I am not dead. I am dying as I am living. I am old and shabby like a living scarecrow. I go unnoticed by the passersby. I have two friends – my wooden stick and my shadow.
With my wooden stick I have crossed many lands. Whose are those lands? I don’t know. It’s the warmth of the earth that I feel unlike the invisible boundaries and so I walk ahead.
I work few hours few days and earn enough to continue. I have a dream I always dream but i can’t remember it when I wake up. This is because of the running crowd I see every time I wake up. I like standing in rows, long ones, standing and waiting with my wooden stick, weird it may sound but I get time to waste.
I am poor, I am uneducated. I always stop to see a leaf fall and a butterfly fly. I can’t understand right and wrong. Once when I was in a city, a man left his dog at me. I ran while my wooden stick scared the dog away. I left the place swearing never to return in the dogs’ land.
I always accept and I never expect. I have heard of the government, it makes me laugh. I don’t know much about the laws but I am fearful to break one. Is there a law about a wooden stick? Someone said that the government is slow still I pray not to get caught. This is how I live.
You must have seen me. Some say I am the real India and some call me the common man. I own nothing. I feel free in this land though I know I am not. Heard a priest once saying something about Karma and reincarnation, I hope I die to become me in the next life. I feel comfortable the way I am. Change is strange for me.
My second friend, my shadow, never leaves me alone. I am alive, I am a common man and you must have seen me.
Autumnleaves… waiting only and only for her. Image from Pixabay.
Tara was walking through the dry track. Her mind was shooting different thoughts at her, she couldn’t catch even a single one. A mundane routine she loathed.
Autumn leaves came to rescue her after a long wait. Tara loved to crush leaves, it made her feel happy, a feeling rushed in her and ended in pleasure every time she saw them resting by the roadside as if waiting only and only for her.
Life was not at all happening for Tara. The same question mark which troubles all working minds was knocking her crazy. All the ‘what’s and how’s’ were becoming unbearable for her.
A thought to end life was always present in her mind like a geek student in a class, but the courage was missing. Tara hated herself and didn’t know that she was secretly in love with whatever the way she was.
Tara was on her way home. She was tired, her bag was heavy. Tara sighed and among the jumbled thoughts came a glad one, at least no extra weight of the umbrella.
That part of earth had said ta-ta to the rainy season and presently the autumn season was painting itself. The sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds.
Tara saw the golden rays disappearing and she stopped. The wind whispered to her and she knew.
She stood there for five minutes or so. With a slight grin, she focused her mind to target the almighty. Great going god, she thought. It was raining by then and Tara was getting wet but she continued walking.
In her mind she started clapping, she was showering criticism on god. ‘Make it snow if you like, so I can regret my simple decision of abandoning my umbrella today’, said Tara. Sigh!
Tara was sure that god was playing games with her. It wasn’t a new feeling. Another hopeless day was about to end for Tara, which hadn’t brought any change in her life except the point that she would return home completely wet.
But suddenly she was hit by a realization and the sinking feeling sunk…a thought did the magic…a thought that told her that god just reacted to her.
Tara couldn’t understand the game but knew it then that God listens.
Sonu VS the masks. Who will win the next round? Image – Pixabay.
Hypnotizing black eyes, burning red face, twisted antennas, bushy moustache and a funny pink tongue…
Why will someone buy such a bizarre face? Why waste clay and colours on an ugly head? Sonu often thought this but never had the courage to speak before his uncle.
He had a strong feeling though that these monster masks were bringing bad luck for them. His hatred increased gradually towards these masks, so much so that he tried twice to throw them from the cart while returning home with his uncle and to pretend that it was an accident.
However, it never happened and Sonu knew it by then that these masks were evil.
Lying on his chaarpayi (woven bed) with twinkling stars above him and crickets playing their favourite tune around him, Sonu was in his thinking mode.
