Fighting Them

For hours, I flipped the pages going deeper through the eyes of Toru Watanabe in Norwegian Wood. I finally gave up to strained eyes and striking midnight. The fatigue easily induced sleep. Long before I could process the thoughts or complain about the nights, I subconsciously slipped into another world. The monsoon and rain, not much to complain.

I woke in the middle of the night by soft knock on the door followed by the bouncing of basketball. Alarmed, I reached for cellphone to check the time ‘Seriously? 1:48am, who the hell is playing basketball at this hour?’ The urge to get out and smack the punk was more than failing heart at that moment.

My ghost walked through bedroom door, main door and verandah door without unlatching a single door. She had a cricket bat clasped tightly. FYI a cricket bat from neighboring kid. Black tights were complimented well by the black boots and leather jacket, a top tied hair and fire in her eyes. The full moon illumination made it picture perfect just like a scene from a movie.

As light as she walked inching closer to them, she never felt stronger in years. The smirk on her lips, determination to teach lesson to those bastards and upright posture almost gave chill to those immature punks. She scanned around to each face and counted the head. As per her quick mental calculation she jumped high, kicked all six of them subsequently and landed with a class. She beat two of them with bat while still kicking and pinning others with her boots. The groans and cries made her to stop beating the shit out of them. She almost beat them again and warned with conviction to never disturb the neighborhood again. They agreed instantly and ran away feebly.

With the triumphant smile and fireworks in the background, she threw the bat in a style and walked as if she owned the night putting shame to the witnessing stars and a moon. Yes, without unlocking, she passed all three doors and came to celebrate with me. She looked radiant glowing with the undisputable confidence.

There she found me cornered at bed, draped in blanket clutching the bed sheet, sweating profusely, holding a pee, prayer beads in hand and chanting ‘Om Ah Hung Benza Guru Pema Siddhi Hung’ thousand times.

Knock*Knock

“Cheche, close the windows and curtains.” Dema shouted from the kitchen.  Dema remembered the weather forecast predicting the powerful windstorm around evening.

“Yaya Ama.” She reluctantly stood up from sofa and her eyes still glued on TV, Cheche went to close the windows.

*Creak* *Creak* the window in altar room was playing a game. Cheche didn’t want to miss her favorite program, Doreomon. She pushed hard outside and pulled inside with full force.

“Careful Cheche, you will break the glass.” Dema’s audible words burrowed her ears.

“It’s not working, Ama.” She shouted back.

Dema came for her rescue. The wuthering sound was growing louder and scarier with passing time.

“Amaaa….”Cheche screeched abruptly hugging Dema, eight year old has been always afraid of the darkness.

“Shh….love…it will be all right.” Dema lit room with her cellphone torch.

“Ama, when is Apa coming home? I am scared.” Cheche asked following Dema while she went to fetch a candle.

“Soon, love.” Dema assured her daughter not letting her own anxiety show. Dogs howled wrecking her nerves. She tried not to be superstitious.

Time and again, she checked her phone and dialed repeatedly on same number. It was disconnected instantly. With the passing time and growing darkness, something inside her was gnawing her alive.

*Knock*Knock*Knock*

“Cheche….stay here. Seems Apa is back.” She hurried to the main door. Opened.

“Who is there?” Her heart sank lower and as she scanned the premises with torchlight.

“Bloody wind.” She tried to reassure herself.

“Ama, where is Apa? Who is at the door?”

“Love…Apa is coming soon. It was the wind slamming on the door.” She hugged her little one.

*Knock*Knock* Knock*

With each knock, she was gripped by fear. She felt heart shrinking in the darkness.  She hugged Cheche firmly.

“Ama, you are choking me.” Cheche whispered.

“Oh..sorry.” she freed her “Do you want to eat now?”

“I will eat with Apa.”

*Knock*Knock*Knock*

No network coverage, total blackout and her man was nowhere to be seen. Dogs howled again, louder this time.

*Knock*Knock*Knock*

“It’s Apa. I will open the door.” Cheche ran before Dema could stop her.

“Where were you, Apa? You know that I am scared of darkness, Ama too.” Cheche complained.

“I thought you wouldn’t come tonight.” Cheche continued.

Relieved, Dema went to set up dining table. She felt safe when her hubby was around. The rice was still warm in the rice cooker. She reheated the curry and boiled water in the kettle. Tshewang drinks abundance of hot water.

“Apa, when will electricity come?” Dema heard, Cheche has always been a daddy’s girl. When people mockingly made her to choose between Dema and Tshewang, Cheche always chose her father without a second thought.

“Ama..look..Apa brought doll of Elsa and Anna I asked last time.” Cheche came running to her. She wiped her hand and turned to Cheche.

