chapter1

A Chapter by theopenbook

Chapter 1

We both froze as she saw me.

I saw a girl while she saw a floating transparent being and it was impossible to measure the magnitude of her shock.

She must be someone with the Sight. I told myself; after all they are the only beings that can see us besides the newly converted humans who were previously souls.

But my rational mind begged to differ because,people with the Sight don’t get shocked at seeing transparent floating beings because they are used to seeing souls since they were little kids.

“Oh my god." her voice was small and distant and i feverishly hoped that she won't faint here in front of me.

“Look I-” I started but she started shaking her head.

“I know i am going mad, with all this new responsibilities and school and homework and everything, i rarely sleep. Meesha was right i am going mad.”

She said and then hurriedly turned around and stated walking back. But before she turned round the corridor she looked back at me and then shook her head once more and disappeared out of sight.

And all the while i just stared open-mouthed and my mind whirled into a whirlpool because just a minute ago a human girl saw the invisible me.

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Later I remembered that I had seen her before.

My friend Ritesh, who was now a newly converted human, had joined this crazy art club because of a girl he had a crush on. And i was there one day scaring the hell out of Ritesh by creeping on him from behind every time he went over to talk to that girl. And while enduring one of his lame death threats i had laughed aloud and this girl who was sitting in a group had suddenly looked over as if she had heard me.

And that is impossible because no one can see or hear us except those with the Sight and the newly converted humans.

I had ignored that at that time and had never even considered it, but then today that girl had seen me, talked to me, and that was not something that happens every day.

And I knew there had to be some rational answer to this unusual happening. And i knew where to find it.

Soul gatherings were probably the best part I found about this life of mine. When i was a human, my parents’ didn’t socialise much. They were kind of people who kept to themselves even on the festivals. Then, it often drove me and my sister crazy.

But in this world which was called Somewhere in Between, socialising was something that was a must.

Every week on the day, which was recognised by the humans as the only day in the week which meant as holiday for everyone, all the wandering souls would come together at this place between the two spheres of life and would meet, interact and share stories and experiences. And we always had lots to share because humans are so unpredictable and funny, that what they would do next , even the gods do not know. Sometimes these gatherings also became the places to say goodbye when one of the souls decided to give up the wandering and choose afterlife or had come to the decision that he or she wanted to be human after all.

As soon as i sat in the boat,that would take us to the place of gathering this week because it changed every week, with some of my soul friends, I looked around myself and suddenly I had this deep longing for Ritesh.

He is my best friend since he died in an accident and came here. We both had clicked almost instantly when he was introduced at a gathering. Maybe that was because we both had died in a similar way. We both were involved in car accidents and we both never regretted our lives as souls. But then again i always knew Ritesh was restless and he would soon move on. And he did a decade later when he was asked again whether he was happy with his life as a Wandering Soul or not. And i know how tough it was for him to make that decision of leaving me and this life but i guess i already knew deep down that he was unhappy with his life as soul.

I never understood why the life as a human appealed to him. I mean very fewer souls decide to choose that path because humans cannot digest the fact that the gone can live again. For them once who has died has gone and is never going to come back. They go wild at seeing someone alive again.

Most of the souls usually wandered around for a few decades and then settled down in afterlife. A very few chose to take the path again as a human and that too only when, when all the people they knew were dead.

When we reached the bridge which was the only connection between worlds, we saw an old man crossing it over to the afterlife.

All of us waved at him and he looked below at our boat which was going under the bridge.

He smiled and said-

“oh yeah you young lads happy in your youth but i may as well tell you that there is nothing better than dying in old age and crossing over the path to afterlife. Someday you will also cross it. Don’t forget to meet me over this way if you do." and he went over and crossed the bridge and disappeared into mist.

I had often heard this from the old people whom i found crossing this bridge. They and the people with the Sight, they were always telling us to leave wandering and settle down either as humans or walk towards afterlife.

But i was never tempted to become a human again even after Ritesh joined the species. Humans and their emotions were just too exhilarating for me. They all had these acute emotions that i just could not take and understand. As for the afterlife i found it too detached from the world i had seen. I don’t think i was ready yet to face a life where i couldn’t see the people that i see now, because once you became a celestial being you can’t undo it. Then it's forever and i hated to be stuck in a place forever. At least now there were always new things to see and go.

This time the place of the gathering was a forest. The boat stopped at the shore and we all climbed out. The early evening air was blowing and i just stretched my arms out as if to take all this in.

“Aarav are you watching Shahrukh Khan Movies lately because if you are then at least copy the pose correctly.” one of my friends said behind my back.

“Yeah guys,” i replied walking ahead, “it's a new fantasy of mine now-a-days.”

The trail led us to a clearing in the middle of the forest where several of the souls were already there. We were greeted with hugs and slaps on the backs and then i set out find my only confidante in this universe.

Paulie was not an Indian soul like me. He was an Irish old man in his fifties who used to sing in an old Irish pub when he was a human. But one day he consumed a poisoned wine that was meant for someone else and had landed here. He was the one who found me when i first came here, wandering and confused, and told me everything about this world. And since then he has been like a grandfather that i never had.

I found him sitting beside the bonfire still trying to strum his old guitar. All souls carried a thing from their lives as a human. Paulie had his guitar and i had my mother's necklace with me. Paulie said that they were the things that we had loved the most in our life as a human.

“Hey old man.” i said as i sat beside him.

“Humph! Still boasting about your youth? That's a sin to do in front of an old man.” he replied plucking at his guitar's strings.

“Hey if your guitar is not talking to you then you need to sulk at me for it.”

