My Cinderella Story

How much I wanted to live a fairy tale? Every time I heard Cinderella's story, I imagined myself in a beautiful white gown wearing delicate sandals running away from my prince, when the clock ticked twelve. I wanted to run away from him, so that he would come looking for me. I had always wanted to feel important.


I hated being ordinary. I hated being poor. Most of all, I hated being plain. Its not like no man came seeking for my hands. They did, but they were just farmers, carpenters, scholars, weavers...none were prince. I wanted only a prince who would treat me like Cinderella.

Sherry always complained that it was quite silly of me to be waiting for a prince because princes married plain girls only in fairy tales. She didn't believe in Cinderella's story. I knew she was wrong. I had a very strong feeling that my prince would come for me, very soon. She never liked when I rejected any men, so she had warned that she would tell everything to father if I rejected anyone again.

All in a day's work

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I have seen him on television many a time, winning over many hearts, especially women's hearts. He was handsome and also successful. He was exactly the kind of guy, who would be every woman’s dream. Any woman would give away her heart to him, happily. Yet, I wasn't looking forward to meet him. It wasn't normal, at least not for me, because I had always dreamed of living the characters that he loved on screen. The way he kept up to his commitments going against the world, fighting with the villains… everything was so appealing. I had liked all the roles that he played on screen. I wanted my companion to be a mirror image of him, so alike him, who would protect me from the horrors that I face everyday and spare me from the after effects of the horrors. I have been haunting my dreams ever since I started living this horror. I relive the horrors every time I see myself in the mirror.

Mothers

 I couldn’t believe my ears when she said, “It’s over”. I wanted to know, “Why?” but I didn’t find my voice to ask her anything. I wondered whether I was dreaming or it was happening in real. Until a moment ago, I believed that she loved me and then she turns my life upside down. My eyes went blur, head swirled and my legs gave away. One moment she was there in front of me and another moment, I was alone. As I hit the floor, I heard a voice, “She killed me, Sid”. There was so much pain in the voice that it actually sucked the soul out of my body. It said, “Now, you will never keep your promises”.

A Chocolaty Date

The simmering chocolate surely looks delicious and the luscious aroma is promising nothing lesser than a treat… the treat that always remains incomplete when Adi is around.

The piece of cake that momma gives, never satisfies me. Somehow, Adi's piece always looks bigger than mine. Momma never bakes a bigger cake. She keeps it “happy family” size. Every time, I end up longing for more cake...cake sauced with hot chocolate.

Chocolate! I would do anything for it. I bought chocolates on every possible occasions. Sometimes, I even stole from Adi's box. Momma tried talking me out of this craziness; instead, the effort turned her mad. She kept the chocolates locked in the kitchen cupboard, so I could fight the temptation. However, it didn't help me check my desires. The urge for it made me find alternatives. I bribed Toni, the next door kid, to buy chocolates for me. I kept them in my lockers and always carried the keys with me. I didn't let Adi linger around my cupboard, unguarded.

How, I miss him?

It is a silent corner,
Where I sit, like a loser.
Sinking into the sweet past,
Cursing, why didn't the time last.

Every night, we'd made love.
Why isn't it the same, now?
Though, on the same bed, we sleep,
He doesn't hear me weep.

The First Omen

Simple things always gets my interest, more than the sophistications and riches that generally lures people of my age. I choose to spend my weekends reading a book rather than crowd the shopping malls. However, my love for plainness never influenced my fancy for the elegance and the magnificence of the nature. Nature always calls upon me. I relish long, lonely evening walks, because that is when I get to see things as they are, rather than take everything that cinemas shows us nowadays. I love when my hair flutters along with the cool breeze and birds sing somewhere faraway.

Though, every evening walk had been no different from the other, except for the people who walk the streets, there was something magical about that evening. I could feel the magic and also smell it. Thankfully, I live in suburbs; otherwise, I would have been smelling smoke that vehicles fart.

Magic always ends!

Under the starry sky, I sit alone. I sit alone, like a lost knight.
Humming a lazy tune and wishing for the night to die soon.
I sit alone, yet in the company of the cold night.
Faraway, a dog howled and went behind the veils, the moon.

I sit here, quiet. Quiet, yet noisily beats my heart.
Breaking the silence, the breeze began to croon.
I sit here, under the starry sky, waiting for the first light.
The breeze sung and with it, I hummed. I hummed the same tune.
My eyes fluttered again and again. With sleep, was it's fight.
Forgetting, magic always ends, I sit here. I sit here, like a goon.

