tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63314392847785592652023-11-15T22:15:02.843-08:00Short StoriesEhtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-83749771190577666832014-12-27T10:04:00.001-08:002014-12-27T13:25:41.283-08:00Famine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Art by <a href="http://mahirates.deviantart.com/">Mahir Ates</a></span></h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://mahirates.deviantart.com/art/Prayer-for-rain-70709915" target="_blank"><img alt="Art by Mahir Ates" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUNJOaqvSJRUNuS-dWRjLonhoZbScHRFskms5RX0EtC4Or0ObJWO4HeaaYroCpAtNHVYt2mlasbaMqsT-Ghv3iILAyJSxGZL-dCV6aNutA02pEP75Q56FKT-nVpE0cGXEo-IoC8Xs3Eo/s1600/Prayer+for+Rain.jpg" height="280" title="Prayer for Rain" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mahirates.deviantart.com/art/Prayer-for-rain-70709915" target="_blank">Prayer for Rain by Mahir Ates</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a time when Abdul complained about the scorching heat of the sun, the dry air of the desert, and the fact that his tribe didn’t stay in one place for too long. There was a time when he questioned how God gave everything to some people and nothing to others. But those were the good times. Now, there was nothing to eat. The claws of hunger twisted and turned his stomach from the inside until the pain left little room for questions or coherent thought. The land where he lived had gone through a drought, and now there was a famine – the kind no one had ever seen before.<br /><br />After putting his third and last child in a shallow grave, he didn’t know what hurt more – his heart, his shoulders, the blisters and callouses on his palms, or his stomach. If he had to choose one, he would choose the stomach. He hadn’t eaten anything resembling a meal in days, and whatever little he had stored away was already gone. His children had died, his wife was starving, and he had nothing left to sell. And even if he could find a buyer for his shovel, there was no food in the market. He was standing there, three small graves in front of him, when a loud noise got his attention.<br /><br />“The minister is here with his welfare team.” The announcer spoke through the loud speaker. “There will be relief for all. Come to the relief camp and get in line to get food and other supplies.”<br /><br />To Abdul, it was not just an announcement – it was a message of salvation. No singer in the history of the world had sung a song more melodious, no poet had written a ballad so sweet. With a renewed life, he went inside his hut to get his wife. He saw her sitting in a corner, her face that of a woman 15 years older than her. With strands of grey hair and an expression of eternal grief, her vacant eyes stared into nothingness, and he could feel that she wasn’t there. After losing three children to famine, the woman had accepted her fate. She sat there motionless, her back and head resting against the wall and her knees jammed against her chest. He tried calling out her name, but his voice got stuck in his throat. He got close to her, placed his hand on her shoulder, and tried to shake her gently, hoping against hope that she had gone to sleep with her eyes open. It wasn’t so.<br /><br />The relief camp wasn’t far from Abdul’s place. It was barely a five minute walk. But those were the longest five minutes of his life. With no shoes on his feet and no food in his stomach, he barely made it to the line where hundreds like him were standing, waiting for their turn to get help from the generous and benevolent minister. Abdul knew most of the people in line, and those he didn’t know, he could relate to. They all shared a unique bond – a bond of starvation, a bond forged by the common loss of loved ones, a bond of poverty. One by one, the minister handed everyone a sack of flour, and every time he did, he posed for the media. The cameras captured every moment of the minister’s generosity, of his selfless act of rescuing the pitiable from the monster called hunger. One by one, the people in the line took their sack of flour and moved on. Inch by inch, Abdul moved closer to his savior.<br /><br />When he finally got to the minister, their eyes met for a split second and the minister looked away. In that one moment, he felt himself becoming eternally grateful to the minister. This man…this amazing man had come to rescue him all the way from the city. This man that God clearly loved, and had therefore showered his blessings upon – this man who smelled of expensive perfume, who wore clothes that were worth more than Abdul’s annual income – this man had come to save him from starvation. <i>If only this magnificent saint had arrived earlier, my wife and kids would still be alive.</i> But the man was here now, and he was about to hand Abdul a whole sack of flour – a sack that would last a long time now that he only had himself to feed.<br /><br />“Take this my brother.” The minister said aloud so the people watching at home could hear him clearly. He worked the camera like an expert and handed Abdul the sack of flour. Abdul took the sack and moved along.<br /><br />The walk back home was easier than the walk to the camp, even though he was lugging a sack of flour with him. While the desert seemed as monotonous as ever, his hut was clearly marked by the three fresh graves, like a haunted island in an ocean of sand. Once inside, he saw his wife’s dead body still curled up in the corner of the room. <i>I will dig her grave after I eat some bread. I wish she wasn’t dead. She made such good bread.</i> He was a little irate at the thought of having to make his own bread. With trembling hands and the eagerness of a child unwrapping a gift, he opened the mouth of the sack and his lips curled up in a smile. The sack was full of sand. With both his hands on his head, he tried to laugh but he was simply out of energy. He thought about grabbing his shovel and going back to the camp to teach that bastard of a minister a lesson, but his legs simply refused to move. With everything he had left in him, he dragged himself towards his wife, and curled up next to her in the corner of the room.</span></div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-66232966705129618862014-01-25T09:10:00.001-08:002014-01-27T11:25:39.658-08:00Hope<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Art by Tehreem Naeem</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What is on the other side of the wall, father?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The kid was excited. His eyes sparkled with curiosity and anticipation. The
