Another Love Story

Let’s just go through all the conventional love stories, boy sees girl, boy falls in love, boy proposes girl rejects and finally there is some act of heroism that makes the girl fall for him. Keeping those traditional stories on the shelf for a while, I thought why not experiment on something more random that could portray a confused guy’s confused heart that led to mere chaos and let’s just see if he gets his Juliet…

Another Love Story

It was a horrible morning to start with, the alarm woke me up and last night’s leftovers were on the dining table waiting to get devoured. Mom and Dad left to my brother’s and won’t be back for a week. Self-cooked food and doing the dishes gave me the weirdest feeling of being home sick even though I was home. It was even more painful when I realised that all the house keeping was eating up my time which I usually spend chatting with my special someone. I call her my little teddy bear and she calls me her little monkey. The dishes were done and I was on my bed right after breakfast and the very next thing I saw was the cute little teddy I got her. She threw right on to my face exactly 24 hours ago. What goes around comes around. I went mad in love, around her and all she did was bringing me back to the start. It all started when we were in our first year…

Year1:

I saw her, she was enjoying the girl talk and out of nowhere turned towards me. “Arjun, could you switch that fan on for us?” she said with that cute dimple smiling at me. It took me a few seconds to realize that she actually called out my name! That moment of joy when a girl actually knows your name and remembers it is probably something a guy would do anything for. It all started there and we continued to be good friends. Until year2…

Year2:

It was one fine evening and I was home talking with my mom and describing how sweet a girl my little teddy bear was to me. I never told her that the nick name for obvious reasons. My phone started ringing, interrupting my talk and it was her! My mom saw my phone and wanted to talk to her as I’ve been talking about her for quite a while now. Mom attended the call and the first thing my teddy said was, “Arjun, I’m at the mall. Help me choose, black or pink tops?” There goes the homely, innocent girl image I disguised her with. If only there was a speaker connected to my heart there would’ve been a huge sound of breaking glass. I got my phone back, ended the call and a few seconds later when mom turned aside sent a text to her reading ‘Black.. I choose black!’

That was just the beginning of our friendship going to the next level.
Year3:

The best part of a guy’s life is when a girl comes up to him with a problem to solve. We just feel like a hero, bound by duties. Duties that confine only to serve the teen-age female race. It gets better when the problem is about a guy who is pestering her in the name of love. Two reasons to be happy, one she hasn’t fallen in love with someone else and that you still have a chance, two you’re not the loser who is on the other side of the problem.

I felt that kryptonian energy in me when she ran up to me for help. The other guy wanted to meet me and her together at the mall. We went there and waited for him to arrive. I was all pumped up and ready for action though there was a girly little teddy bear in my pocket which I got for her. Suddenly, I felt a pat on my back. That was the moment when I really realised that I was a super-man who belongs to the kryptonian lineage because all my powers went dry when that huge piece of kryptonite got close to me. That guy was at least twice as big as I was and had a scary beard. He got very close to me and turned only his head towards her. “So, this is your boyfriend eh? Skinny, messed up hair and weird eyes” he said to her with his even more scary voice. She nodded her head and I was overjoyed and off my feet literally. He pushed me against the wall and lifted me up so much that I was taller than him. “You take good care of her, or else!” he shouted at me. I never knew bullies had a heart too. He dropped me and left the very next second. She was smiling and thanked me, holding my hand. I was on cloud nine and my other hand brought out the little teddy and gave it to her. “Teddy, I love you!” The very next thing I remember was the little teddy approaching my face like a bolt of lightning. Even the bully had a heart and the girl didn’t!

End of love story.

Trapped

Ever got stuck in your college after everyone left? Just imagine you being the last person in college with all the lights out and you’ll have to get back to your class no matter what. So, here’s a story based on true events…

Trapped

It was a Saturday, 6:30p.m and I had to wait in front of the principal’s cabin while he was supposed to be back in an hour. Well, that’s at least what I was told at 4:30p.m by his secretary who left an hour ago. I was probably the last student soul inside the campus at that time of the evening. I told myself that and got spooked by my own choice of words. I was convicted for the crime of not wearing my ID which was actually with the P.T department because I was earlier convicted for not tucking in my shirt. Curse that department for not opening today!

