Breaking News.

It was getting late and tiresome, but he had pending work. He could see the dawn breaking already, but he was still at yesterday’s task. And, then it came - the 39^th vehicle of the night, a car. He hastened and turned to sit in place and opened the newspaper to the place he had stopped and started reading the paper from where he had stopped. By the time the car had gone, he finished another sentence. The car was gone now, so did the light too. He sat down and started waiting for the next vehicle to pass through the winding ghats.

Acceptance.

They remained on the floor, long after they stopped making love. A sense of enlightenment; of freedom was compounded by their fatigue - And they remained entwined like that forever. It started raining, drops started trickling in through the thatched roof. Nothing could wake them up from that seemingly never-ending sleep.

By evening she woke up from the trance. She looked around, found her dress and purse. She then took out the money she was paid in advance the previous night and kept it on the table. She turned around and glanced at him and left the room without waking him up.

Departed.

“Professor, why are some of these graves, missing the cross over them, unlike the most others?”, asked one timid looking kid.

“Son, those are the graves of the ones who committed suicide.”, answered the old man.

“Yeah, they don’t keep the crosses over them since their souls are all muddied”, said another equally looking kid.

“Who taught you all that rubbish?”

“Me grandmother told me so.”

“Well, no offense my dear, but I am afraid your grandmother should be a ruddy fool to believe that!”

“Then why aren’t they there?”

“Well, the question must be, why are they there on the other graves, on the first place, on the graves of the so called ‘faithfully departed’? They are there to prevent those souls from trying to get out of their resting places. Well, the ones who committed suicide, now they wouldn’t be trying to get back to the place that they took pain to get out of, eh?”

“Hmmmm,that does make sense, doesn’t it?”

“Of course it does!”

Blunder.

You spent all your time smiling.

All but you,

All but you were busy travelling,

Across.

But you,

You spent all your time smiling.

Thinking of unheard of whispers,

Whispers that might be.

Whispers that you wanted to shout,

Across.

But all were out travelling.

But you,

You spent all your time smiling.

You heard them come.

You heard them go.

You knew.

You knew those who were gone were taken away.

Yet,

You spent all your time smiling.

You started whispering,

Shouts.

With time, you started shouting.

But they were all gone travelling,

Taken away.

Yet you,

You still spent all your time smiling.

Superstitious.

The wake up alarm pierced through his dream. He woke up smiling. He didn’t remember much of his dream but he was sure it was a happy dream. And he almost already knew that his day was fucked. But what he didn’t know then was that this was his last day.

He smoke his first cigarette of the day in the toilet and took his shower. He checked the mirror and thought twice about shaving and then decided against it. He went back to his seat and waited for the warden to call for breakfast. That was when the bomb blasted.

He had never thought of escaping, even once. The jail-life was part of his resignation to the fate. But when one finds the whole jail in chaos and a huge hole in one’s cell’s wall, the only thing one cannot think is about not running away.

There is some reason why the jail dress is in stripes of black and white - and that is because it makes it terribly conspicuous. And that might also be the reason why zebras are supposed to have a very high reproducing rate - so they say!

He had never been to a college in his sane life. But that was where he went right away. He went there and exchanged his jail uniform for a normal looking t-shirt. (Whoa dude! Real jail dress! Cool! O it’s ok, you can keep the cigarette pack.)

He then went to his old boss’s place. He was surprised, but was happy to have him back. (Half pay jobs; desperate jail bird.) He was told to take a day’s rest and come back the next day.

With the money he got from the boss, he went to his regular bar to down a couple of drinks and get a girl perhaps.

The alarm bell rang and he woke up. He didn’t remember much of his dream but he was sure it was a happy dream. And he almost already knew that his day was fucked.

Purgatory.

“A man dies when he stops dreaming. The time of death is when he stops dreaming and not when his heart stops beating!”

“So what happens when his heart stops beating?”

“Well, hmmmm, yes, see there are two kinds do people, all right? The ones who were already dead, as they had stopped dreaming - they are already dead- and the dreamers, their hearts might stop drumming, but they would continue dreaming. And in their dreams they keep on living. And that my son, is the difference between heaven and hell!”

King Size.

“The Federal Ministry of Health warns that smokers are liable to die young.”

He read it and gave a smug smile before crumpling the empty pack and throwing it away. Warns? What are they, seers? He took a deep drag and started to cross the road. He didn’t see the huge truck until it was almost over him - he forgot that in this country they drove on the wrong side of the road. His last thoughts were - well he didn’t have time for any.