There was a little girl who went missing. It was Mahaveer who first asked me to search for her. There were two other things also that I had to search but the little girl worried me the most. Her absence haunted me in my dreams too. I knew I had to find her!
Once something got stuck in my throat and I was trying hard to push it out but in vain. I felt as if the little girl was telling me that I'd left her in the dark and she was scared. I tried harder to push out the thing stuck in my throat. I didn't come out, so I swallowed it with force.
I had late breakfast as usual and was carrying a glass of milk to drink after sometime. I saw Kapil, Atul, Parashar, Pankaj, Alok, Mahaveer and others playing some stupid game in which they'd hold anyone and push that person very hard and run with that person, then eventually releasing him/her from their grip. I tried to tell them that I had a full big glass of milk in my hand and that the milk would fall and that would make me angry. They didn't bother and the group, like a group of bees surrounded me from behind and pushed me randomly left, right, front. I got angry and spilled all my milk on the person on my right because I was holding the milk in my right hand. Sadly the person was Atul! After that I did throw the remaining drops at Parashar as well but the damage had been done. I went to mess to refill the glass with some milk. On the wall clock above the entrance to the stairs that led to Yuktahaar mess, I saw the time, 12:13 pm. It was way past the breakfast time, so I had to do without milk.
There was some guy who came to me asking for Sushanta. I said I didn't know where he was at the moment. He asked me what bothered me and I said a little girl was missing and he said if I had investigated it thoroughly. I said I didn't ask the girls of the college. He said Sushanta was incharge of ice-creams and that girls would definitely come to him for ice-creams and we could ask them at that time. I looked at him, he seemed to be quite interested in meeting the girls. Then Sashidhar came along and I asked him, "hey how would you suggest a missing person could be found?"
Sashidhar thought for a few seconds and suggested that we could trace her by the IP address. He then explained that the last number would be the person's ID, second last number would be the person's batch, third last number... Finally I asked him, could this method be used at present? Sashidhar, who was sitting on the sidewalk divider, looked up at me, I looked at the other guy. Both of them nodded in negative.
Nobody seemed to be bothered about the missing little girl. Was I the only one who knew about it? Did I imagine Mahaveer telling me about the little girl? Have I been doing too much detective work, as in searching for lost things that I've started hallucinating?
I looked at Sashidhar and the other guy, both lost in their own thoughts, I looked to my right, a little ahead and all my friends were still playing that silly game. I felt the dusk giving way to the night as the darkness slowly spread itself around us.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
16th March 2010, Early Morning
I was to go to some place, somewhere far. Perhaps Andaman and Nicobar. I had to get myself registered for the trip, some days prior to the day of travel. I called in a travel agent. I heard a knock at my door. I saw myself walking in an old, perhaps 1 BHK flat towards the door. I asked the agent to come in but he seemed rather perturbed and wanted me to quickly sign the papers confirming my journey. I signed but his uneasiness made me doubtful as to what was bothering him. I didn't ask. I offered him a beverage but he left in haste without a word. I concluded that maybe he wanted to cover maximum customers for a bonus or promotion.
It rained heavily on the day of the journey. The heavy rain reminded me that for some reason I had been to Andaman and Nicobar some months before, and had a miserable experience. I decided to quit and was about to go to the office to cancel my journey when that agent crossed my mind. I picked up my bag, put on my hat, took my umbrella in my arm, looked back at my flat which only had a study table by the window and no other furniture, and only one bulb to light the room, I left for Andaman and Nicobar.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
14th March 2010, Early Morning
I was at a party at a rich person's house. The living room was almost packed with guests. It was an invitation only party and I had been invited because of something I was or something I had done, so I was there. The lights were dim and people were slow dancing on the music playing in the background. I felt isolated in the party because I knew limited number of people, all of whom were busy chit-chatting with others, slow dancing, and eating. I stood at a corner with my drink, looking at others.
Next thing, I saw my high school friend at the party !! I was looking at her after many years but could recognize her because she looked quite the same. In that dress she was wearing, and under the dim bluish lighting and slow music, I found her beautiful. I saw her chatting with a married couple and smiling pleasantly. I had always liked her more than a friend. We met like old buddies meet after years. She was a joyous sense of relief in that boring party. We talked for sometime, then she suddenly left me and went to talk to others. She said she would be back in a bit but she wasn't. I felt isolated again. I went to refill my drink (which was non-alcoholic, btw) when I met the hostess. She asked me for a favor and I agreed to do it. But while doing it I realized my mistake. Doing that favor was more boring than standing alone like a statue in that party. Two ladies whom I had seen standing at a corner, just like me, joined me at what I was doing, as if they were looking for something to do. None of the two would speak, only stare at me, at what I was doing. They looked like twin sisters, only they didn't look alike.
Some idiot in a leather jacket, started chit-chatting with the hostess who was standing beside me and the twin ladies. Before she could ask him for the same favor, he offered his services, probably to have a good impression on her. Either he had a crush on that lady, or his mommy must have told him to do so, because the favor wasn't worth any good impression or riches! Thank you, I said to him and left my work to him.
I saw my friend standing in isolation with her drink at the spot I stood for most of the party, aloof in her thoughts. I went to her and in our casual conversation, told her my feelings about her. She gave me the exact reaction I had expected. She said it was very sweet of me and that she also liked me but some things had changed in past few months that at the moment she wasn't ready for any such commitment. I persisted, because I had fell in love with her all over again in the moment I saw her for the first time after many years.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" she said, that tenderness in her voice that almost convinced me she would agree.
"I am telling you now!" I said with all the sincerity in my heart.
She turned to face me and we kissed gently. As we slow danced, holding each other close, I also fell in love with the slow music and the dim blue lighting.
