
49. First piercing: bola na... NONE!
50. First best friend: We never called each other that... but he was one for sure - Naitik.
51. First sport you loved: Cricket of course! And I was damn serious about it back then.
52. First pet: I secretly gave shelter to a stray puppy once. Too bad, mama found out and that was the end of it.
53. First vacation: Dunno... camping in our unfurnished house at Palampur... THE best days of my life.
54. First concert: Is that supposed to mean when I performed? Class 4th... a romantic solol! Group: Engg. 2nd yr. Le Fiestus '07, main stage.
55. First crush: How do you define it? The cute girl 'cos of whom I was sent outta class almost everyday in class 7? Or, the other one seeing whom everyday makes me *^* (see stars and the moon) :) Of course, I'm not gonna name her! Right aks?
RIGHT NOW:
56. Eating: Nothing
57. Drinking: Water (Aquaguard eBoiling Plus wala)
58. I'm about to: Break this monitor into two, if this tag doesn't end soon!
59. Listening to: Are We The Waiting, Greenday... My CPU fan humming away... some welding noise in the distance... wait... the fly's saying something too... kya? you think you love me? OUT!
60. Waiting for: Change of mood. It swung the wrong way, sometime back!
YOUR FUTURE:
61. Want kids? bola na... HAAN!
62. Want to get married? Aren't kids out of wedlock like... a problem?
63. Careers in mind? Journalism... Marketing... Designing... OK maybe Coding too!
WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
64. Lips or eyes: Eyes
65. Hugs or kisses: Kisses
66. Shorter or taller: I'd say taller. Not too much though!
67. Older or Younger: Doesn't matter. But I'd prefer older.
68. Romantic or spontaneous: Both.
69. Nice stomach or nice arms: Difficult to decide. OK. Both.
70. Sensitive or loud: Sensitive.
71. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship.
72. Trouble maker or hesitant: Neither. There should've been a third option to that!
HAVE YOU EVER:
73. Kissed a stranger: No.
74. Lost glasses/contacts: No
75. Sex on first date: Did I say I haven't been on a date yet. Ever!
76. Broken someone's heart: Me? You kidding right?
77. Had your own heart broken: I'm your perennial heartbreak kid. Or guess I was born with a broken one!
78. Been arrested: No
79. Turned someone down: No. (What does that really mean?)
80. Cried when someone died: Yes
81. Liked a friend that is a guy? Yes. In the most unDostana way possible, though. To put it straight - I'm straight.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
81. Yourself: Yes, more than anyone probably. No wait... there's omeone else too.
82. Miracles: Damn yes!
83. God: OK. I confess it. This is big and breaking NEWS! Aseem Sood still does believe in God. You smiling up there... haina?
84. Love at first sight: I'd say yes... But that does fade into more of an infatuation sooner than later. But you know, she's cute... damn cute! ;)
85. Heaven: My room - that's heaven and hell both!
86. Santa Clause: I've run outta socks. So, No.
87. Kiss on the first date? If I do connect... OK.
88. Angels: Yes, they do exist.
89. Devils: I exist. So more might be around too!
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY: (So even you know I'd been lying till now... How candid is that?)
90. Is there one person you want to be with right now? Yes. Chunmun.
91. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? Not even one! OK?
92. Wanted to kill someone ever? No. I believe in Gandhigiri.
93. Among you blog mates, whom would you like to kiss? All... None... Weird question!
94. Committed a blunder and regretted later? Everyay!
95. Wanted to steal you friend's boyfriend / girlfriend? No.
Associate with someone you know:
96. White: Me. That's my colur!
97. Black: First yearie! Dark Circles! lol.
98. Pink: The Pink Orchid. She also happens to be my junior from one of my schools! I'm so excited on catching up with her.
99. Red: Me again. Mom thinks I'm the only grown up guy who wears so much of red! OK. Meri marzi!
100. Posting this as 100 Truths? Sure as shell. YES
yippeee! I did finish it... FINALLY! I'm am a good samaritan, so I pass the torture on to nobody... Do it by yourself, if you find it that interesting... I've got things to do... so tata!
Dedicated to: aks, who somehow coaxed me into doing this. And... my first crush! :)
...yes, she caught my eye.
Part II
Continued from Part I
"So what song are you listening to?", she questioned by pointing to her ears, obviously a reference to his earphones.
He wasn't really sure how to say this in sign language. He had never been good at dumb charades even with his friends... but that was not going to be a roadblock for him at least this time -
"You"...
"are"...
"beautiful." he managed to say it through his hapless gesturing, somehow.
"Thank you so much", she said with a bright smile and... a flying kiss! He just about managed to catch hold of the kiss... and his own breath.
