Fade In Fade Out!A Story by Chinmay ChakravartyWhat is reality?Chapter
1 We checked into a guest
house of the academic institution after eight in the evening. Somehow, at that
particular moment I couldn’t remember the exact details of our journey, the
mode or modes of transport and other details; but just concentrated on getting
settled in the room. Why I was there that too I didn’t quite bother about.
However, since my colleague came along with me I was confident enough that it
was an official trip. That it was a bit odd to not remember anything about the
trip or the purpose of the visit didn’t cross my mind either.
The room was rectangular
and looked fine, a little more spacious than a standard hotel rooms. From the
entrance, on the left segment of the room there was the double bed; on the left
side of the bed there was a sliding glass-paned window giving a view to the
front side of the guest house; a cupboard at the corner opposite the bed; on
the right there was a table with three wooden cushioned chairs and beyond that
there was the door to the rest room. I got curious when I saw another closed
door on the left side of the rest room door, that is to say, on the farthest
right hand corner from the entrance. From the design of the floor I was sure
that the additional door couldn’t connect to another room. I decided to find
out later what that interesting door led to. There was one more window on the
right side from entrance; all curtains were drawn across since the AC was put
on.
My colleague Srijay asked
me repeatedly if I was comfortable and if I needed something more. Getting
assured from my answers he left for his room, reminding me to order supper
positively before ten o’clock at which time the limited dining facility closed
down for the night. I saw him to the door thanking him for his concern. As I
closed the door, suddenly, I felt someone’s presence in the room. I whirled
around to my left, and for a moment I was paralyzed with an uncanny feeling.
Standing before the drawn
curtains of the window a short, stocky and dark-skinned boy smiled up at me. I
stared at him, nothing coming out of my frozen vocal cords. The boy grinned at
me and said, “Sir...you must’ve forgotten
me! Why...I was the room service when you came here last time!” Yes, I came here earlier
too, but somehow I couldn’t place that boy, not able to remember if I met him
last time. More than that I was very much occupied with the thought about how
he got in. The attendant left after putting my luggage in order, and no one
came after that; I was there with Srijay only. The fact that my mind was
already a little blurred I took special care now to put things in proper focus,
and my mind started racing which was interrupted by the boy again. “Sir, don’t
worry...you’ll remember later, of course. Please call room service if you need
anything...and I’ll come again” With that the boy unlocked the door, went out
and closed it from outside, all in a languid motion.
I stood there motionless
for some time. Finally, I forcibly put it out of my mind, and at the same time
I decided to explore everything about the room. Immediately I headed for the
interesting door past the rest room. I moved the door knob giving it a mild
push to know if it was locked from the other side.
Chapter
2
No, it wasn’t. I pushed
further and the door opened into a rather congested space giving the impression
of some sort of a store room. But, why was a store room attached to the main
room? Such a facility was never offered in any hotel or guest house I stayed in
the last few years. The room had some old wooden furniture and few wooden racks
scattered here and there. Straight ahead there was another door, and I moved
towards it to find out what was lying beyond, my curiosity at the peak now. As
I neared the door something moved on my right. There was a big old wooden rack
covered fully with a white sheet from top to bottom, and below the bottom shelf
the cloth was hurriedly pulled inside. Someone must be hiding under it! I got
really scared now, a chill running down my spine.
“Who the hell is there?”
I shouted at the top of my voice. Nothing happened for a few moments. And then,
the cloth was thrown aside, and there emerged the frame of a frail old lady
with dark complexion, unkempt hair, sunken eyes and protruding cheekbones
glaring at me, and in a flash trying to jump on me.
She called out in a sick
shrill, “Give me money...give me food...now...or... I’ll devour you up, you
wicked man!” More in fright than the danger of a physical assault I
instinctively rushed towards the door as the sickly woman charged after me. In
a flash I opened the door, pushed the rushing figure through it and locked it
from inside. I had no time to see what lay beyond that door as I planned to
earlier. I’ve locked this door, and now I’ll keep that ‘interesting’ door of my
room permanently locked, never bothering about it, but I’ll surely report this
matter to the manager, I promised myself.
Outside the door the
shrill rose to a crescendo now, and I hurriedly turned around heading back for
my room. I took only a few steps when I heard a scratching noise slowly rising
in volume. I whirled around again, looking at the door. Someone was trying to
crush open the door. Who could it be? That frail lady couldn’t possibly emit so
much force? I stood there transfixed. The scratching became a hammering now.
The door started shaking violently.
