“When I got enough confidence, the stage was gone. When I was sure of Losing, I won. When I needed People the most, they Left me. When I learnt to dry my Tears, I found a shoulder to cry on. When I mastered the Skill of Hating, Someone started loving me from the core of the Heart. And, while waiting for Light for Hours when I fell asleep, the Sun came out. That’s LIFE!! No matter what you Plan, you never know what Life has planned for you. Success introduces you to the World. But Failure introduces the World to you. Always be Happy!! Often when we lose Hope and think this is the end. God smiles from above and says, “Relax Sweetheart; It’s just a Bend, not the End!”
There was huge round of applause as Pragya stepped down from the podium.
“That was amazing,” said Tara, one of her assistant nurses.
“Well it wasn’t written by me but by one of our patients, she is recovering well,” said pragya and pointed to a girl on a wheelchair smiling widely and talking to the kid.
Pragya walked towards her while Tara followed.
“Bulbul!” exclaimed Pragya as she approached her while bulbul looked up and her lips curved to a wider grin.
“You spoke to them well sista,” she said
“Well I can speak English alright? Plus the doctor says that you’ll be able to walk in sometime,” she said with excitement.
“Ma’am she is your sister?” inquired Tara
“Oh I forgot to introduce you, Tara this is bulbul, and yeah my sister,” said pragya
“But she is here,” said Tara is a confused manner.
“I know this addiction therapy center but for me this is a Centre where I try to help as many people as I can to come out.
“Bulbul you have fun with the kids, I’ll be back,” said pragya and tara followed.
“What happened to her?” asked Tara
“Is that important? What matters is the result,” spoke pragya softly.
“Please,” plead Tara.
“Bulbul, like others loved to talk, but only at home, she was that ideal bubbly girl. She when started to talk, he train wouldn’t stop, but then came that dark cloud in her life. She was returning from the market when a few men surrounded her. They kidnapped her and……(tears brimmed in her eyes) they took away My bulbul, I am unable to say…. They… they raped her. Bulbul somehow after this stayed together and escaped from their clutches. When the realized that she had left they tailed her. She was running down the road when a car ran over her. I had been searching for her and when she was brought to hospital I was utterly shocked. The doctor who operated her was a friend of mine and she said that due to the internal injuries, bleeding and she wouldn’t be the same. She was suffering from trauma and when she woke up I still remember
“Sis!” said bulbul as she opened her eyes. Pragya who was sitting beside her was beyond the moon seeing her awake.
“You’re Awake!” exclaimed Pragya
“I…. I… can’t feel… my legs, I can’t feel then sis,” said bulbul
Pragya called the doctor and was informed of the devastating news that bulbul’s spine had been affected by the accident and she would be unable to walk but there was hope, the tiniest ray that she might
“And now she is here, and has had a speedy recovery, the bulbul you see is coming back to normal well even a better version,” ended Pragya
Tara couldn’t help but hug Pragya. Pragya just patted her back.
“Its fine dear,” she said
That’s when a man entered with a bouquet of red roses in hand.
“Hi there Pragya di,” said the man.
“Well whose here to meet his love,” said Pragya as she turned around with a grin to face him.
“Well,” he said rubbing the back of head.
“She just went inside Purab,” said Pragya
“Okie,” said Purab and ran inside.
“they and their never getting old romance (looking towards us) they’ve together now for a year but still not ready to confess. Need to do something,” said Pragya
She moved inside to find them in the lobby having a chat.
“so what’s up,” said Pragya as she sat beside them.
“A chat,” said bulbul.
“A… well one of my friend gave me these tickets to Justice League, and they are two, I don’t have time to go afn thought to give them to you,” said Pragya.
“justice league,” said bulbul and jumped in her seat.
“Tonight at 8, Purab why don’t you pick her, she’ll be ready,” said pragya
Purab nodded his head and wheeled bulbul from there as she was insisting to go to her room and show her the posters she had of them. Pragya again turned towards the audience.
“Well all of you are thinking that HOW COULD YOU MISS THAT!! YOU GAVE THEM THE TICKETS, stop right there, I won’t miss the premiere and have a ticket of the show before them,” she said and took out the ticket form her pocket and winked at us.
Screen shifts
Abhi walked down the road, a flask in his hand. He was walking in the parking lot of the club when he again started to tremble; his legs shaking, tremors in his hands, and his breathing ragged. He kept on coughing and reached for his pocket and took out 2 syringes. He plunged them one by one and stopped shaking. These were his 10th and 11th syringes of the day.
“From 9 a day ago today I need 10,” he thought.
He then bumped into one of the girl standing there who got offended by him immediately.
“Want to have a good time,” said the girl
Abhi denied.
“You dare touch me,” said the girl
“I am sorry it was just a bump,” said abhi
“You men are disgusting, see a beautiful lady and harass her, a*sh*le! Motherf**ker!” she remarked
“Aye… I said it was a mistake and stay in your limits,” he slurred with a pointed finger at him.