Suddenly, dewdrops began to appear on her windowpane. The hold up was over and traffic was moving. The central heating had been switched on... she quickly scribbled her mobile number on the window as her bus moved up the flyover and didn't even have the time to say a goodbye...
Suddenly, dewdrops began to appear on her windowpane. The hold up was over and traffic was moving. The central heating had been switched on... she quickly scribbled her mobile number on the window as her bus moved up the flyover and didn't even have the time to say a goodbye...
"He'd probably call me. Hope he was quick enough to note down my number. I know he will.", she thought to herself.
And then, she turned pale with the realisation that she had written the number straight facing her, but it must have appeared all scrambled up to him, from the other side.
"He seemed like a nice guy.", she sighed...
"He seemed like a nice guy.", she sighed...
Three days later...
"What if I remember her number wrong? Nah... gotcha back my instincts." He'd never been bad with numbers... in fact, he'd been better than most mortals, thus far.
As he dialed the number, he had a sudden stroke of fear... "Girls are good at playing pranks! I should have called this number from a public booth." By then his call had been received...
It was Seven in the evening when her phone rang, with the ring tone that said it was from an unknown caller. As she pressed the talk button hesitantly an enchanting voice from the other end began, "Hi! I just got my new SIM, that's why couldn't call earlier. So how were you?"...
"Err... Do I know you?", she cut her caller short.
"It's me. Arjinkya. The... mmm... bus guy?", he explained. "Oh I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself better."
"Heyyy! I thought, I'd lost you there... how did you manage to read the number backwards!!!?", she had a hard time holding back her excited self.
"That wasn't a bother really. I had a specific learning difficulty, an SLD, in my childhood, that made me scramble up rightly formed words and allowed me to read scrambled up words fine. A kind of dyslexia, that works to my advantage many a times, to this day... errr... sorry again. I shouldn't be bothering you with the details, I guess, all you need to know is... I found you!
"Err... Do I know you?", she cut her caller short.
"It's me. Arjinkya. The... mmm... bus guy?", he explained. "Oh I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself better."
"Heyyy! I thought, I'd lost you there... how did you manage to read the number backwards!!!?", she had a hard time holding back her excited self.
"That wasn't a bother really. I had a specific learning difficulty, an SLD, in my childhood, that made me scramble up rightly formed words and allowed me to read scrambled up words fine. A kind of dyslexia, that works to my advantage many a times, to this day... errr... sorry again. I shouldn't be bothering you with the details, I guess, all you need to know is... I found you!
Do you, have a name, by the way?"...
The End.
Listening to: 1973, I Really Want You, James Blunt
Dedicated to: Ignorant drivers whose impatient driving manners lead to traffic hold ups, and allow me to think up tales such as these to tell.
P.S.: This is what I describe as 'inspired fiction'. Whoa! I just invented a whole new genre of fiction! lol
_
...yes, she caught my eye.
Jonathan: This is the ultimate blend to drink. How’d you find this place?
Sara: I first came in because of the name: Serendipity. It’s one of my favorite words.
Jonathan: It is? Why?
Sara: It’s such a nice sounding word for what it means: a fortunate accident.
- From the movie Serendipity (2001)
Part I
His elbow struck the iron sidebar, as he jostled with his suitcase on the luggage shelf to get it out. Curses flew hard and fast off his shivering mouth on the cold winter morning, when nothing seemed to be going right for him. He missed the train, had to pay twice over to the autowallah because of the strike, and now he was bumping around in this fidgety old bus, going at a snail's pace in what seemed like an eternal traffic hold up. Just as he sat back in his seat after pulling over a jacket that he had just managed to get out of his suitcase after a few scratches on his elbow, he saw an air-conditioned bus pull alongside the one in which he was traveling. It was a huge thing, an imported Mercedes-Benz body with large glass windows that never opened and beautiful blinds that blocked all the passengers from view and real world lights.
"Queer are the ways of the rich and the famous", he said to himself as he wished in his heart that he could have boarded a similar thing in the kind of weather... But that was not really possible, so he went back to listening to James Blunt on his mp3 player...
"Yes she caught my eye, as I walked on by... " he was humming along when he suddenly saw the blinds being unfolded for one of the windows, from the corner of his eyes. She was beautiful indeed. As she flipped through the pages of the book in her hand and fiddled with her locks falling on to her face every now and then, he was caught in a dilemma - what to concentrate on - the book or it's reader. Suddenly he realised she was reading Marley and Me, an original cover hard bound. "Must be a rich man's daughter", he thought to himself again. He had a pirated photocopy version of the same book in his backpack too, one he had been compelled to pick up off a vendor on the sidewalks after watching the movie on his friend's laptop, of course, off a pirated DVD.
