12th Feb 2016, Early Morning

I was desperately searching for a parking space. I had entered this locality which had this wonderful shopping complex from where I preferred buying my daily stuff. But my usual parking space was occupied today and I couldn't find any parking space in the vicinity. Suddenly I saw an open gate beyond which some guys seemed to be discussing something. Without thinking twice, I took my scooty inside and parked it at a nice spot near the gate. I locked its handle and turned to leave when I saw this lady putting up her hand to stop me.
"This parking is only for those men who're participating in this contest." She said and pointed at the big poster with a photo of a man carrying his baby and smiling at the camera.
Presence of mind isn't my forte but that day I was at my best.
"Yes I have come to participate in this contest."
She seemed to soften.
"Your name?" "And where is your baby?"
"Oh the baby!"
"Sir, I'd like to move your scooty out." She caught me!
"But there's no parking space outside. Please help!"
"Sir, follow me."
I thought she decided to help me.
"There, can you see, plenty of parking space." She pointed her index finger at the window through which some vehicles and gaps between them was visible.
"Okay. Thanks." I said and kicked the scooty to start.
"Sir, could you please take it outside."
So I dragged my scooty out of the gate.

Dreams before my wedding, Jan 2016

Last week I got many dreams related to marriage and relationships.

Other marriage offer
I saw my parents and some other couple of similar age sitting at my house. They were discussing something about me. My mother asked me to sit with them and she introduced me and said few nice things about me, or reiterated those nice things again, just to refresh the other couple's memory. I soon realized this was about my marriage. I felt certain uneasiness which I think every guy feels when his marriage is being discussed. But my gut feeling told me that this was wrong. I felt like my marriage had already been decided and talks about another marriage was a blunder. It seems my parents forgot about my marriage that got fixed earlier. I also had forgotten but my gut feeling made me remember traces of such a recent memory. I looked at the couple. They seemed innocent. I stood up, looked at them again and just walked out.
Somebody had messed up with my parents and my brain. Was this couple so desperate to get their married to me? Or was there someone trying to sabotage the other couple whose daughter I was going to marry? I managed to find contact information of the other couple whose daughter I was to marry. They came to meet us again, relieved now, but anxious earlier since we hadn't communicated with them for many days. I looked at them and their daughter sitting in our living room. Deja Vu, yes they are the ones.

Phony girlfriend
I remember having a girlfriend. But I couldn't remember the person who was my girlfriend. This girl walked up to me smilingly, put her arm around my arm and gently beckoned me to move along. I couldn't remember if she was my girlfriend but she behaved naturally like my girlfriend so I decided to accept her as my girlfriend. No I wasn't drunk or high. But I wasn't sure about how my girlfriend looked. That night when we both were in bed, I tried to do some kinky stuff that I naturally did to my girlfriend and she seemed to enjoy it. But this girl was shocked, as if I was doing this to her for the first time! I thought she was joking so I tried again and this time she showed more displeasure. This confused me further. What was wrong tonight? Did I do something to upset her?
My gut feeling got activated again. No that wasn't it. She isn't upset. She's not my girlfriend. No matter how my girlfriend felt, she'd always enjoy our kinky experience. It was quite dim in the candle lights but I looked at her and clearly see someone I really didn't know. I put on my shirt and left without a word.
It took me one week to find my real girlfriend's contact and address, through my email interactions by searching for the word "baby" and "shona" in the archives. Apparently I'd broken up with her on WhatsApp but I never sent any such message. I couldn't come on call after that because I was apparently in another world. Finally she decided to forgive me. That night when we both lay together, I tried that kinky stuff on her. She enjoyed it. Yes, she was the one.

