Life... A Series of Unfortunate Fortunes

Part - 1.o1 – A Familiar Stranger

I was slowly walking by the road, with a list of grocery items clenched in my hand along with some money. In short intervals of time, I was opening my fist to check on the money in my hand, fearing I may have dropped some of it. Slowly, I walked up to the point where I had to cross the road by looking at both the sides as had been instructed by my mother. But something told me not to step on that road, something in the back of my mind didn't allow me to cross the road today, the same road that I crossed hundreds of times while playing with my friends, the same road I ran across to buy my favorite candy.

I was standing there thinking when someone held my left hand gently. Startled, I looked up to see an elder girl smiling at me, she looked beautiful, I wanted to trust her sisterly grip, But an inner part of me was scared, scared to cross the road or rather scared to trust her. My dad had told me not to talk or interact in any ways with a stranger, and here she was, swaying my promises, promises that I had made to dad. I looked at her and asked a bit awkwardly, "You aren't going to kidnap me are you?" in a slow but steady tone. Her smile turned into laughter, and she said, "No beta, I am not going to kidnap you, I am just helping you cross the road." Her laughter was so pure, so true that I believed her without further ado. She told me, "Walk by my side only." There was care in her eyes for me. We started crossing the road, she held out her left hand as we crossed the road and in a tiny bit, we were on the other side.

I started walking towards the shop when she asked me, "What is your name beta?" It felt so good when she called me 'beta'. It felt like she was my real sister. "My name is Vaibhav. Can I call you didi?" I asked shyly, hoping she won’t mind. "Yes of course you can call me didi", she said smiling, her smile was so addictive that I felt if I could keep talking while looking at her smiling face. "You are buying something right?", she asked and I nodded slowly. "Let me help you." she said and we walked towards the shop. She took my list of groceries and gave it to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper started picking out the things. "So which class are you in?" she asked me. "I am in 4th class didi." I replied, "What is your name?" I then asked curiously. She smiled and looked at me, "Smriti" she said, I looked at her and smiled "You know one of my classmates has that name too" I said. "Oh really?" she said in an amused manner and patted on my cheek. Soon the shopkeeper gave me,my things and I handed him the money. "Which chocolate do you like by the way?" she asked me. "Dairy milk" I replied excitedly. "Can you give me a dairy milk please" she asked the shopkeeper. I stared at her as the shopkeeper handed her a dairy milk and she gave it to me after paying the shopkeeper. "This is for you" she said. "Thank you!" I said and we started walking towards the road. There wasn't much traffic on the road this time, "Which class are you in?" I asked her, "I am in college beta" she replied smiling. "Do you have any younger brother?" I asked in a low voice. She laughed and replied "Yes... you are!" I looked at her with wide eyes while she kept on laughing; I wondered what seemed so funny to her? And how she could always be happy? Are all elder girls like this or is she special. We had already crossed the road by now. "You can go back from here right?" she asked in a caring manner. "Yes" I replied smiling. "Will you meet me again?" I asked in a dim voice. "Yes of course we will, just don't forget me then" she said, this time we both smiled "bye didi" I said "bye and keep smiling" she said I watched her go with a smile on my face. She picked up her moped and entered the lane, while driving, she turned once and waved at me, she was still smiling…

Then everything happened so quickly, that the next 10 seconds became one of the worst 10 seconds of my life, she looked back at the road, and a car was coming from the front, she turned her handle and applied the brakes, her moped skidded and she fell on the road, the car stopped with a long screech, everyone turned around to look in that direction, my legs instantly sprinted in her direction but before I could even get a little closer, a huge tug on my collar pulled me back and I watched a huge truck crush the air I was standing in a second ago, I watched the truck go in front of me, my face had now turned white with fear, not the fear of what would’ve happened if that truck had went over me but with fear as I watched it go towards her, the truck driver had already applied brakes and beneath the screeching of tires, my shout totally disappeared, “didi!” I yelled with my full force but even my own ears couldn’t hear my voice…

I shut my eyes tightly, hoping that it’ll all go away when I opened them. Slowly, fearing what I’d see I opened my eyes and in one flash I saw, the truck was now standing by the side of the road, someone was screaming, there was blood all over the road, I wished that it may all go away, I wished that I may be the superhero who could change it back to normal, change it all, I just wished I wasn’t even here, I just wished and wished hoping that even one of my wishes may come true and do some good…

I had shut my eyes again now and tears were rolling down my cheeks, I felt the grip on my shoulder someone’s hand was still grabbing me. I was sobbing bitterly, slowly the grip loosened and the same hand that had saved me earlier was now patting on my back.

