Flash fiction: Missing wallet and a smooch

The Darkroom:

The room was eerily dark. Ghostly shadow gallivanted behind the curtain with a frenetic pace, to and fro, scaring the shit out of her as the face was in the pillow. Hallucination, the voice roared in her ear. She cursed herself for checking in the hotel room near the forest. The voices didn't stop at anything to harass her. "When the fuck is the light going to come back," she cursed. Footsteps scampered behind the door and she almost yelped out of fear, invoking prayers to save her from the jaws of death. Thud! Someone banged the door. She was too shaken to face the room's entrance and almost jettisoned out of the bed. "Ma'am," a voice spoke, "You checked in the wrong room. It's the dark room. Hope you are not too scared."

Whatsapp!

 "Throw away your smartphone. Whatsapp just doesn't work."

"You lost it. Why don't you give me your super expensive phone, snob woman."

"No, I am tired of it man. Every time, you send bulk and silly whatsapp forward?"

"So, I am the one who suffers na."

"Just throw it away, will you? Or get a new one...check your settings."

"Can't. It keeps me on the toes to fight the imagined ghosts."

"Your head...your head....biggest distraction."

"What?"

"There is no point flooding my whatsapp and waking me up in the night to send you back the same old pictures 1000 times."

"You don't need to. My whatsapp has stopped functioning."

"Good! I blocked you."

The missing wallet


Dan searched everywhere for his wallet and threw away all the documents scattered on the table. The orange wallet has mysteriously disappeared and he has less than one hour to settle payments. He pulled off the curtain and flung the bed sheet in frustration. The phone buzzed and the call center agent chirpily said, "Thank you, Mr. Dan. Your account has been debited." Dan was crestfallen and wondered whether the wallet and the credit card walked on its own. He was disjointed and slouched on the chair. A sharp object hurt his asset which propelled him to sprang to his feet. The wallet was smiling at him, napping on the sofa. He flapped it open and saw the bank cards wreathed inside, unharmed. "Who made the payment," he wondered.

A smooch

Niharika excitedly scampered in the crowded mall and hugged him tightly. She gently cupped her face towards his mouth to smooch passionately. He was shaken and stirred at the same time. She sensed the confusion on his face and moved two steps backward. "Ron!" she asked. A wry smile surfaced and he nodded victoriously. He got his revenge on her when she rejected his proposal in college to go steady with his twin brother.  She seethed with rage and her face went pale.

Biplab ka magic

A new hero is roaming the roads and might be a Maharajah to revive the city of ruins. Heard he is record breaker and world champion of ridicule, something that has been mastered by his peers. Quite a few in the kingdom but this one claims everything hands down. Our hero's name is Biplab Kumar Deb, not to be mistaken with James...James Bond. Another master of ridicule, our entertainment in the house of madness, Sambit Patra must be wary for there is competition with the name Biplab.  Better watch out, Biplab is rising to claim the crown and the temperature is falling.

Image credit: Google/ http://www.odishashines.com/tripura-cm-believes-using-twitter-unleashes-troll-army/

Fuck our silly brains! And, if you think that Internet was something that we witnessed or our parents did with their own eyes, you are in for loud fart. Nah! We are not the generation who witnessed the creation of net since it was created in the times of Mahabharata. As we were wondering this CM Saheb might possibly tell that Narendra Modi-Ji was the reincarnation of Lord Krishna, he beats our imagination to death and turns into a beauty pageant expert. He re-invented the wheel to remind our stuck up brain on how Diana Hayden didn't deserve to be Miss World but Aishwarya Rai. The Papa of Great Invention.

Our guy deserves to be the brand ambassador of so many thing right from Fair and Lovely to our cows. Trust me, the vast knowledge and magic connation will make us forget about Alladin or P C Sorcar and he will surely turn black into white or white into black to make a magic potion for everyone. Don't be surprised if he takes upon himself like Krissh...Koi Mil Gaya stupid to solve all of India's problems in a jiffy and become a fortune teller to ensure we don't lack anything at a flick of the finger, getting India's rid of all issues, corruption, crime against women and unemployment.  Ek chutki mein Biplab ka magic. The seekers in old age don't need to watch spiritual or religious show for our Aastha Channel is aired live.

