Yellow walls, patches of white, marble floor, paint stain.
Open window, red sky, tired birds, dusty lane.

One football, big small boys, little small girl, figures of mud.
Running shoes, strong push, tilting body, resonating thud.
Wet cheeks, pained cries, bloody elbows, scrapped knee.
Cruel laughter, loud jeers, appeased egos, expectedly carefree.

Deserted road, orphaned player, upward gaze, pleading eyes.

Brief eye contact, stirred soul, hands slightly rise. Curtains drawn.
Yellow walls, patches of white, marble floor, paint stain.

Curtained window, dark skies, no bird, lonely girl in the lane.
“Nothing big, little scratch, unknown kid”, self-deception starts.

Reasoned inhumanity, muffled conscience, triumphant head, battered hearts.

Ruchi Roy

Image Source [http://ak.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/1527446/preview/stock-footage-abandoned-lonely-boy-behind-a-fence-an-orphan-in-refugee-camp-homelessness-child-in-slums.jpg]

Red

The tranquil atmosphere acted as a balm to my bruised mind, but it could heal only the dark shadows. The smallest of the tragedies might even fade away, leaving behind ugly scars of past memories. But the cuts and wounds; the gaping holes in my consciousness that had warped reality into a twisted web of lies…could they ever be fixed? Could the damage ever be repaired?

Could anyone ever save me from myself?

***

The Army was my dream job.

So when I’d gotten in, I was delighted and proud of myself. My girlfriend jumped up on me and bear hugged me when I told her. If there was anyone happier about the news than I was, it was her. Her father had enlisted in the Army and he had been accepted, but he had a family to support and the pay wasn’t sufficient. Her elder brother, too, whom she looked up to immensely, was in the Marines and he was very, very good at what he did. As a result, she had grown up idolizing the Forces; she herself would have tried to join had her physical capacities not been so terrible. But seeing me there made her really happy. I knew I’d just risen up in her eyes.

“I’m so proud of you, Joe,” she beamed, standing up on her toes to kiss me.

“Thank you, Shorty.” I grinned, ruffling her brown hair. In the sunlight, it glistened in red and gold.

Now, I was six feet two, and she was a mere five feet five inches. It drove her insane.

Her chocolate brown eyes flared up, and in a swift, practiced move too fast for me to counter, I was on my knees, groaning in pain.

“Vstavat’!“ a harsh voice barked. Get up!

My legs wouldn’t support my weight. My mouth was bleeding. Every inch of me was covered in cuts and bruises. My dark military cropped hair was matted with something warm and sticky.

“Nice reflexes, Soldier.” I wished I was with Sandra in all her sarcasm and sauciness. Couldn’t there be a gadget which could transport you back into your memories? Because being a captive of the Russian mafia wasn’t exactly an exciting position to be in.

“Vstavat’!”

A harsh kick in the stomach, which made me kneel at the feet of my torturer. My right leg had a bullet through it, but even still, I hadn’t told them anything. The man spat on me.

“Idiot,” he said. “Just tell me, and we might go easy on you.”

The Russian accent was heavy in his voice. What he said struck me as being really funny.

Easy on me? Sure.

I grinned up at him with a mouth that was missing a few teeth. For that cheeky gesture, I received a boot in the face and an exasperated scream.

No movie, book or narrative can ever tell you what it really is like to be a soldier for your country – or a spy. Unless you’re really living the life, you’ll never know what it’s like. Especially when it gets this extreme.

I probably wouldn’t have been here, had I not completed my service in the Army three years ago, and then joined the CIA. In all my reconnaissance missions, I’d never been through anything this bad.

It started out okay, easy, even. But doesn’t that always happen?

The Red Mafia had been expanding further into human trafficking, and it was my job, along with four other agents, to find out the details of their operation. In doing that, we’d succeeded without casualties.

But that made us lower our guard; it made us careless. And careless people made mistakes.

As a result, we were all captive. They were interrogating us about what the United States’ plan was.

“Operation Red Star”, it was code named. Till now, that was all they knew. That’s how good my team was.

In fact, they were all so good that they’d all lost their lives. Jacques, Cindy, Mariana, Adam…all gone. Some killed themselves, and the others frustrated the Russians so much that they beheaded them.

Right in front of me.

I shuddered, and cursed inwardly. It was a sign of weakness. It was the man’s turn to smile.

“You won’t relent all that easily. But you will relent.”

He pulled out a wicked looking carving knife. I closed my eyes and grimaced. This was the typical torture technique used by the Russian mafia. I was about to be slashed at brutally, like an animal.

The man raised his arm. I screamed. Once, twice, thrice. Red  blood flowed.

The pain was bad, but the mind works in mysterious ways. It made me think. And suddenly, a plan began to formulate.