After a few seconds someone asked in my ear, “was she your sister?” I couldn’t reply to that question as she was so much like a sister to me but still a stranger in the eyes of the world… After a short time the same voice asked me again, “beta was she your sister?” a couple of drops flowed from my tightly shut eyes and a faint and broken sound came out from my mouth “yes” and darkness filled my vision…

I shook my head back to the present and felt my fingers thrusting in Smriti’s arm. And I realized that as terrible that incident was, it made me the caring brother that I am today. Every time I look at my baby sister I see a glimpse of Smriti didi in her eyes…

Written by:

Atul Shrotriya,

Juhi Shrivastava

Edited By:

Jugal Shrivastava

Desired Perplexity

O thy majesty, may thou bloom,

Or shall I lighten your presence with the gentle moon?

I shan't bear the wrath as your face hardens,

Punish me thy grace or let me be pardoned.

Thou crush my heart, humble and fragile,

Perhaps this is one of the wonders inflicted by thy smile.

Don't be intrigued by my flabbergasted sense,

Inception and induction may have diminished my stance.

Like those memories of thee I cherish,

I pray thine happiness flourish and sorrows perish.

If you can't love me, try not to hate me,

If you can't live with me, try not to abrogate me.

Is it thine love the cause for I am lulled,

Or art these mine impetutous fantasies by virtue of which I am pulled?

Mine impoverished self is laved by thy fathomless beauty,

Or whence art these quiverings coming from?

Rather this is mine sepulcher's treaty.

May be slushes hung down before a storm.

Why do I pant, as my inners tumult?

Art thine hues so impalpable?

That this be the abhorence before I am set up on thy grace's catapult,

Privileged to know my monochromatic chasms aren't worth smothering, thine callous to unlovable.

If you can't love me, try not to hate me,

If you can't live with me, try not to abrogate me...

Written By : Atul Shrotriya

Clouds Cry For Me...