eagerness to discover the unknown and the thrill of seeing something for the
first time oozed from his every pore. Unlike his elders, he didn't try to hide
his emotions. He was still at that stage in life where the food tasted better,
the songs sounded melodious, and every day seemed like a fresh start.<br /> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.15;">The infinitely large wall was as wide as it was tall, and
seeing it for the first time was a wondrous and somewhat overwhelming experience
for young Abdul.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What is on the other side of the wall, father?” He pulled on
his father’s sleeve.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Where do I begin?” The father sounded a little tired, but
it was important for him to pass the legend on to his son. The story of the
wall was passed from generation to generation, and every peasant knew it by
heart. The reason why Abdul’s father had brought him to the wall was to tell
him the story, and to introduce him to the entity that he would face for the
rest of his life.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Behind the wall, there lies a lush green valley where the
rivers are sweet and cold, the trees are bountiful, and there is enough food
for everyone.” For a second, it seemed as if Abdul’s father could look beyond
the wall, as if he could see the valley he was describing, smelling the flowers
and feeling the soft caress of the cold air on his cheek.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“In that valley, everyone gets their heart’s desire and all
wishes are fulfilled. No one sleeps hungry at night. No one has to fear for his
life. There is peace in the valley. There is bliss…there is happiness behind
that wall.”<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Is that why all these people are trying to break this
wall?”<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes, and we have to join them.” His father picked up his
sledgehammer, and handed a smaller hammer to Abdul.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into
years. As Abdul grew taller and his shoulders grew wider, his father seemed to
shrink with every passing day. The father and son continued the daily ritual of
beating the wall with their hammers, until the father grew too weak for the
tiresome activity. Abdul continued the proud tradition, waking up early each
day and trying to break down the one and only obstacle that stood between him
and a good life.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The huge wall still continued its stubborn existence, but
for some reason it didn't seem as majestic to Abdul as it did the first time he
saw it. The wall was not the only thing that lost its charm - the food tasted
bitter, the songs out of tune, and everyday worst than the last. The slums
where he lived grew filthier and more dangerous, and with every passing day he
lost the most important thing a man can lose – hope.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While Abdul hated the wall, he acknowledged it as the only
constant in his life. Growing up, he had found love, lost it, got married, and
had a son. Now that his son was big enough to hold a small hammer, it was time
for him to pass on the legend.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What is on the other side of the wall, father?”<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His son asked him the same question he had once asked his
father. Before he could reply, something stopped him. He saw the large horde
chipping away tiny chunks off the seemingly infinite wall. He noticed that the
many hammers striking the wall failed to do much damage, and it was at that
moment he realized that the wall was there to stay. In the split of a second,
reality came crashing down on him and his dreams were shattered. A better life
beyond the filthy slums, the lush green valley behind the wall, the
bountiful trees, the cold air - everything revealed itself to be an empty
promise.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What is on the other side of the wall, father?” The kid
pulled on his sleeve. Abdul looked at the innocent face of his pride and joy,
and made the toughest decision of his life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Behind the wall, there lies a lush green valley where the
rivers are sweet and cold, where the trees are bountiful, and there is enough
food for everyone…” He repeated the legend to his son - word to word - as was
told to him by his father. After all, he did not want his son to grow up
without hope.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-38474555615817127512013-12-02T10:26:00.003-08:002013-12-03T23:51:45.887-08:00Death<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Art by Tehreem Naeem</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bang! Bang! Two gun shots - one targeting his face and the
other his chest – that was all it took to kill him. He fell down and the
killers got away. The shots had been fired from a white Toyota, which sped away
once the target was eliminated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was just another Tuesday in the busy metropolitan. He was
just another man standing at the bus stop waiting for his bus to arrive. Just
another man trying to provide for his family in the failing economy. And
suddenly he was no more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The people at the bus stop gathered around him and someone
called an ambulance. They used his cellphone to contact his friends and family,
and took the body to the morgue. For some, his death was sad news. For others,
the news made no difference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Abdul had always wondered what happened after death. He read
a lot about it in books and heard a lot from the neighborhood cleric, but he
always liked to discover things on his own. Now that he had experienced death,
he wondered what would happen next. He found the scene in front of him
mesmerizing. They were putting his body on a stretcher, and he was standing just
a few feet away watching his own carcass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He wondered what would happen at work when they found the
news. He wondered if they would stop working, give everyone the day off, and
visit his house to give their condolences to his family. As soon as he thought
about work he was transported there. The atmosphere seemed sad and he could