23rd Jan 2016, morning

I saw myself living at some place where hundreds of people had come to stay for some event. That morning when we all woke up, we experienced a lot of deadlocks at the toilet, the kind Indians mainly experience during traffic jams. It was peculiar that the toilets got divided based on religion and castes. For example, I was only allowed access to a certain toilet because one Sindhi was the first to use it that morning. So that became a Sindhi toilet. There was another toilet that became a Hindu Brahmin toilet and some other guy tried to get in but was stopped from going in and had to wait in line for using only that Brahmin toilet. Just before I could get in to use the Sindhi toilet, someone else sneaked in before me! There was another toilet inside a bathroom. One guy who was eligible to use that bathroom couldn't get in because the toilet inside that bathroom was in use.
Some of us gave up on using the toilet and came out into the big ground where decorations were ready for the event. And then the first performance started. We were upset and thought we'd wait for few hours so that during noon we could use the toilet. So we were just planning to kill time till then. But by the end of the first performance I think we all forgot about our toilet emergency. We were spellbound. It was a dance that started as an ordinary classical dance, but turned into a nritya of deities. It were as if the Gods had descended from heaven to perform on that holy soil. That ground was quite pious and known for its holiness and that nritya became a living evidence of that and we became its witness. At one time there was a guy looking like Lord Ganesh, big and heavy like him, dancing with 4 Goddesses, the most popular ones I think: Durga, Kali, Lakshmi and Saraswati. He flung his fist heavenwards and unclenched his fist to release some holi colors (gulaal) of various different colors: green, pink, orange etc. With every dance move he sprayed new colors into the air while the other deities added to the beauty of the whole orchestration with their elegant dance moves. It was as if Ganesh and the four Goddesses themselves had descended into the performers and performed their powerful and timeless nritya in front of mere mortals like us, in a way blessing us in this lifetime.
After the performance we went to congratulate everyone, especially Ganesh (his name was also Ganesh). While he seemed normal and ordinary now, out there while dancing he looked different. I still felt myself under the spell of that dance and a part of me still believed that Gods had descended on our world that day.

18th Jan 2016, morning

It was "selfie with a friend" day. While I am not fond of selfies, I enjoyed watching my favorite American shows that were around this theme that day. In Seinfeld they showed how George and Jerry became friends and how Elaine and Jerry became friends. It was a flashback episode. Then while watching Naruto (friendship episode of Naruto and Sasuke) I fell asleep and when I woke up I had skipped some 10 episodes (some other episode in which Naruto had also grown into some monstrous form). I shut down the laptop and slept again.

17th Jan 2016, morning

I was spying on Obama and had broken into his office. I had to find out about what they were planning next and foil it, to try and stop all unnecessary terrorist activities they've incepted and supported. I had found a secret door to his office. Sadly but not unexpectedly I was found. My spy partner (Katrina Kaif) and I were held for interrogation. We got away when I told them that we had come to reissue our army canteen cards. My dependent card was enough to convince them and they issued me the cards.

16th Jan 2016, morning

I saw myself at a "party", a late night one. Venue was a water mining site. Blue color of various shades lit the area. I watched as mining machines seamlessly did their work while people talked, and drank to their heart's content. This get-together was to celebrate the successful mining of different waters up to some milestone figure (100 kiloliter?). These different kinds of water existed as ice in their natural form. All of them had different chemical compositions (only original water was hydrogen+oxygen) but they all had all the basic properties of water, like it evaporates when exposed to heat/sun, it dilutes any constituent without reacting with it, it is a terrific coolant, it has high latent heat capacity etc. However some waters had certain taste, but when mixed with drinks or made into soda, didn't seem to influence the original taste of the drink, up to a certain extent.
Some friend of my father asked me to make my father a drink. My father is a reluctant drinker but that day they wouldn't take a no for an answer. He also specified that I should fix him up a drink from the newest mine they'd discovered just today so that he would be the first one to drink from that one. You'll be famous Sainani, they said, which didn't excite my father but he grinned. The chemical reports had not come in so its harmlessness wasn't confirmed yet. This was an unexplored territory and except the water crystals discovered in these mines which miraculously were not toxic, many other things found under this land were. I handed him his drink (whisky 15% + neo water). I didn't bother much about their conversations but overheard them say that they were waiting for him to take the first sip while he said that he wanted to take a few minutes break to let the previous drink sink in (that was a customary drink we all received (some alcohol + water from one of the mines) as a welcome drink. Some women declined so they were given 5% instead of 15% or more).
There was the much awaited phone call regarding the chemical test results. It was reported Category 2 toxic. The next thing I did was to find my father asap.