"I have to go for now... please understand" she said in a simple tone convincing me to the heights of hell, I just wanted to look in her beautiful ocean like eyes forever, but I didn't have time, neither did she... Nowdays, my recent enemy was the time, tick tock of my wrist watch just irritated me to no extent and finally, my brain because he had a habit to just stop working whenever my ears implied her name to it...
"Can't you wait, just a little more?" I asked helplessly, even now, my eyes were just fixed on her face... her complexions, her movements... I could read everything, her smile which she served me sheepishly from her red lips on her pink cheeks... her cheeks, absolutely flawless, soft like the silvery clouds...
She came closer to me... and then tightly hugged me, I could stay in her sweet floral essence forever everything seemed to go in a flash, next second her lips were pressed to mine her tounge caught my lips and soon I was hearing the wild throbbing of my brain. It said 'pull off Ronnie pull off, we are on a restaurant bench, not on your bedroom sofa I am sure, she won't like it...' but my heart, it just said two simple words in large beats... "Sweet Lipstick". I was about to vanish in the fluidity of this intense love, when her eyes came to remind of the heavens after death.
"you know, I have to go" saying this, she flanked another smile at my face. I was about to cry as she walked away with my heart... but I felt that it would not be ideal to bid her a goodbye with such a face... besides, my brain croaked... boys don't cry.
I paid the bills to the waiter, who had a wide grin on his face... the bill was not much but still he was happy. I just paid him some satisfactory tip and walked to the door of the restaurant to breathe in some fresh sunlight... the sun felt stingy for the moment its creaminess had gone away with my queen. I just felt horrible like a patient who just needs some oxygen but the idiotic doctor comes to tell him that the oxygen is not there and all he can do is die...
But well I had to live now atleast for her. The next place my bike haulted, was in the baseball stadium, though I was not a good player, but still my queen... my Andie liked my stance. I asked the pitcher to throw the ball... An hour later, I was on my bike again searching for some fun.
The brakes of my bike released smoke the next time when I was on an empty road, a few of my school juniors, were playing on with their bikes, probably learning new stunts to impress the neighbouring girls. I also joined them, as I liked to perform stunts on my bike... half an hour later, I was in the middle of an insane stoppie, when my mobile barked "Andie Calling" the word Andie, simply made my ears hypersensitive and my hand flew to my pocket leaving the bike to go crazy...
After that everything seemed to go in a flash, one second, I was leaning on my bike like a monkey, next second, I was leaning on my friend's shoulder, after they had removed the bike from my leg...
I first went to the company garage for my bike service, they totalled an amount of 500 bucks for the repairs, limpimg I managed to the local hospital for some sonography and treatment. They told me that everything was all right, I just wanted to slap the doctor, because I had often heard them saying "Don't worry, there is nothing to worry but we will have to cut his leg..." but I hoped that my parents had done my insurance. Soon the doctor told me that it is just a sprain, and I will be released soon...
I hoped that their soon would come fast, because I didn't want to reach home late. When the clock ticked 8:00 pm, the doctor came up to me and took a medical chekup... He just had one condition 'I must call my family members including a girl, to pick me up...' I just phoned Andie, but to my demise, she never picked up her phone... I tried many other numbers, but all were busy, at last my school senior came to pick me up for a dinner I was to offer her any day.
As I reached home, I felt a bit driziness, probably because of the CO2 thumping devilishly in my lungs. My mom was ready at the gate with her mobile and some money, I knew where I had to go...
When I started my bike in front of the Mobile recharge centre, the fuel needle just moved a half millimetre. I turned the engine to life and soon I was at the petrol pump. The petrol pump was at an odd place, though the place was good, but it messed up with the beauty of the nature around it. The growl of thunder made me aware of the man at the side of my bike asking how much to fill my tank. I simply handed him 500 bucks and he quickly counted them and put his handle like pipe on my bike... I looked at the hills around me, when I saw Andie sitting on one of them, I could make out simply from where I was... she was facing towards the other side with her back towards me...but she was not alone, there was someone beside her, grabbing her in his arms, he set off the fire sleeping inside my heart which was extinguished by the winds of love long ago...
As soon as I was finished filling my tank, I picked up my bike and went around the hill to see her face to face. The chilling wind and tiny droplets of rain didn't matter much to me, as they numbed my almost bare chest, I just checked the pocket knife in my right pocket. It was safely tucked there with delicacy.
The face of Andie, was remarkable she was just stunned to see me there, but not a drop of horror inflicted her beautiful face. After a second, I heard her voice in my ears, I stopped slowly after a long brake of 2 metres. When she came to me, her face was booming with happiness, "Who is he?" I asked in a threatening voice which made her smile disappear. "Listen I can explain this..." she said to me in a convincing tone. "I don't want any explainations from you...". As I took out the pocket knife from my pocket, I finally noticed the look of fear on her face. "It's gonna hurt, it will last long..." I said pionting my knife towards her... I saw the other guy running towards us, too late... "you don't need to do this..." Andie said in a croaky voice... "I never meant to do this..." I simply replied.
Soon I was walking towards my bike grasping my knife tightly... both of my hands were dripping with blood and the rain was trying to dilute the intense blood along with my senses, I was about to fall off like a dried leaf when I was caught by two arms, they were warm and soft they didn't seem to shiver or shake, soon I was lying down on Andie's lap, my palms could feel the gushing of blood as my senses began to numb... though her face was sheilding me, the tears from her eyes felt like loads of hot,salty Mercury drops and they flowed effortlessly, faster than the blood flowing out from my wrists...
Soon I woke up in the hospital to know that it was Andie's younger cousin whom I had mistaken for her new boyfriend or so... just after letting me know the whole truth, I saw a thousand expressions cross her face anger, amazement, love etc. I could not face my parents in this condition, but they were standing by my side at this moment with a thousand phrases to blurt... I could feel their gazes pierce my skin... I was soon eased as Andie bent down on my face to kiss me shielding the world from me through her intimately soft hair, I could see the lights fade as her hair drew a curtain for me...