A series of expressions played on Dema’s face; confusion, shock, fright and finally her knees gave away. She wobbly fell down, hot boiling kettle splashing on her, it barely made the difference.

“Ama, what happened?” Her daughter rushed; her left hand was as if holding another hand and in right hand, she was holding an imaginary doll she claimed her father bought. Eight year old saw what Dema didn't. But Dema understood what Cheche couldn't.

Short Story: Odds and Even

She cracked her knuckles nervously, while tapping left foot unconsciously on the tiles beneath with her brown boots, her breath was punctuated by a long sigh of agitation, she looked around scanning the faces of a by passer. Her temper at that moment was way away from sweet unlike she is usually being referred. White linen coat barely prevented the chill from getting into her bones. She crossed her arms, occasionally rubbed her palms and blew warm air, puffed red nose and rosy cheeks didn’t hide a slightest fact that she had been out for a long time. Waiting was tedious in cold evening of a harsh winter.

“Fifteen more minutes then I will be gone.” It was the fifth time she said to herself. Who was she fooling? A second stretched to a minute, a minute to an hour and it almost felt like a millennium. Her head scolded her to stand up and walk away but heart begged to stay little more with ‘What if he turns up? He might have a reasonable excuse for being unreasonably late.’ Yet again, a head was in a lost battle with a heart.

She took out phone and dialed a number; she was flatly disconnected time and again. She stood up and walked straight to Memorial Chorten, her favorite place to seek solace. On the way, she dropped him a message stating she is on the way to home. Her feet did walking while her mind was so blankly engrossed in nothing specific. The beep indicated that she got a text. She didn’t bother to check, she was disappointed and disgusted.

Her temptation won as she read the text

Him: I am really sorry. Something urgent came up.  Where did you reach?

Her: In a taxi. (She lied)

Him: Ok. Travel safe. Can we meet tomorrow?

Her: I don’t think so, tight schedule. (She lied again).

Him: Ok. I am really sorry for today.

Her: It’s ok. I didn’t wait much. (She tried to figure out how much is ‘much’ in her perception, more than an hour was definitely not qualified in ‘much’)

Him: Reached?

Her: Almost. (The beautifully illuminated Chorten greeted her with countable head making rounds and she joined them trying to clear her minds off the shits of her life.)

Him: Ok then. Cya.

Her: Yaya. Btw where are you?

Him: Right besides you.

She instinctively turned back; saw him grinning like a fool, waving hand with a cell and closing the gap between then.

“Pretty little liar.” He pinched her nose in a playful manner.

“This is not funny.” she brushed off his hand, least hiding she was miffed with him.

“It was fun watching you all the way.” He was goddamn prankster, she usually found it cute but not at that moment.

“Were you stalking me all the way from park?” her anger rose to the level to match the explosion of volcano.

“I didn’t plan to, mean it. I was there on time. You were sitting on the bench, so engrossed in thoughts. I wanted to see more of your ‘lost in thought’ avatar.”

She made a face of ‘hardly convinced’ one.

“What was going on in your head while waiting for an hour sitting on that particular bench? When you took out the phone and dialed, I had to turn it in a flight mode, else you might have caught me there. ”

“Nothing.” She looked at him curiously, doubting whether he is the one she fought with just yesterday and swore to never see his face just few minutes ago before he appeared behind her like a superman.

“Pretty little liar.” He again pinched her nose, this time she smiled with the subsiding anger.

“What were you thinking when you were watching me from behind?”She asked making rounds.

“I was wondering what were going on your pretty little head.” He smiled and brushed off her head with his gloved hand; she could say that he was in the best mood.

He fetched Cadbury Diary Milk Silk from his jacket pocket and handed over to her. He has a habit of pampering her with chocolate knowing she couldn’t resist the sight of it. They walked in silence knowing that they have things to sort which wouldn’t be best if it was acted on impulse and rashly.

“It is getting late. I gotta go.” She said without looking at him.

“I will walk you home.” He said holding her hand “God! You are freezing.”

“Thanks to you.” She laughed this time.

He took out his left glove, coerced her to wear it, entwined her left with his right and put it in his jacket. Her hand brushed with note in his pocket.

“It is yours. You get to read it when you get back home.”

 She looked at him, falling in love all over again and silently thanking god for this wonderful gift in midst of a chaotic society.

“Your abode my dear. Cya, tomorrow. ” He hugged her tight and placed a light peck on her temple and walks off to his home, whistling with a beaming soul.

“Mom! I am home.” She cheerfully shouted unlike a girl in the morning, which walked out of a house like a zombie.

“Chunu, ajjo ta saro dillo bayo ni.” Her mother said looking at digital wall clock which reads 9:18 pm.

“I had some work at office.” She lied feeling guiltier than ever for having had lie many times in a day.