He hadn't been able to finish the last few pages in part because of the almost unreadable print and more because of his recent disenchantment with the book, the movie he thought was better made. Now suddenly, he felt the urge to read the rest of the book. He got up again to reach for his backpack on the luggage shelf. Surprisingly, he got to it with ease, and there were no bruises to show. As he got down to reading, the words started floating in weird three dimensional patterns once again and he was reminded of his childhood days as a dyslexic kindergartner who was a riddle to parents and teachers, alike... Aamir Khan hadn't thought of directing his own movies back then!
Realising that he couldn't really concentrate on his reading he thought he would better concentrate on the beautiful reader than the book. So he began stealing glances every once in a while, until he saw to his surprise the cute damsel from the other bus waving the book's cover. He saw around himself to ensure that the call was for him indeed. With a sheepish grin, he nodded back with his copy of the book in hand.
She gestured back showing four fingers of her hand and then making the 'too good' sign - that was her favourite chapter from Marley and Me.
"What's your's?", she waved back with her hands, as if asking the question. "Same as you. Four", he gestured back. And they both shared long, admiring smiles.
to be continued...
Listening to: About A Girl, Nirvana
Images courtesy: deviantART
Dedicated to: James Blunt and You're Beautiful
_
Yes, She'll be loved.
DISCLAIMER: This piece, is a work of fiction, albeit, not entirely. All characters and their names (if any), are more or less fictitious and any resemblance to person(s) living (I don't write about the dead), is pretty much, intentional. And yes, I indeed mean, almost, every word that I write...The more I see you... the more I know you.When you've grown up on mushy love stories and novels that make you believe just about every word they have in them (No, it isn't Mills and Boons that I'm referring to), you tend to begin thinking, nay dreaming. And resist as hard as you may, you do end up believing in phenomenon like beginner's luck (The Alchemist), life coming a full circle (The Glass Palace), sins and penance (Crime and Punishment), happy endings (old school Bollywood and most of Hollywood as well), love at first sight (where did that come from?)...
The more I know you... the more I like you.
The more I like you... the more I love you.
The more I love...
...the less, I want you.
- read it somewhere once, and it has been adoring my cellphone notes, ever since. For now, attributed to - Anonymous.
Oh Sorry. I'm so very sorry. This was supposed to be a valentine's day special. I have 364 other days to tell you the story of MY life.
SO, on to it...
She walked in at some weird moment of my life. All good moments seem weird in hindsight, you see.
And, I won't beat about the bush, yeah she was pretty. The prettiest I had seen in a long, long time. And cute, smart, intelligent, passionate, compassionate... all qualities that I would fill up to describe 'The Perfect Match' field in a social networking form. And I wished I could know her more. So, I did. Just a bit more. I did. And more. More and more. The more I came to know her, the more I wanted to know her. Hell! Before I knew it, I was in love. The love song at first sight had moved on, to a serenade...
But they say, you can never know them enough - girls I mean. And so hadn't I. So just like the whiff of moist monsoon breeze that she had made her way in to my life... she blew away, like an alien westerly.
Or so I thought, then. Because when I reflect back now, I realise she had never walked into my life. It was a tale of two parallel galaxies, that had come close, by serendipity, never to cross paths. Life moved on. It has, because it had to.
And I lived on, knowing and somehow, believing, that I couldn't love again, having given away all that I had.
That was yesterday. One of the numerous days gone by...
Sifting through the memories of the days gone by, I came across this treasure chest. And it had all my feelings, emotions, inspirations and the real me, stacked just the way I would have ever wanted - all messed up, and ready to be... let loose! I am yet to figure out who all to thank for the safe keeping job. But yes... I'm waiting again, for, the one.
And I trust me, when I say that - "She'll be loved."
P.S. : A Happy Valentine's day to all the readers of THE iNFINITY :)
Dedicated to: The human spirit that is so inherent in me. Just refuses to, die!
Listening to: Whatsername - American Idiot, Greenday
Dedicated to: The human spirit that is so inherent in me. Just refuses to, die!
Listening to: Whatsername - American Idiot, Greenday
The Masterpiece
...continued from Part IV
"Who said you were finished and done with? It's time to begin your trial." replied Sabhya, his new found and rather unwelcome 'guardian angel'.
"A what? You don't really mean to say that I'm here for my sins or misdeeds, if I may put it lightly. Do you?" asked Abhay, with the expressions of one who had been wrongly framed for the right charge.
