YOU ARE ALIVE WITH ME

Clad in a dark suit, a little black bow, walked in heavy steps, probably a heavier heart. They were only married for an year but as he tells, "Known each other since ever." Right from the Kindergarten days, to high school, to their eventful prom night, and they got married on the 2nd of April last year. But now she was no more. A stroke, two minutes later, she left for the Abode above. Today was the funeral ceremony of Mac and Catherine. They were inseparable, as their friends echoed, probably never required the need to tell each other those coveted three words-Yes they loved each other! Mac stood up, walked in to the aisle and got ready to say his bit- his last farewell to his love, before the entire town ( Catherine was the most lovable girl in town). Even the trees and birds seemed to resonate with the grief-stricken mood of the town.
The church was bedecked with lovely white blossoms, freshly plucked and each single person, adorned the black garment.
"Today is the worst day of my life," began Mac, as he let go off the war that was waging between his tear glands and his mind.
" Today is the day of the completion of our anniversary, our very first and you promised me you would be here. You broke it!
I still remember you, only younger. Your eyes were as beautiful as the dark ocean, laden with secrets. The greenish outline reminded me of the fairies of childhood. Yet now I stand in a world devoid of you, a Catherine-less world.
Your never ending shield of hair reminded me of the dark clouds manifesting a program for respite. The way you pranced about, the way you smiled, melted many a heart, as it certainly did mine. Yet now I stand in a world, where those smiles are but memories, those walks are but a thing of the past.
I had my own share of bad luck and ego. I broke down, tried to hurt others but you calmed me down. Every cell of your body seemed to be oozing with life more than blood, a stature so calm, so full of patience. Yet now I stand here, before your motionless frame," a tear trickles down, and he breaks down in agony. "O' please be awake, wake up my darling, o please wake up."
He had stood there motionless for 10 minutes when she died in his hands, unable to accept the sharp thrust of truth. Someone tried to comfort him. He retorted," No, I must finish this, I must!", squeaked he, rising up from his knees.
He resumed, "We promised each other a lot of things. The comfort in your hugs, will forever be cherished, by me, by your friends ,by all who got the honour of being hugged by you. Yet now I stand here, in desperate need for a hug, and you lying there, unmoved.
You saved me from the fire, you rescued me that day of our prom night, when it should have been me. A heart of gold, that's what you had, and its so unfortunate that that heart has stopped. Doctors used to call you, as your friendly, caring nature helped many a patient in their death bed, to laugh a bit. And yet I stand here on this day, with them in the seats, as I still search for you.
You were a hero in every sense. A champion in your gymnastics, you wheezed through in your SAT's, even managed to outsmart me in a field I thought I was the best. Humility, love and all the qualities of nature were infused in the right portions in you- a perfect human being you were amongst us, God had indeed made you in his spare time. Yet you are no more.
We shouldn't mourn over our loss on this day, although its really impossible to come to terms with it. I ask of the people of this town to celebrate a life, to celebrate Catherine McClaren, to celebrate the life and times of a girl who stood against odds, who inspired us, who made us believe in life and most important of all , made us happy to the core.
I still find you in my dreams, my dear and I will always do. As of today, you live and die with me. My memories of you will never fade and I will speak of your stories to all, that there was a girl, a lady who stood up to challenges in spite of knowing that she would die. A warrior guised as a girl, a dove from the Heaven above, my one and only love- Catherine.
You shall live through my eyes and make me believe, and I know it and by your words "Love never ends"!!" a gush of water sprouted from his eyes, as if a dam broke.
Mac walked down the steps as everyone, with tear-filled eyes, patted him as the entire town headed to the cemetery for the last rites before putting her to eternal sleep. The bands did play, unlike other days and every single child and adult gathered along. All did clap as the casket went, bidding goodbye to an angel. You see she was being celebrated, her life, her memories, she was alive in them. Mac didn't want to see her die. The ones that die never leave us- they live through us through our memories. Mac did see her, smiling at him, as perhaps Catherine would like to say to him : "You will be okay love. I will look on you."
In this short, twisted span of our life, instead of plotting against each other and scheming of ways to hurt, one must thrive to build memories with each other, cause when we die, it is but the memories that linger on to soothe us or hurt us. The choice is yours!!

THE CEMETERY

It was the 15th of June. The incessant raining had halted after having soaked us for three long days. The summer vacations were almost over as again the school awaited us. The vision of again being imprisoned to clutches of homework and assignments haunted us as we decided to have a "boys' night out" over at James'. James, Stiles and me were the best of friends,ever since kinder garden and we were often tagged as "The three devils",courtesy of our never-ending pranks. We were indeed a fun lot, our hearts echoed the same mischief and God had made us equally devilish. I still remember the day when the teacher walked in,only to get the egg-splatter on his head as we did prepare for him a nice bucket, carefully placed on the joint between the top door rung and the wall.
A night at James' always had in it the ingredients of prodigious happenings,if you know what i mean. Christfield cemetery was the talk of the town back then. The town was buzzing with rumours that on every full moon night,ghosts walked and roamed about. Ghastly sounds, fishy smells, foggy weather created for an absolute paradise for such stories to breed,or so we thought. Anyway it caught the attention of "the three musketeers" after the third caretaker had resigned in a month. You see we didn't bother to look out for little things until it cooked up an aura of importance. We just couldn't let our reputation fizz out for nothing.
We decided to sneak out of James' at 12:15am sharp, armed with our gadgets of trade- scissors,duct tape,stun-gun, our bike helmets, our special "Zeus" sticks which helped us perform many a feat and most important of all- three video cameras. With our facets of expertise carefully nudged into our backpacks, we set out for our expedition to the "Christfield cemetery". Stiles was a year younger to us and he was set on guard ,just to warn us over if the coast became unclear and brought the time to run. He was set on duty. The little one did shiver in his large-sized boots, as he handed over two walky-talkies to us. "Stay connected," said he,spooked by the sudden chill that probably ran down his spine as he gulped.
" Yup, stay in touch, and send the signal out for danger ," I said,patting on his shoulder ," We will be back at 1:30 am sharp,right here.And keep your video on at all times. We don't want to miss anyhting ghosty,do we?",adorning a smile,which can be best described as a grin.
Leaving him back we proceeded on .The moon shone that day with all her strength,making it easier to see as we didn't bother to use the torch lights. The entry of a cemetery was guarded, about a 500 yards into it, by two humongous large statues. Both had crowns and big locks carved in marble, as they held on to their swords. Their faces, full of white-gooey material- sparrows shit, and each had a frightening look which shook many a bone in our tiny frames.
We decided to give two rounds around.
" You know, this is the first time in my life, I am afraid," squeaked James. " I guess we should return back home!"
"No,absolutely not,lets unravel this mystery and prove that there are no ghosts," comforted I, veiling a thin slice of fear that was born unto me.
It was really dark ,deep into the cemetery. Dead leaves carpeted the cemetery floor and a frosty breeze chilled our behinds. We almost stuck to each other as we started filming around. The tombstones, the epitaphs, the flowers on some tombs as a mark of respect, and so on. The wind picked up and there was a slight misty tinge to the surroundings. By then we had covered one round. Just then we realised, that the two statues were missing. Amazed and horrified we tiptoed in, only to find that there were no markings of breakage.
"They were made from marble, perhaps its the work of experienced robbers," whispered James, but in my heart, I sensed something awkard.
Anyway, we resumed our search. We filmed the figurines of gargoyles and elves. Perhaps they were kept to scare people off, but not us. Owls hooted and the wind shrieked through and the friction with the moisty air, caused a wailing sound.
"What was that sound? It seems like somebody's shriek!! ", I said,clasping onto my Zeus stick.
"Beat it man, it's just the stupid wind. lets move our asses!!", came the sharp reply.
Soon the wind really picked up and we struggled to stay on our feet. The alarm clock on our watches echoed the time and we decided to call it quits and conclude that there wasn't anything ghastly about the cemetery ,except for the fear itself. As we were nearing the gates, we saw the two marble statues back in place. In stupefied amazement, we went forward to look, only to find that they have assumed the same exact positions on their platforms.
"Hey look Sen, one marble finger is missing!",said James, as I investigated the same and proceeded towards the gate. The walky talkies were utterly useless and of no avail and didn't help us one bit throughout this expedition.When we reached the gates the sight that awaited us was something we least expected to see. There lay Stiles, his hair soaked in blood, as he lay lifeless with eyes open. His entire body was cut in half and dismantled in three areas and blood formed a puddle near the wet green grass. We were shocked and stupefied and frightened beyond anything. We moved closer to see him,only to find that in his right hand he was holding onto something-a marble finger.