spot a hint of tears in people’s eyes, but the machines were still on and the
people were still going about their daily business. His chair was empty, but he
knew there were plenty in line to take his place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He expected to feel anger and frustration, but he felt
nothing. He thought about his family. His parents and his siblings depended on
him to pay the bills. Again, his thoughts served as a means of transportation
and he found himself standing in the middle of his room – the room he shared
with his brother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He saw his brother sitting there in silence. There were no
tears running down his cheeks but he was a picture of sorrow. Abdul could only
wonder what psychological damage his death had done to his brother. He went to
the other room where his mother had fainted, and his sister and a couple of
neighbors were trying to bring her back to consciousness. In another room his
father tried to appear strong in front of the relatives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He wanted to reach out to his father, his mother, his
sister, and his brother - but he could not. He wanted to tell them that he was
okay, that he was in peace, and that they should try to move on with their
lives. He wanted to tell them he loved them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pondering over things that were left unsaid and issues that
were left unresolved, his thoughts wandered to the girl of his dreams. In life,
he never told her how he felt. In death, he found himself gazing at her
beautiful face, searching fruitlessly for any signs of emotion. Before he could
try to get close to her, a voice interrupted him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It is time.” The strange voice came from behind him. He
turned around and saw a large man standing there. He wondered if it was the
angel of death. The man repeated himself as he walked towards him. Every step
liberating him from his woes, every step bringing clarity. When he was alive,
thousands of questions haunted his mind every day. Now that he was dead, the
answers to those questions were pouring in out of nowhere. It was as if a
barrier had been broken, and knowledge was now flooding his mind. He wondered
if he would go to heaven or hell, or if there was a third option.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It is time.” This time the voice wasn't so strange. It was
his mother’s voice. “Get up and go to work. I don’t know why they put up with
your absenteeism. If you don’t go today they will deduct a full day’s pay from
your salary. Get up!” He tossed and turned and finally got up. <i>Was that a
dream?</i> He wondered. <i>It felt so real</i>. He didn't have time for contemplation, the
clock was ticking and he had to leave soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He skipped breakfast, changed into his work clothes and
headed towards the bus stop. The bus was late today and the sun was in an
unforgiving mood. The heat, the noise of traffic, the stink of sweat and
garbage - everything was getting to him. As he stood there waiting for the bus,
thinking about his dream, something caught his eye...a white Toyota was coming
towards him.</span></div>
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Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-27242186485060233822013-10-27T10:49:00.001-07:002013-10-27T10:49:50.508-07:00Useless<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Art by Tehreem Naeem</span></span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs360fMuzketUpGsOhfycfYp0i0RkOXeN8h2ScH52iOrWOgxieMIP1TsLBAKBApDULAT2TCHEUJY6mMmELMKPdp5k52UBFP1eiWciahB02ftBGhH7B9osDzEP8OoOTNBQy51cK_yYqzdM/s1600/abstract+art.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs360fMuzketUpGsOhfycfYp0i0RkOXeN8h2ScH52iOrWOgxieMIP1TsLBAKBApDULAT2TCHEUJY6mMmELMKPdp5k52UBFP1eiWciahB02ftBGhH7B9osDzEP8OoOTNBQy51cK_yYqzdM/s320/abstract+art.jpg" title="Art by Tehreem Naeem" width="216" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sat at my new spot watching people and traffic go by. The
setting sun turned the sky orange and the cool evening breeze ruffled my hair.
I saw him turning the corner. The guy heading my way was wearing his usual worn
out t-shirt and old pair of jeans. The sweat on his brow and his obvious heavy
breathing told the story of a fast and long walk. I sat up in anticipation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">--------<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This guy goes to a nearby gym every evening, and every
evening I watch him intently. I tend to do that with everyone. Sometimes I
don’t just watch them, I shout at them and chase them around scaring the living
crap out of them. Some of them throw stones at me, others run for their lives,
and some just freeze. I enjoy my interactions with the people who pass my
street, but this guy particularly intrigues me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike others, he wears his emotions on his face, and unlike
others, I can always read him like an open book. Although he seems like a nice
guy and I feel bad for saying this, but I think he suffers from mental
disorders. There are days when he speed-walks to the gym singing songs at the
top of his voice, not giving a crap about people staring at him, and there are
days when he is as quiet as a dead mouse. I have watched him every evening for
one year now, and I have seen him at his best and at his worst. I can always
sense anger and frustration in him, and I worry that one of these days he will
lose it and break someone’s skull. Sometimes I try to communicate with him, but
he never understands a word I say…no one does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have tried shouting at him and chasing him around, but
after a second or two he just stands his ground and starts shouting right back
at me. Not many people try such shenanigans with me, and I usually bite the
ones who do, but this guy has an air of confidence that has prevented me from
attacking him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His weathered face tells the story of hardships, but I doubt
anyone notices. I can sense goodness in him, but feel as if soon his bubbling rage
is going to get the best of him. Still, I felt connected to him. I wanted to
know his story. I wanted to tell him mine. I was in desperate need of a friend
and I needed a way to get through to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As he drew closer, I could see the lines on his forehead.