He cut me again, worse this time. And I almost lost the will to live. What was in it for me?

The man tried to get me to speak. I did not. He glared at me and switched on a laptop.

“Vozmozhno, vy budete nasalazhdat’sya etim.” Perhaps you will enjoy it.

Sandra. There she was. Tied.

Gagged. In the midst of…those dead bodies?

Of my family?

Mom, dad…my sister, Claire. They were all dead.

No, not dead.

Slaughtered.

Words could not describe the rage and pain I felt. But I hid it. I was trained to do so. I felt my mind shut down as everything I’d learnt kicked in.

“Let her go,” I growled.

“Only if you tell me.”

I set my jaw.

A man materialized next to Sandra, holding a carving knife identical to the one that had been used on me. She tried, but fear was evident in her eyes. I was paralyzed as I watched.

They tortured us together, but I felt nothing. My gaze was fixed on the screen. Ten minutes. Tears streamed down her face. I did not relent.

My plan was in action.

I needed one hand free. In his psychopathic frenzy, the Russian didn’t notice I’d been angling my arm in such a way that he, in cutting me, had also broken one of the ropes. Now, I just needed a distraction.

I gratefully let my eyes close, and the man stopped. He didn’t want me to pass out.

“Look at her.” He turned to the screen and pointed at Sandra. I used the distraction to press a small button located in the pocket of my boxers, the one place nobody thought to check.

Five minutes.

Five minutes and a rescue team would be here.

A miniscule panic alarm had been activated.

But the move turned out to be a choice between my country and my wife.

I had picked my country.

The goon torturing Sandra had noticed. Instantly, he slit her throat.

The world went black.

***

I woke up in a hospital room. The tranquil atmosphere acted as a balm to my bruised mind. No more torture. I was safe.

Alive.

The CIA had responded quicker than expected. The other backup team had figured something had gone drastically wrong. They’d rescued me. They captured everyone there, including the man who tortured me.

I’d earned a name for myself.

Trophies. Medals. Acclaim.

I’d helped capture an invaluable resource in getting to the ringmaster of the mafia. But of course, it cost me nothing more than everything, and my legs.

I’d never be able to walk again. But that was okay. Time would help me get used to that.

But the cuts and wounds; the gaping holes in my sub consciousness that had warped reality into a twisted web of lies…

The real damage could never be undone.

Sanya Sharma

Image Source [ http://pittsburghhotplate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/knife.jpg]

The salt mines seemed to climb to the moon with their pyramid peaks. Cedes and Alistair felt like ants amongst giant grains lost in an industrial soundless landscape. As they walked, their steps made crunching noises under their feet. After a few minutes, Alistair began to call out, “Hello!” gradually getting louder as he met nothing, but silence. Quite suddenly, a loud tremor shook the earth with violence. Something had answered them.

The salt mines began to erupt like some angry God, promising terror. Huge claws unfurled above them. They felt their steel clutch against their backs as their feet dangled in the air above the collapsing mountains of salt. Cedes looked up at the wingspan of the creature that had grasped their lives from certain death.  She looked for the scales of some kind of dinosaur she imagined but found the markings on the fur were those of “Frost”.

The valley swirled below them in all directions like they were being churned in a blender until eventually it began to slow down to a stop, where Frost landed. They looked up to see a shaft of light but they could not see the sky above it. They seemed to be in a deep dark hole. Above their heads, there were muffled murmurs. Alistair noticed as he wiped his brow a strange secretion that glittered like gold.

“We are in Angel’s pocket”, Frost whispered. “Let’s go”.

Cedes and Alistair followed Frost as he clawed his way along the top of the black lining. They held on to loose strings that dangled from the top. Frost towered above them and blocked out some of the light. He had reached the top and sunk his claws into dips in the fabric. Cedes and Alistair were close behind. They clambered to see what Frost was looking at until six blinking eyes peered over the top.

A clear voice came into focus.

“So what did you get for the third angle if all three angles add up to one hundred and eighty degrees?”

There was a long pause until the voice came again.

“Angel?” The voice which answered rung like thunder and made Cedes, Alistair and Frost cling tighter to the pocket they rested in.

“Forty degrees”, the voice bellowed. “Correct”, was the reply.

Long rows of legs and desks spread out before them and a green blackboard could be seen in the distance.

Angel’s long blonde hair was cast over her shoulder. There were great, big tapping noises coming from the green blackboard and feverish scribbling among the buried heads on desks. Without warning, Frost shot into the air and landed upon Angel’s desk. Cedes and Alistair reached out for his lost presence and were precariously perched on the black pocket in frightened uncertainty. They watched for signs that anyone had noticed him but everyone seemed lost in their labour. He was small enough to be cupped by Angel’s hands.

