Hanging

“So this is the deepest pit of hell”, he thought to himself as he descended down the deepest pit of hell. The walls seemed medieval and the scent of freshly burned oil reassured him. The harness was fastened to a sturdy rock somewhere above and all he could see now was the tunnel above and below. Perhaps he will never be able to see the entrance of the tunnel through which he climbed down.

The gas mask has to be used once the toxic level goes red in the digital belt. A loud scream echoed from somewhere down the pit. “Perhaps that is the devil himself”, he smiled and dangled down the rope. He felt the carabiner which held his life line.

The pit seemed to get narrower as he climbed down the rope. The gas mask was now indispensable. The temperature was getting unbearable. The saturated halogen glow was filling the tunnel from somewhere below.  “Maybe it is not greener on the other side”. He took of his gas mask. He could hear people talking feebly somewhere far away lost in the clicking of a life supporting machine.

“Should I let go or climb back” he thought as the loud scream

echoed through the tunnel.

Destinations

On that hill it feels like you are in control. The wind seems to be moving the big boulder towards you but soon afterwards it has gone back to where it was. "Why are you on this hill ?"

A distant wailing bus appear on a valley far away. It is gone now. Soon it will climb up the hairpins to reach you. "Will it stop ?"

Its cloudy and you hear a temple bell. You walk through the elephant grass to find that its a church in the distant valley.  YOU see the cross standing out amidst the black green moss. You smile at yourself. "Why don't you believe ?"

An old lady walks towards you. She has a lantern and big bunch of firewood. The distant city is a galaxy glimerring with shining stars. The lady stops near you and asks ,"where are you going ?" You smile. Its dark she can't see your face so she lifts up the lantern.

You light a cigarette and look  at her disappearing light round the curve. The hills have started whispering. "Do you want to listen to them ?"

The bus arrives. You put your backpack inside. The conductor asks, "where are you going ?"

Coincidence

The lights went off as she sat by the balcony. He went close to her. She didn't flinch. The moonlight was on her face. He was in the shadow.

"Can you see those fireflies" she asked him, his shadow nodded.
"Can u hear the river" he inquired, she ignored.

He lit up a cigarette. She saw a shooting star. He heard a distant grey owl. She heard his stomach grumble.

"Why were we born ?" she smiled. His face was stern.
"because we could stare at the stars' he replied. She wasn't convinced besides there were no stars.
"Coincidence ?? " she postulated.
"Coincidence !!" he mumbled.

The lights came back. She didn't flinch. He could see the fireflies now.
"lets eat something" she said.
'Finally" he smiled.

Mermaids in Kochi

I can tell you the story of an oldman who lived by the backwater.
             Who is this oldman ?? How old?? Where does this take place ???
Let me start the story first. So there was this old man whose grandfather was a jew who lived in a jewish street.
              A jewish street in india, I don’t believe this.
Do you believe in ghosts? Ghouls? Ghost pendulums ?
              I do, but a jewish street?
Will you let me complete my story?
              It’s a story then. Is it based on real life ? Inspired from it ? or maybe a book ? tell me where you learnt about it ?
I saw it happen.
              So it’s not a story. It is real life.
I will be including twist and turns to real life to make it interesting.
              So it’s not real life but inspired from it. I see.
So there was this old man who is claimed to have seen the mermaids that dwelled under the cochin harbor and surfaced late in the night.
              Mermaids? Sea cows? Are mermaids real? Has he really seen them?
It’s a story.
              But it’s inspired from real life? is it not?
Yes
              So he has seen them. In Cochin, mermaids. Insane..
No… the mermaids part is fiction. It’s a splinter of imagination.
              But there are mermaids.
Maybe.
      So people have seen them.
Let me get back to my story. So one morning he gets up early in the dimlight of the neon lamps and walks through the embankment of the massive backwater.
`      Do mermaids harm Humans???
I don’t know.
             But you wrote the story …didn’t you?
I haven’t written it.
             Are you making it up as we speak..
Not really…I have the structure however. So I fill in words around the structure.
             So you made mermaids now. They were not actually a part of your story.
Hmmm … 
            Continue.