 Bored, lonely and irritated I decided to have a quick text chat and just as I ran through my pocket I found my mobile missing. Of all the days in the calendar I choose today to leave it back in my class in my bag. The classes are usually locked after an hour after the usual timing. The only hope I had was to break into the staff room, get the keys to our class-room, get my bag and evacuate the crime-scene as soon as possible. I needed help and decided to bring my friends who live nearby.  I walked to the security and just as he saw me coming without an ID on me his eyes got a little curious. A bike was approaching the gate at full speed and stopped right next to me. He took off his helmet and god was I glad to see him! It was one of my professors. The very next thing I asked him was, “Sir, is the staff room key with you?” he replied saying, “yes, but why are you even in college now?” I hesitantly told, “Long story! Sir, can I have the key for a minute, I’ve my mobile and bag locked in the class room.” Having the amount of crime reports on my name inside the college I wouldn’t blame any person for being hesitant in helping me but God bless him for not giving a second thought before handing me the key.

I ran to the staff-room and opened it and the loud sound of the old lock opening inside a campus was just the beginning of me getting spooked out. I got in and it was dark. I knew every last detail of the room owing to the number of times I’ve been there for the enquiries and so I reached to the switch board despite the darkness. I switched on the first switch and ‘BOOM!’ a light went on right behind me. It was the light inside the HOD’s cabin and it wouldn’t have scared me as much even if he was actually inside the cabin! I decided not to look back at the cabin and reached out for the key. I accidently dropped all the keys and that almost gave me a heart-attack. The keys got mixed up and I had to take them all to the class and try every last one of them. Grabbed all of them and tried them one by one. One of them worked and it was again a huge sound when it opened. I ran to my seat and found my bag. The very next thing I searched for was my mobile and it was just as I predicted. ‘GF 1 missed call, Mom 12 missed calls’. It was getting late and my professor was waiting for me to get back with the key. I locked the classroom and walked back to the staff-room and saw someone running out of it. A second of thought had me telling to myself, “I’d be blamed for anything gone missing from the room and it’s high time I change myself and try to get into heroic roles.” I ran with all my speed and threw my bag into the staff room on the way. He got down the stairs and I was right behind him. I jumped to catch him and I realised that it went in vain when my face met the floor the very next second.

I was dizzy from the fall and lost track of the culprit. It just struck me then that I kept the staff-room open, again! I ran back to the staff-room and to my shock it was locked, from the outside. I searched for the key and found it missing! I cursed myself and had no clue of what to do next. I took a few steps back and hit something. It felt like a human and it was obvious as to who it might be. I turned with all my guts gathered at the end of my fists and was shocked that it wasn’t the guy I chased and it was even more shocking that it was my professor. He looked at me all restless and sweating and asked me what I was up to. I explained the whole scenario and he gave me a weird look. I noticed that and asked him, “Sir, are you not trusting me?” with a curious look he asked, “How on earth did you open the room with the wrong key?” and then he showed me the right key then opened up the room. I had no clue of what was happening around me all I wanted to do was get my bag and get out of the campus. My bag wasn’t there anymore! I searched my class and it wasn’t there too! I got the shivers and all I wanted to do was get back home with or without the bag! I told him that it was okay and I’ll search for it on Monday and he offered me a lift back home.

I was back home in an hour and the whole cycle of events kept bugging me. I was clear of everything that happened or was I? The fall must have had some effect to my memory. Sleeping was the only option I had. I woke up the next morning when my mom started shouting at me for my missing tiffin-box. My bag and mobile didn’t matter to her. I had a quick flash of thought and it occurred to me, there was only one person who knew more of my tiffin box than me. I called him up from my mom’s mobile and narrated him the whole cycle of events and wanted to solve the mystery of my missing bag and how the staff room locked itself. He silently heard everything and kept the quiet even after I started asking him as to what might have possibly happened. He started talking after a few seconds, “Your bag was never locked in our class in the first place. We exchanged classes with our juniors and your bag was left in their classroom!”

I spoke nothing back and hung up the call.

The Perfect Nobody

Nov 3^rd 2009, it’s almost been a year since we moved into this new place of our’s. Well, at least it was new for us. The place was built way long back that it almost rightfully earned the ‘haunted house’ title. I woke up with my three-month-old puppy standing beside my bed wagging her tail at the highest speed she could. I guess she knew something was special that particular day owing to sweets and stuff that was being made. Dad came in wishing me a very happy birthday!