"Oh no. No my son, don't you worry about sins. God believes it was His will, that made you act the way you did, every moment of your life. So you don't get punished for anything. It's about making you stay here comfortable and fruitful by reflecting back and forth, with me of course for company and counsel. Your logbook should be arriving here any moment and then, we shall start looking back on what you did, what you could have done, and what you didn't." explained his guardian angel, the man Abhay was suddenly growing fond of having around, but didn't yet want to disclose.
"I don't believe in looking back into the past. That's just not my way of living life. I believe in moving on. So you could probably leave me alone and do your chores. Thank you for the help, by the way". replied Abhay, his words and expressions not exhibiting the slightest hint of coordination.
"Do you? I'm glad to know that. But your first few words on landing here seemed to suggest otherwise. Your life's the past son. You need to move on, if you think you are so good with it. And my chore for now is just you and your well being. So it'd be really nice of you if you could help me with performing my duties. You don't want to hurt some one you have grown fond of. Do you?", Sabhya ended his discourse with that wry smile that Abahy's best friend Sanskar always had ready when he had just foxed Abhay with a googly when playing a one on one game of 'block my spin' in the community park.
All Abhay could do was point his hands skywards and say - "OK. I give in to you." He looked towards the heavens to pass on some of his customary curses, but he couldn't, he was a part of it already, a 'heaven dweller' by definition.
Just as he was trying to figure out the targets for his curses, he saw a beautiful girl appear out of thin air. Hmmm... She was the most beautiful female he had seen, in a long, long time. "Damn my luck! The most beautiful place, the prettiest of girls, and I even feel like asking her out, but all I can do is, stand here and hang my head", Abhay thought to himself. And by the time he looked up again to steal another glance at his Pretty Woman, she had disappeared back to where she came from, handing Sabhya a crystal tablet, the size of a errr... laptop!
"She's beautiful. Isn't she?" Sabhya again brought out his wry smile as he questioned Abahy. "Oh no! no! no! no! no. Don't look at me like that. I'm way past the age for carnal desires. Was just asking for you.", he had read Abhay's mind, yet again!.
"But she's just like you. Hasn't been able to overcome her rather unexplained holiday, and keeps going back to her past. She had a boy friend, by the way."
"As if I'm bothered about her life!" thought Abhay to himself again. "Actually I may have been... who knows?" he was changing stance like Kevin Pietersen in search for a switch hit, with Sabhya for company. The man, his 'guardian angel' surely was something.
"So you read minds? Since when...", Abhay finally popped the question out.
"That's one of the numerous tricks you tend to acquire with time in this place. Don't you worry, you'll pick them up too. And if you are to eager to read the girl's mind, try putting in a request, and I might just lend you my tricks for a day or two." he said with a loud guffaw. And that was actually the first time Abhay had seen the funnier side of the man.
"Some character.", he thought to himself again and was about to ask more questions, when he saw his guardian angel insert a key into the tablet and out zoomed a 3-d hologram like screen. "Perfect setting to watch a movie with your girlfriend, and I'm going to have to contend with..."
"Don't you worry about that son! I'll make sure that you have The Time of Your Life.", and with that, he began playing Abhay's life, in flashback.
to be continued...
The Masterpiece
I started out on this piece of fiction, a long time back, so much so, that I had lost track of the original plot, when I sat down to continue this. Continue all of a sudden? The inspiration for that, comes from a lot of fiction that I've been reading on various blogs, of late. The earlier parts have not been commented upon much, given the trickle of readers iNFINITY attracted back then. So, if you read, please read it from the very beginning, and as you go along... do make it a point to reflect back, on how you felt about it.
The Masterpiece - Part I
The Masterpiece - Part II
The Masterpiece - Part III
continued from Part III...
Abhay woke up, in what looked like a beautifully designed IT park, one of the numerous designs by his own team, that he had been a part of, as an architect. Only, it seemed like the Sports Meet from school, with everyone, in white. But their silhouettes made it seem far from an aerobics drill, with flowing robes and gowns substituting for shorts and T-shirts.
And then, he realised to his astonishment that he had been observing up until now from a distance, more of a spectator than a part, of the crowd. And just as he decided to join the festive atmosphere, where it seemed everybody was having the time of their lives, he a heard music... a familiar tune.
By the time he walked closer to what looked liked 'spirits in white', he saw them all swaying, to the Guns and Roses rendition of 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'. Ah! what a beautiful melody. For long, he had tried perfecting the strumming pattern on his acoustic guitar, before giving up on sheer frustration and giving in to the sheer brilliance of one of his best loved songs.