I wrote this story around "Tuesday, 1 December 2009" but someone asked me for it to start posting with something now it's been over a year with this as the only post in his blog, so I claimed it back...

A goodbye...

I am sad, that's why I am writing this kind of story... Thanks to Ms. Aadya for the sadisticness.Well, some of the extracts are purely fictional rest is my personal experience...

I loved her so much, every day I woke up dreaming about her, every time I think what if she was here what would she say, how'd she react and all that stuff. I didn't really care what everyone else thought about me as long as she was happy. She was everything in this world to me. The days were going fast and good, I could remember her voice from every word she said and imagine the rest from how she would say. I looked up to her through evrey aspect of my insignificant life. Perhaps she could've grown irritant to my such behaviour. If I really cared, I felt way too possesive, if I let her do what she wished, I wasn't responsible, if I tried to talk to her everyday, I was getting a bit too sticky, if I managed to get along without hearing her voice, I was ignoring her, if I did something unusual, I was getting the wrong attention, if I acted normal, I was really boring, if I gave her gifts, it was show off, if I didn't spend much, I was more attracted towards money. and on goes the list of my billions of unsolved mysteries of our love, I was so focused on presenting myself that I went a bit off the track to show what I really was I missed the chance to tell how I really felt, just in the riff-raff of these tons of emotions.

I never had my first date, all I had was a bitter breakup... Nothing goes wrong right from the beginning, at first it felt like a good healthy relationship, no fears, no tears but then the condemned world began to tear us apart in various means possible. But still, there was this one confirmation, actually a feeling of self assurance that lured me back into her sweet dreams and the stinging pain of desperation. A feeling of belief that whatever may be the circumstances she loves me... atleast for now that's what kept me going on in this season of misery. Suddenly the friends felt farther away, the sounds of parents felt like nagging of some inglorious fool. The motivational lectures seemed to be asking for way too much, everything felt so seperated, so different in an unaccountable way. Only her voice felt like the sweet music of angels, her indications seemed to be the supereme command of the highest god, her presence like the meaning of life... I wasn't obsessed with her, just posessed by her and I asked for nothing more as long as I was with her.

Our first plan was to go out on a movie on a free sunday, with her friend. But was put down due to lack of permissions from her parents, I was told that she went out with her brothers that day. I didn't feel betrayed because she had her own genuine reason for not being with me, I just lurked around in my house all day to get rid of her memories and when I felt no way of getting rid of my misery I decided to sleep, and there she was back again in my dreams haunting me with the pain but atleast I was with her even if in my dreams.

My second hangout with her was perfectly portrayed with her at a disco club with many of both of our friends who would be there, it was also another way round to introduce ourselves to each other's circle. The day was going awesome with the thought of being with her. Later at the night everything was perfect. The only wait was for me to go home and change clothes and come back. As I reached home I found my dad's bike broken. I asked him to go alone but he refused simply I revolted but was put dwon harshly later. I was disgusted and told various people that I was not coming in a not so serious tone simply stating that my dad was willing to go tommorrow instead of today. I later slept off crying with the guilt of being born only to hurt her... She forgave me the next day relating to me that she was sad last night, I just wanted to hug her and cry for being such a fool to hurt her, but never could tell her how much sorry I felt. Just said 'm sorry' which I knew was insufficient I perhaps know now that the time she forgave me was also the moment she gave up on me, I regret it still but just can't tell her anything about how I feel because I never did get a chance...

The next day she went out of town with her family and I got overwhelmed by the thought of not talking her and in the mist of my foolishness to try on something new, I drank beer for the first time with my friend though it was not a very sophisticated kind of experience as drunk people usually conquer to but still it was worth being scolded at. But she never scolded me just got more farther away from me than before and in a fog of unknowingness I smoked a couple of cigarettes for the next two days, later I learned from her friend that it was not very good what I'd done and I should be disgusted at what I'd done or atleast she was...