It was time I acted matured and started doing something really worthwhile instead of giving away all those sweets and stuff to people. Mom wanted me to go to the temple as I never did unless this day came each year. I started getting dressed with those new black outfits I got the previous day. Black is cool but your parents start hating them once you have a wardrobe filled with it. We were ready to leave when my dad got a call saying my uncle was sick and was admitted right away. The news got them worried. I was asked to stay back home as they didn’t want to spoil my day. They left immediately and asked me to stay home.

My puppy kept me company all day and I was left with nothing to do but to fidget with stuff in my brother’s room. He left to abroad and was settled with his job there. He never did like anyone meddling with his stuff but then that’s what made me more curious. I was searching around his room to find something that would kill my boredom. I found the old love letters he received and with them  was this really old diary I could find. I never knew he wrote one. I skimmed through it and found that it wasn’t his writing and it was pretty old and I also found it to be of the year 1981. It got me really curious as to whom it would belong and why he kept it so secret. I went directly to the same date just to know what happened exactly 28 years ago. I began reading it.

[ The writing in the diary.]

Another year has passed and I find no other person who could heal those wounds. The ones she gave me. It’s high time for me to move on with life. Sasha, the only thing that crosses my mind when I wake up on this day every year. Things that begin to bother me now are that my wife left me a few months ago when she found my diary with the name ‘sasha’ inscribed all over it. She was lovely and the only thing that could keep my mind diverted from sasha. But then it was all over. Funny how life takes it’s own twists at times.  The only thing that keeps me company these days is my dog which found me three months ago. I was drunk and on the streets and he woke me up before I was run by some heavy wheels.

I was bored and stopped. All that reading got me hungry and my house was loaded with sweets that day. I received a call form mom telling they won’t be back till evening and I was asked to stay home till then. I had no other choice but to read the book.

‘sash’, that was what I named him. The least I could do was to name the dog after her for all what she has done to me. This is just like the usual things I write every year this day but this day was different from all of them. Friday the 13^th was just around the corner but I guess things just couldn’t wait to go wrong. I was playing Frisbee with sash when he missed a catch. It was a straight hit to the gujrati family’s place. Thank god they were out of town!

I said to myself, “Holy shit that’s our place!”

Sash and I went in leaping above the fence. I went around searching for the Frisbee and left him behind. Something was bothering him as I walked back with to him with the Frisbee. He was digging for something. He never did that until today. It got me really curious. He was digging vigorously and wasn’t listening to anything I said. It was as if he never noticed me standing in front of him. Then all of a sudden he found a piece of clothing to which he clenched on. It was exactly the same black as I was wearing! This got me spooked!

I was dumb-struck and was just looking at what she was digging further. It was the red Frisbee I was holding that came out next! The next thing I knew I was trying to jump over the fence. I got back home, leaving behind sash and found it locked. I was sure I never locked it! I broke in and found everything messed up I locked it from the inside and found my favourite black clothing missing! Everything was safe except for that. Then I went straight in to my room where I found the letters ‘R.I.P’ written on my picture that was framed on the wall. I looked closer and saw my wife’s signature right below the writing! Someone kept knocking at the door but I didn’t mind. The next thing that horrified me was sash. He was dead under my bed with the Frisbee right next to him and it was just minutes ago I left him at the other house.

It’s time I end this all! I have lived a good life, though I did have a few hardships, it was a good one that I’ve lived. Thank you.

Good bye!

Okay, I’m never going to read another diary ever again! Never going to write one either. But what’s with the black clothing stuff and this particular day? There must be something written about it! I checked the last page of the diary where I found something. It read

0,1,1,2,3,5,8….

3, the last number in the Fibonacci series that has all of it’s predecessors without missing any. Divides it’s closest predecessor to give 666, meaning the devil!

Holy shit! Wait Friday the 13^th, it’s this month and it was mentioned in the book that it was right around the corner! I kept quiet until my little puppy started pulling my shirt. I didn’t bother to turn towards her. Someone was knocking at the door but I was too scared to open the door. My puppy came right in front of me with a bright red tennis ball with her, taunting me to play with her! I just realised that I was wearing black too!

[Door knock continues…..]

3-Phase: Sleeping in class with 'class'

We all would’ve had great falls, badly hurting failures! A few untold love stories for which we fell, epic falls of a lifetime they would’ve been. So, as the saying goes “Life is not about never falling, it’s about how you rise after each fall.”  But the best fall of those being ‘falling asleep in class’ and the best part is when it’s done with class! Let me start with the proceedings before I start boring someone to sleep.

