As the ship sailed away,
Into the oblivion of the setting sun.
Memories blur my vision.
The tearful eyes, heartfelt goodbyes.
How I wanted to scream, to say!
All I needed was to feel your touch,
The pain of emptiness was such,
Vastness of the sea, blues of the sea.
Pic Courtesy: Google
Sharon laughed a lot, for almost about a minute, as she saw the Instagram reel.
It was just one of those funny reels from the famous Instagram page ‘The lovey-dovey couple’, which Sharon followed. It’s the winter season and the wife’s feet are incredibly cold. The lady in that video waits long enough for her husband to come to bed so that she can warm her cold feet against his body. The husband, oblivious of his wife’s intentions, gets inside the duvet and then gets the ‘cold’ shock of his life and screams. The expressions of the couple and how the entire 30-odd seconds video is presented, make the video quite hilarious and amusing. Also, the love and affection which reflected in their eyes were quite infectious.
Sharon thought she would do the same with Dave, her husband. She knew that it might not have the desired effect as what was shown in the reel but she anyways wanted to go ahead with the same. Much to her amazement, Dave’s hands and feet were always quite chilly. In fact, he used to catch cold easily and would invariably start to shiver at the slightest drop of the mercury. She was not sure, either, if it would have any effect, in their relation.
The distance in their relationship was increasing with every passing day. Theirs was a love marriage and they used to know each other from their high school days. They had no idea when their love blossomed and in no time at all, the bench-mates became soul mates. All they knew that they were both in love and dying to get married. The dreamy photos still bear the evidence of how pleased and satisfied they were, as they walked down the aisle.
5 years later, they felt like they would die in their marriage.
Both of them were unaware as per when the bitterness crept in their marriage. It was not that they quarrelled or abused each other a lot. The marriage had just gotten boring and frosty, any warmth or feelings between them were long lost. There was hardly any discussion about any new drug which Sharon and her team created in her Chemistry lab or what new product Dave’s tech company was going to launch. There were no trips to plan, no date-nights to go out to, no long drives to go on, no movies to catch.
There were hardly any words spoken.
There were times that they would try to do something to ignite the fire in their marriage, but mostly, that fire burnt the relationship, even more. Surprisingly, they still shared the same bed. One night, one would hug the other momentarily before sleeping. Some other night, one would kiss and start something physical. Somewhere, deep inside their monotonous and melancholic relationship, some amount of love was still left, perhaps.
That night, they were having dinner together and Sharon was checking her phone. Sharon prepared the dinner that night and got some fake appreciation from Dave. There was a pin-drop silence at the table and she hardly touched her food. The silence at the table was so agonizing and sickening for her that she found it better to find solace in her phone. The moment she saw that reel, she started laughing hysterically. The laugh was more out of relief than fun, nevertheless she laughed whole-heartedly. She thought about using the same on her husband that night. There was a sudden glow in her eyes.
She quicky went to bed and waited for Dave to come.
She had to wait for quite some time. Dave was watching some Netflix series when she left for the bedroom. As Dave came to bed slightly uneasy, Sharon got a tad bit worried but she was too excited about what to follow. Dave got inside the blanket and felt asleep quickly. She waited for another 5-10 minutes and then touched his feet with hers.
There was no movement from Dave.
She touched his body and it felt even colder than usual. She gave him a push and again, there was no reciprocation from his side. She kept her head on his chest for a brief while and all she could listen to was peaceful silence. As she opened the Instagram app, a smile highlighted her whole face.
Image courtesy: Google
Abhi had to move out of his city, his beloved Kolkata. The frog which usually used to stay in a nook of the deepest well it could possibly find, had to move out of the well, for quite a long period. He had hardly left his city, be it for work or pleasure. This time, for work, not only the city; he had to leave his country. He could still count the number of sleepless nights he had, not for the excitement of being at a new place, meeting new people but being scared and anxious about how he would survive.
Basically, he had to move out of his comfort zone, and he was not at all comfortable with it.
The fact that he did not know how to cook did not help his cause either.
As he reached the new city of Southampton, the first thing he needed to do was to find a place to live. Thanks to his friends and the agent, who at first was so caring and helpful, finding the house was not that difficult. As it was furnished, so he was quickly able to settle down. It was basically a two storeyed house with 5 rooms, all rented to different people. Although many others used to stay in the flat, he hardly met any of them. It was like he was staying all alone in that entire building. Only sometimes he could catch a glimpse of the Chinese girl Hua and her English boyfriend who stayed in the room diagonally opposite to his. The room which he got, on the ground floor, had a huge west facing window. The setting sun matched his mood as he felt so miserable and dejected and out of place, well at least the initial few days. There was a big and decently curated backyard just behind his window which was the common for all living in that building. Abhi had to cross the common kitchen and then the common dining room to visit the backyard. It was mainly used to dry clothes. He sometimes used to sit there and write poems or think about his ‘well’. Oddly, there was no light bulb there and after the sun set, when it got all dark and pitch black, he kind of not liked it, at all.
