Hi.
Well, I decided to write this after seeing a mini travelogue written in this style in the newspaper. Its effect was brilliant, and this is a mere attempt. I just had to try this style. I don’t mind harsh critiques.
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I feel the weight of the bottle in my bag.
Ugh, empty.
Making a mental note to bring a larger bottle, I continue my walk across the large open ground where the sun’s rays reflecting off the buses, give the entire place a hot, dusty feel.
Walking among the tall yellow cuboids, I scan the front of each, looking for that number, which reminds me of home, of civilization. Number 37 is parked between 39 and 56, looking older, slower and dirtier than its neighbors. I recognize the bus; it is driven by old Mr.Bai.
Oh God, not him. He is slower than a scooty on a highway.
I hoist myself into in, waving a few hellos to my fellow bus-mates. I drop my bag on an empty three-seater. Next to the window, of course. I never deny myself of such pleasures. It is a Saturday; the bus wouldn’t be filled. I hope no one sits next to me.
I place my rear on the hot, velvet-cushioned seats that are never really comfortable.
Damn, there’s nor proper leg room here.
I raise my feet onto the seat, arching my back to a more relaxed position. The seat drinks the sweat off my feet.
A casual glance at the people in the bus confirms the fact that there are no cranky professors. I scrunch up my dupatta*, and place it between my bag and me. It is so much better when my neck can breathe. I wave at another familiar face.
“How was your day?” I ask her, as she moves to sit behind me.
“God, don’t ask. H.O.D. has my ID. I’m shit screwed.”
I wipe my damp forehead on my sleeve. I plug my earphones. Not to listen to music, but to block the noise of the moving bus and everything outside. I pull out the book I was reading. The black formations, equally spaced and precise call me. I am pulled by it, into their stories and lies. The beautiful words swim across my eyes. I grab onto them, letting them take me to places I’ve never been to. Landscapes are being formed in my mind; the once green, rustic streets of Madras and the barren walks across Australia.
Sub-consciously, I shift my feet, so that my knees rest on the seat in front of me. I continue flipping pages. My mind processes the story and my opinions, simultaneously.
Wow. She has a beautiful way of mixing the past and the present. She seems to do it so effortlessly. The poetic references are perfect.
My eyes hurt. I place my finger between pages 322 and 323 and close it. I shut my eyes, embracing the black depths of rest.
The book is good. And the idea of rural Madras is fascinating. I’d love to visit a place like that. I should visit the museum. And the Skywalk Mall. It’s just a long bus-ride away. It’s so close to Tarika’s. That lucky girl. But, I feel sad for her. How long can she survive this ordeal of failing? She really needs to work hard and she’s to change the way she thinks about studying. I wonder how fast thoughts travel. It should be an interesting experiment.
My eyes open again, adjusting to the off-white of the paper.
Days later in the book, I shut it at Chapter: Sunday. I look out the window. A blur of bright, fresh green mingled with flashes of steel and soothes my eyes.
We’re past the flyover. We’re back into civilization. It shouldn’t be long now, to reach home. It is such a refreshing change to look out. The trees look so young and verdant. I should stop reading a lot in the bus. The drab black, grey and white will tire me. It’ll probably increase my power. Technically, lower, but still. This** reminds me, I need to get my glasses back from the shop. I must tell appa. Oh, there’s IIT! The campus is so awesome. I should’ve gone for those classes and ended up there. I regret not having gone for those classes. Of course, I’d never admit it.
And that’s appa’s office. I wonder if he’s looking out the window.
The bus trudges forward, stopping at all signals and bus stops. I see people get down, smiling a bye to their friends. I see Krish lug his bag down.
I wonder what he’s thinking about. Probably cursing the driver for not having installed a radio on the bus. I bet he’ll half-run home for the IPL updates.
Another signal. My knees slip off the seat. I see two traffic policemen outside, who are having a talk, laughing about something.
They seem to find something very amusing. I’ve never seen policemen like this before. They seem like nice people. Not like the ones who stopped me on my scooty. It was a waste of two hundred bucks. But, it does make a good story. I wonder what makes people become policemen. What is their drive? I’m sure none of classmates will become one. I hate my class guys. They’re plain stupid. And very local.
I feel my phone vibrate. A text. It is another of those bloody adverts. We pass the pavement shops selling beaded jewelry. The bus takes a right turn, as we cross a temple. I’m absorbed by the Ganesh idol.
The black stone gleams, with the oil smeared on it. There is a brand new white cloth, embroidered with gold that is placed around the idol. The marigolds, garlanded around the idol provided a stark contrast.
I pray. I’m not sure for what or whom, but I just did. I never usually pray, but I felt spiritual today. It leaves me happy and light headed.
Maybe I should start praying more often. Or maybe not. If I do, then I won’t feel like this, I guess.
I stuff my earplugs, my phone and the book inside my bag.
Time to get down.
It’s a silent walk home. I shut myself from the buzz of the cars and bikes. I cross the road, oblivious to the traffic. An auto screeches to halt; it would’ve hit me if it weren’t for the sensible driver. I smile apologetically, “thank you, and I’m sorry.”
I continue down the road, sub-consciously avoiding the bumps and man-holes. I pause at the local department store.
A chocolate would be good. Lunch today wasn’t very heavy either. Fine, I’m going in
“Anna***, one ten-rupees Dairy Milk.” I tell the shopkeeper in Tamil. He fishes it out from under the counter. I take it and walk out. I tear the purple wrapper off, to reveal, the golden foil. I remove that as well and shove the wrappers in my bag.
I take one huge bite. It melts in my mouth. I finish it in another bite. Dairy Milk. Heavenly. Nothing as delicious and inexpensive as this. I love the way how the flavour lingers in my mouth afterward.
As I amble along, I see a dead cat on the side. It looks frozen, its white and grey fur is surrounded by flies. I hold my breath instantly and walk fast. I’m disgusted, freaked out, sad and curious all at once. I’ve never seen a cat’s death before.
Oh God, the poor cat. I wonder how it died. Maybe there was an accident. But then, it wouldn’t be on the sides of the road. Maybe it had some injuries. I wonder what it was thinking about as it died. I wonder what death’s like. I wonder what death is.
About a metre away from the cat, I let go off my breath. I smell something awful and rotten. Am I imagining it, or is it really from the cat?
I walk the rest of the way home, with morbid thoughts of death weighing down on my thoughts.
I ring the bell and climb up the stairs. My mother opens the door.
“Hi, How was your day?”
“Fine ma. The usual.”
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Thanks for reading this. I was tempted to try this style after reading it in the newspaper. And it is very vaguely based on what I go through. But the dead cat bit is real though.
* It is like a shawl that has to be worn to college. It’s part of the dress code.
** I think ‘which’ sounds good, but I also think that ‘this’ is more grammatically correct. What should I use?
*** It means brother, and is basically used to show respect for someone older than you, but not necessarily of the same social status.
~Lava
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