Beginning at the end

“Diabolic. Servitude. Gratitude. Attitude. What are these terms? What are they referring to? “ These were the words the blocked writer started to type on his old typewriter in an effort to kick start his imagination. He took a long drag from his pack of Benson & Hedges as pondered the sources of these words.

Words do not pop into your head at random. Words are thrown into your mind from the depths of your sub conscious. “Where did these words come from?”

The writer leaned back in his chair and stubbed out his cigarette in his overflowing ashtray. He lifted his arms over his head and folded them under his head. He put his feet up on the edge of the table. He was now completely relaxed in a position that most would find terribly uncomfortable. But that was the story of this man’s life. He was comfortable in positions most wouldn’t.

He took a breath and thought about the word diabolic. Where did that come from? Was it from the movie by the same name that had a very hot leading lady whose name he had now forgotten? Was it an aspect of his personality that tried to run away from? Did he aspire to be diabolical? Would his life have been better had he chosen to be diabolical?

He dismissed these thoughts. He had made his choices. He was now living with them. Being diabolical would have filled him with hatred and torn him apart from within. No he was better off now. He had made the right choices.

Servitude and gratitude. These words had affected his life a great deal more. His schooling taught him servitude and life had taught him gratitude. He had to unlearn servitude. He had to learn to be grateful for the right things. Servitude and gratitude to humans were in vain. These he had learnt the hard way. It had taken a long time but now he was no longer serving other humans or being grateful to them.

While his servitude to humans may have ended, he now served his craft which was far more demanding than any human. His craft gave him pride and dignity in return for his servitude while humans took these away. His craft gave him humility and the right attitude to life.

These thoughts brought him peace. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He dreamed of writing the novel that would define the literary style of the twenty first century. He dreamt that he was speaking in front of an audience of thousands after having won a prestigious award. In his dream he heard the deafening applause that rose to a crescendo. People were on their feet as he descended from the stage and walked towards the exit.

The door opened in front of him. A white light shone and he walked towards it.

Dog day afternoon

Dog day afternoon

The searing heat was burning my skin. The humidity was in the high eighties. I was doing my usual rounds in T Nagar on Venkatnarayana Road near natesan park. I shared a few biscuits with some buddies at the tea stall on the corner and decided to cool my heels in the shade of some trees in the park. I walked around looking for a place to rest. Apparently others had the same idea and all the good spots were taken. I walked around and saw an old man sitting by himself on a bench. He smelt funny. His hair was matted and his clothes were in tatters. He looked at me and smiled instantly revealing a few missing front teeth. The yellow of his teeth presented a stark contrast to his dark grimy skin. I hesitated. I wanted to move on but the heat was getting the better of me and i had to get some rest. I smiled at him and walked towards the bench.

“God!” This man had a very distinctly powerful smell. It was over powering. I just held my breath and tried to sleep. Just as I made myself comfortable, the man made a move to touch me. From the corner of my eye, I saw him stretch his hand out towards me. I jumped up instantly and walked away from the bench. “What was that guy trying to do? This place is full of weirdos.”

Resuming my search for another spot to catch forty winks, i walked around the park again. “Aha!” A good spot had just been vacated. I ran quickly to the place and made myself comfortable. “Whew! Finally I can relax.”

The sea breeze had just set in and the gusty afternoon wind lulled me into sleep. I dozed off.

“Mmmmm! That is a pleasant smell.” I opened my eyes to locate the source of this divine fragrance. As I swivelled my head around I saw her. I could not see her face. She had just walked past me and her fragrance trailed her. I was captivated by this smell. “How she walked!”

She walked tall, confident with a hint of haughtiness. She was well groomed. She was one of those uptown girls. “What was she doing in Natesan park? Was she lost?”

Just then, she turned around and her big brown eyes caught mine. She stopped in her tracks. She held my eyes for what seemed like an eternity. I fell in love instantly. She moved her head as if to suggest that I should walk with her. She said “woof” in a tone that could only mean one thing. I wanted to howl in pleasure but decided to play it cool. I replied “woof” and trotted off after. It was a dog day afternoon after all.