MY WORLD PART 1

My idea of a perfect world.

Though the world that i have carved for myself bears no connection with reality at all but sometimes after a tough day or a panic attack, it fuels me with the required elixir to carry on.
So come take the journey with me in my world, the world inside.

In my world there is

no particular weather. It fluctuates according to your mood .

For example- if you are gloomy, it rains and rains and lush green lawns appear before your house and the rain drops are magical.
With each falling drop the ground sparkles and shines and emits a tone, soothing the senses.

Often i lie on the expanse of greenery abounding my mansion and picture the clouds assuming shape. These shapes vary depending on my moods- ranging from the faces of my Bollywood and Hollywood crushes to the cartoons i used to see back in childhood. And i make them talk with each other and they do appear comical, seducing a laugh out of me..

The mansion in which i live there is made of solid gold. But you see, given my imaginative mind , i have added a twist. It will appear in its true state only if your heart is pure. For example i specify the rules in my world. If you have a big heart and a pure one , you might see the gold at once but as the purity lessesns, one might see the house made of pearls ,bricks, stones, wood and further cheap material. Each window is guarded by a fairy which grants you one wish per day depending upon your needs and not your wants. Once you enter the house, the landscape inside changes based on the mental condition of the one who is entering. Suppose you are scolded, rebuked and humiliated at school,home or work, here you will be pampered like anything. You will be given a professional butler to cater to your needs and will live the life of your dreams. The servants here will have the faces of the ones who were responsible for your former state. And yes,you can order them around!!

In my world dogs can speak fluently and are smarter than all other animals and is the King. I have a pet dog there called, Gordon, who doesn't lick or wag but talks to me, counsels me when i am in distress and hugs me ("pyaar ki jhappis"). He is really a good friend. Moreover the lanes are made of soft stones, a special material which is resistant to erosion but kisses your feet as they walk. The trees whisper or hum the songs of your likings and a constant breeze lulls your frame. Even the darkest man will be cured in my world. The barks of trees have faces imprinted on them and they are quite adept at expressing themselves clearly. They don't like being touched and become invisible when idiots come to hack them.

In my world,there is no money. Being rich or poor,depends on you and you alone. The more happy you are there,the richer you become. Now it’s totally your choice as happiness is entirely a state of mind. In this world friends of your need will be formed as per your requirements and for exceptional cases,i also allow people solitude .

If people starts getting corrupted,the sky turns red and dark in disgust and Euora,The Caretaker Goddess descends and banishes them from the kingdom. In my world no one no one has ever heard about the following terms- jealousy, anger, vendetta, terror, bomb, suicide, accident etc. These stuff doesn't exist. Actually though these world is entirely fictional but of late i have been specifying stringent rules regarding the entry of individuals, because i designed it to provide me peace. There's a very thin line between imagination and reality which musn't ever be blurred. So i have backed it up with lines and sublines which prevent me from losing myself to this world which creates in you a lust for peace. You see too much peace is addictive; this is where you need a dose of reality for which i allow myself or rather the great man Life to play with my little constitution. More of this world in my future updates.

TODAY I SHALL TELL

They had been married for three years. Rajeev, a chartered accountant by profession and Neha a fashion designer wedded on the 4th of July. They had eloped from their houses ,you see. Turned down by their parents, the two love birds left their homes as they fled to Kolkata from Delhi. They had been the best of friends since school and with time this friendship blossomed into love and united these completely different personalities. But now they faced life at its very worst-the horns of life found them wanting. When you are with your family, even if you are penniless you tend to be the the richest person. Take away those strings, it is equivalent to insurmountable pain-the pain that a person feels when his legs are being severed. Yes! it pains,it stings and it hurts!. We all run after money, but the truth is we ourselves sometimes fail to judge what we want exactly out of life. We spend years toiling to achieve a dream,and when we finally get it,we don't want it anymore.


And the same happened with these two. Soon the petals in their relationship withered and thorns appeared. Large,big ones which again brought pain. Although their deep-rooted love for each other lubricated the multitude of frictions in their lives,but the hectic schedule got the better of them. Rajeev, blinded by the sudden splash of reality, became very ambitious and spent every minute trying to make more money. He changed as a person and became over-practical. Neha the more creative of the two sulked at home. She missed the former Rajeev and her parents too but kept her bombs within herself as it was her decision to leave home. But the bombs grew in size and slowly pulled her into the wells of depression as she decided to quit her job. Even this didn't strike a chord with Rajeev as he continued finding logic behind her decisions.