She sneaked into her room, opened a chit which reads;

Dear  Chunu,

The journey is gonna be rough but I guarantee you a happy ending. Stay strong till then. Remember we are gonna fight till end, no giving up in between because I won’t give up and won’t let you to.

                                                                           Love

                                                                           Tashi

N.B: Excuse my Nepali sentence in the story; I ain’t good with the language. The story turned out too cheesy. ROFL

The Year I Met You

The year I met you was the year;

Of stagnation of free flowing river,

Entrapped without an inch of escape.

There was no going back or moving on

I remain there, frozen with the time.

Waiting for the sun to melt the coldness

Of a snow queen dwelling in me.

The year I met you was the year;

I drown into the deeper well of thoughts

Without an inch of escape

The more I thought, the more was a pain

The more pain I felt, the more ignorant I became.

The deeper I went, the scarier world was

The scarier world grew the stronger I become.

The year I met you was the year;

Of enlightenment of the soul

The year of discovering myself

The year I learned to live with the pain

The year of great lessons and pleasant memories

The year like never before

It was the year I fell in love with you.

Wrong Turn!

“What was that, the trailer of wrong turn?” I asked myself.

The merciless slashing of the bodies, the skillful yet swift beheading of men, the floating bodies in angry bloody flood and I was in the isle, injured, at my best to survive.

Then I realized it wasn’t a trailer of Wrong Turn but replica of ‘Bajiroa Mastani’ I watched before I slept.

The gruesome nightmare woke me in the wee hour, the morning cold scolded me to sleep, the mattress begged me to stay, the blanket lured me to embrace it and a mind, a slave of my lazy body almost readily agreed to it when I heard Apa in stern tone “ Woo sho Tshering! hang ya zamin rang mangiwa dabu yebchona.”

“Apa please wai…dasu yephey.” I begged hugging blanket tightly.

“Woosho yegpa na. Wunthan Amchi ga toh tey chos pey rumcho.” Apa said again. I could hear the clinking of utensils from kitchen confirming she needs help in the kitchen.

Wrong turn! I don’t want to disappoint my parents again. I reluctantly but guiltily woke up, promising to be more responsible. Apa is currently doing M.Ed at Paro and Ama, Memey and siblings came from Gelephu Tsachu and we are houseful at Amchi’s place. And it was not the best act to sleep like a log when a fireplace oven demands the log to be fed.

One wrong turn and you are doomed.

Gossip

“There she goes a manipulative gold digger.” A woman in late thirties wearing a floral maxi carrying a blue carry bag retorted. Finely made up and stylishly dressed for her age.

“Oh! Is she the one? No doubt she looks young.” Another compatible woman said thoroughly scrutinizing her through an oversized Ray Ban glass with a disapproved look.

“Heard she is younger than his youngest son.” They went on while pretending to pick necessary items from the rack.

“Tsk tsk…this generation girls! We can never fathom what they are up to. He is old enough as her father.”

“Shhhh…she might hear us.” One with glasses on whispered loudly.

“Heard he funded all her education expanses and all.” It looked like they wanted her to hear everything.

“People should live with class irrespective of bank balance.” A maxi dressed said checking her make up in the mirror on the wall.

“Her circumstances might have forced her to take such a filthy decision. Aeii…she is such a beauty.” She said adjusting her glass.

“What a waste. She might have used her beauty to lure an old man. Instead she could easily work in a movie with face like that.” There was a no indication of stopping this.

“What a big bad world?” they said their favorite line in unison and giggled like a high school girls.

She heard it all. Wasn’t it their intention? On impulse, she wanted to walk out from the grocery but she stayed. After all why should she? She did nothing wrong. She had to hear it all for better or the worst. Trust me, she had been called worse.

Can relationship between a man and woman be ever holier in the eyes of society? Before knowing the inside story, they provide their judgment and seal the verdict.  She has another story to tell, a real one but what’s the use, they will believe what they always wanted to. They just need something to talk while sipping a coffee, walking to home or while hanging out together.

She can’t shut all the mouth but she can close her ear. Indeed it was a big bad world with small mind. Little did world know that while pointing an index finger towards other, rest of the fingers pointed to them.

Forever Friends

“So you lied to me?” She looked at me, trying to read an expression from my face. I didn’t even flinch.

“I didn’t lie. I just chose not to tell you the truth.” My voice gave no hint of guilt I was feeling inside.

“What is the difference? You didn’t trust me enough with the truth. You don’t know the first thing about the friendship, it is the ‘trust’.” Her voice was giving up with the betrayal so strong.

“Human beings robbed the trust out of me long ago.” The far-gone memories of betrayal of mankind still haunt and infuriate me.

“Why me? Of all, why did you befriend with me? Why me?” She sobbed.