Oh, did I forget to mention? Abhi was shit scared of darkness and ghosts.
Even in this present era, he used to, not only believe in ghosts but also feel that they might give him a sudden visit anytime. He used to keep the lights on at night, even while sleeping, while he was in Kolkata. When he moved to the new place, the same routine continued. He used to get sudden chills down his spine, just being alone. He broke into sweat when there was a sudden loud noise or if he felt anything suspicious in the dark. If put correctly, he used to live his nightmares.
When you’re afraid or uneasy of something, you need to try to stay away from it, right? As they say, out of sight, out of mind.
Not in the case of Abhi though.
No matter how much he was frightened of the ghosts and souls and ghouls and stuff, he loved to watch horror shows and movies. He would pull a shawl or blanket or bring a pillow in front of his eyes, hide behind his mother, cover his eyes with his palm and what not, depending on what the situation was, but he would never shy away from reading such stories or watching one. After that, he would keep thinking about the same and add more misery to his life; just an unending cycle which he used to both enjoy and despise.
So, one day back from office, after finishing his evening juice and snacks, Abhi got the bright idea to watch a movie. He did a bit of Googling and a bit of IMDB-ing and finally decided to watch a movie called ‘The Wailing’.
For those who don’t know about this movie, it’s a South Korean horror movie. The synopsis of the movie, as given in the site IMDB: Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter. The South Korean horror or thrillers are a class apart, they’ve mastered the art so well. The intricate details, the performances, the effects, the presentation, all these will engulf anyone into that world. Once one gets the hang of these movies, it’s hard to get rid of the same.
So, the movie ended and Abhi was both moved with what he witnessed and obviously terrified too. He could not move from his bed for both the reasons. It was quite late when the movie ended and he felt hungry too. Thankfully, his dinner was already cooked and he thought that he would watch some funny video on the YouTube so that he could somehow block the creepy thoughts and sleep at night. Everything went according to the plan and in no time after finishing his dinner, he was back on his bed, searching for YouTube videos.
And then, it happened.
As he was searching for the videos, he could hear some faint but rhythmic knock on the windowpane. It was so feeble and almost inaudible that if he had put on the headphone, he could have never listened to that. At first, he just chose to ignore and thought that it was the figment of his imagination. After some time, he was sure that it was the reality and the knocking was actually happening. The images from the movie were still fresh in his minds and after that he had to endure that. He already stared to panic, prayed to his Gods and made up his mind that under no circumstance, he would remove the curtains to check outside.
But the knocking continued.
After 5-10 more such minutes, Abhi realized that he needed to check the reason behind that knocking. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able sleep at night. It would creep the hell out of him, the whole night. As it continued, it got into his nerves and it made him even more nervous. He was scared witless. He took some time, gained some courage, not sure how, and pulled the curtains sideways.
Much to his disbelief, there was no one, nothing; not a person or an animal or any soul. It was just the same as it was always after the sunset, pitch black.
He pulled the curtains back, tried hard to concentrate on searching the YouTube videos and then again:
Knock, knock, knock!
In the moderate UK weather, Abhi was perspiring, a lot. His nails were all gone. His heartbeats, he could literally listen to them. He felt like he was about to lose all sanity and had no idea about what should be done. He thought about asking for help from his neighbours but that meant going out of his room and he dropped the idea immediately. He could not visit the dining either to check the reason behind the knocking, for the same reason. He wanted to call his friends or colleagues but could not do so as he would become the butt of a joke. He even thought of calling his mother or wife but they were already asleep. There were so many other things going on through his minds.
He felt so vulnerable and wretched that at one point of time it got the better of his fear and the harm that invisible entity could do to him.
Finally, he decided to face the demon, finally he decided to check the backyard.
He tiptoed his way through the small corridor, the kitchen and then to the dining. The curtains of the dining were also closed shut. Abhi made sure every night before sleeping that the curtains are shut properly, besides checking the locks on the gate. He could sense that there was something restless on the other side, waiting to pounce on him. He could hear the wailing of it. He could feel that two gazing eyes wanted to gobble him up. He wanted to run back to his room but the being had some kind of hold on Abhi and was pulling him towards him. The pull was so alluring that he could not break the shackles. He slowly moved towards the curtain, closed his eyes and pulled the curtains. After a brief pause, he opened his eyes and screamed, “Oh Gosh!”
All he could see was the sad face of Hua standing in the backyard.
The poor lady was smoking at the farthest corner of the backyard and Abhi had closed the door without checking the backyard properly. Hua knocked on his windowpane so that he opened the door for her and she could get inside. She was so patient and not at all angry and that made him feel so guilty. In fact, she was giggling, when he told her the entire scheme of things. They exchanged numbers to make sure that such a situation would never happen again. They both bid good night and Abhi had a great sleep that night. There could not have been a better comedic episode for him.