Usually I do not interact with him when he is in such a mood, but today I
needed someone to talk to. I walked up to him slowly and said hi. He looked at
me, avoided eye contact, and kept walking. I tried keeping up with him but he
walks fast. I started running after him, but was careful not to scare him. I
made it clear that I wanted his attention. He kept walking towards the gym as
if he had forgotten about me, so I said hi again, this time in a louder voice,
still being careful not to appear threatening. He clearly noticed me and then
started walking faster, but before I could increase my speed to match his own,
he stopped and turned around. He looked me dead in the eye and said something
in his language. I didn't understand his words, but I knew exactly what he was
saying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was asking me why I was limping a little, why I wasn’t in
my usual spot, and why I was chasing him. I answered his questions, and told
him how the new security guard had beaten me with a stick to chase me away from
my spot. He spoke his language and I spoke mine, resulting in a most wonderful
and fulfilling conversation. In a few seconds, he turned around and started
walking again. I went back to my new spot, staring at the old spot where that
security guard was dozing off in his chair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought about taking a little nap myself, but all hopes of
sleep were taken away from me by a loud noise. I saw them coming from afar on
their noisy ride. There were two of them and they were headed straight for my
friend. They stopped near him; one grabbed him by the collar while the other
pulled something out of his pocket.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ran as fast as I could with three good legs, and reached
them just in time. I jumped one of the guys, biting him and attacking him with
my claws. I was busy tearing this man apart while the other landed right next
to me while holding his jaw and screaming in pain. I looked up and saw my
friend holding his right wrist trying to shake away the pain from his knuckles.
As I screamed, people started gathering around and soon they got me off my
victim. I looked at my friend and he looked at me. The look in his eye was that
of appreciation and thankfulness. He said something in his language again, and
this time around I understood him completely. He said, “Stray dogs are not useless
after all.”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-666d4bd7-fad7-730e-20b5-1c49cc3b7e52"></span></span></div>
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Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-58060119748321113052013-09-14T23:51:00.001-07:002013-09-14T23:51:48.102-07:00Immortal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xAEgKpyZnQpZxYZVZjOmtW7YriAiPL3cDtP8srjtT2BQiAzUXshxAH841pObsAY22FGhGcZrgk6NAqkhYFeXlkmK4E6_OYavyK-2HleTxRYnWUU-0KbnkUFDj7yU8TxOnbhDxeU0HNk/s1600/stock-photo-1211770-eternity-with-kanji-character.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xAEgKpyZnQpZxYZVZjOmtW7YriAiPL3cDtP8srjtT2BQiAzUXshxAH841pObsAY22FGhGcZrgk6NAqkhYFeXlkmK4E6_OYavyK-2HleTxRYnWUU-0KbnkUFDj7yU8TxOnbhDxeU0HNk/s320/stock-photo-1211770-eternity-with-kanji-character.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Why do you wish for immortality?” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The loud and clear voice most definitely came from the orb
sitting in the middle of the room. The orb shone brightly. So brightly it was
almost as if a smaller version of the sun was in the room, only without the
heat. Worried if he stared at it for too long he would go blind, Kamal covered
his eyes with his hands and started speaking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“So it is true. The orb of immortality exists.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He read about the orb in an old untitled book he had found
in his travels. He tried doing further research about the orb, but to no avail.
The book mentioned a powerful ancient civilization where the orb was worshiped and where it granted immortality to the most worthy men. Not being
able to find anything about the orb on the internet or anywhere else, Kamal decided
to search the ruins of all ancient civilizations. Now that he was standing in a
basement type room of an ancient ruin in Egypt with the orb just a couple of
feet away, his search was over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Why do you wish for immortality?” The orb repeated the
question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Doesn't every man?” Kamal answered with a question of his
own and then continued to explain his motivations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I want to travel the world. I want to see humanity
progress. I want to write great books, learn different languages, climb every
mountain, swim every ocean, make love to beautiful women, and live a fearless
life without ever worrying about getting old. If you grant me immortality, I
would accomplish greatness and achieve true happiness.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You are the first of your kind.” The orb sounded intrigued.
“Ages ago, they achieved greatness first and then asked for immortality as a
reward. When their civilization fell to ruin, I hid myself from mortal eyes
and vanished into obscurity. The immortals I created see their immortality as a
curse. You are different, but you are lying. Tell me the true reason behind your quest for immortality.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kamal knew it was time to come clean. He was dealing with a
magical glowing orb of light that could make people immortal, so making it
angry was not a great idea. His true motivation was embarrassing, but he had no
other option but to tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“When I was a teenager, I was severely depressed. My mother
died a long time ago and my father was always away on business trips. I had all
the money in the world but I was miserable. I was contemplating suicide, but
then my uncle died and I had to be part of all his burial rituals. They took
him to a room where they stripped him of his clothes and bathed him. I was
freaked out. I simply do not want my relatives and a couple of strangers seeing
my dead naked body, and to avoid that, I want to be immortal.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“That is the stupidest reason for wanting immortality I have
ever heard.” It was hard to tell whether the orb was angry or amused. This time
around its voice was devoid of emotion. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I have decided. I will grant you immortality.”