His cousin brother Chandu and cousin sister Munni were asleep, tired after spending some routine hours at school and some happy hours with friends.
He could hear his uncle and aunty chatting inside the hut. He couldn’t understand but he somehow could feel their words.
Every talk in a poor house is always about money; a thorough discussion about their sufferings. He wanted to help. He didn’t want to be a burden.
He remembered seeing a hunchback in a roadside show when he was too young. People were attracted by that weird hunch and the show was a hit. Sonu thought he can do better than a hunchback for his uncle and aunty.
The starry sky was making him dizzy and the silent breeze was telling him to go to sleep. It was only the punk music of the crickets that kept him awake. Sonu had a vague idea in mind before he slept. He has to get rid of those masks…has to get rid…masks.
Next day Sonu’s uncle was a bit surprised to see his nephew’s keen interest to sell the masks by any means. Sonu was chanting a new mantra, ‘buri nazar bhagau mukhote le lo’ (mask to ward off evil) instead of his usual ‘matka le lo’ (buy these masks).
Many people visited, few bought and few sought for some time and then left.
Time told them to go back home with the sun coming down. But Sonu was eager to sell the masks. He shouted once again his new mantra, but his sound was not heard, he felt as if it was ignored and the masks made that happen.
He was sitting in the cart along with his uncle, thinking again to kick the masks out from the cart. When a car passed them and Sonu saw a foreign face peeping out from the car.
Somehow he knew that it’s time to say goodbye to the masks. The car reversed and the person sitting inside gestured Sonu’s uncle to stop.
Sonu was right. That person in the car was the one who bought all the masks form them. He didn’t look of this land to Sonu and talked in a different language. Sonu didn’t care as those monster masks were gone and nor did his uncle cared because he got a good price for the masks, much more than his expectations.
That night Sonu was smiling all the time, even when his aunty shouted at him for being lazy and not washing the dishes properly.
Before going outside to sleep he told his cousins proudly that their family trade will do far better from now. He didn’t realize that both his cousins didn’t react at all rather they were both filled with their own stories.
Sitting together and talking unfinished sentences about their silly dreams was also a routine for the three.
But for Sonu one dream had come true and he couldn’t stop but smile. He danced at the tune of cricket and swayed along with the blinking stars. Then obeying the silent breeze once again, he fell asleep to dream the victory.
Next morning, Sonu had a mark on his face, a mark of five fingerprints. He was putting the monster masks in the cart as directed by his uncle who had slapped him because he broke one of the masks thinking it to be an old one.
But his uncle told him that it was one of the new pieces he had left to dry. Sonu’s uncle had painted new ones hoping to sell more of these ‘lucky masks’, and earn more profit.
The cart was moving slowly towards the mundane destination. Sonu was sitting upset and confused. He turned to look at the masks.
Those nasty heads were gazing back and this time Sonu heard them laughing out loud at him.
Topu wanted to become a camera. He was fascinated by how a camera can capture a flying fish and a swimming bird, the orange circle sun and the white circle moon, the confused colours running a race and a white building hiding in dark. It would be wonderful Topu thought to do such a thing. He would start from a chocolate factory, then a toy factory and then an ice-cream factory. Though he was not sure how things will work but he knew he would love to do so. Topu was smiling when he fell asleep in his father’s arm. He was told that camera was a magic box.
His father was in middle of an art exhibition. They left soon because Topu’s dad had a meeting early next morning and also because his mother was coming that night to take Topu to her place for a week. After the divorce it was this easy routine for Topu though he didn’t understand it like a simple math’s problem. It was confusing for him to have long dozes of motherly affection a week and fatherly the next week. He was just a five year old innocent boy who believed that camera was a magic box.
She had a folded newspaper in one hand and her slipper in the other. Eyes were searching for any movement it could see and strike. She was confused…whether to act or to call her room-mate. But there was no time as she saw it moving, the lizard could be seen now. It looked as terrified as her. She advanced and tapped the area on the wall where the lizard could feel the alarm…. It was a wrong step as the lizard jumped and landed on the floor and ran to save its life. Oh no!! It was worse she thought as the lizard was right under her bed.