Our man Biplab is not yet done with his extravaganza and is one of the rare species who believe that the more booboo, the merrier. Forget about Mahabharata or Ramayana, Biplab Sarkar is in full mood to link our cows to Aadhar card!  Any guesses, this genius must be the reincarnation of Einstein for creating immediate employment with Gau yojna for our youth by reinventing Gandhi-ji's way of self-sufficiency. Our PM must immediately promote him as a special advisor how to solve every problem, right from the spaceships, warships, Pakistan or China and to create a miraculous pill by smearing a mixture of gau mutra to make India debt free and reaching full employment. We have got the man who has a solution to every fucking problem on earth.

Who shot the pigeon in the dark? It's not Rajamouli's Bahubali or perhaps since katapa ne bahubali ko kyon maara should be addressed to Biplab Babu.I am convinced he has the right answer and he may just consult our civil engineers to build the country, oops make them join the civil service in India to bring down redtapism. Now, why on earth I never had a teacher like him for just missed the chance to become a polished genius. Aye! Mere phooti kismat! Now, who came first demonetisation and GST or Biplab! Now, let me open a pan shop and the first one will be  treat to Biplab. Confused.

Ten things about my temper

Cool! Angry! Checklist. I need to run a checklist for myself since I don't know when assholery can push me to the brink of everything. Easy going, chilled out but also tempered best describes this down-to-earth, shy and introvert type that I belong to. My temper is uncertain pretty much like the weather and myself don't know when I can burst at people. Some of my closest friends know something about me and there is a button that they dare not risk pushing.

1. Pull the trigger at your own risk means that I can fire in all directions through words that cannot be taken back to make me the vilest human on earth.

2. I can explode at any time when a few seconds ago was just a polite version but cunts should take the blame for this provocation or outburst. In short, I am unpredictable. 

3. Pushing me to an extreme level is not just a risk to yourself but the self since I become someone else where the arrogance knows no limit and can trudge on insults. Gotta better manage the self since arrogance has no trace in my blood.

4. The moment I realize that some people have sprouted lies about me or behaving in the most anal way, the temper can reach the height of diplomacy by ignoring and stop speaking to them forever.  Mind you! I am extremely good at ignoring people on the road or turn my face away at the sight of devils.

5. Lending cold shoulder and replying in mono syllables is where my temper can take me if not the Iced Antractica.

6. Trust me to serve you just a glass of cold water and not coffee, tea or scotch if you drop uninvited to piss me off. Cheap rum is another option or green tea to make you run for cover.

7. Making sarcastic remarks or jokes and telling the most mean or rude things to you is routine. I call it my internalized anger management technique.

8. You may not just be worth my time, specially if you are family or a friend of a friend that I may just nod in agreement with the rubbish you keep saying and may silently kill you inside my heart or mind.

9. You will get the rare honor of turning into the most dumbest characters in the fiction blog stories or the novel that I may write. You will end up laughing at yourself. The sweetest revenge to calm me down.

10. I may just poison you...with anything and everything. Best thing is to swear at myself or giving you all type of bc, mc, and fucknama when bitching about you.

A cherished song and tears

Staring at the lifeless wall,

smeared with saffron,

stories buried in the ruin of time,

memory is lullaby to the ear,

voices haunting me,

laughter,

quarrel,

sadness,

tears,

just me,

standing at the crossroad,

running away from the cherished song,

days of yore,

disappeared in the distance,

carried away by the dust,

wish I could sleep forever!

conficting emotions haunting me,

ghost and ghouls dancing and playing with my subconscience,

battling fears,

releasing choked feelings,

would take a lifetime,

I shall weather the storms,

flapped by hurricane,

drown my tears in the rain and becoming one with it,

It's all water soaking the soul.