Angel’s head turned towards her pocket where she cast her eyes upon them. Could she see these imperceptible specks? With stealth, she carefully replaced Frost between her fingers into the black pocket and tipped over Cedes and Alistair with one flick of her finger. They all met this gruff rough and tumble with the soft lining of the inside pocket. Angel raised her hand. “May I go to the bathroom?” she asked. The teacher nodded. The earthquake like movements of her walk erupted again inside the pocket till they were inside the cubicle of the bathroom.

She reached for Frost inside the pocket and allowed him perch on her finger. She bent in closely towards him and whispered in breathless urgency, “What are you doing here?”

Lena O’ Connell

Lena O’ Connell graduated from the Limerick School of Art and Design in 2009. She
specialised in fine art, sculpture. Lena currently lives and works in Tipperary, Ireland. She teaches art to children and is aspiring to undertake a higher diploma in
art teaching.

Image Source [http://cooltwitterbackgrounds.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Winter_Frost_1920x1200_cool_twitter_background.jpg]

“Hey! I will be picking you up in an hour”.

“Okay! I will be waiting for you” she said and hung up the phone.

I never wanted this day to come. It would be the last time I would be seeing her. I love her and I shall do the same after this evening. But we are friends, friends with a purpose.

Yes she is the girl who makes my life beautiful and meaningful. But we are friends, I should never forget that.

I picked her up in an hour.

Her hair was perfectly done. Her sizzling black wet eyes and smile was the morning of my day.

“I am not well” she said with a cough.

“Better take care of yourself” I replied.

“How do I look?” she asked indicating her beautiful white gown.

“Beautiful” I said with a smile.

“Just beautiful?”

“Gorgeous…” I said after a pause.

She said “I know that” and winked.

“We are getting late” I said as she sat in my car. It’s hard to control your emotions when the person you always loved is before you.

“It’s going to be a beautiful evening” she said.

“Probably” I said after a pause.

She caught the eye of every single guy at the farewell party.

“You are way too gorgeous for the party” I smirked.

“I can see that”. In a minute she was lost in the crowd of my batch mates. My eyes are still searching for her.

“Neel…” she comes to me. I felt the fragrance in her breathe.

“Yes…”

“How about having a dance with me?”

“You know I am a terrible dancer, Mayuri”.

“Please! For me. One last time” she insisted with a cute face. I had no other option but to agree with her.

“Just hold my hand and I will teach you how to shake some boots” she said.

I followed her to the dance floor. All the eyes were glued at us. Who wouldn’t want to dance with Mayuri? My Mayuri…

“Hold my waist” she said.

“Huh?”

“I told you to hold my waist, Neel.”

“But you asked to hold your hand?”

“That wasn’t funny. Now would you hold my waist?” she ordered me, literally. I felt a strange twinge as I held her waist.

I continued to follow her steps.

“You aren’t that bad” she smirked.

“But I am not as good as you.”

She smiled at my words. She continued to give me instruction. And we continued to groove “Still the time loving you” by The Scorpions continued.

From that evening I developed a liking for that song.

I wanted to stop the sands of time and live that moment for the rest of my life.

“I am thirsty” she said.

“Let me fetch you a glass of water.”

“Cold drink” she said with a wide smile.

“But you aren’t well, Mayuri” I said.

“But Neel…”

“I said NO Mayuri.” I ordered her strictly.

She loved it when I scolded her.

She loved it when I took care of her.

She loved it when I corrected her at every step of her life.

“Who would scold me after this evening?”

“Of course me, Mayuri”.

“But we have to depart after this” she said with a gentle smile.

Digressing from the topic I said, “Leave all this. I am hungry.”

She continued to wear that smile and came along with me. For the next few minutes we continued to talk about different topics.

What is she talking about? I did not wish to understand.

All I thought about was her, “She is too girly. She has the glow in her eyes…”

She was happy seeing the evening pass…

So was I… at least for the moment.

“I need to go home” she said softly.

“I will drop you home.”

The moment was here, when we had to depart.

The drive to her home seemed short.

“So you are leaving?” I asked.

“I will be leaving for Bangalore in a day or two.” she said as a tear trickled down her cheek.

“Hey! I will always be with you.” I said, hugging her. She hugged me back.

“I will miss you” I said “but I will be with you”.

I wondered, should I tell her how much I loved her?

Should I express the heavy love I have been carrying for her since years?

But wouldn’t that spoil our friendship?

I decided to leave it for the time being and focused on my pain of parting.

“I should leave now. It is getting late” I said and said my final good bye.

I looked at her from the rearview mirror of my car.

It was the end of a beautiful chapter of my life as she vanished from the mirror. But my love shall be beautifully engraved deep within me.

After all we were friends forever.

