I looked in the mirror To find myself staring back At an old man In the 60s

I took a nap And dreamt of a lake Where my reflection looked like a man In the 30s

I was eating dinner And saw myself in the spoon When I found myself as a man In my 20s

“What’s happening to me!” Was my last thought Before I fully closed my eyes When I felt myself turn into a baby

I woke up with a hammering heart Looked at myself And exhaled a sigh I am in my world again Not a distorted reality

My age and all Beauty or otherwise I am “Me” That’s such a relief!

What could it be? What might they be thinking now?

These were a few questions that occupied our minds since they sat on that bridge.

Well, let me tell you, we are fun filled teens from a desert village and we see tourists like this sometimes a year. And every time, only one question comes to our mind — why would somebody intentionally subject themself to the hardships here!

Anyways, humans are crazy, us included! But this is the first time that we had other questions.

This Bhaiyya (brother) and probably his girlfriend, started out nice and happy. Hand-in-hand like some wanna be celebrities, they were whispering something to each other.

My friend chotu says it must have been something related to their previous girlfriend and boyfriend. But we were too far to hear, so he gets the benefit of doubt.

And then later, sun turned his heat a notch up, and she started getting crazy. Now Bunty says it’s due to heat and that seemed logical to us.

But then immediately, she started giving all weird poses and he took out his phone to click. Heard that bhaiyya saying something like Instagram. I looked around my friends, and even they had question mark on their faces. Must be green gram paratha ( stuffed bread made of green gram), another friend Chintu supplied.

Now we were nearing to the oasis, and still following them. They went on that bridge and we were about to warn them not to jump with their clothes on. We have honesty stuffed inside our every pore. Else, which crazy person does that!

But then, they sat on that bridge and started talking. Since an hour!! What couldn’t have waited that it needs to be talked under the sun! On our sacred bridge! So that’s how we were left with those questions. If you know the answer, let us know too, my friends and I are waiting eagerly.

I can make the stars Or I can make you see some Sprinkle some fairy dust And make you shine Or load you in dust To make you blind

I can pull the strings And make you dance to my tune You could be a dancing mermaid Or nothing for all I care

You sing, I chorus You dance, I group You shout, I amplify You cry, I shut down

You get standing ovation And continuous claps Followed by fame and wealth Which you forget to share I stand in shadows behind you Always making the magic happen

For, you never remember There is no you without me There is no puppet without a puppeteer No King without a kingmaker

I can make or break lives Just with my whim Filling me with satisfaction Upto the brim There is no other place that I’d rather be One which is not “behind the scenes.”

“You look like a pearl drop on the leaf,” he said looking into her eyes.

“More like a ghost on a meadow,” he thought.

Smiling with her eyes, she gazed lovingly into his eyes. “Really?” She asked.

“Do I look like the baboon you are to believe that?” She exclaimed in her mind.

“Yeah baby! Your innocence is the most beautiful thing about you, adorable just like a baby,” he said pinching her cheeks.

“There is no one else more stupid than you,” he thought.

“Aww, thanks baby! Look at you, all hot and mighty, ready to protect me,” she cooed.

“Huh, more like haughty and eighty, yuck,” she thought giving him a once over.

And this continued on and on.

@@@@@

For every thought unsaid here, there is somewhere else in this universe that it’s said aloud. Because, at the end of the day, everything is binary, even love and hate!

“Promise me you won’t laugh at me.”

“Hmm, hmm-hmm.”

“Say, ‘I promise’.”

“Okay, I promise!”

“You know that yesterday I’ve been to a restaurant with my family.”

“Hmm, okay, what happened there?”

“I ordered chicken fingers and a lemon soup as my starter.”

“Great, you love it, that’s what you order always when you eat out.”

“Yeah, I know, you don’t have to tell me!”

“What happens when I punch your face, it becomes a smash burger. I hope you know that…”

“Stop distracting me. Anyways, the waiter got me my order, and it was so delicious, lip-smacking, yummy…”

“Ha, I got it, so next?”

“Then I completed my meal and asked for a soup refill.”

“Great, you practically inhaled your food. Nothing’s new there again.”

“Hmmph! Okay then he got a bowl with a lemon perched on top. I drank it!”

“…….what!!!……”

“Yes, unfortunately it is what you think it is. It’s a finger bowl. But in my defense, the soup bowl they used is almost similar, I got confused!”

“Hahahaha…..Hilarious….”

“Funny, you said you won’t laugh!”

“Hope the bowl confusion did not result in bowel confusion!”

“!!!!!!!!”

You always meant When you said “I love you” or “I hate you” Deep from your heart

But everyday now Your I love you’s are covered With your vengeful words Like a chocolate covered bitter gourd

You speak to me now Only to show how bad of a person I am And how disappointing I am To you and this world

I don’t utter a word For the hope that some day The person I love will be back To gift my life with rainbows and unicorns

And suddenly one day You packed up and left House turned home once again Only then I knew

How Silence was a priceless gift!

