The Call...

It was already past his working hours, he had to do an overtime to fill in for his friend. Was a very tiring and troublesome day for Rakesh. He returned home at 9pm, he had left for work at 8 in the morning. The argument he had with his boss was still going in his mind. He knew his points were right, but the boss won’t listen to him. Just thinking about it was making him damn frustrated. He was too tired to make anything to eat, the frozen last night’s pizza and a can of Carlsberg was good enough for him. He was lying on his bed watching TV, some weird horror movie. He wasn’t actually watching anything but surfing through. The work pressure was getting the better of him. Just then his phone rang, he checked the number, it was his friend Rahul. He picked it up and said,
"Where the hell are you these days Rahul?"...Rahul answered, “Sorry bro..just got back in town...was away to Delhi for a business meeting...
so you want to catch up for a drink like the old times??"
Hearing his friend’s voice seemed to have a pretty nice effect on Rakesh's frustration, He said, “Sure man... want to met right now??" Rahul replied, "Yeah why not...the same old place!??!".. Both had a small laugh, and then hung up, Rakesh did not get dressed up much. He was anyways still in his work clothes as he dint feel like changing after returning home.
He went down, started his car and went straight to THAT place. He hadn’t visited there in a long time.
Maybe a year or so, but the memories he had cant be forgotten so easily.
After a good 45mins drive he reached there. It was a small secluded beach where hardly anyone visited.
He came out of his car and sat on its bonnet. Staring at the moon, it seemed like an eternity had passed since he last visited this place.
After some 5mins he heard another car arriving, it parked right besides Rakesh's car, out came Rahul holding 2 cans of Carlsberg. After all it was their favourite since college times.
They both shared a handshake and then a warm hug. Rakesh felt like a college student again. Being with his closest friend made him feel really light. They started to chat. And the chats topic ranged from their work to their ex's and back to those good ol’ college days.
And it seemed just like a minute and it was already past midnight, they had couple of cans of beers gulped down by now. All the topics in the world were almost over discussing.
Rakesh was feeling a bit tired by now. So he lied his back down on the wind-screen, closed his
eyes and was talking about how his boss never acknowledges his work and how his best efforts always go in vain, he spoke for almost 10mins and dint realised that Rahul hadn’t spoken a word yet, he opened his eyes to see no one was there. He was sitting on bare sand on some random sandy beach. He started to feel something weird has happened in those 10mins he had his eyes closed. But on the other hand he was getting
a feeling that it was more than that. A shiver went down his spine...Suddenly he felt a cold breeze through his face.
He began sweating heavily, his hands felt frozen. He began panting so heavily he hadn’t in his entire life. He tried looking for someone around, but he couldn’t see a thing, it was all sand and water. He started running. His heart was pounding. Heartbeats reaching their limits. But he still couldn’t see a road; it felt like he was the last person on this earth and that he would give anything to see some sign of human existence around him.
He couldn’t remember how since how long he was running. He had lost the sense of time.

Suddenly he felt something touching his legs...and catching them.....BAAM!!...He fell straight
to the ground on his face. He felt something creeping up to his legs. He was sure he was going to die at that very moment. He wanted to get up and start running again but his legs won’t even budge. He felt something like tentacle thing crawling its way up to his torso griping his body like a coiling anaconda but as it came towards his waist it felt like a skinny human hand making hissing sound like an insect, realising that he cannot escape this situation. He Dug his face into the ground he waited for his end to come, closing his eyes as hard as he could. Suddenly he heard a phone bell ringing....It was his Cell phone!!!
He opened his eyes...lifted his head...he was lying face down on his bed...with a beer can toppled off the bed leaking on the floor...He couldn’t understand what happened...did he fall asleep while watching the horror film??..Was that real? Putting those thoughts aside he rushed for his cell phone. It was still ringing, he saw the name flashing up....and his forehead filled with sweat and  his breaths grew heavier....The name flashing on the cell phone was...."RAHUL" !!!!!!

BYE..!

       It was well past midnight, a man wearing a black suit entered his room. He gave a vague smile and asked, “Just a day more please.” The suited man smiled and slowly nodded his head as he left the room.

A continuous bell ringing got her out of bed in the morning. She was still half asleep as she opened the door. There she saw him, standing with a bouquet of pink orchids, a box of chocolates and a cake. “What are you doing here baby?” she asked in astonishment. “You should be home resting! Who let you leave your bed?” she asked in an angry voice.