Phase1:Dizzy

[ You start hearing everything in a completely different tone, probably like a deaf person with his hearing aids under repair]

So, most people get noticed at this stage, but then there are people with unbelievable experience levels! You give a wide eye look at the class, with that being a desperate attempt to wake up. Everything moves just the way it should until you ask yourself, “where on earth is the audio to the picture?” Just then, your brain responds upside-down. You start hearing everything, from the back of your head! For a second there our brains go back and forth between dinosaur land and the modern today. It all goes to an entirely new level when you reach phase2 without being disturbed.

Phase2: Blindfolded

[There is no need for an extra blindfold, that’s when eyelids come in handy]

You reach phase 2 and then what next? You become the most creative person on earth. You can start rewinding scenes, fast forward or slo-mo any scene you like and select any audio track to match the situation. The best part is when you do nothing and photoshop decides to pay a visit. Blurred and smudged images all over. That proud moment when you’ve the power to put any editor or photographer out of business. But you’ve better things to do, with the list topper being SLEEPING, also you’ve probably turned into the most harmless creature on earth, so you avoid such vicious thoughts. Now, here comes the grand finale, Phase3!

Phase3: One way ticket to dream city

[Fan right on top of your head, class continues. Those two mix just like salt and water to make you the perfect sleeping pill ever.]

You will have to congratulate yourself and thank everyone around for have reaching this stage. The most important phase of all, where you start to build worlds and galaxies far beyond any human’s reach and imagination.The only train you would never be late to catch is with no doubt this one, the one that takes you to ‘dream city’. A ride of a lifetime, a world with no evil,with no enemies. The only place with no disasters, until you feel it all falling apart. An earthquake which no scale has ever seen. You see the blinding light from heaven just when everything comes back into place.
All you saw till now was just the calm before the storm. You will have the entire class looking at you like you’ve just killed someone! That confusing moment when you don’t know which class you’re in and no clue if “sorry” must be suffixed with ‘mam or sir’! Well, let’s just leave it until the sleep sickness wears off. “Get out!” the usual comment we get for our outstanding performance.The best part is when you reach ‘ Sleeping in class, level PRO’.  You get the turbo boost to sleep outside, standing.

Sleep in class, with some class ;)

Room no.:333 ( 3 different love stories, one ending)

Room no:333

(This article here is my first piece of fiction writing.)

“Power cut! What’re we gonna do now?”  “Talk stories! What else?”  “ What kind?”

“Love,perhaps?”

            “ Okay, Aravind you’re good at spinning tales! Let it out, we’re all ears!”

Aravind

            Yeah make all the fun you want I’m not gonna stop anyways, so get ready!

            My story opens in the month of September .So it was one ugly night, people running around everywhere to save themselves from getting wet. I was waiting for the next round of my vada pav to reach me. Blank thoughts with me making a couple of smileys  with the left over ketchup. She came barging in, sat right in front of me. We shared the same table! I thought of all the excuses I could just to talk to her but just before I could say a word she took out her mobile. The very piece of tech that’s been bothering every single guy like since it’s bloody invention! She was at the top of her voice. She got up and went out with the same energy she came in. She must have caught me looking at her. I paid the bill and got going. Had a strange feeling that she wouldn’t have left as I saw very few vehicles pass by. One of those times when you start believing in luck! She was standing right there as if she’s been waiting for me.

            I looked at her and just as I expected she walked away. An ambience mixed with rain and love, she walked as if we’ve been enemies for centuries now. Well that’s the end I kept thinking until she suddenly took a glance for just a matter of seconds and the very look told me the tale of her heart. Oh my God, I was in love that very moment!

Suraj

            Seriously dude, rain, girl waiting right outside until you come? Cheesy story man! Bigtime!

            Now , my turn. I wasn’t and am still not really okay with this love at first sight stuff ,so let me start it plain. The cold shivering month of December, I was  getting back home from the entrance exams classes which lasted till eight at night.  I was in a hurry to get back home and I saw a girl walking like she didn’t care which vehicle she was gonna be hit by. I started my bike and making my way home just when she got knocked off by a car! I stopped and ran to her and found that she was all fine and gave out a sigh of relief. Then a few days later the last day of my classes, I found the same girl roaming around . I walked up to her and asked her if she was all right from the accident. She gave me a weird look and walked away. I guess she never recognized me. “Not my fault” I kept saying to myself and got back home. The whole night I kept telling that to myself and her weird look kept flashing into my eyes. The next morning I woke up I kept asking myself why I  even gave a damn to that look  that lasted for just a second. Just a second! She took it out of my life, turned it into a minute, held me up in the sky and made me accept defeat as I failed to take my eyes off her. I pleaded her in my thoughts to let me down but she refused as I have already fallen! A fall of a lifetime! Wish I someday see her again!