Chapter
3
My God...it was giving
away, I watched in horror! The top door hinge was almost gone; the middle one
was getting jerked uncontrollably. If that gave away the single-piece door
would come off. I must do something now...and fast.
Instinctively again, I
rushed towards the door. My plan was to push the door out along with the
intruder to the other side, possibly crushing her or him under the door, then
rush back to the room, locking the ‘interesting’ door securely and call
reception. Only one factor was beyond my control, I didn’t know what lay beyond
that door, and what was the number of my foes, only the lady or more... I did as I planned. I
managed to push the door free of its hinges to the wrong side outside. However,
the falling door failed to crush anyone under its weight. To my surprise and
horror, I found only that frail old sick lady outside, and she dexterously succeeded
in wriggling herself out of the falling door.
Eyes blazing, breathing
venom, hair and hands flailing and shrieking wildly, the woman was kind of dancing
in a seizure of insanity. “Give me money...give me food...you crooked fool!” I
failed to retreat inside, as if paralyzed by the spectacular dance of insanity
in front of me, trying in vain to analyze what it was all about. I lost a few
precious moments in the process. In those seconds the wild cavorting spectacle
in deadly throes took hold of a small iron table, and came rushing to hit me. I
pulled my mind out of wondering about how she could come to possess so much of
energy, so ominously potent, and insisted, concentrated on my next crucial
move.
My self-defense mechanism
now geared to the attacking mode as I moved out in the open trying to run
around her, eluding her, trying to tire her out and to catch the most opportune
moment to deactivate her. For the first time I was aware that it was an open
space, like a backyard, and there were few building blocks surrounding the
space. There were some heads and voices too in the lighted balconies of some
blocks, but no one tried to intervene or help either of us. You cannot expect
anything from these zombies; at the most they will take out their mobiles, take
selfies and enjoy, I mused bitterly as I ran around the space with the spectre
giving a relentless chase. “Give me money...give me food...you wretched devil!”
Perhaps there came a
divine intervention. In that seemingly endless run and chase, one moment came
to me when she was close enough to me on my right, about to turn around to
confront me. I accepted that moment like the proverbial straw; caught hold of
her and the iron table using both of my hands, gave her an almighty shove and
ran headlong towards my room, through the broken door and through that enigmatic
door. Unnaturally powerful as she was, the frail lady could not take it this
time, reeling, cursing and falling with a thud at the farthest side of the
space, the iron table on top of her. That gave me good enough time to seal my
protection.
I activated all the locks
available on that mysterious door, and sat down on the bed panting, with a rush
of blood to my head. Shrill shrieks of the insane woman could no longer be
heard now. However, at this particular moment things again got a little
blurred, I had no idea at all why. At that particular moment I should have done
the most obvious thing: call up reception, report that emergency and urge them
to take immediate preventive steps. But instead, I only felt pangs of hunger in
my belly, and thought only about taking necessary steps to satiate that. I
looked at my watch. Oh God...it was quarter past ten, no point calling the
canteen now, I thought despondently.
My mobile phone rang. In
the commotion I totally forgot about my phone which was lying abandoned at the
bedside table. Now, that lively gadget somehow brought me a little closer to
reality, it seemed. It was Srijay flashing on the screen as I answered it. “Sir, have you taken your
supper? Are you already in bed?” “Neither. I forgot to
order on time. Few odd things happening here that I’ll tell you tomorrow at
leisure. For the moment I am famished and I don’t know what to do! No vehicle
available to venture out to the town.” “Sorry to hear that, Sir.
Anyway, don’t worry. There is a joint, reasonably good, nearby. From the main
entrance of the guest house turn right and you’ll find it a hundred meters
away. I’ll accompany you if you want.” “Thanks a lot, Srijay.
No...No..., you take rest. I’ll manage. Good night, see you tomorrow.”
Chapter
4
For good or bad I was not
sure at that time, my hunger pangs got the better of me submerging my earlier
queer experiences into an understanding with reality. How I came out of the
guest house without confronting anyone in the reception I didn’t give a thought
to that time and nor could I remember now. The whys and how’s in my narrative
were still refusing to reveal themselves, to my utter helplessness.
Anyway, I exited from the
guest house gate and turned right as instructed. The scenario puzzled me quite
a lot. As I remembered from my earlier visit or visits the guest house was
located in a small township of the institution with a main road, and classrooms
and administrative blocks and staff quarters scattered around with open spaces
in-between lined with trees. Coming outside now, I found several other roads
connecting to the main road, and lots of lighted shopping or eating enclosures
all around. However, there were lonely stretches of maybe hundred meters each
on either side of the guest house. I
even found distant hills silhouetting a dim skyline opposite the guest house
which was definitely not there when I came last. Queer thoughts creeping in
again I quickened my steps towards the eatery...