After that it was only on the phone I talked to her on the day she was going out on a trip, I can still recall her voice in my ears, through the thousand disturbances caused in a moving train, I culd still make out her voice saying 'Atul... listen carefully... I know this may hurt you a bit... but... I seriously want to breakup with you... I hope you can understand the reasons...' I possibly knew every possible cause due to which she could have thought of this but couldn't make out the exact reason 'speak something... Atul... say something... are you there...' her voice commanded me to speak again but I was nearly hyperventilating, just taking deep breaths to keep me from falling, my mind was becoming heavier each moment my heart pained even more now, I was perhaps overreacting or showing off till now but as the tears rolled down my cheeks, I became aware that I was not faking it, I was trying very hard to stop nearly dying to forget what I'd just heard, but I couldn't I just couldn't all I could manage was to give a 'hmm...' to her request. We both remained silent for a long pause, the sound of train was now growing up in my head, mearly causing a migrane, the silence was giving me in to nausea but all I could manage to do was cry and sit still, shortly after, the line was cut off from her side and I kept sitting there, moaning silently over my loss...

Everything felt so useless, so imaginary, my heart felt so swollen up all the time since I knew I was not going to see her for a while now and that while seemed to expand to a lifetime. I woke up everyday in tears, slept in tears and the rest was I couldn't even care to notice. Everyday, I looked at the thermocol cutter in front of me wishing that it's sharp blade would just come out instinctively and slice through my wrists but I couldn't gather up enough courage to do it myself when the thought of my parents and the many other people who cared for me, hoped me to never let them down came to my mind.

I saw her after nearly a week in front of me... and a load of motions rushed to my eyes to flow out but I looked down upon the ground in time to let the stupid salty drops kiss the ground without any of that crying stuff. I just wanted to hug her, hold her close to my chest, just wished that I could remain in her arms forever, just wished to die in her lap if that was my last wish but I knew that it would not come true... The teacher is teaching me in the class but I am at a sole corner of the classroom, staring at the sharp blade just wishing to die. I can't bear the pain of being away from her anymore nor I am strong enough to bear the punishment of my crime everytime I see her, but I can't die right now if that would mean hurting her again.

It wasn't on the climate charts today to rain, but here I was dripping with pain moaning in the rain so that my tears were hidden. Soaked with the guilt and her love, I slowly walked over the pools of my mistakes splashing the painful memories of good times every tme I stepped on them. I could see her coming towards me in the rain, my foggy eyes and the blurred vision didn't acknowledge her presence but I knew that it was her who was holding me so tightly something I had wished for so long... I slowly fell down in her arms and my senses slowed down to nearly negligible. She was looking at my face with horrified eyes which I couldn't see but feel. I slowly lifted my hands to her face and heard my own broken voice "god... why do I love you so much?" the flaps of my shirt sticking to my arms gave away at the moment ad I could feel the cold rainrops mixing with my blood oozing out of my wrists. I could hear her screams and all her moans as I lay there in her lap I could feel water pouring onto my face and I knew it was her tears not the rain which was bidding me the goodbyes. I slowly pulled her face close to mine and I could hear her desperate sobs and pleadings just then I could smell her sweet nreath entering my mouth to take off my life with ease I would perhaps be one of the few lucky persons on the Earth to die smiling and happily... Everything faded away, I could still feel my heart beating for her... her, she was the only thing I was remembering right now and I was happy that the last thing I may remember is so incredibly marvellous...