Vaishnav Thakur

Image Source [http://pcm-tv.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/image00210.jpg]

“Emotions are beautiful, but sometimes, momentary excitement can ruin your future.”

It all began on the first of April, six years ago …

That afternoon, I was to become the first member of my family to join a residential school and it was hard for my family as they had never let me live on my own, ever before. My family bade me farewell at the hostel gate and then the warden and my new classmates accompanied me to the dormitory.

Frankly speaking I was ecstatic at the prospect of staying alone without any restrictions, but my excitement was short lived.  As soon as I entered my room, the warden handed me a paper and said, “Here is your timetable child, I expect you to follow it sincerely.”

And from the next morning, I didn’t wake up to my mom’s caring voice but a screaming voice and a loud bang. That too at 5 a.m.in the morning.

It was irritating but I had to follow a schedule, after all that’s what hostels teach us.

So it was the first morning in a new school and it was PT (physical training) class.  I met my new batch mates as we jogged around the ground. Neha, the topper  and also the head-girl, introduced me to all the boys.

Hostel is a place where you meet people from almost every corner of the world, get to know them and learn to adjust and be socially sound.

And so during the school hours, I met Pranav, a guy from Assam. He was considered the most decent guy from North-East in our school. Apart from being the head boy, he was also very adorable.
There wasn’t a single person who disrespected him. However, just as Neha told me,  he was a little shy around the girls.

After the PT period, I went back to the dormitory to take a bath. But I could not stop thinking about Pranav. And no, I wasn’t attracted to him, I was just wondering how he was loved by everyone even though he did not interact with anyone especially the girls.

He used to sit behind me during classes and one day we finally spoke to each other,

It was on May. 14. I saw him reading something about Shah Rukh Khan in the newspaper, and being a huge Shah Rukh Khan fan, I asked him if I could borrow it.

He quipped with a “hmm” and in my mind, I thought, “How rude? I wonder why people like him?”

Anyways, I continued reading the paper and returned it to him.

But I couldn’t control myself anymore and so I mustered up all the courage and asked him, “Do you have some kind of a problem? Or are you scared of girls? Why don’t you talk to girls?”

It was quite embarrassing but he smiled at the question and said, “I used to study in an all-boys school. So I really don’t know how to interact with girls.”

I replied, “But why are you’re laughing?”

He said, “Yes because you are the first girl who has come up to me and talked to me.”
I smiled and walked away.

After this small interaction, we became good friends. We always had a good time when we were together.

A year passed and we fell in love. That’s not all we were the cutest couple in school.

We were sincere and talented and never let our studies get affected, and so even the teachers did not have any problem with our relation.

Days passed blissfully and one cold January afternoon, He sent me a letter saying, “Hey! Meet me at 6p.m. behind the auditorium. I have a surprise for you!”

As it was the winters, days were shorter and it got dark early but still I went to meet him.

He was there, waiting for me, with a cake and lots of gifts.

I smiled and he exclaimed “Happy anniversary.”

I couldn’t stop my tears from rolling down.

He wiped my tears from my cheeks and we shared our first kiss. And it was through that kiss that I lost my virginity.

We both were happy and everything was going smoothly.

Months passed. Our board exams were close and I realized that I didn’t have my periods. And somewhere deep down I had a bad feeling about it.

My mind kept screaming “I CANNOT BE PREGNANT.”

I told Pranav about it and he told me to wait for a few more days. And as usual I trusted him.

Maybe I was thinking too much.

And then I got so busy preparing for my boards that I completely forgot about it.

A month had passed and it was the second of February.

I was preparing for mathematics pre-boards when I suddenly felt something in my stomach, as if something was moving. I was scared, I was tensed.

I met Pranav and told him.

He was worried too  and  promised to take me to the doctor after we finished with our exams His words gave me strength and I waited patiently till the 31st of March, which was the last day of our boards.

After our exam, he asked me to meet him in three days, so that we could go to the doctor together. And we went back home for holidays.

On my way home, I bought a pregnancy kit and it unveiled the reality… it was POSITIVE.

I did not know how I felt. I was tensed, my heart started beating faster, my whole body was shivering.

I was scared and I did not have any option but to cry.

I was only 16. And I was pregnant!

I could not even think of an abortion at this age as it’s illega.

With passing time I could feel the baby moving inside me. It was growing.

I had to tell Pranav about it…

I messaged him to tell that that we needed to see a doctor, and that too soon. But he replied, “I’m sorry but I have to go back to Assam, as my grandmother is ill and my ticket has been booked for tomorrow morning. My dad just told me.”

I was alone; I didn’t know what to do. Three months had passed since January and the baby was growing inside me.

I searched the internet, did everything possible but I had to work all alone at home as my elder sister was preparing for her CAT exams and  my parents were not in India at that time.