Official Movie poster
I came late to the party and boy! What a party it was!
If your definition of a party is mindless Haa-Haa, Hee-Hee then this is not the party for you. But if you love to sit in a corner and enjoy life with your closed ones with a cup of coffee or a mug of beer, well, just jump in.
The movie starts in the fictional region of Inisherin which was basically shot in Inishmore before moving to Achill Island. The calm and barren nature of the location adds to the tone of the film which is about some simple and boring people who have nothing much to do in their day to day lives. it is the story of two friends living their tedious and uneventful lives. One fine day one realizes that he has a lot to do in his life (create music to be remembered forever) and just don’t want to waste his life chatting silly and stupid stuff. This puts the friendship to a test and what happens afterwards is the general crux of the movie. Special mention to the cinematographer Ben Davis for capturing Ireland, or the isolation and solitude of that part of Ireland, so beautifully.
The haunting background music goes so well with the mood of the movie. The melancholy nature of the tune not only suits the mood but makes the movie feel, like an experience which will stay with you for a long long time, if not forever. It soothes your nerves, if the setting was not enough and actually plays an important character in this story. Any amount of praises for #CarterBurwell will be less and he has pulled off a stupendous job.
There is nothing much to say about the acting. #ColinFarrell as Pádraic Súilleabháin has perhaps given the performance of his life. He has just breathed life into the character and made this dull, hopeless, foolish, boring person, a very likable one. There is one scene where he gets thrashed by a corrupt policeman and his friend, at first, helps him and then desserts him. What he has done with that scene is definitely a pause-worthy moment. #BrendanGleeson as Colm Doherty is the perfect foil to Pádraic who wants to create music and make his name imperishable, for times to come. But the pressure of the same gets the better of him and that’s how the friendship gets scarred. #KerryCondon as Siobhán Súilleabháin, sister of Pádraic is perhaps the only sane and wise character and she plays her role perfectly. But the stand out for me was #BarryKeoghan as Dominic Kearney. The way he portrays the role of the lonely, love seeking guy who gets thrashed by his father and is rebellious enough to go against him, how he wants to prove himself smart enough to an elderly woman so that she can start a romantic relationship and how he finally meets his tragic end, he plays his part exceptionally well. This guy has a long way to go and his CV already looks a glorious one.
There is nothing much to say about #MartinMcDonagh. If you have followed his previous films like In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, it’s a known fact that his films have a comic setting with a sad ending. The movies are slow but not boring, there will be plenty of funny moments but not LOL moments. The movies need to be watched, slightly patiently, but will leave a lasting impression on you.
The movie is about friendship, love, relationships. It is about the dreams and aspirations of normal and common people. It is about creating something beautiful making your name imprinted in the minds of the following generations and the amount of pressure it can put on you and how you try to put the blame on others, in case you fail. It is about how to get over your past and embrace a new beginning and if you’re not able to get over it, how it will affect your future. It’s about getting stuck with your roots or be able to make peace with the detachment. The backdrop of the Irish Civil War of 1923 needs to be mentioned as it acts as a metaphor.
Image Courtesy: Google
The cast of the movie
The little kid,
Waiting patiently for her father,
To come home, to come back to her.
She has so much to share.
The poem she learnt at school,
Saw the ducks swimming in the pool.
She has to complain about her brother,
The injured knee to take care.
How beautifully the birds sing and fly,
Her naughty dolls always cry.
When she hid behind the curtain’,
As Mamma lost her again, and again!
The new dance she learnt today,
The boy who smiled on her way.
The sun sets, comes the night so dark;
The sky is often lit up with bright firework.
She does not know why Mumma is upset,
Neither she understands why Papa is so late!
She is sleepy and tired, waiting for him;
Explosions outside are making her scream.
She misses Papa and his warm embrace,
Those big fingers caressing his face.
The comfort she gets when she rests in his lap,
That soothing voice before taking a nap.
He holds her tight when she walks ahead,
And she gleefully kisses him on the forehead.
The little kid,
Eager, restless, for her father;
To come home, to come back to her.
If only she knew she may not see him ever.
Pic Courtesy: Google
The last kiss before the final goodbye,
The heartfelt tears from the eyes so dry.
Satisfied with the security of the loved ones,
As the fear of never seeing them again loom’.
The smell of powder as the wind blows,
The closest bonds which could never bloom.
The happiest days in both of their lives,
As they’re pronounced husbands and wives.
The honeymoon, the romance, seems so distant;
The dreams are crushed under a pile of corpse.
Flowers get replaced with firearms in an instant,
Blessings, disguised as bombs, drop’.
The sunny sky, a perfect time for game;
The flying ash puts compassion to shame.