Love

V

bond of rain, salt and friendship

Days become months,

years turn into a decade,

friendship,

squabbles,

ruins,

veil of intrigue,

ruffled by the wind,

separated by chasm of time,

people evolve,

grow,

soldiering in the face of adversity,

wearing bruises on the soul,

scars melt into blood,

bond cemented,

purity remain eternal,

love,

relationships,

emotions,

conquer the moments,

before it dies,

a kiss shall never melt,

why would relationships?

flawless days reside within us,

a magnet,

attracting divine beauty,

alluring pathways,

of laughter,

smoking up,

count the grain of rain and sand.

Spirited lime

Sweet and sour lime,

darkness and light,

between hope and despair,

lies the infinite alley,

stillness,

mind’s vagaries,

tornado,

swinging to happiness,

is it too much to ask?

pedestal of ego,

illusion of time and space,

closure embedded in imagination,

truth is lie foretold,

yearning for fruit of passion,

chasing dreams,

an endless road,

replete with blocks and thorns,

 laughter doesn't harm,

momentary joy,

offering high spirited fodder for thought.

Five ways to kick the morning alive

 1. Drink a warm glass of water

Warm water carries multiple health benefits such as weight loss, melting excess fat taken in the body and help improving blood circulation or metabolism. Make it a daily routine to stay in good health and match the waves of the mind and body at a regular frequency by gulping warm water, first thing in the morning.

2. Meditation

You don't need to do penance to attain moksha but find a comfortable corner in the house or room. Settle yourself and gently close the eyes for five minutes, go blank or visualize nature, birds, sky and stars. It helps in listening to the signs conveyed by the body, listen to them and be one with yourself for the small exercise reign in peace for the day. Calm is one amazing application that you can install if you are an i-phone user and it's pure bliss which takes you on an adventure spree, with the gentle music like tapping of rain, river or story narration making you travel the world, adding to the beauty of meditation.

3. Reading

There is no better way to start the morning than reading pages from a book, poetry or good news on the internet which is rare nowadays in mediums pocked with fake and negative news. One has to be choosy and pick good stuff that soothe or magically cures the soul. Take your pick for reading healthy or productive stuff is the best mental morning exercise for the brain.

4. Practice yoga

I don't practice yoga every single day but it would be ideal to devote 20 to 30 minutes a day which helps in shaping one's mind and body to flush out the inner demons of negativity on which we have no control. Yoga has multiple benefits that restore balance in a person and bring stillness, combat stress or guard against various ailments such as pain, diabetes or cholesterol. Yoga takes you into a magical universe where there is no ground for complaint and lifestyle can't get better than that.

5. Talk to a friend

Close friends are our therapy. We need no medication but the bond of friendship forged over time is the love syrup in the form of a hearty conversation send us into high spirit and makes us gleam like a teen, about anything right from past memory, moment of joy, silly jokes, dude talk, babe talk, sharing naughty jokes or going on an intense philosophy terrain. There is no limit among friends who are our world.

Love
V

Five things to do in the rains

The heavy monsoon that continues unabated for hours, days or week puts you under house arrest and helpless on seeing the plans go kaput. No choice but to stay in the room or house to watch the sea waves crashing, tide rising and heavy wind bursting out.

1. Read a good book. Rain serves as a good excuse to drench knee deep not in the water but the world of fiction, from mushy rom-com to a terrific thriller that offers fodder for thought in swaying into the untold universe and also pushing you to pen a good fiction, making a writer out of nothing in us.

2. Pen a short story. Love to dabble into fiction to curate content on the blog or doing a collection of shorties! Rain is the savior to make you not only a writer but concocts the perfect temperature of cold, breeze and the silent corner. What better to sit all by oneself in a soothing set up, enjoy the pitter-patter of water falling on your window sills to sketch characters as you are trapped in the monsoon.

3.  Get high on booze. Monsoon is the perfect time to get high on alcohol by calling a few friends at home or on your own downing pegs to treasure your blessed life, reflecting on every small thing or be at peace. Rain and alcohol go together with light music in giving wings to conquer your dreams. Go and conquer the world.