A blind encounter

“I wonder what he is thinking. I hope I haven’t overdone my makeup. Thankfully, I didn’t choose to wear a jazzy dress today, otherwise I would have looked like a floozy.”

“Had he casually smiled at me or had been hinting something? Should I approach him first or wait him to do that? Wouldn’t I look desperate if I did talk first? I wonder who the girl with him is. Hopefully, she isn’t his girl friend and I don’t see any ring on her ring finger, so she is definitely not his wife. She might be his sister or a friend. Shall I pick up a conversation with her? I just have to make sure that she doesn’t get the obvious”.

I couldn’t help but smile at my luck, when she spoke to me, without me taking initiative. “Hello! Would you mind if I borrowed your water bottle? I forgot to carry one and my brother, who is sitting over there, is thirsty”.

Promise not

Wind blows,
And away it flows.
The sun raises everyday.
And sets, leaving the sky gray.
Great Kings ruled our lands,
And finally went down the sands.
Promise not you will stay.
After all, death gets its way.

Sugar Candies

I didn’t want to marry Vina. She wasn’t the sort of girl I had desired to marry. It wasn’t like she wasn’t beautiful. To be honest, she was prettier than my high school prom queen, but I had never fancied such girls. I didn’t want to marry either a “Plain Jane” or a “Prom Queen”. I had never thought about what kind of girl I wanted as my wife, but was sure it wasn’t Vina.

She was too sophisticated and systematic for me. She ate only in posh hotels, wore designer clothes and never failed to carry a matching purse. She made the maids clean the house everyday and also made sure that they finished their work on time. She was so disciplined that she even had a timetable for her pet. Even I liked eating at fancy hotels, but timetables for a pet was beyond sanity.

Our dads were best friends. At the time she was born, they had decided to get her married to me. When dad spoke to me about his decision, of course I declined it, but he didn’t leave me with many choices. It was either marry her or leave the family business. I had worked too hard from past five years to leave anything now, so I agreed to marry her. I hoped she wouldn’t bother me with her timetables and sophistication. I comforted myself, “It wouldn’t be that bad”.

A falling star

I fly in the sky, blue and high
I die in the sky, without a sigh
In love, I came to kiss her once
In love with void, she never gave me a chance
They come seeking her...my brothers
But she refuses our jaspers and glisters
She is wedded to the sun and the sky
yet, she lives alone and shy
She cries on our retire
On close-in, she loses her attire
She smiles, she gleams and she lasts forever
In her love, many of us die. I, a falling star...

A phenomenon

I am neither void,
nor ovoid.
I am just an illusion.

Born from light,
I glow bright.
I am a colorful delusion.

My glory envied,
is never vied.
I am an elegant vision.

Psychopath

I don’t know why I was reading this letter, again and again, anyhow I read it. Even after reading it for the hundredth time, I didn’t understand why he had chosen me over other girls around. I had tried so hard to not get noticed.

I couldn’t pick up the reason that had made him write me a love letter. I wasn’t much of a beauty, however enough for an ordinary girl. I had no intentions of contesting in any beauty competition, so I was happy with my looks. Anyway, I wasn’t like other girls. Psychopaths didn’t live in every neighborhood, but there was one around. I was the one. Even a dumb guy would take the hint from my behavior that I wasn’t interested in anyone. I wanted to be left alone, but this guy had written me a love letter. Damn him!

I thrust the letter into my bag, as I didn't care it would crimp. But I immediately drew it out and tore it into pieces. I dumped them in a dustbin on my way to the next lecture. I hoped he would understand that I wasn’t interested either in him or his letter. I knew he was watching me the whole time.

Sold everything

Every lower middle class woman dreams of a loving husband, who brings home handsome salary, enough to rent a roof, feed two and save a little for the future. I always tried to make the most of whatever the fate offered me.We weren’t well-versed. I had quit school after seventh class, so that my brothers could study and I nursed a neighboring baby, while his mother went to work. In return, she bought books and uniforms for my brother, paid my mom hundred rupees every month and fed me once a day. When, I returned home, I helped my mum cook dinner and wash vessels. Dad was a drunkard and died few years ago, because of the same.

I married Rajiv, after a year. He worked in an iron molding factory. Thankfully, he didn’t booze and even he believed in making the most with whatever we had. He too saved a little for our future, but not much as he sent money to his old parents. I supported him by nursing neighboring children. Their working mothers paid me for the service.

