XXV

Somewhere in the corner of my mind...

I wish I was walking on wet grass

And breathing the salty air by the sea

Where it didn't matter who you knew

Or you never had to play pretend

Just the space where I could be I and You could be You.

Just Another Day for Humanity!

So I am being flooded with messages everywhere for Women's Day! Whatsapp, SMS, FB, BBM... and Google too!!! And one thought that has been in my mind since last evening is that why is there one special day for women - which is half the humanity or more! This post does not aim at any kind of intellectual masturbation or try and be feminist in any nature... So be warned if you are looking for some fodder for your sleeping brains on this Saturday morning. Just read this and let it settle in your mind!

We are all human species - regenerated from the same gene from eons ago. Men and Women - The Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary forces interacting to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the parts.

So all I wish to convey today is that... No, Women are not born into this world with pre-loaded softwares to grow into the several roles that are expected from them. Whatever we do for the people in our lives is out of our love and willingness and we wish to not be 'coerced' or 'forced' just because as women we are expected to be perfect and dutifully 'fulfill several roles'.

I wish that men really start seeing us as equal Human Beings primarily and make efforts to catch up with us, be able to multi-task better than we can and start claiming some more importance from the world... so that one day, we also have a 'Men's Day' to celebrate for all the things you do for the women in your lives!!! Imagine in some years from now, the messages would read something like this:

From school boys to strong career men to Rocking Dads... The journey has been nothing less than a rollercoaster ride.
You are beautiful in your own way. You bake, you burn, you laugh and you learn.
You sing, you dance like no one's watching, you can discuss recipes and world affairs with ease as you mow the lawns.
You work hard and build our home together and you care and partner your woman in every goal.
Though life is tough with you, it is also incomplete without you!
Happy Men's day!

XXIV

I am in search... in search of what will take me to higher planes in my internal universe. The outside world is getting flatter by the day and two-dimensional and it is limiting my pursuit. Google does not have the answers to my search. It is time I enter into a parallel four dimensional world to pursuit my search and build an alternate universe for myself.

XXIII

As she watched the raindrops through the window, she thanked God for all the beautiful creations of life - rain being the most important of all. Rain, which gave life, raised hopes and made dreams come true. Her village had seen rain showers after over a decade and she knew that God had answered her prayers. This Diwali would indeed be the festival of lights for all the villagers!

XXII

He finally managed to buy the diamond ring he wanted, to propose to his girlfriend of many years. As he held onto the box in his hand, he thought of various romantic ways to propose to her that night. So lost was he in his thoughts, that he tripped on the suitcase lying on the footpath which triggered off the blast as it was meant to. The diamond turned to powder in a fraction of a second.

- Dedicated to the dreams of lives lost in the blasts in Mumbai on 14th July, 2011. R.I.P.

XXI

Many years ago someone tapped me on my shoulder at 4 a.m. and asked in a half-scared, timid voice, "Are you asleep?" I could not get over the ridiculousness of the question asked by my little sister who probably needed some comfort but got a tongue lash instead. Today morning at 4 a.m. there was another timid tap on the shoulder and a smaller voice asking, "Mom... are you sleeping?" This time I remembered not to get angry... Life came a full circle!

(Story contribution by Meeta Luthra - a dear friend)

XX

The perfume gave a fragrance of longing. How well he knew this fragrance... With every sniff of the fragrance, he felt closer and closer to her. As he moved towards the casket to see her face for one last time and kiss it, he knew of all the things he will miss most about her, it will be her lingering smell on him.

XIX

As he came out of unconsciousness, he remembered her saying, "I would do anything for your happiness and long life." And now he realised, how much she had meant it. He could feel her heart beating away in the cavity of his chest. Her heart... which had made it possible for him to live and breathe life again!

XVIII

He saw her at the party. But somehow he could not find the nerve to tell her that he still loved her. After all that he had put her through. He had realised his mistakes long ago, but someone did not let him correct those mistakes and make things right. And again that someone did not let him go and talk to her. His EGO had won again. But he had lost her forever.

XVII

"You are a mistake." She was reminded of this at all times by her parents and four elder siblings. And once again, she was told, "You are a mistake." This time it was her spouse. So she did what she thought was best to correct this mistake. Just like several years ago, she had fired 6 bullets, this time it just took one bullet to be lodged right inside her brain to take care of the mistake. #shortfictionstory

XVI

The song, "Bade achchhe lagte hai" played in her mind every time she thought of him. A coy smile would bloom on her face with his every thought and her heart would skip a few beats. He was her 'Perfect Man'... a man who would be everything she wanted. She had yet to meet him, though. But she believed he existed and that at this very moment, somewhere, in a different part of the world, he was humming this song just for her!

XV

She wished the music she was listening to could go on forever. She closed her eyes and got lost with the music notes. She entered her inner world and began to sing along with the music... a song so sweet that it immediately brought all the dead things to life, including her heart.

XIV

"I know nothing about you," she said to him. He simply asked her to have faith in him and say Yes. And Yes, she did say. Exactly 50 years later, she went to meet him at the clinic. He gave her a blank look and just said, "I know nothing about you." She smiled and held back her tear. #shortfictionstory

XIII

He had to do this. He had no choice. He thought of all he had left behind - his loved ones, his ancestral house... Now there was no going back. With a renewed determination, he unfastened his seatbelt and got up simultaneously as three other men from the flight did and marched violently towards the cockpit. On the other side of the world, his town had become a war zone. #shortfictionstory

XII

He was blinded by the white light. All he could make out were some colourful circles. Slowly as seconds converted into minutes, his sight got clearer and he could finally see a the polka dotted saree worn by a woman who was over-joyed to see his expression. Yes, he could finally see and that happiness blinded away the darkness he had carried since five years. #shortfictionstory

XI

She was sure it was kept in the third drawer. But she could not find it there. And the police were on their way. She had to flee soon. Frantically she looked everywhere in the house till she heard the gun shot from the basement. And then she remembered... he had told her, he was going to remain in the basement to fix some things long overdue. The sirens played in the background. #shortfictionstory

X

He loved her and wanted to possess her. She was a free bird and could never remain caged. So he did what he did best - he nuked her. And after that, that part of the Earth was his, but she had stopped breathing. #shortfictionstory

VIII

He loved his new boat. It was just perfect with the green deck. And as he set it sail, he was delighted to captain it. But he failed to see the green liquid line left by the boat's engine in the waters and the trail of dead fish. #shortfictionstory

VII

The fading actress that she was - she hoped that with the odd Facebook Friend Invite and the rare new Twitter follower, her popularity was going to soar once again and she would be back on Page 3. But she could not keep up with the act of 'hoping' anymore and was tired of 're-takes'. She ended her movie with a bottle of pills. #shortfictionstory

VI

I still remember that first interview where I was told, "If you can sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo, we will hire you." That day I failed and did not get the job. Today as I sign the cheque to own a majority in this same conglomorate, I thank Global warming for making us the leading appliance brand in the North and South Poles. #shortfictionstory