I had no option but to tell my sister.  I gathered up some courage and told my sister after a few weeks.

Shocked and scared she started crying. She knew it wouldn’t be easy to get out of this as I was very young.

But she supported me. She even spoke to Pranav about it. But I was scared.

We knew that no big hospital would help me abort the baby so my sister and I we went to a down-trodden nursing home.  Luckily the doctor agreed for the abortion but there was a problem.

The doctor said that he would have to deliver the baby, just like any normal circumstances, because I was four months pregnant now. He also said that there were chances of infant mortality as my uterus was weak because I was very young. And we agreed to all of this.

The doctor started the procedure by inserting an injection and six thick tablets in my womb. It was very painful and scary too.

According to the doctors, those tablets were inserted to generate artificial labour pain.

The medicines started having the effect after an hour. All of a sudden then my phone rang, it was Pranav but I was in no condition to talk.

My sister picked it up. He said, “My grandmother has passed away so I have to stay in Assam for one month.”

At first my sister thought of not telling him about the abortion as he was upset about his grandmother’s death, so she lied and told him that I am sleeping at the moment.

After 30minutes, she left him a long message about everything because she felt that Pranav should know about it.

His mother read the message. Things got even worse and his parents started calling me but my sister answered. As expected his parents were furious, they were already in a lot of sorrow  because of his grandmother and finding out about the abortion, only made matters worse for them and for him.

After 15 hours of excruciating labour pain, the doctor asked the nurse to shift me to the labour room.

At that point, I knew things would change now; but for the better or for the worse was the question.

The doctor asked me to push as much as I could. I did.

My sister was with me, holding me tight and giving me strength and faith. And then it was born, a baby boy.

It was covered in blood and it moved for four seconds, after which it stopped moving.

At that moment, I didn’t know whether I should be happy about getting out of the mess or  be sad about killing my own baby?

I was numb and the worst thing about it was that the doctor refused to keep the baby with them as it was an illegal case. And my sister lied to me about it.

Anyways, the doctor gave me injections and stitched up my womb.

All this was very scary. I am the kind of person who loves kids, but I couldn’t forgive myself after seeing that baby.

It was then that I realized that this was my life’s worst memory. The doctor then put the baby in a plastic bag and handed it over to my sister.

On our way back home I was sleeping in the front seat of the car while my sister was driving. She stopped on the way and asked me to wait in the car as she needed to buy some medicines for me. But that was all a lie. It was only later that I got to know that she hadgone to bury the baby corpse.

Soon we reached home, we had dinner. I took bath and laid down to rest.

I closed my eyes and in that moment I saw my life flash in front of me. And I realised the importance of life, of controlling our emotions.

I realized how your happiness can kill someone and ruin your life.

Surely, teenage life is a blissful phase, we have fun, we enjoy , we fall in love , make mistakes, learn from them.

But we should always remember our limits.

As our elders always say control your emotions, be it happiness or anger. These two emotions can change your life in a way you can’t imagine. Learn to be a selfless person. Before getting involved in anything, try and conjecture the consequences.

YOU NEVER KNOW IF YOU COULD BE THE GIRL IN THE STORY ABOVE.

Nidhi Baldy

Image Source [http://www.thestar.ie/star/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/shutterstock_71179756.jpg]

Having you with me was my dearest dream.
I thought your favorite place on the earth was my lap.
I gave my best to you and dreamt to see you at zenith.
You trap someone and it pains me to see you doing it blithely!

I try to teach you to be civil and show you the right path.
You grow and make me face your caustic wrath.
Your acts and its  aftermath make me sick and sad.
You have a disease which has no cure, an idiopathic!

It’s a girl on whom you mercilessly stomped.
I hang my head in shame as I did not succeed in stopping you.
I wish I had destroyed you inside the womb.
Your momentarily sad tomb would have given many a lifelong peace!

Unfathomable was my love towards you.
Unconditional was my support, and the feelings true.
You make a woman your victim and feel victorious.
Before you became treacherous, I wonder if I should have killed you.

I never dreamt a toddler to a boy to man metamorphosis is so gruesome.
I could never imagine the evil behind the handsome and tender face.
I did not stop you when you teased and objectified a woman.
You enjoyed your acts and I repented and moaned as a mother.

Today you raped me and every other woman in this nation.
You scared and scarred every woman and fulfilled your ambition.
I wish I could kill you with my own hands and end the vice.
I wish god is watching and never forgives you even after your demise!

Afshan Shaikh

Image Source [http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium/the-agony-of-a-mother-brian-muchemwa.jpg]

First Kiss

As the gentle winter breeze decided to roll by the crooked streets of the Ramfal Chownk, I decided to give her company. The lovely angel of the night was looking beautiful, dazzling in the glittering lights of the decorated market. Shimmering! It was her night today. She was all set to greet her lovers. And they had always loved her; loved enough to rejoice in the anticipation of her arrival.