"What has happened with you? Where is the Rajeev I loved?", sobbed Neha, as the practicalities and complexities of modern life haunted her very being.

"What are you talking about?
I do care and love you.
Why would I be working so hard then?
I do it for us. You do realise that's the market been down lately!", said Rajeev, devoid of a heart.

" You miss the talking sessions earlier. You don't cuddle me as you used to. We don't stare at each other. No chocolates for me. What is wrong with you?",said Neha.

" O! grow up. The world has changed. We eloped remember? Harden up. I too wish things were different but wishing won't make things happen ,doing will ,and that's exactly what I have been doing!",retorted Rajeev.

It was the 3rd of July, a Saturday. Neha decided to quit her job and hopped down the staircase, an occasional tear or two dripping down, as she left to drop the resignation letter. Rajeev decided to stay at home and plan a surprise for his Neha.
"She will be totally surprised!!",thought he, as he started decking the room with candles and embroidered the floor with petals resembling a heart. There were lanterns hanging from the door, and a disco ball set the mood further. He had almost replicated the decorations of their first anniversary. The mundane city life had played a toll on his creativity.
Ring,ring,ring......
Picking up the cell Rajeev said : "Hi darling,where are you?"
"Well I will be there in half an hour! what's the hurry about?", replied Neha as the repressed agony of killing her career nibbled her inside.
Rajeev ordered her favourite cuisine-chinese as a candle-lit dinner awaited Neha's arrival.
After thirty minutes there was a knock on the door. It was Neha. She appeared angelic. Rajeev looked at her as if he was looking at her for the first time. And then they hugged each other-a long hug. It sent a chill down his spine. It calmed him down and settled his bosom,which was shaking in excitement. It soothened him like the cold breeze of the seas at night. He felt contented after a long time. The practicality of him oozed out as he remembered the dreams that carved in childhood. As he gazed in her dreamy eyes, glittering with hope and regret, he broke down as he said: " I am so sorry, dear! ..I have so much to talk to you..Come on in"

Just then the cell rang again..Picking it up Rajeev saw that it was from Neha .Bewildered, he picked it up.
"Is there someone called Rajeev?",asked from the other end.
"Well you are speaking to him,but who are you and what are you doing with my wife's cell?",squeaked Rajeev in amazement.
" Well we found this along with a pedestrian who was knocked off by a bus in Nehru Street this evening and this was the last number she had dialled!", came the voice from the other end.
" What are you talking about? My wife is right here with me! Just here.....", as he turned his head to look at the door, he found no one.
Haunted by the sudden realisation of what had happened, he searched the entire apartment frantically, but she was nowhere to be found!
The phone dropped from his hand, his heart skipped a beat as the blocked wails finally erupted and he started howling at his loss.

The world doesn't wait for anyone. Live, and say what you want to say.
Remember every time is a perfect time,
Every moment a perfect moment,
Clarity opens eyes,
But one must not go searching for it, it must come to you!
And the same happened with these two. Soon the petals in their relationship withered and thorns appeared. Large,big ones which again brought pain. Although their deep-rooted love for each other lubricated the multitude of frictions in their lives,but the hectic schedule got the better of them. Rajeev, blinded by the sudden splash of reality, became very ambitious and spent every minute trying to make more money. He changed as a person and became over-practical. Neha the more creative of the two sulked at home. She missed the former Rajeev and her parents too but kept her bombs within herself as it was her decision to leave home. But the bombs grew in size and slowly pulled her into the wells of depression as she decided to quit her job. Even this didn't strike a chord with Rajeev as he continued finding logic behind her decisions.

"What has happened with you? Where is the Rajeev I loved?", sobbed Neha, as the practicalities and complexities of modern life haunted her very being.

"What are you talking about?
I do care and love you.
Why would I be working so hard then?
I do it for us. You do realise that's the market been down lately!", said Rajeev, devoid of a heart.

" You miss the talking sessions earlier. You don't cuddle me as you used to. We don't stare at each other. No chocolates for me. What is wrong with you?",said Neha.

" O! grow up. The world has changed. We eloped remember? Harden up. I too wish things were different but wishing won't make things happen ,doing will ,and that's exactly what I have been doing!",retorted Rajeev.

It was the 3rd of July, a Saturday. Neha decided to quit her job and hopped down the staircase, an occasional tear or two dripping down, as she left to drop the resignation letter. Rajeev decided to stay at home and plan a surprise for his Neha.
"She will be totally surprised!!",thought he, as he started decking the room with candles and embroidered the floor with petals resembling a heart. There were lanterns hanging from the door, and a disco ball set the mood further. He had almost replicated the decorations of their first anniversary. The mundane city life had played a toll on his creativity.
Ring,ring,ring......
Picking up the cell Rajeev said : "Hi darling,where are you?"
"Well I will be there in half an hour! what's the hurry about?", replied Neha as the repressed agony of killing her career nibbled her inside.
Rajeev ordered her favourite cuisine-chinese as a candle-lit dinner awaited Neha's arrival.
After thirty minutes there was a knock on the door. It was Neha. She appeared angelic. Rajeev looked at her as if he was looking at her for the first time. And then they hugged each other-a long hug. It sent a chill down his spine. It calmed him down and settled his bosom,which was shaking in excitement. It soothened him like the cold breeze of the seas at night. He felt contented after a long time. The practicality of him oozed out as he remembered the dreams that carved in childhood. As he gazed in her dreamy eyes, glittering with hope and regret, he broke down as he said: " I am so sorry, dear! ..I have so much to talk to you..Come on in"

Just then the cell rang again..Picking it up Rajeev saw that it was from Neha .Bewildered, he picked it up.
"Is there someone called Rajeev?",asked from the other end.
"Well you are speaking to him,but who are you and what are you doing with my wife's cell?",squeaked Rajeev in amazement.
" Well we found this along with a pedestrian who was knocked off by a bus in Nehru Street this evening and this was the last number she had dialled!", came the voice from the other end.
" What are you talking about? My wife is right here with me! Just here.....", as he turned his head to look at the door, he found no one.
Haunted by the sudden realisation of what had happened, he searched the entire apartment frantically, but she was nowhere to be found!
The phone dropped from his hand, his heart skipped a beat as the blocked wails finally erupted and he started howling at his loss.

The world doesn't wait for anyone. Live, and say what you want to say.
Remember every time is a perfect time,
Every moment a perfect moment,
Clarity opens eyes,
But one must not go searching for it, it must come to you!