“Happy Birthday Babe!” he said rather smilingly.

“You didn’t like me coming?” his voice turning low now.

Noticing that she made all his efforts almost worthless immediately apologised, “ohh, so sorry baby. Come on in na. I just got scared seeing you come all the way here alone.”

The both went in. He opened up the cake box. It was her favourite Belgium dark chocolate. She smiled looking at it. The cake had an image of both of them from the time when they had gone for a fishing trip. It was one of their best outings and their last one as well.

He sat on the couch and placed the cake on the table in front of it and started lighting up the candles. Pointing her to come and sit beside him. “Make a wish before you blow them off” he said handing her the knife. As she closed her eyes to make the wish, “You know what not to wish about, right?” he smiled again as a small tear rolled off her eyes. She closed her eyes, made a wish and blew off the candles and then cut the cake.

She took a big piece of the cake and stuffed it in his mouth. He did the same along with applying some over her face. She in turn took a chunk of the half cut cake and tried to apply it on his face as he jumped off the couch and ran towards the bedroom. She followed him saying “you’re so dead!”

“You’ll never be able to catch me you slowpoke!” he teased her as he ran for his life.

In the bedroom they ran around the bed couple of times. Just then the he started breathing heavily and bent down. She threw the cake away and came to help him. “It’s ok, it’s ok” he said as he took deep breaths.

“It’s certainly not!” she shouted. “You should never have come here” she said as tears started to fall off her cheeks. “How did uncle and the doctors let you come?” she asked

“Who said they did?” he said as he tried to laugh but it wasn’t coming easily.

“What the hell!” her temper was out of the ceiling. “You’re going back now. I’m gonna take you home” she said as she helped him on the bed and was about to reach for her phone.

Just then he pulled her hand and gave a kiss on her lips. All her anger went away as she embraced him in a hug which was warmer than a thick blanket in a cold night. As the kiss broke, he looked at her and said, “See, I’m all better now.” He gave the smile which made her fall in love with him.

She hugged him tight, “I love you and always will, no matter what” she said as tears came of her eyes like an open flood gate.

“But, you know what babe?” he said in a tense tone.

“What? What?” she asked worriedly.

“I love you more. I always will. No matter what” he said with a big smile on his face.

“You.....you’re a bad man!” she said with a small smile on her face as she punched his arms gently.

“And you’re so cute!” he said pulling her cheeks.

They both spent the next hour in each other’s arms on the bed. “Should we make an epic birthday lunch?” he asked.

“That would be awesome!” she exclaimed.

“Anyways I don’t have time till dinner..,” he said as she looked at him with an expression of dismay. “I mean, I need to go back home!!” he laughed.

“Such a meanie you are!” she punched him again but this time a bit harder as she went towards the kitchen. He followed her.

“What should we make?” she asked as she took a look around the kitchen.

“What about pasta with baby corns and mushrooms in white sauce. I guess it’s someone’s favourite” he said giving her a wink and pulling out the packet of pasta from the shelf. She knew it was her favourite pasta combination.

“That won’t be too bad” she teased him.

In half an hour the pasta was ready. They set up the table. He took out a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and poured two glasses out. “Are you allowed to drink that?” she questioned.

“Ahh, stop it. Let me live for a day at least” he replied. She thought that he does have the right to do what he feels like for a day if not more and nodded.

As they were about to sit for the lunch, “Oh forgot to mention, your chair for today is my lap” he said teasingly and gave a wink. She blushed and agreed. He served the pasta in a single big plate and brought it to the table. As he sat down on the chair he looked at her and pointed to his lap. She sat on his lap. She was blushing so much that her faced looked like a tomato he joked. She gave him a small pat on his shoulder.

He took a glass of wine, gave it to her and taking the other one for himself, he said “A toast for your birthday and your happiness.”

She smiled and said, “My happiness is with you” and gave him a kiss. He then took the fork and fed her and himself alternating turns. They also shared many kisses in between. When the food was over he asked her if they can remain like that for some more time. She smiled and hugged him.

He then lifted her up in his arms and took her in the bedroom and slowly laid her on the bed as he kissed her forehead and then her cheeks and then her lips. She kissed him back. As he was making his way on to the bed beside her, he started coughing heavily. She immediately got up and helped him on the bed again. She ran towards the kitchen and got a glass of water. The water helped in relieving the coughing a little bit. As he got normal he pulled her towards him and hugged her with all his might.