30th April 2015, Early Morning

I was walking on this long street like M.G. road flanked with shops on both sides. "Kondapur road" was the name that came to my mind. I saw some of my school teachers as shopkeepers there, perhaps they'd changed profession. Then I saw Rajeev sir at his shop. Sometimes I walk on this road and wave at the shopkeepers, especially my school teachers and greet them as they begin their work-day and I'm on my way to begin mine. Today, on my way back home, I met Rajeev sir who, in the course of our conversation, told me that he'd have to vacate the shop as he had violated some regulation and also didn't have enough funds to keep it going before he breaks even. We discussed all possible solutions to this problem, there were some but at the borderline of feasible and infeasible. I left his shop to head home, hoping it all works out for him.
I was preparing for an exam and the syllabus didn't seem to finish. After office I kept on studying till late at night, then fell asleep. It might have been 3 am when I woke up, refreshed, and resumed my preparation. In my mind I felt I was writing the exam while I was preparing, it felt as if the timelines of the two events were running in parallel. Luckily, because I'd woken up really early I had plenty of time before my exam that afternoon. Also I had to write a new story and prepare for its performance that evening at some club. So next I saw myself at the club where a group was performing some skit. My sister had to leave and I accompanied her to drop her at some class or performance. While we were leaving the skit group stopped their performance and announced that my sister had won some lottery or something and gifted her a box neatly gift wrapped. One of the guys asked me if I also wanted a gift. I agreed and he started doing something on his i-pad which seemed to have got stuck so this other guy said, never mind, next time. I didn't mind and my sister and I left. After dropping her I hurried to my home where I had planned to script the story. But then I recalled the skit I'd seen at the club and decided to perform my famous, "A walk to the toilet" speech for 10 minutes at that forum itself, instead of writing a new story for performance. However, I had to write a new story to submit somewhere, but I had few more days for that.

24th April 2015 Morning

I saw myself sitting in a classroom/lecture hall. There I was surprised to see Divya sitting diagonally behind me on the left side. She was engrossed in reading something. I wanted to call out her name but was too shy.
Next I saw myself sitting across her bench in the classroom during class break and talking to her. She was also smiling and we seemed to have a nice conversation.
Next I saw myself walking her to her place at night. The locality was empty, not one person in sight, and it must have been dinner-time. She invited me in and I went up to her apartment. I walked in her apartment in darkness, with some light from the staircase. The door was still open but I kept walking in while she led me to her living room. She closed the door and asked me if I'd like to have something. I was really happy and excited to be at her place but she hadn't turned on light and we sat in darkness the whole time. I was surprised that in a few conversations we'd come so close. But it seemed too close and I felt like it was late and I should be leaving. I got up to leave, but she refused to let me go. Initially she was polite and gentle but soon she became strict and finally told me that she wasn't my high school crush and that I was her human slave and I couldn't leave the apartment.
I wasn't in touch with Divya all these years to know that she was already happily married and settled in U.S.

23rd April 2015 Morning

So I read a book and when I told someone that they suggested me to read the subsequent parts as well, three in total. They said that anyone who has read these three books within a set number of days will be able to understand women. So I read them and was very excited but I realized I still couldn't understand women. Then someone else suggested that there's been a game made on those books and playing that game may do the trick. So I played that game and completed all its levels but still I couldn't understand women. I asked my sister to help me but she said she'd read those books and it didn't have any such effect and that I was talking absurd.
Later on when I told this to my teammates in office, hoping the ladies would help me, they started teasing me that they won't help me. I wondered if they really could or all this was a hoax, a rumor spread by some people.

17th April 2015 Morning

Saw myself at my office, TRDDC. Some of my close friends had come to meet me, including Himanshu, Arjun, Saurabh, Rony and later on Soumi also joined us. They urged we take a pic inside the office campus. I agreed and was about to touch the screen of my Moto X when I remembered its not allowed to take photo inside the office premises. So I took them to a temple across the road from my office. It was a small, newly built temple. We roamed inside the temple, and then I asked them to come together so I could take their pic. Soumi asked me to call someone else to take all our pics together. I urged her to stand with my other friends who didn't know her and she didn't know them. I think she felt awkward and she again asked me to call someone. I got really angry because she wasn't listening to me and I walked out of the temple without saying anything. I stormed into my office, determined not to go back.