The lush green has no sight of players,
The euphoria of the fans is now silent.
All are busy in saying their prayers,
The disciplined players have become violent.
Dictators come and go, regimes fall;
The banes of the war remain the same.
Humanity will triumph after all,
Peace always reigns supreme over the flame.
The first raindrop on the barren land,
The little oasis in the sea of sand;
That’s what your charming smile means to me,
The most pleasant site there ever will be.
Where all my dreams are safe and secure,
Make the blemish world look so pure;
That’s how I feel about your radiant eyes,
“I want to get lost in them”, my heart cries.
The force which keeps me going through the day,
Keep all my problems and failures at bay;
The strength I get when you hold my hand,
You make life easy with your imaginary wand.
The cozy blanket for the homeless wanderer,
The tree providing shade to the tired explorer;
The comfort I get in your warm embrace,
As your soft hands caress my face.
What keeps my blood flowing in my veins,
My body and soul moving even when it pains;
Our love is as pure as the morning dew,
My beating heart reminds all I need is you.
As I slip into the darkness of the night,
Thirsty eyes longing for a ray of light.
The murk inside chokes my breath,
Despair poisons all my hopes to death.
I stare into the emptiness of my room,
The void within my heart is but gloom.
The warmth of my wealth burns my soul,
As I keep descending into the sinking hole.
I try to find solace in the people who adore,
The ship has long been away from the shore.
I search for the remedy from this pain,
And keep thinking the reasons again.
I, myself, brought all the agony upon me;
Rewards of my arrogance and greed and indecency.
Perhaps the only way out is in flames,
Till then, just a random among so many names.
So, there I was,
In the middle of the bustling city;
Alone, lost, stranded, soaked in pity;
With eyes so dry,
The sleepless nights of pain and cry.
A supportive hand, never in sight;
Helpless, no strength or desire to fight.
My demons inside fed upon my crushing dreams,
Nobody could hear my silent screams.
I have created around me, my own dark hell;
Life or death, so simple a bargain.
How I longed for some love and care!
Losing that beloved was the constant fear.
I have built a cage, around me, my heart;
The world seems to be too far apart.
As leaves quit the trees during the fall,
I bid my goodbye to all.
(I)
Claire was in the seventh heaven, from the morning. It was more than a month for her, perhaps the longest duration between her last adventure and this one. She just loved to be a part of the adventures but thanks to her office pressure, she did not find any time to even go on one of these adventures! She just could not believe herself and was so shocked thinking that how she was able to continue without one! But today, it was just the day she was waiting for.
She was finally going out on a blind date today.
Claire had been a member of the online dating app ‘Amour’ for a long time. In this app, you get to meet with thousands of strangers. Some basic data like hobbies, preferences, educational details, profession and other are available in the app; not any profile picture. If you like someone, you can send that person a ‘tap’ and if that person sends a ‘smile’ in response to your tap, you all know how the rest follows. Her several previous taps or sending smiles resulted in her ultimate aim of hitting a home run. But for the past few months or so, she was hardly able to spend more than an hour with her dates. This one, she just liked him instantly.
It hardly took her a moment to send the tap and the smile came just minutes after.
Claire worked for an advertisement firm and was too busy for the past month. She was working over the weekends too, such stringent were the deadlines. There were two ad campaigns of which she was an integral part. There was the election campaign ad for the local council election which was a smaller one; the ad for the new soft drink launch was a huge challenge for her. The product was just to be launched and the company invested a lot of money into the promotions. From writing a catchy tagline for the product, planning for the TV commercials and also for the printable media to the glow signs and billboards, all of these gave her many sleepless nights. Finally, her work was completed and it was a grand success. She was able to breathe a sigh of relief!
She knew she had some easy days at the office and was even granted a leave of two days by the boss himself, being so happy with her work. She knew the best way to utilize the sudden long holiday and she wasted no time at all. She logged into the app, found the hottie she needed and did the other formalities. After the date was fixed for the next day, she quickly went to the other room to share the news with Mabel.
(II)
Claire and Mabel were flatmates and they share a two-bedroom flat. Claire shared all her adventures with Mabel, no matter how disinterested she was. Mabel was the exact opposite of Claire. Claire never left any chance to flirt with men whereas Mabel always found it too difficult to even start a conversation. Claire had so many times set up so many dates for her hoping that she would finally get the job done but it had always been a failure. If Claire was ever able to drag Mabel out to go to parties, Mabel was always back within an hour so whereas Claire mostly came the next day or that same night with a man, sometimes even with men. She was that typical introvert who favoured to stay in her room and get lost in her educational and story books. She was absent from any form of social media except for WhatsApp. She still preferred reading the printed newspapers; in fact, her day started with the horoscope predictions that came in the newspapers, which Claire found both amusing and silly.