“I love a lot babe. And I’ll miss you!” he said as a tear dropped off his eyes. This was the first time she saw him cry and she knew she had to be strong. So she wiped the tear off his cheek and said nothings gonna happen baby. I promise. My god won’t let anything happen to you. She kissed him on his forehead.

The rest of the afternoon she made him lay on her lap as she caressed his hairs. He kissed her hands in between. She felt it was truly the best birthday she ever had. As the clock showed 5 o’clock he got up to leave. They hugged again. She didn’t want him to leave and he didn’t want to go.

“You know this was the best birthday!” she said as she wrapped her hands around his neck.

“Anything for you baby” he smiled as he gave a small pat on her lips with his lips.

“And as much as I wish I stayed, you know I have to leave” he said and she nodded with a sad face.

As he opened the door she came from behind and hugged him, very gently this time, “Go home safe ok” she said in a sad voice. “Or should I come to drop you?” she asked.

“I’m not a kid babe. I know my way back. And I’m going home nowhere else. Nothing can happen to anyone going home. Right?” he said giving a big smile and gave her a kiss on the forehead and her hands.

“Bye!” he said in an emotional voice and he head out of the door into the street.

He waved her goodbye as long as he could see her standing on the porch. And as she disappeared around the corner of the street, he was joined by his friend in the black suit. He kept one of his hand on his shoulder and they both walked down the road, slowly disappearing into thin air.

Desolation

A dull sunday afternoon
Sitting at the corner of the room
Heard someone say “Hi”
Was it in the real or a thought going by

He feels the sadness the anguish
The paint Inside the soul
slowly begins to ascend
From the nether world

Takes him in his arms
Promises a better world
Can it really be possible he thinks
But the devil reassures

The only love i had is gone
Betrayed me left me alone he mourns
Revenge shall be sweet and cold
Just say it and they shall be burned

He looks him in the eyes
Yes..yes..he sighs
As he lifts his arms
The devil takes his life

Eclipse

A bloody tear
that no one sees
A screaming soul
But No one hears

Loss of senses
To a deafening calm
No light to help
in this pitch dark

Scratching the walls
making no progress
Mouth of the well
There is just no way

Left behind
A lifeless thing
Not long ago
could eat and drink

As the shadows grow darker
A Fear grips in
Lost behind
In a world too grim

Is there a meaning to life
the mind wonders
But all that happens
Cannot be just an accident

Far too long
I've held on
Need to let loose
Before the final call

It might not be too late
To start afresh
The tear drops down
But a smile wipes it off

A Life for a Life

“A Life for a Life!” he said in a commanding tone, “Nothing less and nothing more” he added. The pleading and crying face of the accused fell into a state of complete shock. The audience though weren’t as surprised. Justice was harsh in this town. No one was above the law and justice for all were the two main commandments. Neelkanth, the Nitipati of the town held it as his personal responsibility that everyone else follows this.

Once the order was given, he stood up and marched out of the large courtroom without even looking at the guilty party. His family already mourning on the decision and pleading for some respite. While the victim’s kin praising the judgment. Two huge men came forward and took the man who was on his knees to the small room behind the court.

As he settled in his couch, Neelkanth thought to himself, “What is with people asking for forgiveness after committing such a heinous crime? Do they really think I would ever forgive anyone who kills someone else for any reason? Law and Justice must always prevail! No matter what…” just then reality got him back. He found himself sitting on the same sofa, it was a previous case he was thinking about, the current one, was making it hard to think. He was sitting with his hands on his head. He could hear his wife weeping in the bedroom. She was probably more confident in her husband than Neelkanth himself was.

He tried to concentrate his thoughts. But he could not. He was just a spectator in the current case and not the judge. He was infact the key eye witness in this one. He was sworn by his morals to hold up the law. The two main pillars of his existence, law and justice were at stake and he wasn’t sure if he held them dear anymore! “How could I testify against my own son!” he shrieked at the thought. But there was no doubt that it was him who killed the merchant that afternoon. The stand-in Nitipati had said in the previous hearing that the final judgment shall be passed based on Neelkanth’s testimony. Tomorrow was that fateful day. He hadn’t spoken to his wife from the day his son was arrested for the murder. She never even tried coaxing her husband to not testify. Neelkanth on the other hand wasn’t sure on what to do. The thought of eloping the village in the silence of the night was an option he was ready to consider.