14th April 2015 Morning

Went to visit my friend Mux in Mumbai. He had plans for visiting Shatrughan Sinha at his mansion, so I accompanied him. We played table tennis on badminton court. I played a singles match against Mr. Sinha and then he and I were in same team against my friend and another guy.
At home I saw this young teenage girl come to work at our house in place of her mother. I felt I'd seen her before somewhere. While she was leaving, it struck me. I looked at her and she looked at me and I realized she was a national award winner of some sports, yet working as a maid.

11th April 2015 Morning

I was with my mother and we were late for some feast. By the time we reached we saw that mostly the housekeeping and caterers were in queue for dinner. I asked my mother to leave with me and that we'd order something to eat from outside. She asked me to have patience. I followed her into the kitchen and there we discovered so many delicacies that were not laid out, especially different flavors of cakes. Sometimes the backstage is where a lot more is going on.

5th April 2015, Morning

I saw myself at IIIT-H during the admissions phase of its new batch. I went through the curriculum and felt like becoming a student again to do some courses. I could never be confident enough about my knowledge and abilities. However I was already a full time employee and didn't want to leave work and wondered how I would manage both. I talked to Manish about it and he said I could pursue my studies there part-time and even select my courses based on which I could attend the classes accordingly and rest of the time I can work at office. Feeling happy to have resolved this issue, I went to library, my favorite place. I was feeling nostalgic while walking the lanes of my alma mater. Sitting at a library computer I remembered those days when I used to talk to people online and remembered her. So I searched for her previous email, thehornbill@yahoo.com to see our previous conversations. Just before the search results could load, I saw myself in an open ground in my college in front of a structure with horizontal bars going up to infinite height. It looked like a skeleton of a building. I felt she was at the top of this structure, swinging at the horizontal bar, like a trapeze, and making circles in the air. So I started climbing it like one climbs a giant ladder. Once I reached near enough and saw her swinging, I sat there hidden and watched and admired her skills. Just when she was about to step on my head while climbing down I showed myself and startled her a little. But she seemed happy to see me.
It was almost sunset by then and we bid good-byes and went our ways. I was really excited to meet her in such a supernatural way that I could barely wait to tell my friends, mostly IIIT-H friends who'd also come to the college, perhaps it was a reunion. We were at some big lawn like we have in defense officer's club, and some of us were hanging out and I started telling them my story. I remember Bansi was sitting with few others. Before I could tell them about her, I started fumbling, stammering and then I couldn't even make a sound, and felt as if something was stuck in my throat. They thought I was making fun of them by pretending and they left, mainly to refill their drinks but also to spend their time in a better way than to watch me struggle to try to speak. I found two other guys who are far more patient and they heard and when I started speaking about her, again I fumbled, then stammered, then struggled to speak. Just then someone called one of the guys and he left. The other one stood with me, trying to help me out but it didn't work. So I changed the topic.
I saw myself with three other guys. We were practicing sword fighting, with short sword in one hand and knife in another. We stood in a circle and each person had to tackle two guys on either side. Three of us ganged up against one guy and he was the best so he could tackle two of us since one person is only allowed to tackle two people. Suddenly the third guy gets a phone call so he leaves so the two of us who are novice and this third experienced guy practice, while he keeps giving us tips on how to attack with a short sword (how to push the blade and hurt the person) and how to use knife tactfully (how to hold it and push it in through the gaps). It seems we had to tackle a guy with similar experience later on and at least two of us together should be good enough to overpower him.

20th Jan 2014, Morning

I saw myself in the first row of the audience of some news show where Obama and Modi were the guests. Unexpectedly, I heard Modi read my full name, "Abhishek Sainani", from a piece of paper. He invited me over. I looked around and smiled like an idiot, then walked up to them, clueless. Then I did what I thought was the only apt thing to do, touched Modi's feet. Before I could touch Obama's feet, Modi asked me, "Why do we touch feet of our elders?"
I was taken aback, such a question at such a forum!
He then pointed towards Obama, indicating I should give him the answer. So I told him, "Sir when we bend down to touch feet, more blood enters our head and this makes us more intelligent."