Believe

“Betty Thompson was a normal lady, probably in her mid-forties. She lived a usual life naturally boring. She was a friendly creature, and her life showed no signs of change, until she was run over by a drunken truck driver while she was walking down the lane to her home. She did not die immediately, she was veiling for help, badly injured. She cried out loud until the air in her lungs went out and her heart stopped. No one responded to her voice because they thought it to be their false imagination. She drew her last breath and cursed aloud,’ whoever may walk a road at night alone, shall suffer the rain.’
Later in the day when she was found out, people reported about over hearing her faint voice. According to the stories, she did not take any revenge by killing the truck driver or haunting the people due to their ignorant behavior.
She was only remembered a few years later when a boy was found hanging from a tree, his bones were crushed like he had been hit but the absence of a single mark on his body confirmed that he did not have any such accident or encounter with a vehicle.
Couple of years ago, a girl was found dead on the streets, the doctors confirmed a heart attack, but the fright on her face and the white color of her body triggered the gossips. People said that she must have seen a strange animal, but believers say that she could have seen a ghost. And the most important or rather I must say the interesting thing about these myths is that they both happened on a day when it was raining.”
As I finished speaking I could see the astonishment in the eyes of my companion. If only it had not been raining tonight he would have been more comfortable. The sound of the raindrops falling on our umbrella was sounding like a thousand drums going off. The opera of nature was only fluctuated as my companion tilted his head and asked with fearful eyes, eyes which told me that he had already guessed my probable answer but was still hoping me to confirm it. “Is it true? All of this story which you have been babbling aloud.” Now the fear of the possible negative unacceptable answer was all over his face. Perhaps, he was regretting why he had asked me anyway about this. He could have just suppressed his unnecessary evil fantasies by just crushing them with the “SUCH THINGS DON’T EXIST!!” stone. But now it all depended upon me. And to his surprise I laughed out loud. He seemed so relieved thinking that I had been joking. “It actually depends...” I answered still smiling. “Depends? What are the preconceptions for the truth to be called true?” He asked now more eagerly like a boy goes in a shadowy place knowing danger could be lurking there, but the hunger of knowing out keeps the boy driving him towards his hopeful end…
“Well it depends upon whether you believe it or not. I mean you have to believe in truth if you hope to feel good after telling it or else you just lie in the face of a person.” I explained him in the most inexplicable way. “Well you know about death even if you try not believing in it”, he opposed. “Well everyone believes in death but you don’t recall many people agreeing in supernatural events”, I simply stated. “Well I don’t believe”, he said aloud just to comfort himself or to tell any soul wandering near him. “It’s not what you say, it’s all mugged up in here, it depends what’s inside”, I said tapping my head. “But what if we just for a bit believe in it?” he asked, finally showing signs of mental nervousness. After a long silence I answered, “Even if you come to know that you have started believing just don’t fear.” He sensed reassurance and smiled happily for the first time.
“I want to scare someone right now, it will be such great fun at this time of night”, he said mockingly. “Well you can’t think of tricking me”, I said confidently. “Not you! Someone else”, he said lowly.