Kamal breathed a sigh of relief but his woes were not over yet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Have you brought me a sacrifice?” The orb asked, this time
its voice was clearly giddy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sacrifice?” Kamal was confused. The book never said
anything about a sacrifice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You need to bring me a human baby, or a virgin girl, or
both. I need you to sacrifice at least one innocent human life in my name, and
I will grant you immortality.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I…I cannot do that.” Kamal wanted to become an immortal but
he would never hurt anyone to achieve something he wanted, even if that thing
meant the world to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The orb seemed to glow a little less. The silence seemed to
go on forever until the orb broke it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It has been decided. You will be the
immortal AND the sacrifice.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The orb turned blood red, its light seemed to
disappear, and all Kamal could hear was this strange yet familiar beeping noise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beep beep…beep beep…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The noise from the machine came at equal intervals. His
heart rate seemed to be normal. His clothes were clean. There was a bouquet of fresh
flowers on the side table. The nurse looked up from her book, made sure
everything was okay, and dove right back into the story where the stable boy
was about to put the moves on the lady of the house. Before she could become
completely immersed in the story again, she was disturbed by a knock on the
door. It was the other nurse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I didn't realize my shift was over.” She smiled and let the
other nurse in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes, time just flies by here because he is such a chatter box.”
The other nurse was never short on sarcasm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Why are they doing this to him anyway?” She continued. “The
guy practically has no brain function. Just because they have the money and the
technology doesn't mean they can torture people like this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“He is the only son of the richest man in the country. He
has got him plugged in because he expects scientists to come up with a cure.
Try having kids and try saying good bye to them, it’s not easy. ”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“But how long can they keep him like this? They don’t even
know what’s wrong with him.” The other nurse was strongly in favor of pulling
the plug, but it wasn't her call.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“With today’s technology and his father’s money? Forever!”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-21488729830024803862013-07-24T12:21:00.000-07:002013-07-24T12:21:35.632-07:00Age of Shiny Rocks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioX2CRVNbgKlMJskT1EkTwMmErrNTn8ZWIKpVGWCj41aGYXQigVMm-qxaam3A5XgG79-YfOHjtzfwkizh24C1ufPiKdOZiMhA_bHeFtwyKxA376rm85_DtWdkmtKah5MRj2Sg2gNrZmF4/s1600/stock-footage-shiny-rocks-at-the-shore-of-the-beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioX2CRVNbgKlMJskT1EkTwMmErrNTn8ZWIKpVGWCj41aGYXQigVMm-qxaam3A5XgG79-YfOHjtzfwkizh24C1ufPiKdOZiMhA_bHeFtwyKxA376rm85_DtWdkmtKah5MRj2Sg2gNrZmF4/s1600/stock-footage-shiny-rocks-at-the-shore-of-the-beach.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“But chief, I do not
understand.” The man sounded frustrated. The argument between the tribesman and
the chief had been going on for hours now, and it seemed neither party was
going to budge from their viewpoint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“He has more shiny rocks than you, so he gets to be the
husband of my daughter, and the next in line to be the chief of this tribe.
What’s so hard to understand about that?” The chief repeated his stance on the
subject for the umpteenth time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The shiny rocks have no value. They are precious only
because we think they are precious. The whole tribe has decided to use the
shiny rocks for trade, and that is why you think he is rich. In reality, he is
not.” It seemed as if the chief and the tribesman were caught in an infinite
loop, repeating the same arguments over and over again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“And what is your idea of reality? You draw pictures on cave
walls for a living. You get paid in pebbles for what you do. You think I would
marry my daughter to you so that she could live a life of poverty in your den?
You are not that good of a hunter, and you are not even a good painter. I have
to think about my daughter’s future, and in her future I want a mountain of
shiny rocks, not a collection of mediocre cave paintings. I would have no more
discussion on this topic, you may leave now.” With that the chief pointed
towards the opening of the cave, and the tribesman had no option but to leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He went back to his place, gathered the materials he needed
to carve paintings on the wall, and started on a half finished piece in a dark
corner. <i>This will be my best work. When they look at this painting, they
will shower me with shiny rocks. They will put in a good word with the chief.
They will…they will…</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His train of thought suddenly disappeared, and his inner
voice was replaced by that of the chief “You are not that good of a hunter, and
you are not even a good painter”. He thought he had shrugged those words away,
but they were now etched in his mind. He could hear the chief say it over and
over again. He didn't realize that he had stopped working on the painting. His
hand was still in the air, and he was frozen in his place. He must have spent
an eternity in that position because his shoulder and elbow started to hurt,
and the physical pain shook him out of the self pity he was feeling at that
moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In those cruel moments, the severity of the situation came
crashing down on him. The love of his life was going to be married off to
another man, a man who inherited a great pile of shiny rocks from his father, a
man who did not love her, a man who just wanted her so he could become the next
chief. And worst of all the chief knew exactly why that man wished to marry his
daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I would go to her. We would run away.</i> The thought
lifted his spirit. He put down the chisel and headed out of the cave. After
searching for a while he found her by the river. The sunlight filtering through
the leaves fell on her shiny hair, and at that moment she appeared more
beautiful to him than ever before. It did not surprise him; she had a habit of
appearing more beautiful every time he saw her, or may be it was his love for
her growing inside of him that tricked his eyes. Whatever the reason, he found
his sorrows dissipating at the very sight of her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I talked to him, but
he wouldn't listen. His mind is made up, and he would marry you to that idiot.”