17th August 2014, Late Afternoon

The Magician effect
 
Today I saw a dream that I was fighting with some guys who were from enemy team. I had seen them storm in and take everyone by surprise while some event was going on in this royal palace kind of place. They went on to steal few things which they seemed to have had decided upon and then even attempted to kidnap few girls, perhaps whom they knew were relatives or lovers of the other team members.
I got this urge to stop them so I got in between them and the wall that they were jumping to get away. This one guy who had some girl by her hair, pushed me aside with his left hand alone! I really couldn't fight him but couldn't let him take that girl away. Luckily the other team jumped in and rescued the girl. Few went after the ones who'd escaped.
Happy to get this unexpected help, I decided to sneak out of this mess. But the other team guys thought I was a part of the team they'd come to hurt so they started targeting me as well!
I observed something interesting here. Most of them were sword fighters but there were some sword fighters who didn't need sword. They could fight with anyone since they had magical powers. But could fight them only on their terms, i.e., they could only fight as a sword fighter with a swordfighter. I saw this magician from another team engage with sword fighter of my team (I was soon to be a member of this team) and defeat him. But he didn't kill him.
Next he came after me! But something strange happened. He could have snapped my neck in a second but I started fighting him on his terms, i.e., magician to magician but I wasn't a magician! In fact, I was highly unskilled! But in a few seconds, I became a magician just like him, and perhaps it shocked him to see this change so I could easily push him to the ground and keep him there.
But it didn't end there. I had to fight some other sword fighters also since they kept coming at me perhaps because I had floored their magician. Strange enough I retained my magician powers. But I could barely fight them off since the newfound powers were overwhelming and I collapsed. When I woke up, I saw this guy from my team, wearing this yellow shirt with some designs, standing near me.
Rest of them were standing at a distance but staring at me when I opened my eyes and tried to move. They didn't know me since we'd never met. Moreover, I could be a spy, trying to fake fight my way into the team. They looked surprised that I wasn't a magician but i turned out to be one, even I don't know how. So this guy I could recognize but had forgotten his name.
Apparently I felt I knew all of them but couldn't recall names or code names and if I couldn't speak the code names, it means I wasn't a part of the team. Before the yellow shirt guy could kill me, the name just came out of my mouth, just like that.
I think it was the effect of me getting those magician powers !!

In this other scene I was standing near a table and saw this guy in his late 30s chatting with some girls at that table. I approached the table and in my attempt to be friendly, by mistake blurted out that the guy was a magician. Now all he wanted was a normal night with normal people doing normal conversations without bringing this whole magician thing into the picture and ruining everything, including one's safety since we were after the other team who had stolen from us. Apparently they'd decided to keep me in their team and he and I were teammates but I had ruined this one for him and now he looked scared!
I saw him slightly indicating his finger to his lips, to silence me. In my attempt to correct the situation, I decided to exaggerate. And we know what happens when someone exaggerates. People stop believing even what you had said earlier. So I told them that he can also fly like Superman and produce claws like Wolverine.
And everyone laughed.

22nd July 2014, Late Morning.

I saw myself in a room with many people, guests I presume, but known people like family and family friends. I don't know how but next moment I was in the same room but with fewer people, including my parents and sister. I saw three women dressed in dark white walking into the room from the other door. Their head was covered. The whole room was almost dark and gave a hazy effect. It was like we were in another realm, perhaps the realm of higher spirits. I saw everyone touching the feet of those women, seeking their blessings and asking for their wishes. All this while I couldn't see the face of those ladies which were covered with their saree/hood.
Then someone prompted me to touch her feet, seek her blessings and ask for any wishes that I might have. I started thinking and I take a lot of time to think. I remember my father also prompting me to go ahead and at least greet them if nothing else. But as I recalled my life and everything about myself and my life, I was filled with such intense joy that I almost lunged at the lady standing nearest to me and hugged her sideways, and said, "Thank you!". Such joy I perhaps never felt before. It was the happiness of all the happy moments of my life put together and at that moment, there was nothing else I wished for, but this joy.

