The Incident Vanished....Partially

"I am not going to sleep tonight" Alina said shakily.

"For the fear of nightmares?"

"You will not be forgiven, know this. I'm still getting goosebumps."

"Oye overacting! It was just a movie. Chill!"

"Why not. I actually am chilled and shivering right now."

Alina and Ria were moving out of the theatre. It was Ria's plan to watch the movie. No doubt she enjoyed watching something real scary after a long time, and that too the night show.

"Ria?" Alina slowed down her pace.

"What?"

"Those two guys are pointing at us. You know them?"

"Who? Where?"

They were out in the open by now. Then Ria saw two people standing near their Scooty. One of them was big and fat while the other was lean. They were continuously staring them with a straight face, but the deadly impression they gave could not be missed.

"Why are they staring like this?" Alina whispered.

"Don't know." Ria mused. "Might be something. Let's get home."

But Alina held her hand, "No, I don't feel right going there."

"But we have to take our Scooty. Are you going to walk back home?"

Suddenly, the guys started walking towards them. They seemed to have sensed the alert on girls' faces.

"Alina...Run" Ria gasped as soon as she got a glimpse of a sharp shining silver thing in the fat guy's hand.

They turned back and started running. Alina glanced back to see the guys running after them.

"Oh God....Oh God....they are coming after us."

Ria started shouting for help, but surprisingly no one seemed to hear them.

"What's happening? Nobody even looks at us."

"I'm scared." Alina said panting heavily.

"They are coming nearer Alina. We can't outrun them."

And saying this Ria decided to have the courage and question those people chasing them for no reason. She asked her friend to run as fast as she can and hide in some place.

Alina was about to ask why was she saying this, what was she going to do, when all of a sudden she saw Ria had stopped running.

"RIA?!" Alina shouted, shocked. What was she doing?

"RUN! GO!" Ria said with all the force.

Alina did run. Every part of her body was numb and still she could feel the panic running in every nerve.

She wanted to ask Ria not to do this, to come with her, but her voice failed her. Her body failed her. Her eyes welled with tears and when she took a last look back, she saw Ria's neck slit violently with the silver knife. Ria fell on the road, so did she, shaking badly.

"RUN! GO!" Voices echoed in her head. She stood up. Her legs trembled. She fell again. Murderers were coming nearer. Ria's dead body lay still on the road. People walked past not noticing anything. Alina stood again. Took two steps, fell. Her knee got injured. When she was pushing herself up again, the guys had reached her, holding the knife smeared with her best friend's blood. And, they ran past her.

She stood up watching their backs until they disappeared around a turn.

Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and she shrieked and screamed until she ran out of breath.

"Alina. Alina. What happened?" Ria held her by shoulders and gave her a few jolts.

People gathered around them watching the chaos.

"You died. You died! I saw them murder you. We were running. You stopped. They killed. I saw it."

Ria hugged Alina and rubbed her back. "It's alright. No one killed me. Calm down. We will go home. I am sorry that I made you watch that movie.

Alina pushed her back. "NO! It's not about the movie."

"I think you imagined things Alina."

"NO! Believe me, it happened. All these people, they did not help us when we were shouting. They did not even look at us."

Ria kept consoling her.

"Wait" Alina said, "If you don't believe me then tell me what are we doing here? We are about a mile away from the theatre. Why did we come here?"

Ria was now confused and looked around. They really were quite far away from where they should have been. 

"Yes we are...but..." She fell short of words, trying to recollect what happened and why were they standing there, but could not.

Just then a car passed on the road and the headlights flashed on Ria's confused face and......her neck. Just for a split second Alina saw a deep slit menacingly imprinted there.

I DON'T Want To Be A Child Again(Continued)

....in continuation to this post.