4. Take a dip. A blissful season and no, I am not telling to throw your airplane designed stomach or round body in the sea but it's unadulterated fun to thrust away the black umbrellas famous during the Mumbai monsoon. Let the hair down, drench yourself from top-to-toe by walking barefoot at Marine Drive, Gateway of India or Haji Ali. You cannot miss the mad Mumbai monsoon as the body is ballooned by the force of the wind for the first brush of rain makes a memory tale etched forever in the mind.

5.  Mad mad love. Intimate caress, rain and the cold that wafts in will make your partner long and crave for your skin as you indulge in passionate love, not holding yourself as both breaks all limits, witnessed by the mighty rain spreading havoc outside. The best time to make love and kiss intensely is during the monsoon and who knows it might get distracted.

Love

Cauldron of emotions

Beads tinkling,

a lil whisper here and there,

of colors and vibrant palette,

curled shaped flames,

feel the vibration,

listen to the voice,

the eye,

never lies,

cauldron of emotions,

lies in the psyche,

a battle between good vs evil.

march ahead,

soldier,

never ignore the voice,

gentle,

scary,

at the same time,

running from one's shadow,

is never an option.

Seven things about attractive women

 1. A girl's simplicity in the way she smiles plays with the tresses and gently tapping one on the shoulder is a recipe for instant love like 2 PM Maggi noodle.



2.  Easy demeanor in walking, sitting and effortlessly fiddling with the hands is charm personified and a major turn on.


3. Calm and composed voice in a woman is naturally sexy with childlike innocence and the way she weighs her words with gentleness gives confidence to the opposite sex. A tale of spark, conviction and gentleness at the same time.


4. Breaking the ice comes easy to some women and not flinching while speaking to plain strangers or men like us make us feel like knowing each other since ages.  I love such women to death, who are born with easy going features which makes for lifelong friendships.



5. I've never been good with signs that tell about a woman interested in a man but love how some special girls play around with their hair which may mean nothing but adds to their charm and elegance.



6. Confidence and aura make a girl unique.  The special ones glib comfortably in a short skirt, saree or a pair of jeans is a tale of kick ass and out of the world beauty that forces respect and admiration.



7.  Intellect cannot be left behind when it comes to a woman and it's one trait making them super attractive to discuss everything under the sun, gulping coffee and midnight talks going beyond intimacy. Nothing in a world beats a thought-provoking and deep passionate conversation with a woman making it a hot affair and an intoxication of level minded people conversing at the tipping point.

10 Things I Love about Mumbai!

Mumbai isn't just a city but a way of life catching humans in rustic form and whipping them to near perfection. The city defines its inhabitants giving them nerves of steel for life and lessons that make for resilience in Maximum City. No boring moment for the average Mumbaikar not restricted to living to the Clift's or razor's edge but lingering the extreme in the city off limits.

1. Books on the pavement

One cannot imagine Mumbai without books on the pavement which may not be available for cheap now but remember lapping for 40 bucks at Churchgate just outside the station. I have hoarded quite a treasure trove now and a field time to explore the universe of books on the roads.

2. Ek chalis ki last local

Our lifeline, local trains and what would the Mumbaikar do without them! The slow and fast trains that take us from one end of the city to the other is not just a journey but a way of life for everyone in exploring fellow humans, watching the skyscrapers, old decayed buildings or slums from a distance as the scenery flits past us. Of course, hopping from one station to the other, wriggling past the human sweat in the jampacked locals at any time of the day is never a dull or expensive manner. The world saves you if you miss the last local at 1.40 a.m.

3. Bun Maska and cutting chai at midnight

Hungry stomach crawling at night! Police bandobast but also khana bandobast. The yummy and delicious bun maska and watching the knife slything effortlessly to paste jelly and butter fills the stomach in the wee hours. Cutting chai and maska quench the hunger panged stomach to heavenly bliss outside the railway station makes Mumbai a never-ending love affair as you stand in the hot summer watching the huge buildings and vehicles in the dark to treasure the moments.