"Wait! Why this very song in such peculiar circumstances at this particular moment?" And as he looked around for clues, he saw beneath his feet, to his horror that he was floating. There wasn't the slightest hint of gravel or concrete, just clouds.
"Clouds! So I'm not even alive anymore. Oh my God! That can't be it... I thought I would live more, at least till I had my masterpiece ready. No ways!"
"Anybody there? I suppose you got the wrong guy! I wasn't up for the stakes yet. I've got work to do. There are meetings to attend and buildings to design. Plus I do charity. Lots of it! You could see my account statements. Here... "
And as he felt around for his pocket, he realised he had none. He was wearing the same white robe as the others that he could see around him and there was no sign of his designer jeans or the Armani wallet and the HTC Touch. Two of his prized possessions.
"Great! You've already robbed me of everything I had. But I can assure you, you got the wrong person... I have unfinished business down there... stuff to do. You hear me? You got the wrong person delivered..."
"Every new guest of ours, feels the same way... but they get used to it over time. So will you, don't you worry.",said a voice from behind, with a slight pat of his back.
"Who are you? And I'm not your guest sir. I never signed up for a holiday in recent days, if I remember well."
"You needn't sign up for this particular holiday package son. Everyone gets to have it, when it's due." said the simple and on the outset, friendly looking, fifty-something gentleman as he turned towards him. "Welcome, to Heaven! By the way, I'm Sabhya, your guardian angel."
To be continued....
The Masterpiece
...continued from Part2
"He makes a mess of driving this SUV." Abhay thought. "And people believe you are the safest when inside one of these fuel guzzling white elephants."
Driving was his other love apart from designing. And no wonder designing and tuning automobiles is what he started out doing. It was just that by an unexpected stroke of luck, he landed in this architectural consultancy business. Luck, he believed, was always about something you had always been expecting, but feared telling the world about, lest you never got it and lost out on a wager you had never been a part of, in the first place. But this stroke of luck had been rather unexpected, very unlucky, if you had to go by his complex philosophical lexicon. All the same, he got a steady inflow of income to show his detractors and was soon owning stuff, he had never dreamt off. Just then, a rather unfamiliar looking Suzuki passed by his SUV at a traffic signal. "It was a nice set of wheels." Abhay thought to himself as that trade mark sarcastic smile left with not the slightest of hint on his lips. The car that had just passed him was a 90's Maruti Suzuki 1000. A rarity in itself back then, as much as it was now, the special thing about this one was it was nowhere near the original. It had been modified, well past recognition, and tuned to outperform any vehicle of its class at the time. And the new lease of life that had come its way, was thanks to none other than our man, Abhay himself.
A well off friend of his brought it to his garage one day, giving him no instructions, but just his credit card. He was allowed to spend as much as he wanted to on the vehicle, his friend had sovereign confidence in Abhay's abilities and the talent which he had always thought was exceptional. Abhay worked, day in and out on the dead metal and in about three months, he had given it a new lease, nay, a new life altogether.
It was the most unique set of wheels around, and within a week of his friend's father seeing the modified Suzuki, Abhay had sold the garage, and as his well wishers put it, 'moved on'.
And that was how he began using the degree that he had acquired for real. Was it the best thing to have happened? He was not sure. Not till now, at least.
His thoughts soared back out of the flashback as the SUV came to a halt at the construction site.
"Not a bad job Sinha", he shouted out loud to his assistant as he disembarked from his vehicle. "In fact you are marked for a bonus for sure. Now let me see it all, up close".
Sihnha, was his on site project assistant for this particular project. Someone who got to stay there and ensure that his ideas were implemented, as best as they could be. He was not from an architectural or design background, he was hardly educated. It was just that he was a very good manager of resources. And according to Abhay, he was more than just 'very good'. He was the best he thought he could have got, someone who had been able to bend all his clients his way, and get a very good final outcome more often than not.
And this project seemed no aberration to the scheme of things up until now. They did not have the requisite labour and not even the hydraulic lifts and portable lift gate conveyors, a necessity without which Abhay had refused to work with, in his recent projects. But here, Sinha had managed, and manged well beyond his imagination.
He always thought it was the one quality he lacked, being flexible, and well managing his wares. And often, he would find himself complaining to the forces that be, over it and thought maybe that prevented him from showcasing his masterpiece. But that was a thought and just that.
Just then, as he was surveying the angle of the porch arc from his binoculars from a distance, he saw the rope holding on to the make shift labour lift snap, and wobble in the air. As he gathered his wits to understand the situation, he had time, just enough, to run and push aside Sinha from the spot where he had been standing up until now. And with a loud crash the whole rickety arrangement collapsed on Abhay himself.
continued in Part IV
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