He sounded apologetic for a second but his tone changed quickly, “Let’s run
away. We could go find another tribe. Claim that our tribe was killed by saber
tooth tigers. Or we could find a nice quiet place away from all the tribes. We
could still be together. Let’s go right now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a hint of a tear in her eye, but her face remained
expressionless. He looked at her face and couldn't detect anything, there was
no love, no sadness, no anger, nothing. Moments passed and nothing was said
between the two of them, but the silence spoke more than words ever could. When
she finally parted her lips the only thing she could say was, “Why couldn't you
have more shiny rocks?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Defeated, he walked away and wandered aimlessly for hours.
His mind was foggy with depression, and he didn't know where he was going. Yet,
he found himself in his den at the end of his journey. Once inside, he went
straight for the chisel, and started destroying the wall painting in a fit of rage.
After several minutes, he collapsed to the floor in exhaustion. He lay there
and cried, and finally got up when he ran out of tears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>A time will come when men will not be measured by what
they can hunt and kill. Their true worth will not be judged by the number of
shiny rocks they hold in their possession.</i> The thought crossed his mind as
if someone else was speaking to him. <i>I wish I was born in such a time,
instead of this, the age of shiny rocks.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He felt the incomplete drawing on the wall calling to him as
he picked up the chisel again.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-3714092842374298042013-07-16T09:24:00.000-07:002013-07-16T10:04:17.799-07:00Guilty Pleasures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAXVi8r4qAVToJvItHV06XwdEz4zoTHnpuDpPVq55On5VEF4MqmdPunMBHYOZoyDyVBB7rOX8L6VDE9ufDKPGP3vZxPmxtNXW_9lOcJBSLUdNnkWvocxH5y3keQsyYTICWdFn1SCfOGQ/s1600/burger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAXVi8r4qAVToJvItHV06XwdEz4zoTHnpuDpPVq55On5VEF4MqmdPunMBHYOZoyDyVBB7rOX8L6VDE9ufDKPGP3vZxPmxtNXW_9lOcJBSLUdNnkWvocxH5y3keQsyYTICWdFn1SCfOGQ/s320/burger.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We give you guys freedom, and this is what you do with it?”
When the boss was unhappy, his voice could be heard throughout the office.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“But…let me explain myself.” The employee said in a hushed
whisper. The look on his face was that of a kid caught with his hand in the
cookie jar. Only in this case he could get fired instead of getting spanked. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He didn't fear getting fired; he had been meaning to quit that job
anyway. However, he truly dreaded the reason he was being fired. If news got
out of what he did, his reputation would be ruined. He wouldn't be able to get
a job anywhere in town, and more importantly, he would bring shame on his
family name. He had to find a way out of this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What possible explanation could you have? No one else has
access to your computer, there were no viruses or malware, and the browsing
history speaks for itself. You should be ashamed of yourself.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“A lot of other people have access to my computer. It is not
password protected you know. May be someone from IT is trying to set me up.”
The employee had gathered himself by now, his voice was a little less shaky and
his brain was now coming up with a number of good excuses, maybe there was a
way out for him after all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“So I am to believe someone from IT logged into your
account, downloaded those shameful photos everyday for the last twenty days,
during the time you were supposed to be at your desk, and then sent a complaint
about you? The complaint did not even come from the IT guys, a couple of people
saw you doing it. You were looking at those pictures when you thought no one
else was looking.” It seemed as if a couple of employees had already thrown him
under the bus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Snitches</i>! He went
silent for a couple of seconds before moving on to his next natural response. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“They
are conspiring against me. They are jealous you know. I meet my sales targets
early every month and they don’t.” He applauded himself at this response. In
his mind, he had not only discredited the snitches, he had also reminded his
boss about his excellent performance as a sales rep. <i>They can’t fire me, they need me, I bring in the big bucks.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Don’t flatter yourself. You are not important enough for
anyone to conspire against you. And almost everyone here meets their sales targets;
the product pretty much sells itself.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Look…” He decided to put all cards on the table. It wasn't like
he was the only guy in the world who enjoyed looking at pictures like that. So
what if he rewarded himself with a couple of mouthwatering high resolution
jpegs after making a big sale every now and then. He was only human, and the
boss was human too, he would understand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I admit it. I went to those websites, and I downloaded
those pictures. I even looked at them during work hours, but who doesn't do
that from time to time? I mean people check their emails, listen to songs, some
even visit social networking websites through proxy servers while at the office. They all have a
guilty pleasure or two, and so do I. And it’s not like we are a registered
company that pays taxes to the government. We pay the tea boys less than the minimum wage, so let’s not get all high and mighty here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boss, who was till that point sitting aggressively at
the edge of his chair finally let out a big sigh and slumped back. This
employee could report them to the authorities, and then they would have to pay
taxes which in no way would be acceptable to the owner of the company. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“All I am saying is that this is the holy month of Ramzan,
and as a Muslim you should not look at such pictures while fasting. You do
fast, don’t you?” This time around, the boss’ tone was very polite. The
employee smiled, he knew he had saved his job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes sir I do. And rest assured this will never happen
again.” He even saved his boss the whole ‘I am letting you off with a warning’
speech as he walked away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boss looked at the links shared with him by the IT
department as proof. He clicked on a link, then another, and then another. His
screen filled with tab after tab of colorful images of a diverse range of food;
desi food, Chinese food, Italian food, and exotic cuisines with unknown origins. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One picture of a beef burger was so mouthwatering that the boss could feel its
yummy, juicy delights in his mouth. He tried to remind himself that he was
fasting, and that he should not be doing the same thing he almost fired his
employee for, but he couldn't stop himself from clicking one picture after
another. <i>It’s not like I am actually
eating it. My fast is still in tact</i>. He clicked on the image of the beef burger so he could zoom in to get a better look.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-43582552707449458852013-06-30T09:55:00.001-07:002013-06-30T09:55:49.572-07:00Encounter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Here is the deal. We can shoot you right now and be home for dinner, or you can get in the Prado and go with the CM’s driver. We will say that your gang tried to free you, and will report that you got caught in the crossfire. We will report you dead. We will give your family a body. You will live and work for the CM. You will never contact your friends or family again. If news ever gets out that you are alive, we will be quick to rectify the situation. So what will it be?’ The policeman had clearly given this speech many times before.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes, life takes you by the hand and guides you to your
destination, and sometimes it presents you with two options, and the path you
choose defines your destination. This is the story of Zahid, one of the many
dead people roaming this city.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">He looked to the
policeman sitting on his left and then to the one sitting on his right. Both of
them seemed disinterested and a little drowsy. The police van had no AC, and
its windows were covered by thick grates. It was almost as if they were all
packed in a moving oven. The smell of his own sweat mixed with that of the
policemen </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">would've</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> been enough to make anyone vomit, but a few days in the lock
up had made him immune to all kinds of smells. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">He looked to the seat
across from him, and the policeman sitting there was fully awake and attentive.