The eatery
seemed to me as an Italian joint with largely fast food items most of which
were not even known to me. People were crowding, leaning and craning over the
counter for buying order coupons, since it was a self-service
restaurant. However, to my surprise, there was hardly any noise, an eerie
silence prevailed. Surprisingly too, members of the student community were
missing conspicuously. Of course, I could never be sure about differentiating a
young man from a student, it was only subjective. For my comfort, if it did
matter, most of the customers were young. As I approached the
counter for a look-in at the items available the nagging thought came to me
again: since checking in I didn’t call my wife even once informing her of my
whereabouts, even though I wanted to tell her first thing after arrival; but
somehow, I never cared to take up the mobile and dial her number. Let me order
the food first and then I’ll call her, I assured myself again.
I looked for the menu,
but there was none; only names of some dishes were scribbled on the black board
behind the counter. I squeezed my eyes to focus on the items, but could not
read properly, and the real problem was I was not at all sure what ingredients
those dishes were made of. I looked here and there for some kind of help and
guidance. My eyes riveted on a small boy, in early teens, standing in front of
a table in the eating area beckoning to me to him. I found him too young for a
waiter, and immediately, warned myself that he could be part of a racket to
fleece vulnerable customers. So I decided to ignore him, and pushed my way
through to the man behind the counter.
I asked him for a menu
card or to tell me about the ingredients used in making various items on
display. He looked at me a bit oddly, called someone from the backside, and
instructed me to follow the man for the advisory. The man was tall and had an
athletic build with bulging biceps, chest muscles threatening to tear through
the light T-shirt he wore. He sized me up haughtily, and ordered me to follow
him. Is he going to take me to the kitchen, I wondered.
I followed him obediently
as he walked by the side of the restaurant that led to a wooden staircase. He
climbed briskly up the stairs and I had trouble keeping track of him as lots of
people were either going up or coming down the stairs. We arrived at a broad
spacious wooden platform crowded with people scattered here and there. I froze
as I managed to take a closer look.
Chapter
5
Most of the people there
were physically deformed or poor beggars or both. I guessed some of them could
be leprosy affected too. They were lying on the floor in helpless sprawls
making odd noises. Some of them were moaning, some crying and some shrieking
out in agony, ‘Help us...help us...help us...!’ Some other able-bodied guys
were trudging through the fleshy spread of human bodies, examining them, taking
photos...but making no effort to help them in any way.
My moment of the
paralysing shock cost me dearly. I lost track of the muscular guy. He seemed to
have vanished into thin air. How is it possible, how a bulky bodybuilder like
him can just vanish like that, I had a sense of panic rising within me. There
was no exit from the platform on the other side as there were brick walls
around with a few wooden windows strewn here and there, mostly closed; any
visitor must use the same staircase for departing too. Now, the disfigured, the
agonized and the helpless bodies on the floor suddenly became aware of me
standing there uncertainly, and their noises began to be directed at me. I
shook myself out of my mental paralysis, and started looking for a quick
escape.
Luckily, I did not lose
my way and the staircase was still there. I almost ran toward it and plummeted
down the steps like a cursed shooting star. An overwhelming sense of relief
flooded my whole self as I arrived back at the front side of the restaurant.
With relief the hunger
pangs returned too. As I contemplated my next move I noticed a person, dressed
in a civilized manner and bespectacled, taking a lot of interest in me and was
coming towards me. I took him for a professor of the institute, and was not at
all averse to meeting him. In fact, I
thought, a local professor could be a very good guide for me. I waited for him
to join me. He was lean and of medium
height; smiling eyes behind the glasses and black curly hair. He said to me immediately,
“Hello, you seem to be a
stranger in this part of the globe, I suppose! I’m Akhter, a businessman from
Mumbai.” So he was not a local
professor and an equal stranger like me, I thought dully. I said to him loud, “Well, not exactly. I
visited this place earlier also, but this time I’m finding it a little strange.
Anyway, I’m Hridayesh from Kolkata. Nice meeting you!” we shook hands. “You look a bit ruffled
up! are you in some sort of trouble?” he asked. “I know this place well. Tell
me, I can help you out.”
