STREETWALKING

     Unrecognizable faces surrounding me. They are trying to say something but I really was not able to extract the idea from all those buzzing noises. I was not even able to distinguish the faces like if I was suffering from prosopagnosia. Just then, I woke up to find myself laying my head on the iron bar horizontally placed at the window of the bus I was traveling. The place was quite strange because of the pitch black darkness. The bus was not moving. I got up and asked the conductor which place it was and when will I reach my destination. He said that the place I wanted to get off left an hour ago. He also insisted me to get off the bus since my ticket expired. Semi-consciously, as I just woke up from a dream, I got off the bus without thinking. As I disembarked a lonely dark middle-of-nowhere, the bus (which was the only vehicle on the muddy road) left leaving me alone in the darkness. I saw an old man walking across the road. I ran across and asked him when the next bus will come. “Not until tomorrow morning” he said.

     What added to my worries is that this is a complete strange place for me. I don’t perfectly know their language. Yes, I could understand what they’re saying but couldn’t convey them anything I want. I strolled, towards a distant light. The big bag I was carrying pressed my shoulders every time I make a step. I never thought the items I needed for my journey would become a liability like this. To my relief I found a street full of tiny small to average sized buildings on both sides of it. My next mission is to find a lodge so that I could retire. Not all building was open. But one two-storied degraded building was open, slightly, and I think I saw a reception counter. A middle aged man with a suitcase entered the building. I saw him giving money to the woman at the reception counter. Well, this is the place I was looking for. I entered the building.

       I tried to speak in their language but it was a failure as the receptionist scratched her head. She was like a mid forty aged woman. Anyway, I shown her my ‘sleeping’ action and I think she understood what my intentions were. She asked for Rs1000 as advance. I didn’t know what to do. I stayed in lodges that only took around Rs300 for a whole day on my past destinations. Well, desperate times call for desperate actions and what was important for me is a place to sleep. I agreed, gave her the money and I waited for a bell-boy to come and pick up my bag. No one came and I followed the woman upstairs towards the room.   

       

        The room was more like a cabin. It was not completely closed above i.e. the walls didn’t touch the roof. If I mount over the table I could peep in to the adjacent room. The room was almost degraded, the walls were creamy sour, and the fan made kind of noise similar to a squeaky mouse and it was so minute that one more bed would have completely filled the room. I asked where the bathroom was and she pointed me towards a closed room with a rusty iron door nearby. It looks as if it was the only bathroom in the whole building. After taking care of my business in the bathroom I entered my room and closed the door. I changed my traveler’s dress to simple three-fourths for sleep. I put my Rudrakshmala on the small table nearby and switched off the lights. The room was still illuminated as light from other rooms came from the space above. I lay down and prayed. Suddenly, somebody knocked the door.

         Well, it might be the bell-boy with the flask of water. I opened the door and whoever was that, just entered the room without giving me a time to get a closer look. I turned around to find a girl, maybe 15 or 16 years old, not completely dark but dark, and short. For a moment there, it all smashed me in the head like a reciprocal of big bang. I went downstairs. The ‘receptionist’ was reading some magazine. Like I said, it is difficult for me to say something in their language but I somehow conveyed that I just need the room alone. She said I could spend my night on the street without the girl because there are some customers without room and they would definitely like me to get out of there. Furthermore, I wouldn’t get a refund. Plus, some guys around the area had all kinds of weapons with them and I really don’t want to make a scene there. I just went back upstairs since I didn’t want to end up in the street. The woman came from behind and slapped the girl in the face. “Woh..woh…easy there sister..”, words just slipped out of my mouth. I think the ‘receptionist’ took my issue as a disqualification of the girl. I asked the woman to relax and got back in the room. The girl followed. PURE HORROR, just pure horror, this is the last thing I wanted in my All India Temple visits which I thought was one step towards Nirvana.

     I tried to tell the girl to stay still and do nothing. Like I said, she didn’t get the slightest idea. She won’t even take her hands off me. I firmly grabbed her hands off my body and signaled her to be silent and go to sleep. I laid down, she did too. I asked her to sleep on ground and she did. I couldn’t sleep. As I looked down, the floor was filled with dirt, roaches and other dirty stuffs. I told her to get back on bed. I crawled up on one side of the bed creating a huge gap between us. Some 5 minutes passed. My body started to ache due to the stressful travel. I relaxed a bit and started lying straight. The girl put her arms across my chest. I didn’t do anything as I felt warm at this cold night. I turned sideways towards her. She was facing me. Round eyes, long hair and my Rudrakshmala on the table. The story of Lord Siva cursing Daksha for having sex in front of Rudrakshmala stroke me like a bulldozer. I once again turned back removing her arms from my body.