Sometime later, we nearly ran into a man, he had hideous eyes. I never saw him while we were coming. Perhaps that was because of his black raincoat, he had curly hair and his face looked ancient. “Aha! You know what?” my less intelligent friend sprang up. “What?” the man said questioningly. “I don’t believe neither should you, or else you’ll suffer the rain”, he said in a mocking way. “Huh!?” the man said confused to what he just heard. “Never mind, you are just a lonely soul about to die in this rain of the forgotten myths” my acquaintance quavered. I looked down ashamed, staring at the flickering images of both of us in the rain water. “Sorry but I think you should go now…” the man said abhorrently.
“See it was so much fun!” he spoke after some steps. “No, it was not”, I said flatly. “But we nearly scared that man like hell, I liked it so much”, he said playfully. “Some great person said that ‘These violent fantasies have violent ends’ you know”, I said sternly. “Oh! Never heard any such thing. Anyways, who said it?” he asked in a delusional way. “William Shakespeare”, I barked back. “Anyways here is my home. Goodbye”, I said and started walking away. “Tada, I hope you don’t believe”, he shouted back.
He lived just two blocks away, as he was walking he saw a woman. He walked up to her and said, “Have you heard the story of Betty Thompson?” “Well, have you heard it?” the woman fired back at him. “Yup I have, but haven’t you?” he asked again to come back at her. “If you have, then you must suffer”, she said. “But I don’t believe in all this”, he said nearly shouting. After a brief pause, a whisper flowed through the trees, “It’s not whether you believe it or not, it’s just that you know the fear to know that it could happen to you.”
Later in the morning, I was awakened by the sound of people in a rush. I also started walking with them. On reaching a place, I overheard that someone was killed here last night and then cut into pieces. I was moved with fear when the possibility of my friend being killed shadowed over me. I moved a step forward, but to my utter confusion, the body over there was not of a man but of a woman. I was dumbstruck for a moment wondering, ‘How close I could have been to death, just escaped my fate from another nightmare of the memories that could have been formed last night. Just an inch away from becoming another confused legend. Thanks to my friend…’ The word ‘friend’ hit me like a brick, my eyes widened with horror and fear of possibility. What if that friend of mine was the ghost! Why didn’t he kill me?
I was interrupted in my thoughts by the sound of people screaming. I saw another body was being lifted down from the ambulance, this time it was a male, face badly crushed. I quickly looked down at the ground with disgust and awe, thinking how wrong I was, that poor fellow was killed himself, how could he be the murderer. I felt sorry for him; I was the cause for his death. If only I wouldn’t have told him all that ‘Betty stuff’. I was no less than a murderer than myself. Poor man, what was to happen of his family? And it slowly dawned over me that my shadow was not there beneath my feet. I grew cold with fear only to realize that the body lying in front of me was my own…
The world appeared to be revolving all around me. Everything appeared to be fuzzy. I wanted to howl at the top of my voice but it would be of no use to me. The only comforting thing was that my friend was not hurt or was he lying somewhere just like my body.
Two legs appeared before my eyes and a manly voice said, “Another one of those stupid stories people will connect these two. Another pair of chapters to that myth…””Do you believe in this officer?” a man asked from behind. I turned back to smile at my friend from last night. His eyes were staring at me, not through me unlike those of the policeman, but still I was comforted that he couldn’t see me. I lowered my head with ease. “No, I don’t believe in all this shit”, the officer answered. My friend fired back in his usual sense, “Actually it’s not that if you believe it or not, nor it’s your fearlessness that could save you.” I looked up, now we were staring into each other’s eyes, he continued, “You know the thing which kills you and haunts you, it’s just that you know the fear to know it could happen to you…”