So, the day arrived for Claire and she was completely decked up. She went shopping the previous day and the black plunging neckline made the heads turn for many men. Her date came sharp on time and she was bowled over the moment she saw him. The more she conversed with him, the more she liked him. After so many days, she finally found someone who matched her wit and IQ. Not a tad bit boring, that man knew how to have fun. She was already thinking the naughty bits that she hoped would follow that night. That the man was into some naughty and kinky stuff made Claire crave for him. Needless to say, they both hit it off.
As they came out of the pub, it was pretty obvious that none of them wanted to waste a single moment. She made the first move and asked him to be at her place. Much to her amaze and evident pleasure, he mentioned that he already had some surprize planned for them. As he held the door for her, of his convertible, she was slowly slipping into a dreamland.
When they arrived in front of his penthouse, she knew that she had hit the jackpot.
Everything that night was surreal for her.
(III)
When he started tying up her hands in those beautiful novelty cuffs, her excitement knew no bounds. She just wanted it to start. She was already moaning.
When she saw and heard the toy which the stranger brought to play with, she suddenly remembered a small conversation with Mabel.
Claire: “You know love, I don’t believe in this.”
Mabel: “Once you listen what it says here, you’ll.”
Claire: “I still won’t but just because you tolerated my ‘Amour’ tale, I will listen to your shit.”
Mabel: “I request you. Don’t go out on this date. It’s said here that it’ll harmful for Gemini-s to make new friends this week and also, they’ll suffer for their romantic episodes.”
That was the last thing she remembered before the saw finally hit her.
Meet Suresh, the UBER driver from Kolkata. Rated at 4.9, he is really a brilliant driver. He always stays on the right side of the traffic rules and is never a rash driver. Happy and cheerful, the vibrant and chirpy nature minus the creepy part is always welcomed by his customers. He knows when to be chatty or have a conversation with his customer and when to stay shut. He is not a touchy-feely guy but if anyone taps him from behind for some direction or information, he never acts rudely and remains civil enough with them. If he is picking up drunk customers, he makes sure that they’re dropped at the right destination and never takes any advantage of their situations. He politely refuses to take tips when some of them insist on giving him, unless he feels that things would go out of control. Most importantly, he is very protective about women customers and respects them a lot.
He is the driver that any customer would always want.
And then the covid pandemic happened.
Suresh used to drive his cab in Kolkata but he was actually from Bihar, from a desolate village. As the pandemic hit the world, many people went jobless. The cab which Suresh used to drive was not his but his owner’s. As people mainly stayed indoors, he had to let go of his job. He went back to his village and had no steady job for at least 2-3 months. As the dead bodies piled up across the country, people were grateful for just being able to stay alive. He went from to door to door, met with various people to get a job, any job. Finally, after month’s of chasing and waiting, he again got the job of a driver. The previous driver was a victim of the deadly disease. The salary was way less than what he was earning in Kolkata but as they say, beggars can’t be….
In the new job, he had a helper with him but as luck would have it, on the very first day, the helper fell ill. He just prayed to God as it was his first day at work. He picked up his customer and started driving towards the destination. As he drove through the village from where he picked up, he felt slightly sad and uncanny. There were hardly any people on the streets owing to both the location and the situation. He missed the hustle and bustle of Kolkata, the normality of the life. He got lost in his thoughts, about how he would secure his and family’s future, about how he would be able to pass this difficult phase of the pandemic, about how he would be able to provide safety and security to his family.
About his dream of having his own car.
About being able to stay alive.
He was forced back to the present times as he felt a tap on his back and as per his usual self he was about to reply. But he just sat there, frozen. He pressed the brake real hard and started panting for breath. His whole body went numb, he could feel the lights getting dimmed in front of his eyes. He had no idea how to react.
His new job was driving a mortuary van.
What’s the percentage in yours?
4 and yours?
3.
Oh no!!!!
Fuck!!!!
Shit!!!!
Fuck! Fuck! Fucccckkkk!!!!!
(I)
The plan was a sudden one, you know spontaneity and all. Sounds cool, right? Like real cool.
Nobody realized that it had all the indications of the disaster in the making.
I mean the otherwise lazy Abhishek whose Saturday mornings start after 10 AM, at least, woke and got up from his bed by 8 AM. I wonder what God felt seeing him leave his bed so early that day. He had definitely checked His calculations as a universal truth was smashed and broken. On the other hand, Pooja, who habitually wakes up early with an episode of ‘Friends’ and I mean re-watching it for the umpteenth time or whatever the count, was still enjoying her morning sleep.
It’s she who tries to find the beauty in the mornings whereas he tries to use it as an option to lazy around.
It’s she who generally makes the plans for going out and he tries to stall them till the 3rd World War is about to break out.
That morning, everything was happening, in reverse.
Did they need any more indication? No.