THE FRIEND OF LIFE

Apart from my mom, at that tender age of 13, X. was my best friend. She still reminds me of the uncorrupted innocence of childhood. Witty, feisty and equipped with a rare sense of humour, she always managed to put up a smile in my face which lacked expression. We were too young and unblemished to fall in love but we took pride in saying that " We are the bestest friends!". X was the first person who made me take a sip from the cup of friendship, rather forced me into it as I was much a loner. She took me for what I am and babbled and babbled, laughed and talked. Her incessant chirpings reminded me of the raindrops drumming on a tin shed. Frankly speaking, i don't pay attention to jibber-jabber but i just loved to listen. And tell you what she did  jibber jabber about "jibber jabber!" We were totally opposite of each other. X- a person who took life casually, had a big heart and never missed a chance to help others. She used to say : " It gives me joy, Senny! You and your books won't make you understand that!" ..I ,the more practical of the two, thought her to be immature at that time but at this age,i know for one that she was more wiser than me. You see the human heart is too complicated to understand, the more you let it speak ,the web gets more complicated and in her case, it was the same. Blessed with a sharp mind ,I  see the world in "+"(pluses) and "-"(minuses) where as she used to see the world through the heart. She once told me : "Use your heart to see for once, shut your stupid intelligent mind!" ..At that time rather than sinking into the depths of this sentence i found that the word "stupid" in connection with "intelligence" was a novelty that commended itself

But every good thing must end. Dark as that sounds, in my life, this sentence plays a vital role. She may or may not have been my first crush. I was too confused and pleased to care for that but she was a friend-a true friend. Then that fateful day ,April the 2nd arrived, that changed my life, X's ,my family and hers and put shackles on our feet and prisoned us for life. We were family friends and on the 2nd of April, we paid a visit to their house near Park Street. Her dad ,an advocate by profession was the most endearing person i had met then and always made us feel at home. Visits to their house were something i looked forward too- Her gifts to me, those "chocolate sessions", teddy-hugs and movie sprees. We used to read massively at that time and egoistic and well equipped though i am,i don't feel the simplest prick when i say : "Her vocabulary was far better than mine!". These sessions used to end with us bringing the dinner from one of our favourite restuarants "Freter ( name altered) ". And the fun part was that we could order whatever we liked!! Surprisingly ,though we were oppositely polarized ,we had the same palate and craved for Chinese. The excitement, that eagerness to gulp down the boneless chicken balls and give each other less, was something i miss till date. She represented a place where the uncoated me was accepted and nurtured.

The bill was one thousand rupees,exact. Dangling the plastic packet that contained the edibles she walked on, humming a tune by the sidewalk. Suddenly, a voice from the farther street called : "Hey X, where are you going? Come down here!". Turning her face she saw a friend and without watching, started prancing down the street like a doe. Just then a honking truck came from the front and hit her so hard that she got airlifted. Being brushed off her feet ,she screamed and fell flat on the ground with a thud. I was so shocked that i couldn't move or breathe. It didn't end there. The momentum of the traffic was too great to resume and a car ran over her, crushing her rib cage to bit. Her hair bathed in blood, her dress torn, my heart stopped beating. As much as i would like to go back in time and change my static frame ,i couldn't do anything but looked on,not blinking,unmoved. Her large eyes were open as if life was trickling out of her or as if Yamraj was sponging out the remaining elixir. Then as i drew nearer,the scene that awaited me was something that gives me the creeps even today. Her entire chest was crushed,rib cage broken and she oozed blood from all possible fronts. I couldn't decipher her calm,radiant face as it was overpainted with blood! I started shaking in fear and self-loathing got the better of me.

"why on earth was i more responsible?"

"Why didn't i hold her hands when i knew she was so casual?"

"What am i going to tell to her parents?"

I woke up in their room and found that fear had made me unconscious. Her parents were wailing and howling as her mom slapped me right and left. Although i knew that i was not in control of the situation and i couldn't save her even if i lived it again but a certain portion of me still thinks that i am to blame. I was never me after that. My innocence, spirit and views took a battering that day and this trauma had etched on my life a dark line which can never be erased. I still remember her and the times we had spent,the fights, her chirpings. Thinking back, she taught me many things and her words and voice still echoes within me. She gives me strength. On this very day, i would like to give X, a standing awaition. Wherever you are i want you to know that i cherished your friendship and that " You were right and i was wrong!" . The world's much more than pluses and minuses.

THE FIGHT

With heavy steps, clad in chequered shorts he proceeded towards the ring. The very ring where he grew up,the ring that gave him a new "life",the ring which kidnapped him out of the clutches of poverty and drugs for good.Ted Patterson was a heavyweight boxing champion.He had almost died in his childhood owing to his addiction to drugs and having witnessed his sister being butchered at the hands of a rapist.But his father,a great man as Ted says,gave him a new life by introducing him to the world of boxing.At first,his anger got the better of him and inspite of  much training and muscles,he lost every fight.Then again this great person ( aka his dad) told him the very words which made a champion out of that wretched soul : 

    "Teddy,my son being the strongest doesn't guarantee you a win..Life has its own way of doing stuff..Breathe,my child,breathe!!..Don't hit because you are angry cause then you will slowly disintegrate inside..Hit because you need to survive,because you need to live,because you want to live for the next battle..Always remember my son that an angry mind is a narrow mind."

These words motivated him to an extent that after that he never lost a single fight..But that awful day,the day his dad died changed everything and the world witnessed the downfall of a champion who couldn't even last till the third round..It was pathetic to say the least!!..He was decided that he would announce his retirement after his loss at this final duel..Yes! He was already thinking of losing before the fight had begun.

His opponent,Mark was the talk of the times. Ladies would go crazy at the sight of his muscles and his trainer took pride in honking : “Meet the superhuman!” at every press meeting.Mark had a strict training schedule – he ate,slept and trained. This was what he had been doing since he was 13 years old.

That fateful day arrived. Ted and Mark entered the ring accompanied by shouts,praises and taunts. Everyone made it a point to make himself/herself heard by shouting their larynxes out. The referee goaded in, recited the mundane rules to which neither the gentlemen paid attention as fiery pairs of eyes stared at each other in an attempt to burn each other out.