4. Queen's necklace

The best thing about South Mumbai at night is to gaze at the tiny dot of lights sprawling from Nariman Point to Chowpatty which makes it a glittery affair. You feel like catching the stars in the night and provide fodder to your thought in the lonely nights.

5. Spotting celebrities

From JW Mariott to Bandra Bandstand and Marine Drive, hordes of celebrities can be spotted, often getting a glimpse of film stars shooting atop double-decker buses. I often saw Anil Ambani jogging at the promenade early morning in South Bombay and met Anupam Kher at Oxford Bookshop, or spotted Perizaad Zorabian at Gaylord, both Priyanka Chopra and Bobby Deol shooting on the double-decker. You can make your Sundays eventful standing at Bandstand where SRK waves to fan or Amitabh Bachchan greeting admirers gone frenzy in front of his bungalow at Jalsa in Juhu.

6. Pubs

There is no dearth of pubs, from Cafe Mondegar, Sports Express Bar or Leopold Cafe in Colaba catching up to guzzle beer with friends or watching cricket matches. The pocket needn't wear a hole and take a walk behind the cool pubs and Gokul is just a walk away near Gateway of India. There is not anyone staying in Mumbai who hasn't gone to shady Gokul to have drinks.

7. Simply Theater

In this age of multiplex mushrooming in the city, typical theaters with comfortable wooden seats of the likes Eros, Liberty, New Excelsior and Regal gives the feel of seethis and thalis living the good, old rustic experience of movies, masti and magic. Nothing can beat the exuberance and joy of watching a movie in the theater. Mumbai offers a unique charm of what is called a true movie watching experience.

8. Language OK

Language unites its people and Mumbai shows you how to speak issstyle se, Mamu. It's a melting pot where the people can easily flit from speaking posh English to effortless slide into Hindi and Marathi adding to the city's sheen and not just horns but language OK. It shows there is no outsider in the city.

9. Food haven

Mumbai is a food haven and there is no dearth of surplus on your thali. Outside Mumbai University at Fort, Puri and bhaji was readily available for 10 to 15 bucks and man that fills the stomach to the brink or the Bombay sandwich for 40 bucks. Of course, I am speaking about a long time back and I am sure the price hasn't skyrocketed that much. Bade Miya is another popular and much-frequented place in Colaba. I was never fond of the place which is not only overpriced but overrated. One of the best places to eat at Colaba within budget is at Baghdadi, particularly if you swear by non-veg, a jumbo naan and beef fry masala for less than 50 bucks.

 10. Rejuvenating in nature

The lush greenery and huge green trees bending its mind offers stillness and soothes the mind at Kalina campus, University of Mumbai. Pure magic to break free in the gateway or recluse environment far away from the city yet sitting in the belly of the world that never stops. During my initial days, I remember sitting on the bench at night after 6 p.m to read and be surrounded by nature. This feeling cannot be expressed and just listening to the birds singing or leaves falling on the ground brings peace to the soul. The long walks at the campus with tree shade caressing the building and its people is spiritual bliss. The Fort campus is another favorite campus where I'd spend hours cuddling between giant trees, flowers and fresh air, walking with my notes in hand on the grass. Sitting at Barista in Shivaji Park, Dadar or Bandstand and the breeze wafts to kiss the face and hair fluttering with trees adorned on both sides of the road takes you in the sway of the pure cosmic form in a crowded and crazy city. Mumbai offers everything from the crowd, to peace and retreat for energizing the mind and soul.

Tears on the sleeve

Strange and complex,

nuanced feelings,

pain,

wound,

heartbreak,

playfulness,

the mind is a cornucopia of dancing bees,

unbridled excitement,

unusual happiness,

hopeless romantic,

i fall down,

wear tears on the sleeve,

hide emotions,

vent out,

fail miserably,

hiding in my shelf,

baring the soul open,

cheat on the self,

listen to the inner voice,

whispers in the ear,

donning the garb of a narcissist,

erect a wall to  protect the self,

break into tiny shards,

collect every shred of the soul,

indulge in the extreme,

 to blow the mind,

keep walking,

forget the defeat or the exuberance.