So, Abhishek came up with the plan for that day. The covid scenario was still worse but the lockdown was slightly lifted, just. The plan was simple, catch the bus to Lepe Beach, have lunch there, take an Uber from there to Exbury Gardens and be back to Lepe from there in 2 hours to be able to catch the last bus. There were buses all evening till late night but after 5 PM the bus will not come up to Lepe and they would need to walk another half an hour or so to catch the bus.
What could possibly go wrong here!!!!!
(II)
So, even if they had enough time to catch the 9.55 AM bus to Lepe, they had to do their panic run to catch the bus. Abhishek, though was the mastermind of the plan which included the timings of the buses to catch, took his sweet little time to prepare and get ready, finally realized that there was not much time left. As they reached the bus stop and found that the bus was yet to arrive, he started boasting that there was no need to rush as they had reached early to catch the bus to which Pooja gracefully pointed to his watch to make him realize that the bus was about 5 minutes late.
The beach was not too crowded but not deserted either. It’s just the situation they both expected with the prevalent covid norms. The weather at Lepe betrayed them though. Although Met office showed fairly clear skies, it was all gloomy and cloudy there. Well, anyway, that’s the speciality of the UK weather, changing moods more frequently than that of a woman on period (feminists, please don’t kill me). So, after finishing their lunch they tried to cheer up or to put it more specifically, Pooja tried to cheer both up.
And what better way to cheer people up than taking photos!!!!
Hence started the photo-taking spree. It all started with the long shots, wide shots, panorama shots of the nature. Then started Pooja’s photo-shoot with the incredibly poor cameraman in Abhishek behind the mobile camera. If there was ever a competition of the worst photographers in the world, Abhishek, hands down, would have won the trophy every single time. So, after taking the umpteen number of pics, Pooja finally liked only one or two of the lot, to which Abhi breathed several sighs of relief. When it came the other way, Pooja took some brilliant snaps of his and he was more than happy. These sessions were intertwined with selfie sessions, solo and combined.
Nobody bothered to look at the battery of their phones, not even once.
The tickets to the Exbury Gardens were booked for 2 PM. So, at about 1.20 PM Abhi took out his phone to book the UBER. Much to his horror, there were no cabs at all, not one single cab, nada. He thought to himself that it was just 5-7 minutes drive from Lepe to Exbury, it would hardly take half an hour by walk. He opened the Google Maps to check the path and the duration, a 4-letter cultured word came out of his mouth, instinctively, followed by some more sophisticated words.
“Fuck!!!! It’s a one hour long walk.”
“Shit, the battery is less than 30%.”
(III)
Pooja is very good at using Google Maps and for him, his level matched with his photography skills or may be worse. Pooja still had about 50% of battery and so both were slightly relieved. They checked with the Exbury officials that it wouldn’t be a problem to enter even if they came late as tickets were already booked. So, they started the one hour long walk with the fear in mind that they would have to come back all the way walking if they didn’t get a cab while coming back.
The path was narrow, winding, undulating with cars coming gushing from both ways. There was hardly any footpath and they had to basically walk on the roads meant for driving. The drivers were kind enough to slow down whenever they came near them. There were few others who were also walking just like them and that gave them some comfort and assurance that they weren’t the only fools on that road.
The road was beautiful though. Mother Nature left no stone unturned to enhance Her beauty. This somewhat made the journey easier for them. Sometimes it was surrounded with lush green fields, sometimes the wild orchids and flowers created a pleasant and vibrant scenery, sometimes there were tall tress creating a canopy for them, sometimes it was the rugged nature that enthralled them. The sun was out by that time with its full force and heat.
So, more pics of the nature and more draining of the battery.
Finally, after a long but not so tiring journey, they reached the Exbury Gardens.
(IV)
For people who are still not tired with the story, are not sure about what is there in the Exbury Gardens or have not Google-ed it yet, it’s a lovely and huge garden with various types of flowers and trees. There are some picturesque buildings, structures and small bridges too. The best of the lot is obviously the steam engine train that runs and covers almost the entire garden.
As one gets into the interiors of the garden, there is hardly any signal in the phone. This was so liked by Abhi as there was no office call to take, no mails to respond, no FB status to check, no WhatsApp pings to reply, no Instagram posts to update or like. All these, while he could relish the splendour of the nature, getting mesmerized by the colours of nature, being in the lap of Mother Nature. He could kill people to have such a life, (a bit of exaggeration) but that was something Abhi always wanted.
The place had so many diverse trees and bushes and shrubs and herbs and what not. There were small ponds where ducks were having a gala time, the trees were the playing area for the squirrels, there were birds orchestrating their own symphony. It was like a heaven on the face of the earth.
All this while Pooja was as usual busy with clicking pictures, both with her eyes and the mobile. Both tried to save as much battery as possible, but the beauty of the place forced them to reach for their pockets and take out their phones. Each and every corner of the garden brought them such unique sights which can only be behold and be held in their memories. It was like they were creating memories for the future being in the present.