1^st round:-

Mark started the bout with a flurry of punches and an unresponsive Ted had no answer to the agility and pace of the “Superhuman”. Left-hooks, right jabs and three combination punches started taking the gas out of Ted as he threw punches in the air like an amateur,missing at each instant. People booed and hooted. None,not even Ted would recognize the fighter he had become. Stooping shoulders, heavy breaths and an aura of insecurity blanketed his very presence. He begin to wish that a K.O would end this hell. The bell ringing proved to be a respite as he retired to his corner. Mark roared: “Yeah! Yeah Ted! You are nothing! Go back home,you punk!!”..The crowd affirmed his statement with an array of abuses.

2^nd round:-

The 2^nd round brought out a better Ted to the war front,probably due to the inspiring words of his coach. But it was like a short spell of rain. Soon Mark was almost piercing him to the corner as his overgrown hands changed the architecture of Ted’s already battered face. Ted was being outboxed into retirement and it was pitiful. Punch after punch left him gasping from breaths, a gash spewed blood as drop by drop a man started disintegrating. Then a mighty left hook left him on the ring,flat. The referee,bulleted to his side from the far corner and screamed : “One,two,three,four………”. He was still in that tattered frame, but he decided to give up. Just then the almost closed eyelids provided a translucent frame of his father standing and smiling at him. “Eight,nine…”..Just before the tenth count he had got up. Bewildered,he looked on as Mark galloped to his corner to end the bout and the match. “Tring, Tring, Tring”-The bell saved him again.

3rd round:-

The 3^rd round saw a smiling Ted bringing his withered frame to the centre. His father’s frame still stood at the corner, reminding him of the words he had said in his deathbed :

 “Always fight to survive. Never give up. It doesn’t matter if you lose but make it a point that after that when you look yourself in the mirror, you can tell yourself that there wasn’t even 1% more of you that you could have put in that fight! Give it all you have. Remember you are fighting with yourself,the dark you!! Whether you think you will win or lose,you are right!!”

What followed was something beyond the contemplation of the crowd. Ted almost floated like a butterfly in the ring as his volley of punches to the body and head of Mark stung him like a bee. He was reinvigorated, afresh and full of energy and didn’t allow one punch to be landed on him. The crowd watched on , stupefied by the sudden change. It was as if he was fighting for his life. He punched and punched and punched till he could punch no more. And with a final jab to the face Mark fell down,unconscious- a K.O.

The crowd erupted with claps and the ring got filled with admirers as he stooped onto his knees and started crying. He had won the Battle of Life and was missing his dad at the same time. He took the championship belt , handed it over to Mark and told him to keep it cause he deserved it more. Walking down the ring, he resumed his crying, and went back home a lighter man.

A JOURNEY TO WONDERLAND OR IS IT????....

The white expanse gave way to a majestic view-a view that almost made my heart skip a beat, as i stared on, abused by surprise. But how did i come here?? All I remembered was the truck snorting towards me with pulsating beeps and then I saw darkness. OMG! Am I dead?..Is this Heaven? Frankly speaking, i didn't know what to feel then-the obnoxious realization of broken dreams that could have been substantiated were I alive, or the joy of seeing the sudden platter of carved imaginations taking form before my eyes. You see when you face such a situation where the drivers in your head put up a fight as to which road of emotion they should drive you to, you have nothing else to do other than "do nothing!" :D

Anyway a soothing wing floated me to the shade of a tree, or the King of Trees-it was humongous and had eyes and a mouth. Each leaf of the tree was as large as my face, with beautiful crypto graphical designs etched on it. It housed a wide array of fruits-apples, oranges, watermelon, grapes and one could gauge the quality of the fruits by simply glancing at them-big, sparkling in sunshine with bright colours. Yes, all fruits at the same place, you read it right!!..The leaves of the trees swayed and rustled and it appeared as if a giant lion was shaking his majestic mane in broad daylight, only the mane was deep green. I stood there open-mouthed, scanning each part of this King cause that was all that could be done-stand, admire and marvel!! Though my eyes argued with me like a child of six, still i dragged them away somehow to notice this Kingdom as its newest member.

Deep into the horizon, I saw a range of mountains, each so huge that I almost had to turn my head upwards to make a right angle in order to try and view the top..Seen Mt.Everest? well these were higher and each wore a different colour. After careful investigation it struck me that the colours followed the pattern of the rainbow-VIBGYOR..No sooner had I thought of a rainbow, a rainbow appeared and amazing as it sounds I saw kids with glittering faces slide down from the very top into a puddle of chocolate. Their faces gleamed as if they had diamonds ( Think Twilight  and Yes! These kids looked much more shinier than Edward Cullen) :P.The valley was architected by imaginations. It appeared different to different inhabitants and changed colours, patterns and weather based upon the thought pattern of its people.

As soon as the realization set in that all my imaginations would see the light of the day,there was but one thing to do-imagine!imagine!imagine!..And lo! as if the magician had waved his wand,three luxurious cars appeared out of thin air-a Mercedes,a BMW and a Audi r8..

“Yipee!!” I screamed,prancing like a colt, and went closer to examine these “beauties”..After gulping down this sheer joy,my stomach made a “grrrr” sound-well normally people would call it the call of hunger , but I called it the call of digesting too much joy and and not being able to imbibe and eat more..But somewhere in my colourful mind I might have thought of food,as I saw my favourite Chinese dishes embroidered with parsley leaves,laid on an intricated, etched platter-each piece of chicken the size of my fist..The more I ate,the more it appeared.Suddenly when I was saturated with these contemplated musings,I closed my eyes for a second and started retrospecting for no reason whatsoever!!!

Suddenly, when the lid of my eye lifted,the sight that awaited me was one that left me flabbergasted. Black balloons floated in the air,each carrying the tag name of my past failure and they were hovering and bobbing up and down in the air.I didn’t know what to do with them and was thus reduced to scratching my head..These happened for quite some time,and my deep dark secrets that I left behind in the past starting taking shape of a balloon and added to the line.This angered me and with crooked eye-brows I imagined myself a gun and ho!! A pistol lay infront..Taking it up,I shot them one by one and with every shot,I felt lighter and lighter and lighter..The last balloon took three hits and I felt like a feather,as if I was only made of flesh and no bone nor any organ..Grief let go of me and I was the King of my own self at last.

I became in plain words, “mad” for a phase after that as finally I was living in the utopia I had carved for myself!! ..Dancing with an imaginary conceived angel,I hopped,leapt and made a fun of myself,ran care free cause atlast I was in Heaven.

Free!

Free from the drudgery of daily life,

Free from pugnacious elements,

Free from politics ,

Free from pain

And above all

Free to be precocious at will.

