Future

It was a beautiful day. But it did nothing to raise his spirits. It appeared as if a few lines had been added to his face overnight. He walked slowly, as if he was unsure of where he was headed. But he knew exactly where he was going.But he wished he did not have to do what he was about to do.

Sanjeev and he had been friends since school. Sanjeev was gifted, but the other kids were scared of him. He was probably one of the few peope who spoke to him. Sanjeev was supposedly possessed. But he believed Sanjeev was gifted. Sanjeev could see the future. Like others, he did not believe it first. But with time, he discovered his friend’s gift and his struggle. It only increased his admiration for his friend.

They had drifted away after school. But a few years after he joined the police,he ran into Sanjeev one day. They became friends again and when he got transfered to the homicide division, he realized how useful Sanjeev’s gift would be. And Sanjeev had been more than happy to help. And today, he needed his help more than ever.

He knocked before he entered Sanjeev’s apartment. They greeted each other with a nod. He was to flustered to sit down. Sanjeev always waited for him to start.And today he didnt know where to begin.

“Do you really want me to give you an answer?” He realized that Sanjeev already knew what was eating him up.

“I need to know… I have to know….”

“You guys have been together for a long time. Dont you think its unfair to even ask this question.”

“If you know what I do…..no, you know what I know. Do you still think it would be unfair?”

“I think you should….”

“Wait a minute. Why are you so concerned already. Shit. This is so unfair. We have been together for eight years. And you know how much I love her. Why would she even want to do this…”

Sanjeev noticed the rage and hurt in his friend’s face. He had never seen such hatred before. He waited for the change to occur. He caught a glimpse of it.

He suddenly knew what he would have to do. His mind would not let him believe that this was happening to him.

“This is not happeneing to me.”, he kept repeating to himself. When he looked up, their eyes met. He knew things would never go back to normal, after this.

“How can you be so sure. Maybe, maybe…you are wrong. Even you can make a mistake. Remember the taxi murder … you made a mistake then. You were wrong then.You can be wrong now.”

“I wish I was.” It was a whisper, but he heard it.

“Tell me something, Sanjeev. You have always refused to tell me one thing. You have never told me how you die. Tell me now, how do you die.”

The gun in his pocket never felt heavier. He had to make sure there was no mistake. And he had only one way of doing that.

Sanjeev looked up. When their eyes met, he knew the answer.

“You know now.”

The blood slowly trickled out of the bullet hole.

Princess

August 16

Dear Diary,
A really scary thing happened this morning. As you know, we just moved into this new place yesterday. And I took out Rusty for an early morning walk, like I always used to do in our old place. As soon as I walked out of the gate, I heard a bark. You know how scared I am of dogs. Even after Rusty, I am really not comfortable with strange dogs. I completely froze. When I started walking again, there were more barks, and I could see quite a few dogs coming out of the alley. I was so scared. And when I looked around to find help, there was no one. I guess no one wakes up here at 5am. But then luckily I found a stick lying on the road. I picked it up and when I threatened them with it, it worked. They went back into their hide outs. I don’t know how I am going to do this every morning. I am beginning to hate this place already.

August 17

Dear Diary,
The dogs were there again. Some of them are so skinny, but they bark like crazy. I took a stick along with me this time. It seems to work for now. But I don’t know how long I can keep them off with it. I wish the pound will come and take them away.

August 20

Dear Diary,
I did something nice today. I was late for class and was running to catch an auto. As I left the building, I saw one of these skinny fellas outside the gate. No bark from him this time. He just lay there, as if he couldn’t move. I walked slowly up to him. I remembered that I had a half eaten packet of biscuit in my bag. I took that out and put it next to him. He immediately gobbled them up. I guess he hadn’t eaten for some time now. Poor fella. I wish I could have stayed longer with him. But I was running late and so had to leave.

August 21

Dear Diary,
Something strange happened today. When I went for the morning walk, the dogs outside started their barking at me routine again. But this skinny one I had fed yesterday just walked behind me for some time. You should have seen his eyes. I felt really sorry for that guy. I think I am going to take him some food everyday.

August 26

Dear Diary,
I have named him Jimmy. He is looking up now. He jumps up on me every time I pass the place. And he has started barking at the other dogs now, as if to protect me from them. Isn’t that really cute? I wish I could bring him home.

August 30

Dear Diary,
I found this really small puppy today. He shouldn’t be more than a few weeks old. But it looks like his clan has ostracized him. I found him under a car, peeping at me when I was feeding Jimmy. He looked so cute. I gave him a few biscuits and he was trying to nibble on it like crazy. I have decided to get him milk from tomorrow. Rusty also likes him. Rusty let him play all over him, which he very rarely lets me do.

September 3

Dear Diary,
I did the bravest thing in my life today. I was walking Rusty as usual and Jimmy was tagging along. The little one was peeping from under the car. I was about to call out to him, when this huge dog jumped on him and grabbed him in his mouth. For a second I thought he had killed him. I was completely in shock. And then I heard a little yelp and I jumped. But I didn’t know what to do. This one looked like a really mean dog. And I had stopped carrying a stick as well. I had to make a decision quick. I decided to go for it. I went right to the dog and slapped him on his mouth, forcing him to drop the puppy. He looked at me angrily, for a minute. I stepped up and shooed him off. And luckily he ran away. I went up to the little one to check if he was OK. He was so scared that he bit my finger. The poor thing. I backed off and waited a few minutes. When he realized I was only helping him, he ran to me and hid between my legs. He was shaking badly. I had to hold for quite some time before he was OK again. But he still wouldn’t let go of me. He followed me all the way back to my place. I really felt bad leaving him out there.

I still can’t believe what I did today. I feel so happy. But when I think about what might happen to him when I am not there, I feel really bad. I think I am going to bring him home tomorrow.

Light

I started seeing them six years ago. They started as small specks that I hardly noticed at first. But the specks become urgent flashes soon. That was when I got scared. I did not know if I was losing my sight or my mind. All eye tests came clean. But they only started growing bigger and started occurring more often. I did not know what to do.

All my friends started avoiding me. My family was initially afraid for me. They helped me through all the tests. I even started going to a psychiatrist on their insistence. When nothing seemed to work, they thought I was going mad. I had become an embarrassment for them. I lost my job. My family wanted to send me away to an institution. And the flashes were now globules of light floating around in space.

That was when I started looking at them more closely. They had a mind of their own. They would appear suddenly as a flash, and disappear in an instant. Sometimes, they would just hang around in the distance. I have seen them race past my eyes, collide into others, split apart and burst open. I have started recognizing them now. Their distinctive colors, the way the make their appearance, the way they behave make them easy to spot.

The first time I tried to touch one of them, it shied away from me. I was surprised that they sensed my presence. But they are friendlier now. Some of them get so close that I can see right through them. The world looks in a different shade when I see through them. I can see beauty I didn’t know existed. I can see horrors that I can’t imagine. I don’t know when they became so important for me.

I don’t have a family now. Nor do I have a job. My friends have disappeared. I don’t have a place. But I have never been so content in my life. The hardest thing is that I can see two different worlds, something that no one else can. And I can see one in the light of the other. Now I cant live without them. They are all I have. They are all I need.