I saw myself at a check post while leaving for home. There was some commotion because somebody said a terrorist had been caught. I got down from my jeep and went to check when I saw Ragunathan sir talking to other policemen or some other security agency personnel. He was their senior, I learned, and was congratulating them on their success and motivating them to keep up the good work. I saw a person looking at all of them with a disgust on his face. I could guess he was the terrorist. He offered me Rs. 90 if I allowed him to walk away and not tell the police that he was running away. He said he only had that much money with him. I refused. He reduced the offer to Rs. 50 and I asked him, "Do you even know how to count?"
I told him, traffic police in India also doesn't agree at Rs. 90, how could I, that too when risk was so high!
He was taken away. I rode back to home in my gypsy. My mother wasn't feeling well so we had to leave. My sister, mother and some friend was sitting behind in the gypsy. My father was staying at some other place. I saw us driving my the streets of Persia, as shown in the game, 'Prince of Persia'. I thought of my work and that there were some people I didn't like at my department, but due to joining of some new people, that dislike had been lessened, as if the new people act like neutralizers. I started thinking of numerology and also trying to find a relation between first alphabet of names of people I keep away from in my department and the new people in my department. While such thoughts occupied my mind, I saw kids playing on the street as we took a turn to the right. Most of the city was stone floored and each road had either houses or a wall on either side.
I get a phone call from the same terrorist even before we are able to drive out of the city. He threatens me that since I didn't help him escape, he'll make my life miserable. He started telling me what all damage he could possibly do and I start feeling scared. His voice and mannerism of speaking made me laugh but I controlled myself, lest I'd offend him even more. My mother wasn't feeling well, my sister was with me, I had a girlfriend now and we were still away from home, driving on strange roads.
Suddenly I see myself doing push-ups, and then I see another self of mine jogging on the streets of the city, as shown in 'Prince of Persia'. Could that be my alter-ego? Or my own self preparing for the future?
Next thing, I saw my high school friend at the party !! I was looking at her after many years but could recognize her because she looked quite the same. In that dress she was wearing, and under the dim bluish lighting and slow music, I found her beautiful. I saw her chatting with a married couple and smiling pleasantly. I had always liked her more than a friend. We met like old buddies meet after years. She was a joyous sense of relief in that boring party. We talked for sometime, then she suddenly left me and went to talk to others. She said she would be back in a bit but she wasn't. I felt isolated again. I went to refill my drink (which was non-alcoholic, btw) when I met the hostess. She asked me for a favor and I agreed to do it. But while doing it I realized my mistake. Doing that favor was more boring than standing alone like a statue in that party. Two ladies whom I had seen standing at a corner, just like me, joined me at what I was doing, as if they were looking for something to do. None of the two would speak, only stare at me, at what I was doing. They looked like twin sisters, only they didn't look alike.
Some idiot in a leather jacket, started chit-chatting with the hostess who was standing beside me and the twin ladies. Before she could ask him for the same favor, he offered his services, probably to have a good impression on her. Either he had a crush on that lady, or his mommy must have told him to do so, because the favor wasn't worth any good impression or riches! Thank you, I said to him and left my work to him.
I saw my friend standing in isolation with her drink at the spot I stood for most of the party, aloof in her thoughts. I went to her and in our casual conversation, told her my feelings about her. She gave me the exact reaction I had expected. She said it was very sweet of me and that she also liked me but some things had changed in past few months that at the moment she wasn't ready for any such commitment. I persisted, because I had fell in love with her all over again in the moment I saw her for the first time after many years.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" she said, that tenderness in her voice that almost convinced me she would agree.
"I am telling you now!" I said with all the sincerity in my heart.
She turned to face me and we kissed gently. As we slow danced, holding each other close, I also fell in love with the slow music and the dim blue lighting.
I saw myself at a check post while leaving for home. There was some commotion because somebody said a terrorist had been caught. I got down from my jeep and went to check when I saw Ragunathan sir talking to other policemen or some other security agency personnel. He was their senior, I learned, and was congratulating them on their success and motivating them to keep up the good work. I saw a person looking at all of them with a disgust on his face. I could guess he was the terrorist. He offered me Rs. 90 if I allowed him to walk away and not tell the police that he was running away. He said he only had that much money with him. I refused. He reduced the offer to Rs. 50 and I asked him, "Do you even know how to count?"
I told him, traffic police in India also doesn't agree at Rs. 90, how could I, that too when risk was so high!
He was taken away. I rode back to home in my gypsy. My mother wasn't feeling well so we had to leave. My sister, mother and some friend was sitting behind in the gypsy. My father was staying at some other place. I saw us driving my the streets of Persia, as shown in the game, 'Prince of Persia'. I thought of my work and that there were some people I didn't like at my department, but due to joining of some new people, that dislike had been lessened, as if the new people act like neutralizers. I started thinking of numerology and also trying to find a relation between first alphabet of names of people I keep away from in my department and the new people in my department. While such thoughts occupied my mind, I saw kids playing on the street as we took a turn to the right. Most of the city was stone floored and each road had either houses or a wall on either side.
I get a phone call from the same terrorist even before we are able to drive out of the city. He threatens me that since I didn't help him escape, he'll make my life miserable. He started telling me what all damage he could possibly do and I start feeling scared. His voice and mannerism of speaking made me laugh but I controlled myself, lest I'd offend him even more. My mother wasn't feeling well, my sister was with me, I had a girlfriend now and we were still away from home, driving on strange roads.
Suddenly I see myself doing push-ups, and then I see another self of mine jogging on the streets of the city, as shown in 'Prince of Persia'. Could that be my alter-ego? Or my own self preparing for the future?
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