Chronicles of 1802

"Bro!"

"What?"

"Let’s go."

"Where?"

"What do you mean where?! Of course to the soda shop."

"I’m at the office."

"Wtf! Why’d you go back when we talked that we’ll go out? And how the fuck did you reach there so fast?"

"What do you mean?! Didn’t you see me leaving in the morning? Are you fucking high? It’s a Monday for crying out loud."

"Shut up. I’ve never liked your jokes. I’m coming to your room. Get fucking dressed."

-_-

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"Dude! You really went out! But Why?! We talked we’ll go together!"

"Shut up man. I’m not in the mood. I have a lot to do here."

"Weren’t you in the kitchen just now? Like 5 minutes before?"

"How the fuck would I be in the kitchen when I’m here Dumbass?!"

"But I saw you there! o.O"

"I told you the new stuff wasn’t worth it. Just fucking throw it away. I don’t understand why do you even like it."

"Bro, I’m not high. Stop playing dumb. Stop this altogether. WHERE ARE YOU?!"

*I send a selfie with the bird. The office space is clearly visible.*

"This could be old picture."

*I send another picture with my laptop sitting on my office desk, this chat window on the bottom right corner of it. The laptop clock also showed 8:16 PM.*

"Dude! You are freaking me out! If you are in the office who is at home?!"

"Of course you with your screwed up sense of humor. Now Fuck off!"

"This is NOT a joke. I am NOT joking. FUCK! Bro come home. FAST! I fucking talked to you a while ago in the kitchen. Fuck! Come home! COME HOME! There is something wrong."

"Nothing is wrong. Go and wash your face. Drink some water. Sleep. Everything will be okay."

"Fuck bro!"

"Control man! Just don’t over do stuff when you cannot handle it."

"I am NOT high I told you that!"

"Go to the kitchen and check, okay? Just relax!"

"Okay. I’ll do that."

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"Fuck Fuck FUCK!"

"What now?!"

"YOU FUCKING SMILED AT ME! FUCKING SMILED!"

"God help me."

"THERE IS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG HERE! I HAVE LOCKED MYSELF IN MY ROOM! COME HOME STAT!"

*I call him. No answer.*

"Why the fuck aren’t you picking up your phone?"

"BECAUSE IT IS IN THE DRAWING ROOM! I AM NOT GOING OUT! WHY WON’T YOU BELIEVE ME! I AM NOT JOKING!"

"Okay. Okay! ENOUGH of the yelling. I’m coming. If this all turns out to be a joke, I’ll fucking break your bones."

"SHUT UP AND COME HOME!"

"I will not stop. I will fucking kill you if this is a prank."

"IF I COULD CRY RIGHT NOW TO MAKE YOU BELIEVE, I WOULD. JUST FUCKING COME!"

*I sign out*

Dusk

She was plain. Thin. Fragile. Not the one who would turn heads wherever she went. Not the one who would attract a second glance automatically. Not the one who would inspire calls from every passerby.

“But I do not think of you that way.”

She was sad for him. He said nothing. He couldn’t look at her face. It was more than he could take. He kept walking with her by his side.

“I understand.”

She looked at him. He turned his head to the trolley passing.

“You can get anyone. Someone who would love you. Who are we kidding? You can do a lot better than me.”

She chuckled softly, glancing away.

“Now, C’mon! Do you want me to set you up with someone? I know some of them who were talking about you yesterday. I know they’d be interested. Tell me who do you like.”

He kept walking. He refused to look at her. He knew all the things that she said were true.

But I don’t want to!

He smiled.

“Who was it you said?”

She smiled gaily.

“Now we’re talking! So there’s Priyanka. She is definitely interested. Then there is my roomie, Rachna. She has a thing for you. But I think you’ll like Priyanka more. Let me send you her number.”

He looked at the plain innocence of her face. The childlike smile.

Why can’t you give me just one reason. That’s what I’m asking for! One! To hate you. To hate you forever!

“Sure.”

“I’m so excited for you guys. Oh shit! I forgot how late it was. I will have to go now, catch up on my assignments. I have loads to do before I finally hit the bed. Tata!”

She leaned towards him, kissing him on his cheek.

He kept walking.

He felt her trailing back, trying to look for an auto. It’d be difficult to find one at this hour, he knew. He should have dropped her, he knew. She wouldn’t ask him, he knew.

He kept walking.

The lights around him slowly disappeared.

He kept walking.

The ground turned from cement to sand. To water.

He kept walking.

He heard faint cries behind him. No one would dare try at this hour, he knew.

He kept walking.

Souls

Note: This is the first part (of hopefully more). I guarantee that any critique/suggestions will fall upon keen ears.

It was evening. The ritual of the day had begun. It had been a long time since I was outside on an evening. It was almost peaceful, reassuring to see them float up once again. I tried to trace one very closely, concentrating hard as it rose. I tracked its movement as it went up in the sky disappearing among the clouds. I tried to search for another. Didn’t take very long as my second attempt turned futile as it dissolved into nothingness. As I desperately looked for another I knew I wouldn’t find it. Darkness had already covered the sky and everything around me.