     Sands were pouring on my eyelids yet I couldn’t sleep. I was afraid that my whole life dedicated to Sanatana Dharma would end in one night. The atmosphere around there was chilling cold and it impelled me like thousand needles. The girl glided her finger through my back bone which resulted in a chill crawling up through my spines. She once again put her arms around me. I was in a pretty difficult situation at the moment. What had more weight? The Brahmacharit which I promised to hold on or one night of pleasure. Two facts knocked inside my brain. One is that this might probably be the only girl in the whole world who wants to have sex with me and she is a real amateur in her profession otherwise she would have been naked by this time. I got up, showed the girl my Rudrakshmala and went back to sleep. She didn’t lay a finger on me. My eyes shuttered down.  

      I woke up. The squeaky fan still rotating. I found myself alone in the bed. The girl might have slept with somebody else after I went to sleep. I got up and saw the girl sleeping on the dirty floor. She might not have fallen down. From the looks of her innocent face I knew that she didn’t want to disturb me on the other night. Moreover, she was not meant to be a part of this job. I woke her up.

      I went to the bathroom, refreshed a bit, changed to my traveler’s clothes and hurried to the bus-stop. There were a few people waiting for the bus which made sure that a bus will come soon. Random thoughts attacked my conscience. A horn woke me up from the standing dream and it was a bus towards my destination. I got inside it with other people and sat on my favorite window seat. I was watching the buildings run by and then someone sat on the empty seat near me. I turned around to see the girl with a big torn bag, smiling. I remembered my spiritual Guru’s quote that Nirvana can be acquired by doing any random act of kindness. For me its like..., “ Tickets for two please…”.   

The Best Decision

Sidharth, commonly called as Sid, was driving back home after the last of the series of business meetings he had at a distant city. His hands were shivering while driving and his thoughts were actually off the traffic he was facing ahead. “Congrats Sid! Your wife is pregnant”, a call he had from his mother a day ago made his life stimulating. He was not excited. He was weak because all he had been eating since the news were the lump of dirt his emotions gathered. A huge block of iron was tied to his chest. His eyes were sunken and he was expressionless. He actually didn’t want to reach home. However, like the old saying goes, it’s the only place where people end up whether they are happy or sad.

Sid entered his apartment which he rented since his marriage with Ria. He has an enormous house back in his hometown but decided to live here till he settles some of his business engagements in the nearby cities. Ria, sitting on the bed, was texting someone when Sid came into the room. She put the mobile away and said,
“I can explain.”
Sid sat on a couch on the side of the room, locked his hands together and started to quiver his lips but all he could produce was inaudible voice.
“Please understand my situation”, Ria said serenely.
Finally Sid gathered all his strength and spoke, “It’s just two weeks since I married you and I haven’t touched you yet. Who is he?”

Ria slid a few meters away from Sid slowly. “Dear…you love me no matter what? Right?”.
“Yeah and that’s why I faced all those painstaking efforts to marry you. We’ve been in a relationship for eight years. I trusted you and how could you…cheat me?”. Sid’s shivering behaviour turned to politically solid.
Ria didn’t reply.
“Do you know how it feels like? To be deceived. I perfectly figured out what you’re unto. I didn’t know why you were so eager to have sex on first night. Mysteriously my instinct said ‘no’ then and the following nights. You were trying to fool me and everyone else; that the life you’re bearing is mine. Bad news sweet heart, your trick is exposed.”
“How can you talk to me like that? I love you and I wanna live with you till the end of my life. This…this is just an accident and I repent it. Please understand me, dear”, she responded.

Sid stood up from the couch, joined his hands and yelled, “Explain then”.
Ria, after a little moment of silence, slowly said, “It was him…. Raghav.”
“That bastard who was proposing you? I thought you rejected him on his first attempt? Were you building up a relationship with him without my knowledge?” Sid started to become violent.
“NO! I didn’t build up a relationship with him.” Ria wailed.
Sid walked towards her, “then what? He raped you? When? Why didn’t you tell me then? I’m gonna kill him.”
Ria, wiping her tears, replied the chain of questions “No. He didn’t rape me.”
“WHAT?” Sid shouted with a volume of sound that he never had before.
Ria continued, “We went to a movie together a week before our marriage. After that he invited me to his house to have dinner. I agreed because I was terribly hungry then. But he behaved so sweet and hunky. I fell into his trap of seduction. It was an accident”.
It became difficult to differentiate tears from sweat of Sid’s face. He sat back down on the couch and said, “Accident? I thought you were the most decent girl in this world. You never even allowed me to kiss you while we were in this relationship for last eight years. You even found nudity in classic paintings offensive. How can you argue that having sex with another guy is just an accident?”.

“Please sweet heart. Please understand me. I’m really really sorry. I want to live with you. Please don’t make a big issue out of this. I’ll live like your servant. I was emotionally sensitive at that time when Raghav undressed me.”
Sid went to the bathroom, washed his face and came back all wet. He sat beside Ria, grabbed her shoulder and said, “I forgive you my dear. It’s because my love for you is boundless. But you have to do me one favour.”
“Oh thank God sweetie. I’ll do anything for you.”
“Abort it.”
“What? Are you out of your mind? How could you speak like that? Ofcourse I can’t.”
Sid set back with a shock which had more magnitude than Ria felt a few seconds ago.
“Really? Are you joking?”, he asked, shivering again.
Ria expressed an arrogant look, “It’s my baby. My blood. How can I kill it? We have to raise it like our child.”
“Do you expect me to raise some other guy’s sperm? I can’t. I can never tolerate that.”
“You are no human” Ria reflected.
Sid stood up again. Spent a few seconds thinking and asked, “Do you want to divorce me and live with Raghav?”
“No! I don’t want to. He left the country few days ago. I want to live with you.” She answered.