He even threw him a smile when they made eye contact. He looked at his
handcuffs and tried to calculate the amount of time they had been on the road.
There was no way he could try to peek out the window because the cops were
blocking his view, but the lack of sound from the outside meant that their
vehicle was not in an inhabited area. </span><i style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Yes, this will be an encounter,</i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> he
silently thought.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An ‘encounter’ was
something the police had come up with decades ago when the judiciary
consistently failed to punish the criminals they caught. Before there was such
a thing as an encounter, witnesses were threatened, the judges were bribed, the
evidence disappeared overnight, and the criminals with the backing of powerful
political organizations found themselves on the streets again in no time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When one of the most
notorious criminals of the city was released by the court due to lack of
conclusive evidence for the umpteenth time, the police force decided to take
matters into their own hands. They raided one of his hangouts a few days after
his release, and arrested him again with a handful of evidence. However, this
time around the guy uncharacteristically attempted escape on his way to court,
and was shot dead. After that, it became a common practice among notorious
criminals to die while attempting escape from police custody. Almost everyone
in the city knew what was really going on, but the people were more than okay
with it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whenever a criminal was
killed while trying to escape from police custody, the police reported it as an
encounter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, good things do
tend to get corrupted with time. The police used this unofficial license to
kill to their fullest advantage and started extorting money out of the
political organizations that depended on criminals to serve as their enforcers.
The police still ‘performed an encounter’ from time to time, just to remind
everyone about who’s in charge. The encounters always happened in remote areas
with no witnesses around.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Realizing that the
police van was in a remote area, Zahid knew his last moments were upon him. He
wondered how they’d do it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">May be they will take
off my cuffs and tell me to run, only to use me as target practice. Or maybe
they will shoot me first, and will take off my cuffs once I am dead.</span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The cuffs and the
policeman with the smiley face were annoying him to the point where he was kind
of relieved that his end was near.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">A normal person would be
trying to come up with ways to save his life right now. </span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">His thought was justified. But a quick look back
at his life indicated that he had nothing to look forward to, and nothing to
live for.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">It’s not like I have a
thriving career to get back to</span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">. His bachelor’s degree in psychology had failed to get him a job,
and after years of being broke he had given up and joined a showroom as a car
salesman.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">It’s not like I have
someone waiting for me back home</span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">. He never married, his parents were dead, and all his siblings
were busy in their own lives. <i>I wonder if they even know I am in police
custody.</i> His siblings were not doing any better than him financially, and
were barely scraping by.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">The lack of money, love,
and any kind of accomplishment in his life made him loathe himself. </span><i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">I </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">couldn't</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> even be a proper criminal. </span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">He looked back at his failed attempt at
becoming a criminal mastermind.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zahid’s story was not
that different from the rest of the guys his age. He belonged to the lower
middle class segment of the society. To him, and to others like him, getting a
degree followed by a good job promptly followed by marriage was the definition
of an ideal life. He was not wrong to wish for financial stability and the love
of a beautiful woman, he was just unlucky to be born in a society where such
things were impossible to come by, at least for people like him.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like many of his peers,
he set goals for himself, and then failed to achieve those goals one at a time
until there was nothing left. His job as a car salesman was barely enough for
him to pay the bills, and he always found himself in need of cash at the end of
the month. This was not just Zahid’s story, it was the story of every man who
was born and raised in a lower middle class family in his country.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Zahid heard that
the receptionist he had secretly admired was getting married to his boss, the
similarities between him and his peers ended. He did what every car salesman
with a bachelor’s degree in psychology would do in such a situation, and tried
to rob a bank.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He acquired a gun for an
astoundingly cheap price from a friend in a local political organization,
‘borrowed’ a getaway car from the very showroom where he worked, and headed for
the nearest bank.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As if all those factors
combined were not enough to get him caught, he attempted to shoot the security
guard outside the bank in the middle of the day. It was as if he was trying to
get caught.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that he was sitting
in a police vehicle moving to an unknown destination for his extra judicial
execution, he realized that he never truly wanted to rob the bank, he just
wanted to die. His train of thought came to an abrupt end when the car stopped,
and the policeman with the shiny teeth asked him to get down from the car.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">This is it, this is the
end</span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">. He closed his eyes and
waited for the sound of the gunshot that was to be followed by the sweet release
of death...but it never happened. He stood there with his eyes closed, every
passing second an eternity. After a minute, he wanted to open his eyes and see
what the delay was all about, but he just </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">couldn't</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> bring himself to do it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What if I open my eyes
and they shoot me at the exact same time? I will look like an idiot.</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Open your eyes idiot.’