After a good three hours of wandering around in his living room, he sat down on his couch in padmasana, closed his eyes and started meditating. The chants of his mantras were broken with a loud knock on his door. He opened his eyes walked towards the door and opened. He saw four heavily built guards waiting for him. “Time to go my lord” one of them spoke. He was still considered the lord of the town. He looked at his wife who was standing just outside the bedroom door with and anguished look and teary eyes. His heart ached like never before as he walked out of the house.

Walking towards the courtroom his mind was blank. He felt like it was him who was a prisoner and not his son as he stood before an audience of over 200 and the new judge. As his son was brought out from the little door back of the court, Neelkanth’s paternal urges were hard to stop. He wanted to rush forward and embrace his son and tell him everything will be all right and that his father would take care of everything. But he could not even bring himself to look at him. Finally as he managed to, he saw his son in a fearful and grief struck gaze. Tears started flowing out of his eyes looking at the condition of his only son.

The stand-in judge intervened, as he asked the guards to take the prisoner back to the cell. He knew his friend of forty years loved his son the most and looking at him like this would break his soul apart. Nellkanth looked at Ram with misery. He hoped that his friend would let him go without asking for his statement. But Ram held the commandments of the town to his heart just as much as Neelkanth. He asked Neelkanth to testify what he saw that afternoon. Neelknth for a moment though he would die of a heart attack. As he opened his mouth, he was finding it difficult to speak, words just were not ready to come out of his mouth.

“I..I..I saw ..the murder…my so..son….Sh…Sh..Shiv, killed …the merchant!” the entire crowd was silenced as Neelkanth burst out crying falling down to his knees. Even though everyone knew Neelkanth as a supremely just person, no on had thought he would actually testify against his only son.

Ram was guilt stricken as well for a moment. His eyes watery as he watched his best friend weep uncontrollably. With a lot of effort he calmed himself as he moved to give the order. “A life for a life. Nothing less and nothing more. Let this be an inspiration to each and everyone in this world! How a father testified against the wrong doing of his own son. For the greater good of humanity he is ready to sacrifice his own family! Let everyone of you draw an example out of him and vow to uphold the sacred code of dharma and the oath that you take to serve humanity!” he exclaimed with his voice trembling. The entire crowd in one voice acknowledged with shouts of “Har Har Mahadev”.

Just then, Neelkanth got up and looked at Ram. He said, “If my lord would permit, I as the Nitipati of this town like to carry out the orders myself this time!” Ram and everyone else in the court stood shocked! “I..I cannot allow this!” Ram exclaimed. “Ram…I mean my lord, I know that, if the Nitipati chooses, he can ask anyone to carry out this order” Ram looked at Neelkanth in dismay. He knew that every code of the book is by heart to Neelkanth. He was the Nitipati of the town for over three decades now.

Ram sighed, “okay, I the current Nitipati of this town, allow Neelkanth to carry out the order passed by this court before the sunset today” he got up and walked off the room as tears rolled off his eyes.

Neelkanth looked to the heavens as he kneeled down in the now empty courtroom. He slowly walked out of the small door towards the cell in which his son was being prepared for his final moments. He sat there totally blank. His mind was wondering at a distant place. Away from all this mess.

The guillotine was brought forward by some ten hunky guards. Neelkanth touched it gently - the weapon to kill his son!

Soon he saw his son, being positioned into place, with a black cotton cloth covering his face. The guards gave Neelkanth the signal – It was Time! Neelkanth slowly bent over, and said into the ears of his son, “I love you Shiva, forgive me” as tears rolled off his eyes. His son chose not to speak anything as he prepared for his fate. Neelkanth going towards the lever, held it with his hands, looking away from his son, he pulled it in one shot and without looking or waiting a moment charged out of the grounds.

Neelkanth walked past the town boundaries. It was almost dusk. He finally stopped at a temple and sat there for some time. When the priest of the temple went home for his meal, Neelkanth got up and went towards the garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He looked at the Shivling there, folded his hands in a pranaam offered his prayers. As he came out of the temple premises, a small smile came on his face. He could finally put into action his plan – the reason why he asked for killing his own son. He looked at the heavens and said, “A life for a life. Nothing more nothing less” as he drew out a small dagger he always used to carry for security reasons, from his coat and slit open both his wrists. “I killed my son, so, I must die as well” he spoke looking towards the heaven, talking to the gods. “I could never live with him dying because of my testimony.”

“I thank you for giving me this idea and helping me uphold my morals as well”.

“I’m coming to you my son!”