There she came! Making her way through the interwoven branches of the tall trees, blessing them with serenity. The leaves waved in celebration. The moonlight lit her path. All the stars were watching. Her beauty had charmed their hearts too. They basked in the glory of her homecoming…

Horn! Horn! “Abe dekh kar nai chal sakta kya?” (Can’t you see and then walk?)

I just escaped a minor accident.

My feet had been treading for quite a while now; I found myself in the middle of a busy road; Falling awake!

The vintage clock on the old building had struck 9. It was the night before lohri, and the bazaars were all decked up. I had come out to feast on some fresh bakes of the winter season.

The Frenchloaf had always been famous for its mouth-watering Parisian macaroons; I had planned to savour them today.

As much as my gastric juices waited to devour the sweet cream sandwiched between the ground almond crusts, my thoughts kept falling astray. They were drenched in the memories of the Girl In The Black Dress.

On 8th of January I had met her for the third time. It was at Cafe Coffee Day in Chankya Puri.

“What must I greet her with? Something that reminds her of me even in Philippines…” I was confused. We had chalked out the plan in the morning only.

“A bouquet?”
“Of-course!”
“Roses?”
“Go for Lillie”
“But I love her…”
“Okay. Roses then…”
“What else?”
“Get her a portrait of her pic. Make sure it’s at-least 9 inches long. K?”
“Wow! That would be awesome! I will also add a friendship message next to it”
“Perfect!”

With that, I complied her a collection of sixteen songs in a CD, with a special cover message.

“Lame? Too Old?”
“I know! But that’s me; A weirdo!”

I was going crazy for her. Never had I felt so high!

Last night while heading home from the market, I passed by my flat twice, each time going too far beyond the destination. And then wondering “Where have I come?”

It was like she was ruling my mind.

All those “I can do anything for you” things started making sense; those messed up lyrics of love songs started to unfold in my mind.
Epiphany! The third law of Thermodynamics was broken! My universe was moving towards a more organized state. The Entropy was decreasing!

Good Lord! I was in love with her!

I reached CCD an hour early; and there I kept waiting for the girl of my dreams. She was also scheduled to meet a friend of hers before me. Actually it was my decision to meet her afterwards. I wanted to spend some time with her, alone! I wanted to talk to her, gaze at her face and drown in the beauty of her eyes.

“Her eyes! They are so expressive; she could read an entire essay with them”, I had told a friend of mine few days back.
“Dude you are crazy for her! Go and get her! Don’t let her go!”

She called me up. It was around 6. She wanted me to meet her friend. They had been together in high school.
I went ahead.

It was a good interaction. Both of them were talking and I was just staring at the prettiest face in the world. Speechless!
“Bol le bhai kuch…” said her friend. (Dude, say something at-least!)

“Aaa…a…a.”, what could have I said, “You have got a very pretty friend there?”
I just exchanged the pleasantries.

She offered me some cake, and then some coffee. It was like she was taking care of me. I felt happy in her company.

Sometime later her friend went away. Now it was just me and her. We held hands, sat on the couch, comforting each other. I could smell her fragrance.

People say drugs make you feel high! I don’t know which brand her perfume was, but it certainly can prove out to be a better alternative.

We were getting close to each other. We talked a little, hugged a lot.
“Never ever leave me. Never ditch me”, she said
“I won’t. Never! Ever! I’ll always be there for you… I love you!”
“I love you too babe!”

She looked me in the eyes. And I in hers. They were as pretty as God could have made. I could have sat there all my life, just staring at them.
We came closer. I could feel her cheeks on mine. The softness of that gentle touch, it was like rolling smoothly over a velvet cloth.
Peace. Calm. Serenity.

Her hair; they came over my face.

“…and when you buried your nose in that mountain of curls, just wanting to go to sleep forever”. I could perfectly relate to this statement from “Scent of a Woman”. I was lost in the wonderland.

And then, slowly, we kissed!
Her lips, and when they touched mine; it was ecstatic! Pure!
Boy O Boy! I was in wonderland. I could feel the beauty of love.

Never had I in my life experienced a feeling so beautiful…

“Sir, your order is ready!” said the waiter at Frenchtoast.

The Parisian macaroon had been served. But, where was I? Still drenched in the thoughts of my girl.

The next time I meet her, it would be in the March of 2014. She studies in Philippines. I just hope it turns out to be great between us…

“I’ll never ever leave you…”
“So would I. Love you!”
“Love you too baby”

These were the last words with which we bid each other farewell…

From the Editorial Team

Image Source [http://data.whicdn.com/images/42158604/love-couple-beach-kiss-kissing-hot_couple_in_sun_shine-love_images_download-romantic_love_images_download-lonelyness-alone-www.143loveu.blogspot.in_large.jpg]

Guess who?