No sooner did this  great feeling overwhelmed my stature and sent a chill run down my spine,than I felt a splash!!..And then another!!..I cleared my eyes only to find my dear mother trying to wake me up from sleep : “Get up,you idiot! Its almost 11.30am!!..How long will you sleep??”..

i woke up,sad that I hadn’t died….

Who called Truth “truth”?

Now there i was waiting at the railway station at Uttarpara waiting for the train to arrive..The heat kinda played games with my already spent mind as dreams of sleeping with the A.C on soothened me a bit..A cucumber,which i bought for 4 rupees found its way into my burning stomach and pacified me as finally the creaking voice announced  the probable arrival of the Howrah-Bandel local..And then the train arrived,the mundane screeching sound and the hype of passengers egging in as the train lurched forwards...

You might be thinking that it is the same old story that we face almost everyday as we continue to drudge through  our lives..but wait!read on...

As i was saying i got up and squeezed myself or rather sandwiched myself between a boy and an overgrown man and dusted myself a seat by the window..Wiping the beads of sweat from my face with my wet,soiled handkerchief,i gulped down the hot water which scorched my throat instead of quenching my thirst but hey! when you don't have water and you need water,you drink whatever you get,after all during some circumstances :"Beggars can't be choosers!"..Any way humour aside,the train picked up pace and instead of delving in my thoughts i decided to observe the people around me.

My attention was first drawn by a boy of three (probably,i guessed).Clad in a white shirt and red trousers,he looked as sweet as a jalebi and as cute as a teddy bear..His eyes were large,and they wandered from place to place.Sparkling with unshackled curiousity,he looked with surprise to the people on the opposite seat who tried to animate him with "babysome" words.What i found intriguing was the fact that the boy neither laughed or cried but looked at these strangers with rapt attention as if a problem was being explained to him.I thought : "Maybe in babies lie an untold power of looking through people and their deeds.Innocence is always armoured with inner strength,the strength being invisible in case of the boy."..The boy's eyes crossed mine and suddenly for no particular reason whatsoever i felt a sudden chill..Now whether the chill was from the heat or being scanned by his eyes-that's a thing to ponder..

Any way my sight took an arch to the left side of the compartment where a young man,round faced, about 23,gazed the passing fields outside.He wore a blue t-shirt carrying the tag : "Be Human" (probably a fan of Salman khan)..The man had a good head of hair but looked too tense to be handsome.A shroud of black vibes emanated from him as if the God of Depression had done voodoo to make him pay.Then a phone call followed and the already tense exterior took a turn for the worse as his brown hands clasped his withering face in agony.Sunlight reflected on a drop of tear and showed me the signs of him breaking down.Here i must say that,he did a good job of covering himself up.And my schematic brain started thinking of ways to logic out a cause : "Maybe it was a break-up (the usual boring stuff ) or maybe the death of a close one..Or failure in an exam,or embarrassment,or......" I decided to stop cause i realised that it was futile to aim for the bull's eye when i was blindfolded..My eyes let him go out of their prison walls and a new victim now confronted me on the seat just infront of me.

This specific "Mr.X" was really mysterious.Age had won the "battle of hairs" with him and he was almost bald.A bag was slung over his shoulder and if i was not mistaken he was suffering from O.C.D(Obssessive Compulsive Disorder)..Taking out a book he kept glancing through a specific page,kept in inside,fingered in the air as if to say "Hocus Pocus" and then with folded arms protected the bag as if it was his baby.Now this following set of action was repeated so frequently that i can even tell you that the page number was 49.Two times more and maybe i could tell you about the contents. Occassionally,he smiled at me,probably figuring my neatly-shielded eccentricity..I hesitated but smiled back,then stopped as the image of "monkey" floated in my head from nowhere and i grinned.

The hawkers left no stones unturned in providing a good check of hearing for my ears as incessant shouting hurt my eardrums.The smell of sweat created a stuffy atmosphere and although the compartment was only half-full,i felt as if we were packed like sardines.
Some bravehearts or "show-offs" stood leaning by the door,the moving train invited the air to flutter their hair,and i saw them feeling to themselves as if they were superheroes.After all speed,heat,movement are all fantastic catalysts to hormonal secretion (adrenaline)..

Finally the train halted at Bandel and i wheezed off the train ,again with a cucumber to cool the pre-set thinking which would otherwise set me thinking for some minutes to come..After all a mouth-watering dish of red meat awaited my arrival and i had already heard its imaginary call from miles away.You see you can't keep me and meat apart
Well the world is as you see it.There's loads of angles to see stuff,provided you are ready to change the cover of your eye everyday and trust me it makes your inside much colourful.Always innovate life bit by bit,its not necessary that you have to be right everytime or realistic.Be grounded but also be able to lift your wings and fly.Life has gallores of colours..after all think why is it necessary to call red "red" and green "green"..Sometimes just for a change call red "green" and green "red"..its just a name and "you are what you think you are." But never let the small line between imagination and reality get blurred..

THE HORRIBLE PLEASURE

A horrible pleasure….

Soon the clamour of thunder shook my very constitution, as i held onto the seat and started praying for life...But as luck would have it, the prayer line to heaven was over-clogged as prayers were evaporating from the heads from all of my fellow passengers who sort of shouted them out into the suffocating air..This was followed by heavenly flash which i took then as the arrival of God but later found was the appearance of mighty "lightning" himself on the left wing of the plane..

Flames started evolving, screams and shrieks everywhere, hypertensive hearts waiting for the inevitable end  as our plane started to dive in downwards like a professional olympic diver..If you take out the humour of my adjectives, all together it was a disastrous experience, i assure you of that....

Clouds fleeting by, luggages falling on our heads, i was too afraid to even shape my emotions to a sightable form-in short,i was spellbound with fear gripping me like Yamraj's hands..I remembered my parents back home and maybe a tear trickled down,but then,i was too curled up to even notice that..All my dreams, all my ambitions slowly disintegrating before me as the ground came closer..I did watch stories on the discovery channel before then,but let me tell you this,you can't “ever” and I repeat “ever” comprehend the feeling of being present at such a particular event, leave alone understanding it!!

Six thousand feet's feeling, and : " Mom i love you.Please don't cry for me."

Three thousand feet's treacherous chill : "Dad you were truly a fighter and inspired me a lot..If only i had the chance of letting you know that once more."

One-thousand feet's feeling : "I am sorry,my dreams..I promised you the light of the day but i couldn't give birth to you. Please forgive me",it ends with a closing of eyes and a involuntary resonance of "I am ready God!" in everyone's mind.