“Remember the night you cried and you were planning to slit your wrist as you felt so neglected in the school. You wished for a friend.” I told her as I vividly remember her devastated face, swollen eyes, puffed lips as she bite too hard in an attempt to stop crying and firmly held razor blade in right hand just an inch away from a stretched left hand.

“How do you know?” her eyes reflected the horror she felt.

“I was returning after the grand feast from the nearby jungle. I happened to pass by your window. I saw you and felt your loneliness.” I didn’t tell her that my world was no different from her, how I wish for a death sometimes, an impossible wish in my world.

“Oh..I got it. You purposely bumped on me at the park the next day.” She seemed to scratch the facts and fit together.

“Yeah, I felt the connection between us. You make me happy, which I have been missing for millennium.” I defied the rules of not interfering in human life and it seems worthy suddenly.

“I have felt the same.  Friends forever?” She smiled genuinely as she entwined our fingers.

“Forever friends.” I said.

“Yeah… friends forever. I promise.” She amiably stretched her neck with the thumb and forefinger as humans do when they promise.

“Promise.” I placed both the hands on my heart as creatures from my world do when we promise. The oath I took in the refuge of the lord almighty to be her friend forever.

“Can you fly?” she asked me curiously.

“I can.” I spread my hand and lightly float and made a round in her dimly lit room.

“Wow! You are so cool.” An admiration and astonishment shone in her eyes.

“Can I see the real you?” she pleaded.

“Does my look matter to you?” I asked.

“Of course not. I know the inside you, you are a real gem. I am just curious how you look like. If you don’t want to, never bother.” She convinced me that she meant every word.

I hesitated for a moment. I wasn’t the girl she had been with; a girl with long wavy hair, beautiful smile, rosy cheeks, sympathetic and kind eyes, but I was still the same me who promised minutes ago.

“Ok.” I stooped my head, closed my eyes. Slowly raised my head and revealed the dilating red pupil, a floral shirt cracked and wings grew from the shoulder, skin rumpled and turned blue, tails protruded from behind, a floppy ear drooping down, sharp fangs projected from my mouth and long pink tongue sticking out.

“Mommy!” she screamed, hit her foot on the table, stumbled on the floor and ran away as fast as her leg could carry.

“Forever friends.” I whispered and flown off from her place vowing never to trust human again.

Crush

As if scanning our faces, a spinning empty bottle gradually reduces speed and awfully stopped pointing its head towards me.

“Tshering!” girls in a room squeaked while some clapped in a sheer excitement.

“Truth or Dare?” girls shouted in unison. 

“Hmm…..” I swallowed saliva, which felt like a lump in a throat. 

“Come on! Be fast.” Sonam ordered.

“Ok. Truth.” I wouldn’t dare to do their dares. They have no mercy, seriously, yeah of course while playing games if not they are darling angels on the earth. 

“Who want to ask a question?” Thinley spoke louder than required.

“Tenzin?” Tashi said.

“You are the first, so, lucky you. I am gonna go little easy on you. Tell me who your current crush is?” She winked at me.

“Josh Duhamal.” I gave them a sheepish smile.

“Don’t lie, I know who he is.” Karma warned me.

“Honestly, JD is my crush.” I said.

“I didn’t mean a celebrity crush. A real one as in David Archuleta’s crush.” Tenzin explained though. 

“Ok. ST.” I said, immediately grabbing a bottle to spin for the next round as I felt the color creeping in my face.

“Oooooooo.” The wine they had was slowing ruling the atmosphere as they made an awkward O with their lips.

“ST as in Sonam T******, not our ex-jijajee.” Karma gave me an expression ‘Thank me later for this little huge favour.’

“Would you mind enlightening us with a full story?” Lhamo burped while asking me (yuck!).

“Rules are rules. One question at a time.” I said sternly as I rotated bottle for the next round.

As we continued the game, the lyrics from David Archuleta’s Crush was zoomed out and displayed clearly in my mind.

I hung up the phone tonight
Something happened for the first time
Deep inside it was a rush
What a rush

'Cause the possibility
That you would ever feel the same way about me
It's just too much
Just too much

Why do I keep running from the truth?
All I ever think about is you
You got me hypnotized
So mesmerized
And I've just got to know

[Chorus:]
Do you ever think
When you're all alone
All that we could be?
Where this thing could go?
Am I crazy or falling in love?
Is it real or just another crush?
Do you catch a breath
When I look at you?
Are you holding back
Like the way you do?
'Cause I'm trying, trying to walk away
But I know this crush ain't going away
Going away

Has it ever crossed your mind
When we're hanging,
Spending time, girl, are we just friends?
Is there more? Is there more? (Is there more)

See it's a chance we've gotta take
'Cause I believe that we can make
This into something that'll last
Last forever, forever