6th July 2014 Early afternoon

I saw myself in some city I had not been to earlier, with my parents, my sister and other family members from my father's side. We were staying at this big hall size room inside the campus of a BIG temple. This big temple was where they said we should begin our pilgrimage. My parents decided to spend more time in the big temple and sent me and my sister after our relatives for the pilgrimage around the town.
I was at this big hall size room, collecting books I may want to read during my stay at various temples since there was nothing else to do there. I took some sacred books, and a couple of novels, leaving one big book I wanted to read behind since it was making the total luggage too heavy. I was at the small temple provided in our big room going through the sacred books to pick and take when one of my relatives, some lady in a nice saree, came in and asked me to get ready fast since they were leaving.
While on the scooter with my sister sitting behind me, I tried to recall the route while maneuvering the scooter through the busy town roads. I asked my sister for the route but she said she was recalling and couldn't remember anything now. In a frustrated tone I asked her to call father to ask him about the route. Just then a traffic police officer pointed at me and asked me to take the vehicle to a side. I was scared. He produced a challan form and started writing challan. He showed me the challan... Rs. 701. I should have asked him how and discussed what had gone wrong. Instead I started crying. I snatched my sister's phone from her, tried to
run my fingers on the touchscreen while my tears fell on the screen, tried to find father's phone number. My sister tried to help me but I pushed her hand away saying that I had asked for her help earlier but she couldn't, and that's why now we're in this mess. We need to call father. I got his number, called him up, told him about this. He asked me to come back to the temple. I went back and my challan was excused.
There my father was very gentle with me and helped me understand that I should not be afraid of them but ask them what wrong I had done and cooperate as they were only doing their duty. Back at the temple I spent most of my time at the small temple in our room, reading the sacred books I had packed earlier to take on my pilgrimage.
On the same road few years later but after taking the left turn at the traffic signal, I was stopped again by a traffic cop, this time a lady. It was the same situation, my sister was sitting behind me on a scooter and we were going for the same pilgrimage, but this time I wasn't chasing anyone. Before she started writing challan, I asked her to give me a chance to speak. She did. I explained that I had a license, scooter registration and ownership papers and I was not a regular scooter driver. I also owned a bike and I drive a bike on a regular basis. My father drives a scooter. I was very friendly yet I showed that I respect her authority and decision, just like my father had taught me that day. While I spoke she had written all the details into the challan form. Finally she filled one last value, tore it and gave it to me. My attention first went to the amount, it was only Rs. 35. But then she surprised me further by tearing away the xerox copy from the pad, then tearing it into pieces, handing it to me and saying, "Go", indicating at the direction I was headed at.
So my sister and I visited few temples before it got dark. After seeking for blessings at this one temple, that had diety made in gold and covered with bundles of golden threaded chunri and wearing a sparkling crown, I started looking for my sister. A few kids, half naked and covered with dirt came over to me begging for alms. I really never liked the kids begging, or anyone begging, especially in front of temple. I offered them prashad which I had saved for my sister, which they refused. I guess they get enough of it everyday! They seemed adamant, but so was I. I simply walked away but not for very far. I could feel someone jump on my shoulders. While I tried to get rid of this one kid, this other kid caught my leg and started searching for my
wallet. These kids really knew some karate and kung-fu because in less than a minute I was on the ground, my face in the dirt, my suit piece ruined in the dirt and I just had to stay there for a few seconds to regain some strength. By the time I got up, they had disappeared, as if they never were. I brushed off the dirt from my face and clothes, and resolved to myself in a stern voice, "they will pay for this".