I distinctly remember when I had asked my mom. "Those are birds", she said. "Those don't look like birds" I replied after thinking about it for a while but her mind was already engrossed in a pressing task. She had not paid attention, I could tell. It was not until the passing of our neighbor, I called Dadu, had I the slightest idea of what I was seeing. I was up on the terrace, looking down on the road at two kids trying to fight their way as they raced to reach a tattered football when I had seen something rising from the adjacent house. I gasped. Never before had I seen it so up close. It looked at me. Dadu smiled. I smiled back. He waved his hand and continued his ascent as he turned towards the sky. I shouted "Dadu! Dadu! DADU!" until my mom came up and took me inside the house. "He is not dead", I shouted. “He was with me just now. He was flying mommy! He was flying like a bird mommy! Those aren’t birds, those are Dadu! A lot of Dadus! Dadu can fly mommy! Dadu can fly! Will he teach me how to fly? Please, please let me go up so that I can meet him. I want to meet him. Mommy! He will teach me how to fly!" She slapped me. I started crying, heartbroken. Why couldn’t she understand? I thought. Soon, I fell asleep, exhausted. I dreamt of him. We were both flying. We were happy. It was the first time I had seen him so content. Upon my asking why was he so happy today, he had said "Because there is nothing left for me to worry about. All is gone! and yet there is all to come." At that moment his speed of ascent had increased multi-fold and his face had turned towards the sky brimming with excitement. I had flapped my hands, hoping that would help me rise with Dadu but it had ended in vain. I had watched him in despair as he disappeared into oblivion. Then I had fallen down, straight to the ground, into my own body and woken up with a start.

A New Year

31st December 2015.

23:59 Hrs.

A street full of people, reeking of alcohol. Flashes all around. A jizz of beer flies high up in the air and lands with a splash on my head. I am soaked. The vision goes blurry. I take out my two eyes and desperately search for a proper piece of cloth on me to clean it up. Someone on my right shouts “HAPPY NEW YE...” and out comes the undigested bile with a significant stench of yet more alcohol and lands on my brand new jacket. The red “FERRARI” is now “F#$%&R@”. I look at the guy. He laughs like a maniac, feebly mumbles an apology and goes back to the Heisenberg in his right hand. I feel sick. I start walking towards my orange CBR, removing the jacket and throwing it in the nearby bin. I loved that jacket.

I insert the keys in, rev the engine up to full throttle and disappear into the darkness.

1st January 2016.

00:20 Hrs.

The signal reads GREEN: I push the throttle; GREEN…GREEN...GREEN: I rev more; GREEN...ORANGE: I release the accelerator, decelerating instantly. The speedometer drops to 67-53-39-13-0. The signal now reads RED. A duke just behind me breaks in panic and barely manages to stop in time to prevent colliding with an adjacent Swift. The biker takes out his helmet and yells at me “Why did you stop?!” I gesture towards the signal, which still read RED. The biker looks there and then back at me and grunts. I make out a few curses under his breath as he fastens his helmet once again. He starts his Duke, revs it: a standard call for “Bring it on!”. I keep the CBR shut. After a couple more revs, he lifts his visor and shouts “I’ll race you, you shit!”. I shrug. He grunts again. His pillion gives me threatening looks. I start the CBR. The race is on.

00:33 Hrs.

I hear a pronounced wailing of an ambulance coming from the opposite direction on a single lane road. I move left and decelerate giving it ample space to move by me. I hope he is not dead. It would have been worse for the pillion. What a way to kick off 2016. I remember someone saying “Half of the people who have ridden Duke are no longer with us.” No surprises there.

01:24 Hrs.

Home. Goel won’t be home till after 3. Swapnil would be out with Nizam, trying out his luck. Why didn’t I go with either of them, I wonder. Laying flat on the bed I try to recollect the happenings today. No, yesterday. Images flash in my mind. Fireworks. Booze. People shouting. Vomit. Red. Collision. Bodies flying. Red.

I shudder, switch off the lights and try to get some sleep.

04:20 Hrs.

I am awakened by noises that no one wishes to hear. Let alone at this time of the day. It is a cry which cannot be mistaken. It is the cry which is true and long and full of agony. A loss. The loss of a loved one. The year does not always bring happiness. Not for everyone. What’d have happened, I imagine. I’ll race you, you shit! I tremble. I put a pillow over my head, the muffled cry pierces through. I desperately try to get back to the dream I was dreaming. Was it good? I ask me. I don’t remember. Can’t be, a voice in my head answers.

09:30 Hrs.

I wake up with a headache. The sun is shining brightly for the first time in days, smiling over the world. A new year?

My room is full of sunlight. It’s too bright. I get up and draw the curtains. Visibility ensues. My throat is parched. I open the door and walk towards the kitchen. Goel is fast asleep on the sofa, drooling. I kick him to this realm and start getting ready for the day.

As I have breakfast, Goel narrates the happenings of yesternight. About how crazy it was. The shit crowd they were with. The girls.

11:12 Hrs.

I sit staring at the laptop screen, trying to concentrate on what’s in front of me. I look around: everyone is happy. Wishes all around. I think of the cry I heard at night: Not everyone.

I put on headphones, open itunes and double click on “Weathered” and select “Lullaby”.