The train with the steam engine took them back to their childhood days. There were covid norms in place and thus very few people were allowed in the trains. One single coach was meant for one family and thus they had a small but cosy coach all for themselves. There were kids and old people too along with the people of their ages, all having such wonderful time. Besides reminiscing their childhood days, the journey was also quite significant for them as their 1st date (not the official one) had something to do with the trains and both loved train journeys. So, in the midst of all the cheering and shouting by the kids, the smiles and satisfactions of the old people, the joy and relief of the others, two people held themselves tightly and passionately in their embraces.
Did their lips meet once or twice? Or even more?
The train journey, a more than half an hour one, passed in the blink of an eye.
When they were finally taken back out of their mind palaces (Sherlock fans, make some noise) where the palaces got filled with some charming memories and thrusted back to the present, both nonchalantly looked at their watches. It was about 4.30 PM which meant that they have only 30 minutes to reach Lepe to catch the last bus from there. They did check UBER and the local cab services and much to their horror, there was nothing as usual.
It was when they checked their phone battery percentages. Abhi’s was languishing at 3% and Pooja’s was slightly better, 4%.
(V)
If they were slightly careful about the timings, they could have averted the probable catastrophe. But when you’re meant to be screwed, you just get so.
With no cabs, they would need to walk all the way to the new bus stop. They knew the road back to Lepe was fairly a straight one but would be of no use. By the time they would reach Lepe, the last bus from there would have left already. So, they needed to go to the new stop. The walking would not be that of a problem, but it was the road; they had no idea where the new bus stop would be and which path to take. The only saviour for them was the light, it would be long enough for them to walk to the bus stop before it got dark.
Pooja opened her phone one last time before it breathed its last. The new bus stop was more than an hour long walk, about 10-15 minutes more. Luckily for them the meandering and undulating road was also fairly a straight one. They had to take the Exbury Road and head towards Backfield. But as per the Google Maps, this road went through a small forest or from whatever came up on the screen, it looked like a forest. With this new and unfamiliar road, that was not a pretty thing for them. Both have seen enough of those Saw, Wrong Turn or the other slasher genre movies to send chills down their spines. They would have asked for a ride or something from others if it was a normal time but with the covid scenario, they were scared to ask for help. They prayed to God and started walking.
As they started walking, they saw a glimmer of hope. There was an old metal post on the road with the directions given to the bus stop and they got assurance that they were on the right track. They smiled a bit and continued walking. Of course, they were still a bit worried about the forest and how dense it would be!!!
They have walked about 40 minutes or so and suddenly the road took a sharp turn. The moment they completed the turn, the road that followed was quite narrow, not a proper pitch-made road, rather a muddy one and it was a steep downhill. Although it meant that it would ease their walking, there was a chance of another steep uphill sometime later. Also, it meant that it would be difficult for them to see the road much further ahead unless they were on the climb. To add to their worries, they saw a sign which was very easy to miss for anyone: ‘Horse on the road, drive safely’. They understood that they were about to enter the forest.
(VI)
To be fair and honest, it would be highly dramatic to say that they were going through the forest. What would be apt to say was that they were on a secluded part of the road which had some huge tress and grasslands. But with no people or any house in sight, the place was somewhat scary, if not creepy. There were no animals either; it was like a place cut-off from the other parts of the world. Needless to say, there was no signal in the almost dead phones. Also, they were still going down and hence there were hardly any chance if there was some house or people nearby. Much to their dismay and horror, they found some dumps to their left which did not smell good at all. They had no idea what those dumps were about but the smell they got did give them hints of something unpleasant. They tried to put on the gas but their legs were already quite low on fuel.
They had walked for at least 10 minutes and finally they saw some horses, all white ones. They were quietly eating grass and strolling around.
Another 5-10 minutes later, the road started taking the uphill and suddenly the muddy roads got replaced with the properly made roads. Both Abhi and Pooja breathed were slightly relieved and continued their walking.
As they had expected, the uphill road was also quite extreme. They had cold drinks in their bags. They paused for a moment, had a sip or two and continued walking. After all this while, they had started feeling a bit comforted. They were not able to check their phones as per how much they had traveled and what portion was left. The network was still not there; but they felt safer and better-off. They started discussing their day, the magnificent garden, that train journey, their romantic moments and from those to the horrors of that road, what could have happened in that secluded area. Everything before that time, it was all depressing and precarious discussion between them. Abhi even started humming a few songs.
As they finally climbed to the top of the road, both felt fatigued. The continuous walking and that steep climb made them pant for their breath. They could not walk any more. Pooja sat down on the road and Abhi stood there holding his knees. That they were still not near the city or any road where they could see the buses or cars sucked the last iota of their energy. They could see a few houses at some distance.
Just before they started walking, Abhi turned back, for no reason at all. It was just a sudden, spontaneous thing he did.