Believe it or not,i woke up,YES!I WOKE UP!..i didn't know how long i had been unconscious but what i was told later was that i was bulleted out of the window on the sudden impact and i fell on a utterly,kind tree who somehow considered me its baby and kept my heart beating....

Any way back to what i was saying,waking up i found myself entangled on the branch of a tree,holding on to dear life..

My first feelling : "Is this heaven?"..and then reality dawned in as i tried to move..

O!the pain!..my left wrist was shattered,and my triceps  all had big open lips on them and blood was gushing out..Somehow i became superman for a couple of minutes and got down, only to find that i had scratches and burns all over my drooping, tattered body ..but the bright side- "I SURVIVED!"

Now the site that awaited me, could be best described as a "BATTLEGROUND" or “HELL”...bodies lay around,severed arms,burnt faces,all together a display of hell that we read in our holy books..I looked around for other survivors and i screamed till my lungs ached..When my voice wore down,i sat down and cried and cried and cried...The little boy who was smiling at me from adjacent seat had his head severed off from his body-these images were so drastic and vivid that trust me,for a few minutes i felt that i was really unfortunate that i was alive..I began questioning God and suddenly it struck me : "Hey didn't Newton's third law speak about every action having an equal and opposite reaction? Then what was the action that caused this reaction??"..I cursed God,naming him all the expletives that i could scoop up from my angry mind at that point but later i gave in to exhaustion and slept without my approval...

 

The next day hunger woke me up and i realised that maybe i had to live and i was chosen to honour these lives by telling their tales..i felt that "THIS DRASTIC ACTION REQUIRED THAT REACTION OUT OF ME!"..And then the journey began,i began to use leaves for shelter,sometimes i even ate them thinking them as veggies!!..You have no idea of what a person can do when he is hungry,especially me...For two days i feasted on stuff that i normally didn't even imagine-rotting lizards,rabbits whatever i could find!!..o yes,i even made a cup out of a piece of wood and drank  the rain water that trickled on it..You see help is out there,maybe not in the forms that we are looking for in our life,but it is there in ample quantity to necessitate our existence..

After surviving three days in that place or jungle-i saw sight of the road..You see i had given up on the thought that i would be rescued but i started believing from that day,if you really want to live,then you will live..There are conditions,circumstances that aren't in our control..So take my advice-Dont even try controlling them-let them unfold to you-there will be a result,that much i can assure you…

Any way what happened after that was pretty quick-i got picked up a car,ended up in a hospital to find that i was the lone survivor in that plane crash and i lived..My wrist healed in time,i was in hospital for three weeks and i walked out on a wheel chair..It took me five months to humanise myself into being "me" again..you know i was in a dilemma after that-i didn't know whether to to remain grateful or regret the experience altogether..

END RESULT:-  I BECAME STRONGER THAN BEFORE AND THAT ALL WAS THAT MATTERED…

POSITIVE OUTCOME:- I got to meet my parents again and tell the world stories of those lives that were lost and a little boy who wasn't "little"...

PS- The entire work is is a figment of my imagination and does not pertain to the experience of anyone in real life..I just worded down the image that came to my mind…Hope you like it!!

THE FINAL PICTURE

The backdrop:-A man in his death bed, counting his last minutes as he looked forth to hug an inevitable friend-"death", earlier than expected.. His wife was in the same hospital in the gynaecology ward, pregnant with their first child.. His only hope was to see him-his creation, his baby once,the little arms nudging against his face as they screamed :"Papa!" in their own way.. Visualising the image, tears trickled down as his mind drew more "i wish" chants from his inner soul.....

Mark was battling leukaemia,the very last stage which unfortunately had been diagnosed too late to be treated..The doctor horrified their lives with the words : "I am so sorry,Mr.Scott..We promise to leave no stones unturned but i can't assure you anything cause you have been diagnosed at a very late stage..But one thing i will try to make sure-Your son will meet you." Mark Scott did not know how to react as a pall of uncoloured darkness left him open-mouthed.The thought of dying haunted his very frame (WE are all afraid of death,aren't we?) but on the other hand the joy,or should i say,the probable joy of meeting his son made him feel less heavy as if a flower had bloomed in a barren battleground or a cocktail of mixed emotions!!..He couldn't come up with a satisfactory reaction to suit the weather that crippled him inside..

His son was supposed to be born that day and there he was lying,waiting to see a glimpse of his own blood taking form..He began to retrospect on everything that had happened in his life-his childhood spent on the hills with his grandparents..He recalled those dark days when during his adolescence,he side-alleyed to the dark lanes of life as alcohol caught his reigns and made him commit faults in frenzy..Then one fine day,a girl came in his life,or rather as Mark would say it-an angel came and uprooted him from his real hell,only to plant him in her garden of care and love..Slowly he became sober,fell in love with this "angel" whom he later married.As these thoughts gathered colour in his stormy mind,he burst out crying : "Please God!Let me live..I have so much to see and so much to do..I didn't even tell my son the stuff i always planned to tell him..I won't get the chance to even play catch or throw ball with him and be his best man at the wedding!"..His sobs gathered pace, took momentum and in minutes he was wailing and lamenting and clasping his head in despair..A nurse plodded in to pacify him..

And then his wait ended..he heard cries,his heart now aiming to run the 100m dash, and in minutes the nurse and doctor came in,along with Katie in a wheelchair carrying their son-their angel,his heart almost skipped a beat and slowly won the gold in the 100m dash..No olympic medal,no international accolodes,no certificates or recommendation could have brought Mark that immense heavenly pleasure as he was feeling then..He did it,he did his "Everest climb" and had got his "Guinness record"..as the amplified joy gained a shape in the form of smiles,he started feeling weak,and he felt very cold and withered as if he had lost all weight..A white light flashing before him like that of a flashlight took him to a the most weird place one could ever describe-it was rather a utopia,but without "anything"..Everywhere,in every single direction or the depths that his eye could fathom he saw only white-an unending expanse of white..There were no walls,no roads,no trees,no nothing,only white,white and white..He began to ask himself :"Is this heaven? ..Am i dead?"..suddenly flashes of images or contrived pictures started dancing infront of his eyes..