Meanwhile in some other world, I saw this guy, might be 15 years old but short in height, feeling left out by all his other friends and his people. This didn't happen always but being a sensitive person he took it to heart. So this time he had gone to share with them something he had discovered that nobody knew. But nobody believed him or was interested. He got angry and left, playing around with that tiny circular device, trying to figure out what it does. Suddenly he felt something and turned to a thin flight of stairs between two closed shops. Most of the town was closed that day and very less traffic was there on the road. In the background few kids were playing cricket on the road. He smiled in delight as if he had discovered what that device was for.
In the background I heard a female voice speak as if she was the camerawoman, "I see, so you think there's something exciting going on upstairs?"
That guy nodded.
"OK lets go then." But before this voice could finish speaking, he had already started racing to the top. Then he suddenly stopped, looked back and indicated silence by keeping his finger on his lips, then took each step slowly so as not to make a sound.
The door in front of the flight of stairs was open. He saw a man missing his knees and lower legs and tightly covered in thick bluish plastic cover which looked like had many layers. The guy had a mask on his nose and mouth, perhaps for oxygen. So this guy took the circular black coin like device and hovered over this patient, trying to find any place to fit this or perhaps some part of this patient's blue suit might get activated or lighten up in presence of this device. When the patient saw this device in this guy's hand, he widened his eyes and flared his nostrils at the sight of this device. Just then the guy saw this and it boosted his confidence that he was in possession of something big!
Entered this doctor and his senior doctor. This doctor who wore horn-rimmed glasses and looked like Mr. Bennet from Heroes, was in a serious discussion with his senior regarding the utility of this soldier who was missing limbs and couldn't breathe properly, but could still be a weapon. None of the two seemed to recognize this 15 year old guy's presence in the room. Suddenly this guy extended his hand and gave the doctor this black device coin. The doctor was surprised to see this guy, but took the device, said thank you and confidently explained how this device could help revive this guy and could be used to help him and others fight in the war.

3rd May 2014, Late Morning.

I saw myself with my parents, my sister, my naani and few other people at this HUGE magnified amphitheater filled with thousands of people. The main holy lake was at the depth of the center of layers and layers of amphitheater style circular sitting areas. The amphitheater echoed with the roars of cheers and chanting around me while the drums rolled when a new batch dipped into the holy lake.
The rest of the temple area itself was very huge and it was all stone and marbles under my feet wherever I walked, and not the sand, except the giant holy banyan tree that was at the center of the temple area. It was an isolated area that was not out of reach or bounds for the devotees but no one went there, many didn't even realize it was there, but it stood there and witnessed the activities in the temple, outdoors and indoors. It was there to maintain the balance in the life of the temple.
I could see it and I felt like walking towards it but somehow I didn't want to leave the stony path to walk on the sand. But all the time the tree was in my line of sight I could feel it was watching me and I looked back once in a while at it, standing there as always.
I was pleasantly surprised to run into my college friends at the main temple courtyard. It had just rained and the floor was still wet though not very slippery as it was stone floor. The marble flooring was in the main temple indoors. So there we stood talking while my family did the darshan. Suddenly this very well dressed lady in a sari came up to me and greeted me very nicely. I said a quick hello and looked away, hoping she would go away. I thought I knew her but I wasn't sure. I felt she wanted to talk to me about something but seeing me with my friends, she realized I didn't want to meet her then so she stood there for a few seconds, then amid the looming silence she walked away, feeling embarrassed I guess. I felt really ashamed and couldn't even talk to my friends properly after that. The tree must have seen this as I felt this strong unsettling sensation of guilt that I never got while standing in the courtyard of any ordinary temple.