I told him about my
predicament finding a supper. He took me to a nearby shop, bought cigarettes,
lighted his and offered me one. I politely refused. He relaxed, making me relax
too. We continued our conversation, but I lost track of the thread apart from
the fact that he promised to take me to a good food joint. After finishing his
f*g he asked me to come with him. We hit the main road and walked in the
direction which I thought took us farther away from the guest house. This time
I felt confident of finally quashing my hunger protests. A few yards on the
main road we turned right towards a lane, and at the end of the lane I could
see an illuminated restaurant. His steps became quicker as I followed him in...
Chapter
6
The one-storied longish
block housed a store on our right and a restaurant cum bar on the left. The
kitchen was most probably located behind the store, because I saw several
waiters coming out with loaded trays and some going in perhaps for more food
orders. My friend seemed to have locked his eyes with big-bellied elderly
manager at the cash counter which served both the bar and the store. Suddenly,
Akhter began shaking in excitement. “This is a decent place,
have your drinks and food in comfort,” he said to me. “I must go now. Sorry not
to be with you. Because I must have a one-night-stand with my packets...” and
with these strange words he vanished behind the store...
I stood there for some
time, not knowing what to make of the words just uttered by my erstwhile
friend, and what to do next. However, I decided to do the most sensible thing
at that moment. I went in heading for the bar. As I pushed my way through the
revolving glass doors I came to a standstill again, looking at the spectacle.
The bar was spacious,
rectangular in size, with a full glass sidewall giving a view of the street
outside and a wood-panelled wall on the other side. To my utter surprise and
shock, the whole interior was filled with thick layers of smoke rising up to
the false ceiling. How on earth are they allowed to smoke inside, I thought in
dismay; my mind taking an overview of all the steps taken by the public
authorities in recent years to save people from exposure to passive smoking.
What amazed me next were the customers there.
Most of them were young
boys and girls. Almost everyone was smoking, throwing out rings of smoke
upwards. Some were looking up squealing in ecstasy while a few others were bent
over the tables, jerky and sneezing; some were staring around with total
disinterest and glazed eyes; some were either howling or moaning or croaking or
plain crying and some others were swaying from side to side in their merriment
with their bodies hitting or brushing against other bodies. I didn’t take long
to understand what was going on.
It was obviously a drug bar,
and I was astounded as to how this could be done so openly and in such a brazen
manner. My first impulse was to dial the police, if any, in this strange place;
but somehow, my mobile phone and I became poles apart in the hailstorm of
twists so far. A few addicts became aware of me standing uncertainly in front
of the entrance, and they stared at me, as if trying to evaluate me; a few
seemed to jeer at me while some others communicated to me pitifully, ‘give us
sustenance...give us sustenance...please!” My amazement fast giving way to fear
I made a hasty retreat.
Chapter
7
Out of the bar, I walked
disoriented and aimless for a few minutes, not at all bothered about the
streets or the landscape or the skyline. Suddenly again, I found myself in
front of a restaurant which, to my great relief, looked like a traditional one
with two rows of neatly arranged desks and chairs, and normal-looking waiters
moving around taking orders from customers scrutinizing the menus. However,
something else was waiting for me inside.
As I entered the open
doorway heading for an empty table, the manager behind the cash counter ejected
himself out in great speed, and walking past me slapped a waiter busy taking
orders unawares; he repeated his unprecedented acts on three other waiters,
slapping them with fury and vehemence. As I was destined that night, I stood
transfixed there, one more time. Now, the manager was shouting like a madman.
There was a moment of
absolute silence in the restaurant following the manager’s acts, with the customers
and staff alike stunned and immobilized. From the incoherent words of the manager
I surmised that sometime back the hotel owner’s daughter with a few of her
friends visited the restaurant for dinner, and one or more waiters misbehaved
with them, not knowing their credentials or simply ignoring them. The daughter
and group left in a huff, and the manager got a resounding bashing from the
owner over phone. So he acted upon it immediately. However, before his actions
fully justified his fury something more dramatic happened.
Three goons with guns
ready and pointed in their hands entered the restaurant. One of them stood
guarding the entrance, one aimed his gun point-black at the manager’s head and
the third one took position at the rear end. And I was like a duck sitting
pretty amid the strangest scenario. This cannot go on any longer as far as my
safety is concerned, I decided. I was an accidental bystander and therefore,
there was no reason why I should compromise my safety. I started moving towards
the entrance slowly as a heated exchange of words was taking place between the
manager and the gun-toting goons.