This is the story of my life, if you hadn’t already guessed by the title.

My life is interesting at times and pretty boring otherwise. But on the whole, I’m satisfied—I guess that’s the best that any backpack can ask for.

I get lugged to school every single day, except Saturday and Sunday of course, which is why I’m always grateful for weekends.

Rainy days are the worst since I get completely soaked. Each morning, I’m filled with textbooks and notebooks and binders and who knows what else.

The good part is that I get a ride to and from school on my owner’s back. Even though sometimes I think it would be fun to go whizzing along on four wheels, I pity the rolling backpacks, who are dragged around everywhere on the dirty floor.

Once we get to the classroom I’m thrown on the floor, where I have to spend the whole day, occasionally being unzipped and lightened of my load.

When we get home after the days work, I rest on a chair. At night I’m put in the closet with my friends; stuffed animals and warm clothes. I’ve grown to like them, the stuffed animals especially. We talk about our activities and just have fun inside the closet. It’s a way I unwind myself after a long day.

I still remember coming home for the first time and the moment of sheer excitement when my owner picked me (ME!) out of all my brothers and sisters and took me home.

I was one of the first backpacks from my family to be sold.  (If I do say so myself, it was probably because of my look.) I wonder where my family members have ended up, whether the life they lead is better or worse than mine, and whether I’ll be able to recognize them if I see them again. Anything’s possible, right?

I remember looking forward to my first day of work and how I could hardly contain my joy at the prospect of going to a real school.

All those new backpacks seemed just as excited as me to be there; along with their owners. The first day was amazing.

The excitement got old pretty quickly though.

Now I cringe inwardly at the very thought of school. I now fear getting trampled by sneakers all day long..

Of course, the best part of my job is the vacation. I’ve always been taken to far away places and since I’m taken as handheld luggage I get to be with my owner.

All the suitcases are always jealous and resentful because they have to spend the journey in the luggage compartment, which is cramped, dark, and musty.

I usually ride under the seat or in the overhead compartment, which isn’t too comfortable either, but I don’t tell them that!

Once we get to our destination, I accompany the family everywhere and serve them well too. I’m quite an experienced traveler  now, and once we get home, I spend countless nights recounting each and every little detail to the others.

I absolutely love making them jealous. After all, the vacations are the only perks of my job!

Most backpacks are thrown away after a year or two. Even though I know this well, I’m still in my first year of service and am struggling to accept my fate.

Will I get handed down to a nosy neighbor?

Sold at a garage sale after spending a few lonely years in the basement?

Tossed in the trash and left to rot in a landfill for eternity?

Will this be my future, after all my faithful work?!

I have at least a year to go, I hope, and I mean to do it so well that I always stay with my owner.

A life in the closet is fine by me. I just hope the new backpack that is to come in the future will be a little respectful towards me  and will not rub in the fact that he replaced me.

Ah well, as they say, the future is as uncertain as the present!

Who knows what tomorrow has in store for me. Whatever it is though, I’m ready to face it. Life as a backpack isn’t that bad, as you can see. In fact, I might even go as far as to say that at a lot of times, it can actually be quite fun.

Ayushi Vig

Image Source [http://savage2.com/en/images/story_book.jpg]

31 December, 2012. Half past 9 in the evening. Westwood Hotel.Somewhere in Mohali, India.

She stood by a round table, wearing all black. I had never seen a girl as pretty as her; just one glare, and…boom!…you are on the ground, flat! She was the kind who could rule your dreams, make you fall in love, and get you to chase her like a dog…forever!

I had heard that angels are the prettiest. But O Dear Lord, I beg your pardon; I choose to differ. She was the prettiest. Most beautiful; the best I had ever seen.

“She is their daughter”, said a womanly voice from behind.
“Oh! The one whose father is the Vice President?” asked the other.
“Yes!”

As I looked back, I saw my uncle and aunt conversing.

The girl in black was the daughter of the Vice President of an Indian Multinational. He headed the group in Philippines.

“Wow!” (Not because she belonged to such a high family, but because she was in a way related to me.)

“Hum…Now it should be easy to get in touch with her. After all, she’s the daughter of a relative of my aunt’s friend”, I thought. (Too long a relationship? I know! But believe me; had you seen her, you would have had the same thought)

Captivated! Charmed! Enchanted! Enthralled! I couldn’t get my eyes off her. She might have been 5’7″ something. Without heels! Her eyes. And when they came across yours, were like the beautiful autumn evening, with sun setting in the horizon. Deep.Calm.Soothing. They were like the first thing I would have loved to see in the morning. Her lips.Her smile. Her hair, especially those that came on her face; I would have loved to bury my nose in those mountain of curls.