“You, Sebastian!” she shouted and 4 men turned and approached her.
“What’s wrong babe,” asked the tall one.
“He is harassing me,” she said
They turned towards abhi.
“Oh if it isn’t the great cricketer Abhi,” said one of them
While rubbing his fists “this will be fun” and started to beat up abhi. They kicked him, punched him and now were on top of him as he hit the ground, beating the hell out of him.
The guy got up and spoke while dusting off his hands “he’s done”
He was about to walk forward when he felt a glass bottle hit his head as he retreated to the floor. The three looked behind to find him abhi, blood on the corner of his lips, dripping, his face bruised.
“Want a piece of me,” he said
Another man came forward but was sent flying back. The girl and the boy ran away seeing him. Abhi again retreated to the ground. He dragged himself up and reached the nearby park. He got to the bench and lay there when he saw a figure approaching him. He fell like he was seeing an angel on earth.
“You’re here again,” he slurred.
“Well I keep coming as I am a part of you,” she said.
“Why do I see you,” he said
“You can only answer that, idk,” she said.
“You’re looking beautiful in white,” he complemented.
“I am always in white, yesterday only I had a red duppata coz of you,” she said, “but today again white.”
“But my life is full of darkness, black, I love black,” he said
The figure moved towards him and wiped the blood off his lips. The touch of her soothed his skin.
“How are you able to touch me while I can’t touch you,” he said
“Magic, you’ll soon be able too,” she said.
“abhi you know why I am always in white, well white is the color of hope, the color of peace, the color formed from all color including black, and you like it because it sooth your heart and I appear only because you think of me,” she said.
“But I haven’t seen you,” he said
“You need to leave this, you need to go to therapy,” she said
“NO!! Never” shouted abhi and she vanished.
“Well she vanished,” he said and dozed off right there on the bench,
Pragya was on her way back home in her car when she decided to stop at the park.
“bhai gave me car for once, lets enjoy this time for once warna har waqt I have to be on a bike or auto,” she said as she locked the car and moved forward.
As she entered the park she saw someone familiar.
“He looks familiar, oh him again,” she said as she walked to the bench where a man was murmuring something in his sleep. He was although sleep talking it actually felt as if he was talking to someone. Her
“dadi please don’t leave, come back, I miss you soo much, and bring aliya too, I miss you both a lot, I too want to play with Chutka, and You, you chashmish!” he murmured.
Pragya was shocked as if how could he see her having a chashma without even opening his eyes.
“You… are a big disturber,” he said and again started to snore.
Pragya couldn’t help but smile at the adorable expression on his face, an innocent one.
“Looks like I need to do it again,” said Pragya.
She with her whole might lifted abhi by the shoulder and got him in the passenger seat.
On her way
“He sleeps like an ogre,” she thought.
She arrived at his house and again after becoming a long hustle got him to his bed. She was pulling the duvet over him when her eyes fell on his wrists. They had injection marks. She caressed them and noticed that there were multiple marks .she also found cuts and blood on his lips. She aided his wounds and bandaged them
“I need to visit him,” said Pragya and left.
The next day abhi woke up to find himself again in his room. He got up and leaned agains the head board.
He opened his eyes to find her standing in front of him again.
“Why can’t you stop coming,” he grunted.
“Because I am a figment of your imagination, and so STOP THINKING ABOUT ME,” she shouted back which scared abhi and made him to go silent.
“Now go and take a bath,” she said but abhi kept sitting there.
“Stay dirty and you know you stink,” she said and sat down on bed.
“Gosh me and my imagination imagine people like you although you are cute,” he said with a wink while she hit him playfully. They then indulged into a pillow fight. After sometime the room was completely filled with feathers.
“Why do you feel so real?” asked abhi
“Because a hallucination is real for the one experiencing it making him look crazy.” She said
“Now I’ll be leaving to the kitchen,” he said and got up.
She just hit her head in her hands. That’s when abhi collapsed down to the floor. He reached up for his drawer and grabbed the syringe closet and injected it. He then sighed and got up and wen to the kitchen.
In the kitchen
“Abhi believe my words you need to visit a therapist,” she said, siiting on the slab in the kitche beside him, both dangling their legs.
“Let me enjoy my drug, nutella chocolate sandwich,” he said and continued to gobble down the sandwich.
Screen shifts
Pragya reached the hospital and started to work, doing her usual activities but she was lost somehere. Lost thinking about that mysterious man…. A what was his name?….. Abhi. She was curious to know about him and he being a huge figure gave her a chance to find about him and so she decided to inquire more about him.
She reached one of her colleagues and asked about him.
“He is really hot!!” she said
“Anything else,” she asked as this information wasn’t of her use.
“No I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
Then a thought struck her brain
”I am a complete stupid, idiot, fool, how can I forgot, he can help me know,” she said as she quickly grabbed her coat and bike keys. She veiled her face, wore her helmet and left
To be continued…….
2008 words people