When I got hold of Mummy's silver anklet pair, I had to try it of course. It was way too big for my ankles and slipped out again and again. So I pulled them up on my legs until they fitted on my thighs. One of those anklets suddenly came into two halves while I was adjusting it. My heart thudded in terror as I knew I would be scolded. So I did something really great! I hid the good, unbroken piece into almirah and threw the other one into the dug-up earth near my hose for laying an underground cable. For months and months Mummy kept searching it and asking everyone. And I was living in a mixture of guilt and fear. The best part is, I was 10-11 years old at that time. Old enough to understand that it was not the piece of jewelry that Mummy wanted back, but the silver that went into making it.
I definitely don't want to live back a time when I was literally brainless.

There was social studies class test the next day. I was in 2nd standard. I forgot the test as easily as I used to forget every class-test, everyday homework, my water bottles in playground, tiffin in school, sweater in school bus and every possible thing at every possible place. In class when everybody was writing answers to questions, I was shaking in fear of scoring a zero in the exam. I happened to not submit my notebook to the teacher like it would have solved the problem forever.
This happened many times day after day and my notebook ended up in a collection of pages with only questions and empty spaces for answers. With nothing I can compare the building stress as more such pages added into the notebook every other day.
One day Didi(elder sister) saw my notebook and demanded explanation for those empty spaces and I said it was my incomplete homework. Yes, I used to be a liar. I pleaded her to do my homework and she did. The ordeal was still not over. I stood in line to get my notebook checked by the teacher, silently but furiously praying that she must not turn the pages of the notebook and see my unchecked class tests.
Was that easy for a six year old girl? I wonder if I was feeling blessed at that time!

My parents used to send me to tuition against all my struggles. I showed my tuition teacher the date sheet for 2nd standard's annual exams which I had noted down in my school diary. She saw it and was confused for some reason. Then she asked me to go to Anuj's, my classmate's house and cross check the date sheet with his. I told her many times that I had written everything as-it-is from the blackboard but she just won't trust me. I was sent out to go to Anuj's house. I don't remember if I used to hate Anuj or had a crush on him, because I was too shy to go to his house. I wandered on the roads and in gardens and after some time came back and told the teacher that he had also written the same date sheet. The teacher was still confused but gave up and did not send me anywhere else.
During exams, one day when I reached school, my classmates came running on watching me and asked, "Why did you not come yesterday?". I said, "because yesterday was no exam and so it was holiday". "No, it was Hindi's exam. Ma'am was asking about you." I gulped. I had missed an exam and it was a big big deal at that time. That was why I was asked to check my date sheet as one subject was missing from it. Only I know how I passed that day and the subsequent days, and with what dread I waited for Papa to return home with my report card declaring me 'failed' on the results day.
He came home. A thousand questions were asked. Some I replied, some I dodged away with blink of eyes. Finally he told that the teacher gave me marks for Hindi according to my half-yearly exam performance.
Do I call it the golden period of my life? In 2nd class I did not know that if I have 5 subjects, I need to give an exam of all of them!

I had been a big time Dumbo and I still am. Some characteristics stick with you for lifetime, I guess. There are too many, more than too many experiences which I can keep on writing. Earlier I used to hide my mistakes, now I resort to mocking myself. My childhood was enough once. So were my teenage years and so is my present life. At any point of time I want to live only one time of my life, that is yet to come. In hopes that one day I will finally grow up, mentally, and be less embarrassed and stupid in future.

Some photographs of a KG kid's notebook.

An explanation of the Theory of Evolution. How L changes into S and S into 3.

This one is so neat. Because the kid had to draw only joining lines.

Kid's school's Drawing. Above: by teacher. Below: by student.

Explanation: These are drawings of 'A for Apple' 'B for Ball' 'C for Cat' 'D for Duck' The kid ate up E. 'F for Fish'. Kid was still hungry. 'I for Ice-cream'

I DON'T Want To Be A Child Again

This dinosaur has no relevance to the post. But it will eat people who will not read ahead and comment.