I delivered Karan and Kiran after two years. The twins brought not only loads of happiness along with them, but also immense responsibilities. Kiran was a smart girl and Karan was also quite intelligent. They topped the class every year and Rajiv worked harder to meet their requirements.

After nine years…

Possessed

For me life didn’t end after Prabakar. I wanted to live for myself. It’s not like I hadn’t liked Prabakar. He was my love but for me love didn’t end with his death. My parents wanted me to remarry and I didn’t object. Living after losing beloved one wasn’t a sin. Even Prabakar would have wanted me to live happily even if he wasn’t around. If only he hadn’t met with that accident, we would be gaily living together.

My in-laws didn’t like the idea of remarriage, as it was against their traditions. They kept me almost locked inside a room. I wasn’t allowed to come out until men went to work and I had to go back to my room before they returned home. I was never invited to any of the family celebrations and was made to wear white dresses, not even a pinch of color in it.

I tried to bring some colors to my life by painting. Prabakar always appreciated my painting skills and encouraged me to pursue my interest. My in-laws didn’t want me to paint and all, but I didn’t allow them to win over me again. They had me following their rules enough.

Twigs and Rags

I wasn’t a king, neither was my father nor was my brothers. We, sparrows were just gleaner. My sisters worked as hard as my brothers did. Neither, we knew who our parents were, nor our parents knew us. Like all my sisters and brother, even I had taken flight from home, immediately after learning to fly. Sky was our life, earth gave us food and trees were our home.

My mate and I collected twigs and rags. We wove nest, after filling our stomachs and quenching our thirsts. Everyday, we flew in and out of our unfinished nest. Most of the times flew together but sometimes alone. We flew miles over rivers and mountains protecting ourselves from ravens and birds of Jove, saving ourselves from wind and rain.

After many weeks of hard work, our nest was complete and warm. My mate laid three eggs and we watched over them day and night. I carried worms and flies for her while she gave the eggs her love and warmth. Sometimes, I sat on the eggs so she could stretch her wings a little and have a drink.

King Sized

Motorbikes have always been my passion. I started riding bikes at the age of thirteen and dad bought me one on my eighteenth birthday.

Every night, I go for a long ride. Most of the times, I go alone but sometimes any of my friends give me company. I don’t get enough words when it comes to describe how thrilled I get riding the bike beyond 100-110 km/h.

In my friends circle, I am known for my riding style. I take ten minutes to cover the same distance that any of them do in thirty minutes. Sometimes, I jump traffic signals and ride on pavements to reach the terminus quick. To be honest, riding bikes and breaking rules are as good as being narcotized. Driving after getting drunk is another thing. It has its own beauty.

Suicide bomber

Silence always conveys warning...a warning of disaster. Few recognize it and few don’t. The usually busy town was unusually calm. People were lost in their lives, unaware of the danger awaiting them. I bought a ticket to the last stop of the most crowded train. I neither knew the end point nor the route that the train would take.

The guy at the counter smiled, as he handed me the ticket and the change. He said, “have a nice day, ma’am”. I had never traveled by train, so I did not know whether these guys were usually so friendly or he was being nice particularly to me for some reasons that only he knew. I wondered how he would have treated me, if he had known why I was on this train. For sure, he wouldn’t have smiled at me. Of course, no one liked death, except me. I had my good reasons...quite convincing reasons.

Bread and Belt

I was hungry and wished I could earn my bread just like humans do but they had left nothing for others. I wished I was in a forest, hunting some animal and living happily, until some other animal hunted me down but I wasn't blessed enough to deserve that ecstasy. I lived among humans who considered themselves as Gods of earth. In one way they were right, they were Gods of destruction. They destructed everything they passed by.

I ignored their atrocity and sat in front of a small bakery, waiting for someone to throw a piece of bread. I never slept with a full stomach but I always hoped I would get at least a mouthful of bread to make it through  another day. No dog could be sure that he will get to eat something the next day.

I waited for hours and hours but no one even glanced at me. Still, I waited hoping someone would be generous enough to throw a small piece of bread. Hundreds of people walked in and walked out, carrying loads of food with them. For a moment, I wished even I was a human but the idea was so disgusting that I gave up immediately. I did not want to be a human, who wouldn't even throw a piece of bread at a poor dog.