She left the room, it was time to call her room-mate, it was time to discuss this situation for the sake of sweet good night’s sleep. But before she could leave her corridor she heard a cry, an animal’s cry, she turned and looked for the sound. It was nearby she could tell. Less than five steps ahead she saw the source. It was a cat, a big one, orange and grey. The cat started to cry as she tried to come closer and then ran in the opposite direction. The poor cat was trapped and confused. Drowsy and tired as she was, helping someone in need was a universal fact and law for her to follow.
It was 3:19 in the morning and she had just completed her assignment when she saw the slow lizard with quick eyes. She went after the cat trying to catch the sound of meowing. After crossing another corridor she felt the cat was round the corner. She tiptoed across the empty corridor as if she was a thief and turned right. A loud shriek mixed with two voices. ‘What are you doing, Srishti?’ asked a girl. ‘Looking for a cat…it’s roaming in our hostel completely lost and can’t find the way out. You heard her cry, Isha?’ said Srishti. ‘No! I went to the loo. Are you done with your assignment? I have not yet started, this is so irritating. Why do they give us ‘Home-work’, are we still in 1st standard or what? I mean seriously. Anyway… have you seen the new episode of…’ Isha’s long voyage of questions ended as Srishti pointed to the cat that ran across the end of that corridor. Srishti dragged Isha along her in the rescue operation.
It was going to be four in the morning and it seemed that the cat was enjoying her game of hide and seek with the girls. They searched for the cat, while Isha talked all along, making Srishti weary of both of them. Too much of anything is bad and it was too much of the rescuing and listening for Srishti. She finally abolished the mission and reminded Isha of her assignment. Reaching her room back Srishti saw her room-mate was there too. She told her about the lizard and the cat. They laughed and soon were back to the daily routine of sleeping late in the morning.
Srishti lying on her bed thought about the cat…where could it be now…was it safe or still scared to find a way out…but cats are very wise animals and she assured herself that the cat will definitely find a window open. She gulped her relief then as she remembered that the lizard was still somewhere beneath her bed or may be on the wall. She opened her eyes to see darkness and then closed it tightly telling herself that the lizard might be more scared than her to wander here and there.
The lizard thought at the same time that it might be safe now.
I don’t know where the path is leading, Broken footsteps lost the meaning. Shouted calmness to me, Something of nothing everywhere to see. Work, work…don’t just think, Cry baby, doll face…my hands still pink.
Numb and dull still very much vain, After all we humans reign. Conquer the war, do it, do, Push and pull if you can, pass the zoo. Hello dear, how are you?? Fake greetings all so true.
Shy shy me, I don’t speak much, Step on the quiet, world is such. Move on, keep going, Not living, just moaning.
Can see the sunrise, but I choose nightfall, I hear the light, let me make a call. Tall shadow, my mind reads, Tear the earth and plant seeds.
We walked together The path was thorny, but we were together Flowers all around and we were together Cold wind was blowing when we were together Moon was shying as we were together Clouds hid the stars when we were together
Time stopped when I saw myself alone Tears rushed and I started to moan My world! My world! Its all gone Time slipped, took a turn and said in a sweet tone It’s in you silly, don’t stop, move on
Haiku
Endless footprints following footprints/
When suddenly a few of them rise/
To bloom like a flower.
Greetings!
A storyteller, following the ancient tradition of cave chroniclers, standing in vrikshasana (the tree pose) on a hill top (it is sunny, but windy), breathing in and out stories (relishing it all, but at times overwhelmed), declares animatedly that she will continue to – tell stories, share rare story gems, and connect with the pacy universe while also keeping the website ad-free.
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Ya-hoy!
Chiming Stories (formerly Home Chimes)
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