22nd April 2014, Late Night

I remember I was in an Indian Railway's train. My parents and sister were in another bogie. I was in this second last bogie, having only few births and lots of empty space as in goods train bogie, with this girl I had befriended on this journey. She was essentially deaf and dumb (d&d) and we talked in sign languages. She talked about a lot of things and I learned a lot of sign language from her. I had a lot of fun with her. Perhaps I think my mother, once in a while, wondering where I was, must have got up from her berth and come and check on me. And she always finds me when she sets out to look for me so in this case I'm sure she must have seen me with this girl and that I was having a good time and left it at that.
My father had been posted to this new place, a hill station really. I like hill stations, its the winters that I don't. So I wasn't really looking forward to the stay as winters feel quite gloomy. It was probably late evening as it was getting dark outside, as the train stopped at a station. It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't know if this was the station we need to get down at. My father had told me the name and had asked me to keep an eye out for the station name at all the stations the train stops at. I think I had missed few stations on the way while having a nice conversation with my new friend, the d&d girl.
Now when this train stopped at this station to search for the board with the station name on it. Couldn't find any nearby. Before I could ask someone name of the station, a man behind me said, "Abhishek, what are you doing? This is not our station, its the next one." I turned around and saw this man who had accompanied us since the beginning of the journey. Perhaps he was my father's colleague or his subordinate. In panic, with a lot of effort, I finally paced towards the train. From the corner of my eye, I saw my friend get down from the train and walk towards the other end of the train. I watched her walk away and finally disappear behind the train, perhaps walking to the other side of the station. I never got her name.
By this time the train had picked up enough speed to outpace me. Frantically, I started running, trying to catch up with one of the sleeper class bogies but when I saw that the bogies were not connected anymore but locked out to each other, my pace dampened. But I couldn't just let the train leave without me. I turned back and looked around but couldn't spot that man who had asked me to board the train. Suddenly I saw this lady and her son trying to get to this last sleeper bogie door. That door was within my reach but I helped the boy and the lady get in by falling back.
Holding my knees and panting, I saw the train leave the platform. I saw the train turn at the end of the platform sharply towards its left and took an obtuse turn. I stood up straight and looked around the platform. It had started to get cold as the darkness filled itself around. I checked my pockets and realized I didn't have my mobile phone. I only had my wallet. That was of no use as I didn't have any of my parents' or sister's contact no. with me. I was getting scared to be in a strange winter-like town.
As I was about to step out of the railway station, I saw my parents and my sister pacing towards me, with 4 dogs on a lease.
What?
Yeah, 4 brown dogs of different breeds and different sizes. I think one of them was for me. It was then I remembered that every person living in that town owned a dog. Its not like I don't like dogs, I do like them, its the licking part I don't like. In fact I have been really good with dogs, thanks to my innate ability to converse with them. In fact that's how I could converse with that girl I had met on the train. My sister knew that and I had taught her a trick or two on how to interact with dogs as she likes dogs a lot. Now she seemed quite delighted to have her own dogs so was walking with two, my dog and her dog. She smiled as she saw them walk in front of her and grinning broadly, she waved at me. My father didn't look as delighted as her but he was looking generally okay with a dog at the end of the leash he was holding. My mother was the one at the height of her vigilance. She tried to keep the dog away from her but was cautious enough not to lose it.
My father later told me he just wanted to see my reaction to the situation of being deserted in a strange railway station. As expected, he said, there was no reaction. I did freeze, both due to cold and fear. I met the man again, who'd confused me into chasing the train like a mad dog, at our house few days later. He said he'd never have let me get on that train had I managed to do so.
I liked the big old stone-made standalone bungalow my father had been allotted, and our own garden with grass and trees and greenery around, like the Dukes and the Earls lived in. It was quite dark by the time we had reached the bungalow on my first evening in this town. Despite the impending winters, I felt quite curious about this place and was looking forward to my days ahead, especially hoping to meet the girl I befriended on the train once again. Perhaps I might find her where I saw her last, the railway station.

11th Feb 2014, Late Morning

I saw myself in a mall with Soumi, Radha and Sourabh. We were at the top most floor, playing arcade games at a corner outside, not in any arcade room or maybe those games were from older times, the 90s I guess. While rest of us played and switched between different machines, Soumi kept playing the same game, 'the islander' and by the time we were tired and done, we saw Soumi had reached level 11, something I had never seen anyone do before. Sourabh, in his usual mannerism said, "Abe kitna khelegi, chodh ab aur chal yahaan se." (Hey how much more will you play? Now leave this and lets go), while Radha just smiled looking at him convince to leave her game while she still kept playing, undeterred.
By the time mall was closed, she was still playing, and stopped only when the power supply was cut off. We stood in semi darkness, and could only see the long straight escalator, which was now a staircase since the electricity supply was cut-off. We walked down and the three of them walked out of the mall. I kind of was left behind as I looked back into the darkness, and felt scared for a moment. I saw them walk out of the gate but my mind got diverted and I turned right as I noticed something I had not seen before. While I walked in the alternate segments of darkness and light across the ground floor of the mall, I came to a place where I looked around and couldn't figure out a way out. Suddenly I heard someone say to me in a whisper the way out.
"are you trying to find a way out? that way, go that way."
I turned to my left and saw this guy peek out of his bedsheet wrapped around his body, lying on a hospital bed. I suddenly realized I was inside a hospital. A hospital inside a mall? I followed that man's instructions and walked out of the building.