And he stood there; motionless, still, unmoving.
The sight he saw was a joy to witness. It was one of the most splendid things that Abhi had ever seen. The sky above was pristine blue with the white cottony clouds enhancing its already brimming grandeur. He was so high up that he could see the entire area. It gave him the literal feel of being at the top of the world. It felt like no darkness or sin could ever reach such heights. It felt like materialism or evil would choke in that vastness. The setting sun was playing hide and seek as it tried to sneak in behind the tall trees. The light coming through the midst of the trees gave him the ray of hope he needed. It made him feel that all their hard work would soon bear the desired fruit. The cool breeze which tilted the trees made them look like they were dancing in the sun to the most pleasant tune chirped by the birds. That there was no mobile phone to capture those images, he captured them with his bare eyes. He nudged Pooja and made a gesture to look at what he was enjoying.
They stood there, not sure how long, to appreciate the beauty.
Some more steps and some more agonizing yet cheerful minutes, they could hear the hurrying buses.
(I)
The sound of the calling-bell made him very irritated.
Generally, Anjan is a very fun-loving guy. He loves to be with people, the more the merrier. But today is not like the other days. He really got annoyed with the constant ding-dongs. Well, the reason is just his ill-health. The temperature of his body is quite high, which he can easily realize without even using the thermometer. He looked at the AC of his room and cursed it, though the machine was silent and lazily enjoying the morning sun. Add to that the office party last night. He had some tough few weeks for a major release in his IT firm. It was the success party last night. And boy! Did not all of them from his team unwind last night? It was raining liquor last night. The music was loud and peppy which added to the mood. He had been, at least, to the loo thrice; that’s the count he remembers, just to vomit. He has no idea how he reached home last night. There is a slight pain in his head, but that’s due to hangover or falling down on the ground, he is still trying to recollect that, but alas!
Finally, after hearing the bell for another 5-6 times, he finally pushed his body out of the bed. The frown was all over his body. He trudged slowly and agonizingly towards the gate. His body has given in completely, it was just his sheer willpower, or may be the lack of it, that he was walking. The hangover still hanged his senses. But the moment he opened the door, he got a bit scared; scared for his present state and the person he was facing.
“Dad, you? And so early in the morning? You did not inform me or at least could have called me, na. I would have gone to the airport to pick you up. How did you come by the way? It’s such a pleasant surprise, I still can’t believe my eyes. And have you brought your beautiful wife?” Anjan somehow blabbered all this just to show his father that he is stable.
His father smiled a bit and said, “Will you not let me enter the house? You will ask all the questions with me standing at your gate?” and then after a slight pause he added or rather chuckled, “Are you really in a state to go and pick me up from the airport?”
Anjan stood red-faced and bewildered in front of his father, not knowing what do, now that he is caught. “You’ve realized my state, Shit! You take some rest and let me quickly go and brush my teeth. I will be back in a minute.”
What came within a second though, was Anjan coughing loudly and painfully.
(II)
“My son, your father is not from this generation. I still prefer travelling via train. Also, I am scared about the planes. Your body temperature is quite high. Is it the AC or the part last night? Thank God, I came today. I missed you badly for so many days, your mother too. But you know the condition of her knees, she could hardly move these days. So, I just came, all of a sudden. You have some rest, I will make you some warm tea with ginger. You’ll feel a lot better, just like the good old days; when you were just a kid. Then, my special chicken stew and Roti.”
“There are so many deals on MMT, very cheap flight tickets were on offer. It’s such a long and tiring train journey from Kolkata to Bengaluru. By the way, how did you know that I am ill? I was feeling so weak just being alone in this room. Now that I see you, I feel so fit and lively and revigorated. Thanks dad, you’re just great.”
“Enough of your flattering, now jump on the bed and take some rest. I will come with the tea soon,” his father went towards the kitchen.
He was so happy seeing his father, so far away from his house. His father was always his friend philosopher and guide. He was his idol, all though his life. He quickly remembered some of his childhood memories. He would stand in front of the mirror and imitate his father. So many times, he got caught but the habit never died. He just loved being his dad. The other thing he remembered was his father’s life-enriching chicken stew, every time he fell ill. It had the magical power to heal him instantly. How can he also forget his ginger-tea! Some things never change, no matter how different the time or place may be. A smile of pure satisfaction lit up his whole face. He had no idea that he would be able to smile so soon, given his mental and physical condition. He felt like heaven was served to him on a platter. He stared eagerly towards the kitchen, waiting for his father to come with the tea-cups. He just could not wait anymore. But his weak body hindered his eagerness, he slowly fell asleep.
(III)
Not sure, the sound of what made him awake. He said to himself, “why is not dad coming? It’s quite some time now.”
He had the same question going through his mind as he got down from his bed and stared at his father’s photo hanging from the wall.
It's time to Smile Again 