“Oh Shashi, How are you?” Roared my aunt from the other side of banquet hall. I was in my own world, sitting in a corner with my own plight. Oh no! She was coming nearer and there’s no way to run.

Torture in the name of a function!

“Have you had something to eat? You look pale,” she commented. Before I answered, a gang of aunties called her and she sauntered off to flaunt her jewelry. Mercy for small miracles, I sighed, as I got up to walk around.

Well, currently I’m at my cousin’s brother-in-law’s sister’s marriage. I didn’t want to be here at all but my Mum forced me to come. On top of it, today is my fasting day!

I mean, who drags you to a feast when you are already in hunger pain!! Apparently my Mum does! I rolled my eyes!!

Listening to the murmurs around the food tables, I concluded that everything was yummy. Like getting a five star chef to cook your street food yummy. I started salivating like a dog. Coming here was hazardous for my health, I should’ve known! Again, I imaginary facepalmed!!

The menu was scrumptious, starters ranging from paneer to chicken and main course a mix of Indian and Global cuisine. And the snacks, Oh my! Chefs should charge people just to look at them. They were that artistically beautiful and aromatic. For people like me who just feast on snacks, it’s a snacks heaven!

Let me tell you the reason I’m fasting for. One day my mother and I, we’ve been to some Aunty’s daughter’s wedding, and she sang praises of a fast that made her very reluctant daughter agree for marriage. Curse that Aunty and everyone back to generations!

Unfortunately, that’s how I got tangled in this fasting mess. Just one look from my mother that day, and I nodded my head in yes like a well trained dog.

Now, I promise myself, I’m never going to do this again. Drowned in melancholy, I didn’t see where I was going. That’s when I almost ran into someone.

“Sorry,” I said, turning to find I dashed a ‘him.’ He wore a heavily designed brown Sherwani, which deigned that he was someone close to bride or groom.

“It’s fine,” he said with a smile, shifting his plate away from his clothes. “I see that you are going for buffet. Try those gol-gappas there, you will feel heaven exploding in your mouth.”

“Ah, hmm,” I couldn’t even form right sentences. A man after my own tastes I thought, “Actually, I am fasting today.”

His eyes bulged comically, “How are you… why did you even…”

I knew it, finally someone who understands my plight. “Why are you fasting, if I may ask?” He questioned.

“That, my friend, is something I divulge only after my second date,” I replied. When did I even become that bold, I mentally murdered myself, my face heating up.

“Let’s meet for the food festival happening next week, then you can tell me after that,” he finished off with a smile. “You get to come as my plus one and yeah, it’s a date.”

“Done deal!”

Probably fasting does yield results, I thought with a smile, as I looked at him finishing off his dessert with gusto.

The sea is splashing you with its salty water, cold and heavy. You are bogged down with your thoughts, why you have to do it, what could be the other way to not hurt her, but you see no light and also, no solution.

You think back to the day it happened, you had gone back to return her favorite scarf she forgot in your car. You rang the bell to her apartment, waiting for him to open, you knew she went to her mother’s place for shopping. You also knew that he had headache and he might be asleep, you just rang the bell twice.

But what you saw was unexpected. He had come to an open door, behind a girl, trying to hold her and laughing. That’s when an earthquake occurred inside you and shattered your semblance.

You had to tell her, you thought. How can you conceal this big incident even though he begged you not to; it was a one time occurrence, he said. You told him to tell her himself, their relationship can be salvaged thus, but he did not heed to it.

Coming out of water, you had your decision ready. You did what you have to, ripping a relationship to pieces. Still, you will be called a good man after all this!

I looked to my left, And then to my right, Later crossed the street, On my daily walk.

Walking the paths, That everyone takes, Calms my heart, In my stressful state.

State what you want, The baker asked, When I went to buy a cake, To my usual spot.

Spot I did her, Who’d held my hand, And allied with me, For my whole life.

Life but happened then, Made us drift away, How friendship as ours, Could turn like this.

This stranger in the street, Was yesterday my friend, What’s stopping me, Again from making her one.

I was the only one with a battered toy in a park full of children with shiny toys and happy smiles. And also, I was the only one with a downward curve of my mouth. Again, I had no friends.

Children were chirping, laughing and fighting with one another and playing noisily. Parents were enjoying their antiques and swapping tales of their children’s naughtiness. Again, except my parents. I was here with my Mom, who was religiously explaining the daily happenings of our home to her Mother, and in turn getting unrequited advice on how to make our lives hell.

I was getting sick of that!

Seeing the swing empty, I ran towards it to play. Failing to observe another person coming at the same time, I collided and we both fell down. That’s when I saw that she was girl and a beautiful one at that.

She was wearing a pretty pink frock and holding her Elsa toy, she too came towards the swing at the same time. She had tears in her eyes, which appeared like diamonds to him.

“Sorry,” he meekly stuttered, “You can use the swing.” It was his mistake anyways to want to be happy, even for a second.

“No,” she protested. He was amazed by the intensity of her decision and even more dumfounded when she stellarly declared that they play together.

That’s how he got his first friend and later, what he realized, as his first love.