To those who say "childhood is the best part of life", or "I wish I were a kid again", or "There was no tension then and life was good", I do not relate at all. Life, at any time, is equally trying and fun. The only difference is, when we grow up we know how to put the blame somewhere else for all our problems. We have this tendency to prove the present time as the most difficult and project ourselves as a victim of circumstances. So we sum up things thinking that growing up was a cursed thing to have happened.

Now think of it; a child is a child after all. We cannot expect him/her to be stressful about submitting a report before a dangerously close deadline or to go through the pain of break up or divorce. However they have their own problems suiting their age, like a broken favorite toy or an accidentally broken Mummy's favorite vase. Five year olds face problems according to their capacity and twenty-five year olds according to their. But we seem to forget issues which we find petty now. Although they were not then.

When the whole world is writing about the awesomeness of childhood, I am called spoilsport. Though I am no different when it comes to going weak in knees watching super cuteness of kids, but I am pretty sure I don't want to step in their shoes. I have had enough of my own time playing in mud and rain. Because giving it a practical thought, a child is not enjoying his/her childhood in a way we perceive. The one who is enjoying is a person watching them, who is probably dealing with a huge debt or something like that. So even if a Jinn realized our dream to be a kid again, we would find our so called petty issues graver than our father having lost his laptop.

By now I know I always end up writing about myself sooner or later. So I am not sparing this chance either. Every theory needs to be backed by examples. So I present my childhood at service. Just a small warning before you proceed to read further. If you become uneasy or furious reading extreme level of stupidity, utter ignorance on someone's part or infinite degree of dumbness, quietly sneak away and save the peace of your mind.

Have you gone?

Okay, I give you an another chance. This post has already become quite lengthy. So I break it here and if you want to read further, click here.

'coz It's 14th Feb!

Grinning like clowns

Hurried steps

Got prepped up

'Coz its 14th Feb

Practising my reaction

When he would propose

Should faint in his arms

I suppose

New dress new shoes

New haircut

He has to go down on knees

No if no but

Wind played havoc

On the way to college

Messed up hair

Irrevocable damage

Detangling the nest

I entered the college gate

Why only he had to see

The entry I made?!

Ran into the class

Missed the entrance

Headlight on forehead

Some blacked out seconds

Running in maize fields

Holding hands with him

During the class lecture

Was caught hallucinating

Was asked some questions

Answers unknown

Holding ears was my verdict

Saw him enjoying

Impatient recess

Just when he turned around

I took a cat walk step

Fell on the ground

Then I knew

I was useless

Hopes shattered

With a drumbeat playback

Everyone around

Was doubling up

But he came

And picked me up

"I am a stupid moron"

Said teary-eyed

"Well, that is what

The most I like"

With a red rose

He confessed his love

I glowed up

Like an electric bulb

Broke into Happy Dance

He did propose

An accidental punch

Fell on his nose!

image taken from here

How To Calm Down When You Are Angry....

.....without harming anyone but yourself

1. Bite your pillow. Break your teeth. Scream into it. Let the monster whale inside you be set free.

2. Glare at random people. Try your best to scare the hell out of them.

3. Punch the walls. Break those knuckles. Soon your anger will be overcome by pain.

4. Play dead!

5. Try attempting a headstand or a cartwheel irrespective of the place you are at- in your office, in a conference, in a lift or in a local train.

6. Sing at the top of your lungs- "AuNty POLice buLa LeGi! AunTY poLIce Bula leGI! AUnty pOliCE BuLa LEgi! fir bhi PARTY YUHI CHAALEGI!!"

Wait! I think that may hurt others.

7. Spray that pepper spray into your own eyes. Don't have one? Beg. Borrow. Steal.

8. Order your Pokemon characters to attack on people around you.

9. My personal favorite- Dance like you have lost it. C'mon let's break the earth into pieces!

10. In case you are enraged beyond limits, shoot an "AVADA KEDAVRA" on the culprit and be done with him/her forever!