Epilogue.

It was the Royal Priest’s turn now. The chief of ministers had just left now. The priest was an old man and he was against the use of violence in all his public speeches. The Kid thought for a moment that maybe this man, this man who is always smiling, might let him go free. But it wasn’t so. He thrashed him; he even poured some hot coffee on his face. Next came the commander of the royal army. The last thing the Kid remembered was hearing him saying - “How dare you humiliate his highness! How dare you shout that the Emperor is Naked!”.

Athiest.

The Dog was expecting a piece of fresh bone that day. He had become little too old for the rubber bone and had also started hating the dog biscuits. He always yearned for that piece of dead rat outside or that piece of meat stolen from the butcher. Not that he had tasted any of these, but this knowledge came with his genes. His parents would have planted that thought into his genes, which would again had been planted into his dad’s and mom’s by his grandparents and so on and so forth until that particular canine who had been a free dog or at least had a chance to have experienced some of these adventures. 

Again that is what his parents told him; that’s the common belief.But the dog did not believe in all those, he was an Atheist.

Across the River.

8:45 p.m.

He has 15 minutes to complete his assignment. It is not a tough set to finish, but he should not waste even a second. He took out his book and got with it.

8:55 p.m.

He was done with the home work, but he decided to wait till 9 before starting with the procedure. He knew he was not going to turn back; he had decided to do it.

9:00 p.m.

Time to start. Took out the paper and pen and started writing the note. He had decided on the contents long ago; in fact that was the first thing he had decided.

It was a short note, nothing melodramatic, matter of fact note. No remorse no pain nothing.

9:10 p.m.

He took out the syringe and the vial of Mercury that he had obtained from the lab. You might think he had to hide these, but he had absolute privacy in his room, something which his parents were really particular about. He had read that since Mercury is thick normal hypodermic needles won’t help. He had done enough research on this. He injected himself with it.

9:15 p.m. +

He switched off the lights and lay down on his bed. He had read about the effects of Mercury, but he had decided to write down symptoms as and when he was going through it. His lips were getting heavy. His eyes were starting to droop. He could no longer write anything.

** There was a news about a teenage boy’s suicide in Kerala more than a decade and half ago. The boy was a perfect 10 - be it academics, relations or extra-curricular activities. He had no known love affairs or failures; family was well to do. No domestic issues. Nobody knew why he committed suicide and why he chose Mercury. I hope he got what he wanted.

David had a little lamb.

David decided; it's time.

"Dear all, I've been waiting for the apt time, apt moment. The world has been waiting, rather. I am the one. I am part of the one. And as been with everything that's divine the part is as important as the whole. Keep me happy, the whole of us whole of ME stays happy."

And so started it. David wasn't omniscient; David wasn't charismatic. But David became omnipotent. And David was gay, he had his boys. They came to him, he had them, he had them all. None saw through him, but one. He loved him, that boy did.

“...and with my word, there was light. But know that the word the light the world is through me, me. Keep the part and thus the whole happier. With me it came; without me it will be gone."

The boy was jealous; he went up with a shovel. David though not omniscient sensed it in the boy. He pleaded, threatened and then resigned. Boy hit him till he was reduced to pulp.

And announced to the crowd: "David is dead, but the light still remains!"

Ventriloquist.

“It’s getting a little too much for me. They expect a man’s voice. I mean that too it when they are hearing it from their own mind. Bloody hell! They give you different names. Why can’t these people get a life? I mean why do they need God to answer our prayers.”

“Well, it is a booming industry isn’t it? We have a job because of it. They pray, we answer their prayers direct to their mind. A new wave call center.”

“Fuck! I know, the money is good. Answering prayers in a different voice and with a different name, to their minds. It gets on you. I am now a Hindu male God, my throat aches.”

“The story of my life. Let’s go.”

“Hell wait! I am smoking one more.”

Diaspora.

The sun, the sky and the occasional showers in the noon (which will help you cool off) - I was enjoying my time there. It was really good, but a rolling stone can’t be attached to any place. I am not a rolling stone, I don’t much roll in the conventional sense. But I don’t get attached to anything unless someone gets attached to me.

I don’t usually hate being forced to move, but this was different. Here I am one day enjoying my sweet time under the sun and suddenly I am being transported to nowhere. I was in some cold place, stuck and with no hope. Then I got used to the calmness; and as usual I started to adjust. I thought the worst was over, but I was wrong. Darkness, silence, blasting thunders and claustrophobia. For a long long time. Then I came out. Different place; different smell; different skies.

It took me a while to understand I was stuck in the heel of a shoe all this time. After all who am I to complain - I am just another rolling stone.

Dream-catcher.

"Because sometimes, most of the times knowing is not enough one has to know how to let others know; teach others. I know what I'm doing now might look crazy to most of you, but like I said it is more important that I do this more than ever because of that reason."

Then he can only vaguely remember what happened after that. The idea was to be tied to a bunch of balloons and then slide across the beach for probably half an hour or so and get the attention of the crowd and spread his message of love, faith and righteousness. But, they misjudged the number of balloons; he just started flying up up up. At first he thought this was how it alway started; that you will go up for a while and then slowly start to come down. But after a while he realised there was something really wrong. To add to his worries the breeze took him towards the ocean, further away from the land. He closed his eyes and started praying; he had faith. He knew everything would be fine soon.

Up there away from the land dangling from a bunch of balloons you loose track of time, it's absolutely normal. You start thinking aloud. You wish for something exciting.

Hunger will always be in the back of your mind; yes, you are hungry but it's the thirst that is what nags you all the time. But it’s only for a few more hours, someone will find him and he would be, there is always hope.

After a couple of days you are not really sure if you are more concerned about your thirst or hunger or tiredness. But you know you will give up anything to have someone to talk to. Needs of the soul are always more important that of the flesh. You need to go on; you can't give up. He didn't make you so that you could give up. You start to pray.

After a long while you loose everything - your faith, your hope, your conviction. You just wish to die and die soon.

*** A Brazilian priest tied himself to some hydrogen balloons in his quest to spread the message. He flew up. His decaying body was found floating in the ocean after a couple of weeks.