Sid slowly walked to the kitchen. He opened a drawer, took a knife and put it inside his pocket. He walked back to Ria. They were both staring at each other. Sid felt as if he was losing his ear balance. A thousand thoughts were whirl pooling in his mind. He was staring at Ria’s throat.

“I realise….you don’t love me. You just love the money I earn.” He muttered. 
Ria didn’t reply.
Sid started to stare at the veins that were bumping on his wrists.
“How much do you want in compensation of our divorce?” He asked.
Subsequent to a few seconds of silence, Ria said, “5 crores”
“I don’t have 5 crores with me. How about 3?”.
“That’ll do.” She replied.
“Alright”.

Sid went back to the kitchen. Ria followed him and was terrified when she saw Sid putting the knife in the drawer from his pocket. He walked towards the main door and opened it and said,
“I love you and I hope this will make you happy forever.”
He left the apartment. While he was walking down the solid street of the noisy city he was sure he had made the best decision.

PEDOBEAR*

Pedobear* - "An Internet meme that became popular through the imageboard 4chan. As the name suggests ("pedo" being short for "pedophile"), it is portrayed as a pedophilic bear. It is a concept used to mock pedophiles or people who have an interest in minors or jailbait. The bear image has been likened to bait used to lure children or as a mascot for pedophiles" – Wikipedia

A.

I'm in the park watching kids of all shapes and sizes playing. I saw one go up while the other go down on the seesaw. Some were holding onto the bars making sure they won’t fall off from the revolving merry-go-round. Two girls in colorful dresses are flying high in swings. Their skirts are waving like the cape of superman. A couple of two-year-old boys are making a castle in the sandbox. A hyperactive boy is trying to conquer the whole playground on his spring rider stallion. We're lucky that he couldn't make any advance in his quest. The park is a jungle for the kids skipping through the monkey bars. I assume that four-year-old boy over there might grow up to become a spider-man as he moved swiftly all the way through the overhead ladder. A group of ten year old are skating on the platform on the side of the ground. None of the kids there were as beautiful as my cute girl. She is running towards the ladder with her tiny legs. She climbed, reached the top. The wind made her hair and red skirt move away from her body. It’s really a charming sight. She glided down the slide and was embracing the dirt below. Ouch! A ball hit me.

 ‘Sorry mister. Can we have our ball back?’ one of the two 7-year-old boys asked me.

 ‘It’s alright. Just be careful next time lads. Here you go..’ I gave them their ball. In the spot where my girl was playing, there is just dirt. I'm looking around. I’m scanning the whole playground. In the jungle, the battlefield, the UFO, no, nowhere. She is lost. My girl! She can’t survive alone in this world. Where is she? Where did my child go? I ran towards the foot of the slide and I was shaken by what I saw. It was footprints! Footprints of a bear. The trails leave the playground. The damn bear has abducted my girl. I’m following the trails hoping that I could save my kid before things go out of hand.

B.

In the corner of a dark room with a closed door and a small window on side, she was weeping, screaming for her dad. No one was there. The room was dimly lighted by the sunlight coming through the translucent window. ‘Dad! Dad! Where are you? I’m alone’ she cried. The red skirt seemed black in that light. Her cute face turned wet.

The door opened. She stood up hoping it was her dad. It was not! She saw a silhouette of a bear. The PedoBear!!

C.

From a pillar of the big wooden house to a nearby tree, a rope is tied horizontally. It’s a clothesline. In the warm sunny day, some clothes are hung on it. What are they? A pair of rainbow socks with the picture of Tweety on it. A red skirt and a matching blouse, a red hair-ribbon and a PedoBear outfit. None of them are wet and doesn’t need to be dried in the sun. But they were all there just to disturb the wind passing by.

A.

I’m running as fast as I could but I’m late. That bastard bear might have already raped my girl. That wooden house! She might be locked inside. I slammed open the back door. I'm searching the whole house for my girl. In the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom. Maybe she is upstairs. I’m running towards a closed room on the second floor. I kicked it open and there she was, my girl! But wait, the damn PedoBear. It was raping her. No you won't, you filthy son of a bitch! I took the knife I had with me, I grabbed the bastard by his neck. I stabbed him. I fucking stabbed him again and again until the pervert’s cotton rained inside the room. My girl was still crying.

'My child my child. Don’t worry. I got you. You’re saved!’ I took her by the hips.

She was still crying and screaming, ‘Let me down! Leave me alone!’

 ‘Why dear? I’m here. You’re safe now.’ I’m trying to calm her down.

She started punching on my stomach and screamed, ‘Who are you? How did you get inside my house? Why did you kill my teddy? Where is my dad?’