Chapter
8
I almost made it. But
unfortunately, just at the final moment of exit I accidentally brushed against
the goon standing there, and his gun fell to the ground. Before the goon could
react to that I acted impulsively, and with a good presence of mind. I
instantly stooped down, picked up the gun and handed it over to him with a
sweet smile. The bewildered thug also managed a grin, and as I made my last
move to exit he said to me in a rather paralyzing perplexity, “You gotta be a
good man! But many good guys gotta die sooner than others! Nah..?” he hollered
in great merriment over his own humor.
“Enjoy the night, goodbye!” I smiled weakly back at him and slowly moved
out. The goon leaned out of the entrance to watch me, still giggling.
About twenty yards ahead
the road turned right, and if I were able to round that corner I would finally
move out of his sight. I watched many movies and read many thrillers where the
villains appeared to be very suave, sophisticated and benevolent, but at the
climax they used to murder the victims mercilessly. Those twenty yards seemed
to be an eternity as I started moving slowly ahead, measuring every step and at
the same time keeping an absolute outward calm. The imminent probability that
he might put a bullet through my back any time was a horrific thought that
refused to leave my mind.
Nothing happened for
about ten yards. I quickened my pace only by a fraction now so that it didn’t
get noticed, suppressing my extreme desire to break into a dead run, and just
vanish round the corner...and escape...
Two yards more to
overcome...and I would be a free man, at least for the time being. I could no
longer hear his laughter and dared not look back. Perhaps he really appreciated
my gesture in not using the opportunity offered by the falling gun; that he was
only joking about ‘good guys’ and that he was not going to shoot me down at
all. On the other hand, had any murders taken place at the hotel afterward I
would have been a prime witness as I had seen all three thugs from close
quarters. In that eventuality I would remain a marked man for eternity. But
there was no way to know it for a certainty. Anyway, it would be very clear
very soon.
I nearly stopped at the
final point of the curve, gripped by persisting tension and fear. Taking an
instant resolve to make the final dash to escape I rounded the turning
successfully. No shots rang out in the air. And then I ran...I ran like a
rabbit in pursuit, releasing the built-up tension and relishing my escape. Surprisingly,
I never got out of breath; running at that kind of break-neck speed seemed
effortless for me. I didn’t bother about that. What I bothered about was to
forego my supper, get back to the guest house at any cost and sleep out that
horrible night.
Chapter
9
And I lost my way. The
landscape was entirely different; it seemed to be a forest road with dense
overgrowth on both sides, and I had no indicators to find my way back to the
guest house. Suddenly, I confronted a steep rise in the road ahead. I stopped running
and started climbing, again effortlessly. As I reached the highest point of the
incline I stopped, and looked ahead expectantly. However, a new world was
waiting to greet me in.
There opened before me
the vast expanse of modernity, a big city with multi-lane brilliantly-lit
streets, flyovers, high rises, shopping malls and hundreds and hundreds of
vehicles moving both ways. I was stunned, utterly failing to react. Basically
because I never expected such a spectacle, and after being confronted with that
I found absolutely no clue to recognize that city which seemed to have
materialized out of nowhere. I never knew the existence of such a big city so
near to the town of our known guest house. That was another point that night
when my mind was finally about to get out of control. So I applied all the
common sense available to me, and decided to act to the best of my interest.
I moved along the street
controlling my intense urge to ask the faceless pedestrians the name of the
city. Perhaps my ego prevented me from doing that, because I was supposed to be
a frequent traveler, at least within India, and it was utterly insulting for
me to not have any idea about a huge city just a walk away from my latest
destination. I also reasoned inside my mind that I would find out very soon.
My expectations soared as
I saw a sprawling bus station my right which to my mind seemed to be an
inter-state bus terminus. I quickly crossed over to the other side of the road,
and entered the campus looking for the ticket counters with possible names of
stations or destinations. I got angry, frustrated and depressed at not being
able to find any indicator that could have satiated my quest. I stood still in
the middle of the expansive concrete floor, not knowing what to do. I thought
of queuing up in a counter and talk to the booking clerk; but what would I ask
him having no idea where I was or where I was to go. I could be an absolute
laughing stock; I decided to drop the idea.
Chapter
10
Somebody called me out
from behind sending a cold chill down my spine. For some time, I stood frozen,
not daring to look back, not able to move a muscle, such was the shock and
surprise inherent in that sound. Because the sound was very familiar; it had
been an integral part of me; it was inseparable from me; there was no way to not
recognize that sound. It was my wife, my dearest life-partner of more than
twenty years, calling me out in her sweet tone.