Karthik

             Since you guys opened it all up let me start with my tale. It happened long before you guys met your queens. Hot, sunny afternoon in the month of May I was waiting for my usual 2 p.m bus. I got into my bus. Went to get my ticket while the conductor came close to me yelling “ Get down if you don’t have change!” and to my bad luck the only currency I had was a fifty rupee note which was out of the question. I decided to get down before I get kicked out. The bus suddenly stopped! A girl arguing with the conductor in a bold tone. She was asked to get down as she was in the same situation I was. I took advantage of the situation and handed over my money asking for tickets for the both of us. She gave me an awful weird look and got down from the bus. I lost my one way ticket back home! Eventually I had to get down. She went walking and things started fading away owing to the sun and my sweat. A few days later I found the same girl with a friend of mine. She gradually helped me get to know her. She was really sweet to me and even apologized for the bus incident. Things got better and everything worked out well. I got myself a bike. It was all going good until one rainy day when I was caught in the traffic and couldn’t pick her up! She called me up when I was caught in the traffic and yelled at me. My phone got wet and switched off. She was really mad at me and it took me an hour to meet her and pick her up. It took a whole week for me to calm her down.  A usual love story until winter decided to pay us a visit. I was late again for the movie date and she got really pissed off this time and dropped the call telling she was getting back home. I was worried sick until the next day morning! I looked at the first text on my phone and it was from her. “sorry….I love you <3”.

            I still haven’t been able to figure out what got into her. God, these girls and their crazy mood swings!

            Suraj and Aravind gave a shocking and understanding look to each other and unison they yelled out “crazy girls”!

3-Phase (An average engg. student's exam life)

An average engineering student in a not well known engineering college has the most unpredictable journey of life!

HOD, tutor, professors and last but never the least the ‘know it all’ wannabes, the highly irritating lab assistants! We’ve a mission, a dream or in some cases it’s a mere duty because it was never their decision to get into this mess. The pains we’ve to go through everyday just to survive. This includes the slightest form of exaggeration.

One of the many 3-phases an average engg. student goes through

Phase 1: Question paper

[Random voices yelling out important questions]

We get ready and all set to face the exam with a lot of fear, some confusions and very less syllabus in our heads!

So, here comes that re-incarnation of God that could change a genius into a duffer and the other way around in a matter of seconds, the ‘question paper’. Everything appears in slo-mo for a few seconds. Until the examiner comes near us he/she looks blurred. With the paper kept on our table the only thing we tend to look is our friends’ reaction! Usually it’s an ‘all heads down’ reaction!

Lights off! We don’t hear or see anything for few minutes. Until….

Phase 2: Answer sheet

[A feeble voice getting louder and closer by the second]

BANG! “ Sign, would you?”

The next thing we know , we’re done signing and done with the formalities. Hopeless, thoughtless, dreamless and worst of all answerless. Like a big sad smiley looking at a world drained of all it’s happiness we sit there staring at that gift from the devil! All we can do is try filling in some gibberish and get out asap.  We finish writing all the fairy tales and Hollywood scripts and decide to get out, when…..

Phase 3: The BIT !

When the angel himself decides to drop in a letter! With fists as tight as a boxer our friends pass on the crushed and well used piece of paper. In our case it’s a map to get us to the treasure! Heart beats almost loud enough for the whole hall to hear!  One goal to pass, three different thoughts

1. Why now?

2. Shouldn’t I?

3. Why shouldn’t I, now?

The same logic as when we choose the ‘all the above’ in a multiple choice, goes here. We get out of  the hall with no guilt at all and a lot of pride! We get out and random people shouting out how the exam was. Suddenly one of them heads up to you trying to catch his breath and you recognize him as the same old angel who helped you out. He gets  his breath back and the first thing he says “ Sorry dude, wrong answer!” Dreams crushed. [ slow,sorrow violins]