Do you believe or fear?

Written By: Atul Shrotriya
Edited and ideologies offered by: Jugal Shrivastava
Pre-comprehended By: Rishabh Soni & Vinayak Tiwari

Running through the Streets

Running Through the Streets
"What can you do for me?" she asked in a low shaky voice. The voice which filled me with lively spirits every time I heard it.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked in a husky voice, filled with a hint of mockery...
"Till what extent, would you go for me?" she again pounded me with an unequivocal emotional question.
"Till where do you want me to go?" I replied again with a question
"Can you run through the streets for me...naked?" she threw at me without a flaunt.
"Well can you kiss me right now?" I asked her pathetically looking at the people around us
The next moment I tasted a strawberry flavour in my mouth. I loved the taste, but I never understood, what was going on until she slowly withdrew her lips from my face. I was stunned when my senses hit me!
"Alright, now can you die for me?" she asked in an exasperated tone, giving indications that this was her last question.
A bunch of people were looking at us now, some teenager kids probably jealous of us, were making a mockery of us, a few elderly couples eyeing us suspiciously. Probably, the kiss had a too much of effect on them, on me too, my head was swirling like heavens had come forth to shelter me. Without, realising the risk of the next sentence, my adrenaline just made my lips move and my vocal chords acted in such a manner, that the next sentece hitting my ears implied,
"anything I do for you just fills me up with more life, each time I think of you, I come across a reason to live... but if there's anything I can do to ease you, then I will even go against my morals to die for you"
Her blue eyes were again staring in my eyes, looking for words which her vocabulary couldn't express. She was not speaking at all but at the same time, I was hearing just everything in the world she meant to say right now. Finally, the words came out of her mouth.
"was the last words you spoke was just to impress me or due to other internal intimacies?" her eyes clearly signified that she had never wanted to ask that question, but that goddamn white matter in her brain had made her to do so... I was infuriated but, my answer had to come out. I wondered, if my voice could pass through my clenched teeth to reach her ears in this dense mental atmosphere. I held her in my arms and felt the vibrations of the sound passing out of my mouth...
"I was never attracted towards you, but it was my need... you have become an essential component of my life, without which it is impossible and useless to survive..."
It just seemed that my legs sprang to life after growing their brain of own leading me away from her... I knew that she was crying as I was walking away... It seemed that my heart could feel the moist air around her eyes and the wetness of her eyelashes...
I turned the key and my sport bike came to life. I didn't knew why I did it, but as my bike passed through my tainted blur red house, the brakes didn't come to the tire slowing it for even a fraction of second but when they did, I realised that I was in front of a disco.
Two hours later, I was walking through my lawn to get hold of my doorknob, my senses were a bit dimmed, due to the 2 cigarettes which had filled my lungs. My mom was in the kitchen as usual, preparing the dinner, as I walked in, her alerting voice rang in my ears.
"Ronnie, who's this Andy? she called a dozen oftimes in the last two hours, demanding for you" She asked in her normal tone of authority...
"Just a friend mom, she's just a bit sticky" I replied straightly recalling that I had left her in an amusement park just 2 hours ago...
I went up to my room, and put on my headphones playing my favorite song... I was about to drift away to sleep, when my mother burst open my door "Does the Andy you were talking about lives in the 32nd street?" she asked bewildered, I remembered a familiar sign stating 32 and an arrow on a yellow board, from where I used to pick her up usually.
"Yes,... what about her?" I asked in an eager tone
"check out the news" my mother said quickly walking out of the door
All over the horrid news was about a girl who recently cut her wrist. She didn't tell anybody the absurd reason, that why she did so, but still, I knew it perfectly! I picked up my black jacket but the next second I realised that I didn't need it now, I just opened the door and walked out silently.
"Hey son, where are you going at this time of night? and wear something warm, you'll get cold in that thin jacket!!" Said my father with concern
"Dad, I am just going away... far away, and anyways, whatever I wear, I will be too cold soon to wear these..." I just replied without thinking about what I was saying and walked away
As I reached the main streets, the signboard reading N-Streets caught my attention, it was usually supposed to mean north streets, but the voice inside my inner mind told me that it could mean naked streets... something Andy had said me to do, probably her last wish I just heard the thud of my every cloth slowly as I unrapped my body, then silently, I began my run, my final run...
I had ran a mile or so, through the crowded streets, and now people were starting to realize my presence, I could feel every inch of my body glittering in the yellow street lamps as I ran through them. I didn't feel a thing until my eyes saw the ground tilting away. Then, every thing appeared to be in slow motion, a large number of people were looking at the place, where I just stood, now there was a car at my place... I thought my real body was beneath that car and my spiritual soul floating away to heavens until, I felt the touch of icy water on my skin then everything turned to a blurr... a slow blurr.
After about, 2 minutes, I realized the feeling of drowning then, everything just vanished, the waves, the lights, the hand, the voice, the water... All before me was just whiteness, then with a sudden horror, I realized that a hand was also there, I tried to seperate my eyelashes and my world turned blue and white, or rather half blue and half white... both the colours gave me a hand each, I moved towards the white heavens, when I suddenly saw the face of Andie in the blue side... I quickly sprang to life grabbing the bluish hand...
When I opened my eyes again, it was again white, just like the half heaven I had betrayed on the brink of death as I came back to myself, I saw a blurred image of a person's head, over me sheilding me from heavens eternal light... Soon I realised that it was Andie looking at me, as I looked to my sides, I realised that I was in the emergency wing of the hospital...
"Ack...I... I thought that... that I could fulfill your last wish" I said choking with nearly each word
"But I never did die though you were almost dead there..." she smiled as she spoke these words. Her smile seemed so magnificient, that I felt I would die again... from heart attack this time!!
"You also di... did die there for..."I was interrupted in between my sentence by her warm cozy lips, I could taste her lipstick flavor now... It was Chocolate today, and I loved it more than ever...