There it was-a slideshow of abstract blurry pictures of his child growing up-all smiles and laughter..He was reading and playing and having a wonderful time with his mom..Suddenly the pictures leaped their positions as he could now see him growing up.."all right,my boy!..So you will become a scientist,eh?..Good !!"..His boy was doing extraordinary stuff, helping addicts, and in time his boy became a renowned figure and then the final image brought golden tears to his eyes-His boy,his heart,his creation getting the Nobel prize for finding a cure to leukaemia and mentioning him in his speech..That golden tear slowly eddied and oxbowed down his cheeks and fell very slowly to the ground and just like a switch, everywhere around became colourful and he realised for the first time that he had died and he was in heaven

...He took the road leading towards the bright light that came from the North and as he stepped onto the pavement carved out of shiny rocks,he began thinking to himself :"You will be great ,my son and for that i am grateful.I wish i had the chance of holding you in my arms for once..Be well,my son,goodbye!!,and slowly he fade into thin air.....

THE AIRPORT TALK

The man proceeded towards the lady seated at the corner of aisle 4..He rather plodded to her, an aura of confidence reigning in him as he took a seat beside the lady..From what he made out,the lady was crying profusely-tears trickled down from her lachrymal glands as if water leaking from a tap..The man brought out a newspaper from his attache and feigned  getting engrossed in it, but all the time kept a keen eye out for the girl.. When it had gotten to a point that it would seem rude,the man blurted

:"You okay miss?",hiding a carefully structured smirk.

The lady retaliated rather: "Do i look okay to you?..Do people bleed tears when they are teeming with delight?"

"Sorry mam,i don't know for i haven't cried in my life. So by my standards it is rather odd.",came the man's witty reply.

He also added :"I didn't catch your name mam?"

The lady sobbed :"I never mentioned. Hi!i am Clara",and directing a hand out to shake she further said :"And you are?"

The man replied coldly : "Call me Mr.X,eh?",and a convex curve appeared on his face.

For a tiny moment,the lady's face lit up as she said :"o ho,trying to be mysterious,are we??..okay then Mr.X it is!!"

Mr.X now improved on his posture,as he leaned forward,and in a manner that said "I am ready to accomodate your thoughts" all over and he asked: "As far as i have heard that our flight is an hour late and given the complex web of life it is likely that we may not ever meet again.So as far as i am concerned it is better emptying out before a stranger,than somebody you know cause they won't judge you."

Clara : "Do you want me to share??..And even if i did you wouldn't understand me cause probably you won't be in a position i am in."

Mr.X :"well give it a try!!..who knows,life works in ways neither you nor i can fathom..Just give it a try..I assure you one thing-a patient ear and a cold heart",again hiding a grin.

Clara : "well even emptying myself won't help cause i won't ever get over this..You see on Thursday i came home from office with loads of presents for my little brother-he was going to be 12 that day and man o man was he excited??..:)..My mom made his favourite chocolate mousse and dad was supposed to be giving him his very first bike..I and john,my boyfriend,were there too and so was my sister..You could say that we were all happy like hell as it wasn't only a birthday but a reunion of hearts that beat the same tune-love!..Everything was fine until,until....",and stopped,she couldn't proceed.

Handing out his bottle,Mr.X said: "Drink and breathe.You will feel better."

Clara gulped down waters as tears now bolted out of her eyes..

"Proceed",said Mr.X..

Clara : "A hideous dark hooded monster of a man broke the door with a deafening thud..he stormed in,paralysing our reflexes, shot my brother in the head..We were all stunned,shocked,spell-bound as screams and wailings of my mother pierced the air..The whole house had then turned into a slaughter-house..4 bullets!4 bullets was all he took..first my brother,then my boyfriend,mother and finally one for my father..i broke down in agony..all my foundation,my memories,my elixir of life wiped away within seconds..i shrieked in agony as pain crippled me in every way possible..i begged him to kill me but a devil that he is,he spared me and left me to brood to death.Now Mr.X,tell me how can you relate to me??..Right now i am leaving my life back in the place which i thought to be home and on my way to a new place in search of answers or death. So now you tell me."

"Pathetic,"he said,"I am really sorry for your loss. BTW can you describe the man,or should i say the monster of a man?"

Clara :"what?..That's the question you ask??..Tell you what he is the reincarnated form of the devil..why?why?..what wrong did they do?..my brother,he wasn't even twelve.!!..I curse that man with all the pangs of life and may he face the same,only then will he understand."

Mr. X replied :"I am a psychiatrist and i was trying to read the dark corner created by that "monster" in the corner of your heart..So,you say that that "monster" should suffer the same,eh??..As far as i know,or as far as i have learnt :"To err is human,to forgive is divine!"..why don't you advocate this in your life..you will feel much lighter!!"

Clara : "And i am a student of physics..According to me life is governed by Newton's third law :"To every action there's an equal and opposite reaction!!..what do you say to that?"

Smiling a grin,the man,or Mr.X said :"Okay,fine then.So you would want the same for that "monster's" family,am i right?"

Clara : "Yes,obviously!!..He won't understand otherwise!!",her voice carried the roar of thunder.

Mr.X :"So allow me the opportunity of telling my own story..when i was small ,6 to be exact,we lived in small town off the shore..we were a happy family-parents,two brothers and an elder sister whom i adored..Then one day when i was in school,i heard a tantrum coming from down the road.we all escaped from the clutches of our headmaster and ran off to see what was the issue..I found people gathered about our little farmhouse in large numbers. what i saw was something beyond description,all my family,each and every one of them was shot in the head by a shooter who robbed them off everything..And guess what?..it was my sis's 12th birthday!!..Later the shooter was caught and even served jailtime..That day i promised myself that i will get my justice..i kept a close lookout for that man from then onwards..Found out that later he improved on himself and made a life and a family.The same questions that haunt you now,haunted me then!!..And likewise i too never forgave him cause as you said :"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction",right?..BTW,don't you wanna know the name of the shooter,Miss.Clara?"

A bewildered Clara uttered :"who?"

Mr.X :"Mitchell Stevenson."

Clara's eyes opened wide :"my my my..???"

Mr.X :"yes,my dear,your father!!"And the shooter who killed your family,a monster,as you say was born out of the actions that shook me to my very root.I didn't kill you that day because i wanted to tell you this today so that you will find logic in my actions..You can't deny your own words that you have said and neither can i but we both deserved to know this...You yourself on your own terms told me in a way that what i did was the humane enough to keep me sane even after killing or should i say avenging my family's slaughter."

Words halted in Clara's throat as she couldn't bring herself to say anything.Her mind screamed to her as she couldn't come up with a reaction..

Mr.X proceeded on :"But you see i haven't forgiven myself..i have committed a crime which is not a crime on our terms,right?..i lived to die on this day..and die i will!!..My name is Andrew Simpson"

Saying this he handed over a cheque to a statue like figure of a person-Clara ,took out the gun from his attache and shot himself in the head...