Monday, August 31, 2015

Look Who's Talking : An Anthology

Genre: Mixed
Word Count: ~1300 words
Rating: PG13

Story 1

I am waiting for my girlfriend. She is late and I am worried out of my mind. We met a year ago at the funeral of my previous girlfriend. She has been a rock that supported me through a very tough time and I cannot stand the thought of any harm coming to her.

My previous girlfriend was such a support too. When I used to be down, she will try to cheer me up. Her gentle smile would brighten my day. Her eyes would make my heart flutter. A single kiss from her gentle lips would make any pain go away. I remember the warmth of her bosoms as she would hug me when I would get upset. I could still smell the strange intoxicating smell of her hair whenever I close my eyes. The touch of her hands would convey the gentleness in her heart. She meant everything to me, but did I meant everything to her? I wanted to find out. So, one day I disguised myself and strangled her from the back. The sound of her screaming my name for help, still deeply resonates within my heart. And I could see that even in her dying moments, all she wanted to do was to see me just once. Oh, how much I wanted to jump in front of her and show my face, but no. I wished that her last love should be me. And as she breathed her last breath, the feeling I felt was indescribable. I wondered if this is what they call - love?!

"Oh sorry, I am late, the traffic took forever to move, I am so sorry!", my girlfriend exclaimed with a slight bow, clutching her earlobes.

"Oh, its OK, I am just glad that you are alright. Waiting for you has made me realize how much I need you in my life!"

Moved by my words, she hugged me tightly. The warmth of her bosoms, the intoxicating smell of her hair - oh she means the world to me, but do I mean everything to her I wonder.

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Story 2

The puff of smoke formed a cloud and then dispersed into nothingness. As I sat there in the smoking section of the restaurant near the glass window, I could not help but blankly stare at the cloud as it dispersed - it conveyed the state of my mind. My editor has asked me to write an article for the Op-Ed section and I am drawing blanks. I lazily peered through the glass window at the outside world like watching an uninspiring crowd of actors on television. Just then my eyes caught hold of a young girl at an intersection. As I looked at her, I don't know what got hold of me, but I took out my note and began to write:

Darkness is defined by the absence of light. And thus, the darkness of a city can only be measured by how much light it lacks. I am not talking about the road lights that light up the road making for a beautiful spectacle when viewed from the sky on an airplane, but I am talking about the light in the hearts of its inhabitants - which create some touching moments that go viral on youtube reminding everyone to touch base with their humanity once in a while. I witnessed a young girl barely of 12-13, standing at the intersection of a road. Her clothes were tattered and through the holes in her dress, the bruises on her body peeked out as if they were shy to show the abuse this young body has suffered. The shyness of those bruises being even more evident from her body language, as she tried to hide the holes in her dress and stood their squirming, trying hard not to be noticed. Mind you, this is a very crowded intersection and she was visible to everyone just as she was to me and yet, there was absolute indifference to her state from those around. People walking around were either looking at their watch, talking on their phone, browsing on their phone or simply having fun with their friends. Their attention was too absorbed in themselves to care for another. But then, this is not just the story of that young girl, but thousands of other children, who in an overpopulated country with finite resources were simply unfortunate to have been born at the wrong place, at the wrong time or ...


Just then, a sedan stopped at the intersection. The glass was tinted and the driver invisible. A shady looking man creeped up behind the girl and money exchanged hands between the driver and the man. After which, the girl got into the car and they drove off.

... or simply unfortunate to have been born. For those born in darkness and never to have known light, how would they even know what they must seek? Will the girl ever find her hero, get on a horse and ride into the sun? For she is now used to finding a stranger, getting into a car and ride into the darkness.


With the subject matter of my article having left the scene, I decided to call my editor and ask for an extension of the deadline for the opinion piece. Then I turned away from the glass window and towards the food that had just arrived, and the whole event that happened apriori just tuned out of my head as if I had just turned off the television set.

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Story 3

Yulin is a small prefecture in the Guangxi region of China. Searching on the internet leads to some interesting information about this prefecture. It is rich in natural resources especially iron and gemstones. It also has many mineral hot springs. But apart from this, it is not really well known for much else. That is, until I came to know about the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. When I read about this festival, I could not believe what I was reading. This festival is celebrated in the summer solstice in June by eating dog meat. It is estimated that roughly 10000 dogs are eaten during the 10 days of festival. The localites believe eating dog meat wards off the heat of the summer months. I did a quick internet search to confirm some of these reports. This was abomination. How could anyone eat dogs?

I immediately sat down on my computer and started an online petition against this festival at change.org. I had found a youtube video where a chinese man caught a roadside dog in preparation of this festival. I thought it was imperative that people see such videos and attached the video along with the petition. Soon enough, the petition went viral and thousands and thousands began signing and voicing their dissent against the festival on the internet. I also wrote a blog about the same and ensured that it got views by hotlinking it on facebook and twitter.

In a few days, the issue caught enough attention of the world, so that millions of people joined me in my protest against the festival. My faith in humanity was restored. To see people eagerly joining me - a lonely voice on the internet was a humbling and yet a powerful experience. I laid back wondering how much the internet has empowered individuals to make a difference in this world.

Then, I went on thedailyshow.com. I watched Jon Stewart making a mockery of Chris Christie for supporting a bill which allows pig breeders to continue breeding pigs in tiny crates. This animal cruelty enraged me and it was suffocating. I went outside to get some air and as I walked by a Burger King, I decided to get something to eat.

"Good day Sir, how may I help you?", asked the person at the counter.

"Good day to you too", I smiled, "Umm, can I have a pork sandwich please?".

As I sat eating the sandwich, the thoughts of all that happened in relation to the Yulin Dog Meat Festival came flooding and I started feeling a little better about the world again.

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