Finally, I whirled
around, and there she stood, smiling bovinely at me, with no mark of any
tension or surprise or anxiety or indignation or sentiment. It was I who
started having most of these emotions. What the heck she was doing there? Why
she was there? I left her at home hale and hearty only last evening, and
suddenly, she stood there before me like an apparition. Again I had to apply
full control so that my already tortured mind did not go raving out. Her
calmness and naturalness also had an impact on my future course of action.
I decided to act normally
too. Of course, I asked her what she was doing there to which she gave some
incoherent reply, and I decided against pursuing it. Instead, we walked
together toward a marble bench carved out of the side wall of the building, and
sat down talking about nothing in particular. And then my mind started talking,
talking rapid, and raging insane.
My
mind racing, I look around aimlessly. My wife is sitting quietly beside me,
fiddling with her mobile phone, reclining against the hard back-rest. Suddenly,
my mind concentrates on our present situation. How long we had been sitting
there? Did I doze off there for some time? If it happened like that did I dream
about all the recent happenings? But how could that be; because we do not
understand our present situation nor we know about our purpose of being there.
And then, if indeed I dreamed, had I woken up now? There is no way I could be
sure of my wakefulness.
In
a bid to bring about my deemed wakefulness I start pinching myself hard and
harder, try shaking up my hands and legs; but nothing happens. Is this then an
out-of-the-body experience? If it is so, then where is my existential body? I
can still look at my physical self positioned there with my physical,
seemingly, wife by my side. However, as I just narrated, I am unable to get my
body back to the deemed reality, by pinching, shaking up or lifting my body
parts. At a sudden thought I try to touch my mobile phone tucked in my pocket, and lo, I could still take it
out and look at it; but I cannot dial any number or don’t remember any number.
A scary thought creeps into my mind at that point of time.
Few
years back I read a thrilling supernatural novel where the protagonist tried
the out-of-the-body experience, and he succeeded in doing so. He was having a
great time moving around like a wavy tuft of air seeing and meeting all kinds
of characters without the earthly touch. All well so far for him as per the
novel; but when the protagonist had had enough and wanted to re-enter his body,
he was unable to do so. He was really getting desperate, looking for all kinds
of possible solutions. To my consternation, I can no longer remember how he got
back into his body in the novel, if he did.
Am
I in a similar kind of situation? Sense of trepidation rising within me, I try
to cough up an earthly conversation with an unusually quiet wife, smiling at
her, cajoling and teasing her. A cold sweat seems to have accumulated all over
my body when my attempts miserably fail to elicit any response from her. I then
try to relax pushing myself against the hard marble back-rest of the bench, and
surprisingly, I can feel my back touching it. What the hell is happening with
me?
I
now decide to get into a mood of surrendering, absolutely; giving myself up to
whatever force is really or virtually controlling me. Wait and watch; be
vigilant and alert to any possibility that may finally convert me back into a
reality I always knew. I start thinking fervently.
Of
course, hope refuses to die down. This cannot be so utterly meaningless.
Something is bound to happen, for the good, I suppose. Perhaps I am sleeping
physically somewhere, and very soon I am going to wake up and find everything
normal and earthy. Perhaps not, and in that eventuality I am in for more
adventures in my so-called ethereal self, if at all. Again, I indulge myself in
violent body movements and shake-ups; but to no avail. I look at my wrist
watch, but time holds no value or meaning for me at this time. I look at my
wife; she seems to be in a daze. I think of God. Save our souls, oh Lord! I
start the act of surrendering to Him all over again. Hope trickles in once more. I try to inculcate it in a most positive way. I read a lot of books on powers of positive thinking earlier, and many times succeeded in visualizing situations that were definitely unknown to my conscious knowledge. I start trying hard, keeping up that spirit. I get up, take few steps here and there, and again come back to the bench with my wife. There are still a lot of people, maybe passengers, moving around in the area, but nobody seems to take any notice of us, and I also feel no urge at all talking to any of them. Don’t know why. Maybe something real is going to happen very soon! Because, I assure myself, hope is always real. © 2022 Chinmay ChakravartyAuthor's Note
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Added on February 2, 2022 Last Updated on February 2, 2022 Tags: Supernatural, reality, dreams, hallucinations, surrealism, existential AuthorChinmay ChakravartyMumbai, Western , IndiaAboutHailing from a writers’ family in Assam, Chinmay Chakravarty has been writing since his school days. A post-graduate from the Delhi School of Economics, he started his career as a freelance jour.. more..Writing
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