People around the hall were dancing, celebrating the dawn of 2013. And there I stood, charmed by her beauty, lost in imagination.

“Dude what the hell? Common, let’s dance!”, said my cousin.
“Chill man! What’s the hurry? We’ll dance. Let the stage heat up a little”, I was expecting her to move to the dance floor.
“Common! She’ll come automatically (wink)”, he read the expression on my face.

We walked up the dance floor. Steps started to flow. Hands and legs started moving. But eyes? They were busy somewhere else, scanning through the place, looking for the girl in the black dress.

Where is she?

Oh look! There! She’s busy with the camera, clicking pics. Pretty as a picture! Dazzling in the black dress, making everything else go dull.

The little hand on the wall clock was nearing 12, her lover following closely.They were scheduled to meet at the perfect spot in 10 seconds. The countdown had begun! People were excited. They were charged up to greet the meeting of two lovers on the wall clock. But I was a little more excited. For me, wishing her “Happy New Year” was going to be the breakthrough to our friendship.

But, bad things happen. And they happen often, don’t they?

Call me a shy guy, or whatever, I just didn’t find the right opportunity.

Moron!
Yes Please!

But something interesting did happen. I walked up the stage, accompanied by my cousin, aspiring to sing her a song.

“You’re Beautiful”, the hit number by James Blunt, it was right there on my mind. But, what did I do? I went ahead with “Words” by Boyzone.

Moron!
Yes Please!

And then LOL happened.

Lyrics! Lyrics please! Oh damn! I just forgot them. They say if a fairy is ruling over your head, you’re bound to drown in her beauty. (What? They did not say that? Then perhaps they wouldn’t have met her.)

The night was coming to an end. It was time for the angel to go to her fairy land. I just couldn’t see that happen. I had grown fond of her. Her beauty had mesmerized me.

But what could have I done?
“Maybe sent her a Facebook request?”

And that’s exactly what I did; actually thought of doing.

Mission (Impossible; as it later proved out): Friending the girl in the black dress.

She’s from Philippines. Her initial name is ___ (and you thought I would reveal it to you. Moron!)
What else? What’s her surname?
“Damn! I don’t know that.”

Wait! Pause! Think! Umm…Her dad is a big man. He must be a personality over the internet…

Atta boy!

And so I started with the Mission Impossible, googling like a computer maniac.

This…nope! That…nope! Then this must be him…nope! That one for certain…nope! What the hell?! Now what?

Let’s search her on the Facebook and filter the results.

This…nope! That…nope! Then this must be her…nope! That one for certain…nope!

Oh God! Why this Kolaveri Di?

I couldn’t find her on Facebook. I must have been tried for around three hours, but no success. Sadly, I decided to give up.

“Maybe, this is how the things were destined to happen. Maybe she was just meant to come and go…” I thought.

I was about to get her out of my mind (it was one like one of those Fear Factor tasks)…until today evening, when I saw her friend request.Holy mother of God, it was her! It was her! I just couldn’t believe that…Miracles happen!

Wish me luck guys; I just hope things turn out for the better now…

From the Editorial Team

Image Source [http://www.printed-editions.com/upload/standard/David_Drebin_The_Girl_in_Black_Dress_351.jpg]

Beating,

Pounding,

Racing.

It leaps out of your chest,

Pulling you out of the blackness.

It urges you on,

It pulls you along.

Dwelling on possibilities,

On what-ifs and maybes.

Throwing aside your pragmatism,

Wrenching your feet off the ground.

Thud,

Thud,

Thud.

It flips around and loop-de-loops,

Whooshing past your butterflies.

Life is kind, life is fair,

And you’re hurtling towards the better.

The day you’ve waited for,

It’s finally here.

The fears you nurtured,

Have come to disappear.

You bounce down the dreaded path,

Blind to anxiety and distress.

Turn the corner, there it is!

The words that will make or break you.

Thud,

Thud,

BOOM.

Falling, sinking, drowning.

Struggling to hold on to reality.

Cursing yourself for being so naive,

For believing in what you knew could never be.

Fooling yourself,

Fooling the rest.

Taken over by your thirst,

For happiness and for calm.

Letting yourself be disillusioned,

Caught up in false dreams.

Believing did not make it better,

It just made your fall harder.

Next time remember your mistake,

Life is not a piece of cake.

It isn’t as easy as they say,

You know truth will not stand in your way.

A cure for the present,

A curse for the rest of forever.

Hope is a lie.

Ayushi Vig

Image Source [http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D4mydFweK70/T12rMsnE2kI/AAAAAAAAC2E/XQu07Z7h0lw/s1600/branching__.jpg]