“Humph”

“And Ritesh is fine, not that you asked. He has adapted well and is happy and just made a new girlfriend.”

A smile crossed his face.

“Didn’t left his old ways huh? That friend of yours was always a charmer. Even here half of the female souls were crazy for him. See their faces now that he has left.”

“He always said that you were his inspiration.” i nudged Paulie lightly.

“Oh yeah? I know i had my share of fun in my ol' days. I left all these girls for you.”

“I am humbled by your generosity Mr crazy Casanova.” I said bowing to him.

“Humph! Then why are you sitting here now? Go have fun with those pretty girlies. Leave this old man in peace.” he started shooing me away.

“Nah they are not my type.” i said drawing my knees together.

“Don’t tell me you want to date older women now my boy. They can be pretty sassy.” he winked at me and we both burst out laughing.

“Yeah you'll know with your wide experience.” i said while laughing.

After we both had calmed down, he looked at me seriously and patted my knee.

“But girls are not what you wanted to talk about lad?”

I turned my face away and muttered-

“It’s something unusual that has happened."

“And does it involve a girl?” he asked with a smile in his voice.

“When has unusual things stopped involving girls?”

“Tell me about it.” he quietly said.

So i told him about the day when i had gone for a visit to Ritesh at his school and there while i was roaming in the corridors i had stumbled across this girl. And she had seen me quite clearly as one would see through glass.

“I am quite sure that she is not the one with a Sight,” I said, “and nor i think that she is one of the newly converted humans or i would have known her.”

Paulie said nothing for a while and just sat staring in the fire.

“Are you quite sure that it was you that she saw? I mean is there a chance that someone was perhaps standing beside you and she saw him?”

“No, i don’t think that's the case.” i said shaking my head as if that would clear my thoughts.

“but you know what,” i continued, “ a few days ago i was goofing around Ritesh at his school and he was giving me his lame death threats when i had laughed and i swear this girl had looked up as if she had heard me laughing.”

“Strange.” Paulie said.

“Do you have an explanation about all this?” i asked him desperately.

Paulie scratched his beard.

“I can tell you one thing lad that- a human seeing a soul is very unheard of. Yes they sometimes have the tendency to feel us but hearing us or seeing us is not possible until the human in question has a Sight. I reckon why don’t you go back to the girl and just see whether she can see other souls or not. Maybe she has the sight and it has developed late. You know that can happen.”

I nodded thoughtfully.

Minutes passed as the sky overhead grew dark. Paulie shifted to face me.

“So tell me lad, is this girl that you saw, was she pretty?”

I scowled at him.

“Paulie,” i said, “even if she was pretty what do i have to do about it?” i shrugged.

“No but a young lad like you have gone single for a half of the century, maybe you can have some fun around.”

“You mean i should have fun around with a human girl? Paulie you must be getting old.”

This got me poked in the ribs.

“But seriously Paulie,” i continued, “You know why i am still a soul. I just don’t get humans. I didn’t even when i was one; they are just dang too complicated for me.”

Paulie said nothing but smiled at me in that irritating way of his- like when he knows something but he won’t tell you.

“What?” I asked him.

“Nah! Nothing lad. Now off you go. Let the old man have some privacy with his love.” and he shooed me off again while plucking at his guitar strings.

I smiled and went over to join my other soul friends.

The evening dragged by and i just couldn’t wait for the time to come to wrap up the evening. I missed Ritesh and his endless comments and jokes which always managed to keep me at my wits, but if i was honest with myself i knew i had that girl who saw me all over my mind.

I looked over where the girl souls always sat, beside the bonfire around Paulie and his guitar. It was true that i never had a girlfriend as a soul but sure i had one as a human. And she practically drove me crazy. Not crazy as in i was very into her, crazy as in she drove me mad, till i had to break things of. Since then i always found girls too full of themselves to concentrate on anything else.

Paulie and Ritesh had always told me that i was still stuck up in my bloody teens to think rationally but then i as i had always reminded them, i had been around for the last half century.

As the gathering grew nearer to the end i sought out Paulie again for the last minute talk till we met again after a week.

He was singing an old Irish folk song while several female souls hummed along with him.

I sat beside him as the song ended and everyone applauded .

“Shameless! Soaking up all the female attention.” i teased as he started tuning his guitar again.

“Well i am still young my boy. You know i will always be 18. But i asked you whether you wanted those pretty lassies or not. You missed your chance and besides i am more handsome than you so........” he trailed off.

I punched his shoulder lightly.

“I think i am going to go.” i said

“It’s too early. Party is not over yet. ”he replied.

“Yeah but it does not feel the same without Ritesh you now. I wonder how i passed time before he came around.”

“Life is not about passing time around lad.” he peered at me with his piercing grey eyes.

“Yeah but the irony of our life is that we don’t have one.”

He just shrugged.

“So are you going to look out for that gal?” he asked me.

“I haven’t thought about it yet. Maybe i will just to be assured that she cannot see me for real.”

He thought for a while and then said.

“Sometimes a single look from somebody changes our life like it was never before. All we can do is to let our lives be changed because everything happens for a cause.”

“What do you mean? “I asked him

“I wish i knew.” He smiled at me.

“Now off you go,” he brushed me off again, “a minute earlier you were ready to leave the party now go.” And he started plucking his guitar strings again.

“Okay see you next week” i said as i got up.

“Yeah yeah, i am not going anywhere am I?” He grumbled to himself.

I had walked only two paces when called from behind.

“Aarav?”

“Yeah Paulie.” i turned to look at him.

“Tell me if that girl is pretty.” and he winked at me.

I shook my head and smiled to myself as i walked away.

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