The guy with the smiley face, whom he had nicknamed Mr. Smiley in his mind,
spoke in a surprisingly harsh tone.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He slowly opened his
eyes and saw that there was a Prado parked along the side of the road. The
policemen were out of their vehicle, and one of them was talking to someone in
the other car. The Prado had tinted glass, and only one window was slightly
rolled down to let sound through. From the looks of it, the policeman was
receiving instructions from the person in the car. His body language indicated
that the person in the car was infinitely superior in station.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘You are lucky.’ Mr.
Smiley smiled at him again, or maybe he never stopped smiling. Zahid wondered
what the policeman’s face would look like without his teeth on full display but
could not come up with an image. He just stood there staring at the man’s
teeth, wondering why he was still alive.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">‘I said you are lucky,
idiot’ the policeman reminded him again, this time a little louder. When his
comments about Zahid’s amazing luck failed to solicit a response from the guy,
Mr. Smiley just went ahead and started explaining the situation. ‘You see that
car?’ he pointed to the Prado with the tinted glass. ‘That car belongs to Mr.
Qureshi, the Chief Minister of the province.’ </span><i style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Holy shit! The Chief Minister
is here.</i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> The minister’s presence only added to Zahid’s confusion.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘You see that man my
colleague is talking to.’ Mr. Smiley again pointed towards the car, only this
time he was pointing at the slightly rolled down window. ‘That man is the
driver of the CM, and he is here with instructions for you.’ Being the driver
for the CM of the province was indeed a huge deal, considering that the guy most
probably made more in a month than what Zahid did in a year.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘So why is he here?’
Zahid spoke for the first time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Because soon you will
be a dead man.’ The policeman never stopped smiling.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘But you guys could have
just shot me by yourself, why the Prado?’</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Because the CM has
plenty of uses for dead people.’</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their short conversation
was interrupted when the policeman who was talking to the CM’s driver walked up
to them. ‘Have you explained everything to him?’ he asked Mr. Smiley.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Not yet.’</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Dammit can’t you do
anything quickly?’ Unlike his colleague, this cop was all business.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">‘Here is the deal. We
can shoot you right now and be home for dinner, or you can get in the Prado and
go with the CM’s driver. We will say that your gang tried to free you, and will
report that you got caught in the crossfire. We will report you dead. We will
give your family a body. You will live and work for the CM. You will never
contact your friends or family again. If news ever gets out that you are alive,
we will be quick to rectify the situation. So what will it be?’ The policeman
had clearly given this speech many times before.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Zahid weighed both
options, but was distracted by the shiny surface of the Prado. </span><i style="font-size: 11.5pt;">I wonder if
it’s air conditioned.</i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> He looked at the car and scolded himself the moment
the thought came to his mind. </span><i style="font-size: 11.5pt;">As if there is such a thing as a Prado without
air conditioning.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘I would like to sit in the
Prado please,’ he informed the policeman decisively. He wondered what kind of
use the CM had for dead people like him, and whether the salary was higher than
his last job.</span></span></div>
</div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-37522635376377393162013-03-20T03:44:00.001-07:002013-03-20T14:46:26.756-07:00Boulder<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Boulder</span></h2>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: normal;">A Very Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></h4>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No one in town knew where the boulder came from, and why it couldn't be moved, but as far as the people of Pak Town knew, the boulder was
there and it had to be worshiped because it was good for them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boulder blocked the sunlight, it blocked the air, and
most importantly, it blocked the only safe path out of town. The people of Pak
Town had learnt to take another route to travel, but that path was
full of bandits, beasts, and monsters. The elders had once tried to move the boulder
to clear the path; but they failed miserably and started worshiping it as a
divine stone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The customs, culture, and everyday life in Pak Town revolved
around the boulder. It was considered responsible for their protection and well
being, for giving and for taking away, for life and for death. If you were a
resident of Pak Town, you could not go an hour without the boulder being
mentioned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things started to change when the monsters, bandits, and
beasts started working together. Previously, they attacked people coming to and
from the town outside the town walls, but now they started coming in through the woods. They attacked one house at a time, and left no survivors
behind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyday, the people went about their daily business,
thanking the boulder that they were safe, and that at least their houses
weren’t raided. Some had even started coming up with their own conspiracy
theories about why the houses being attacked were being targeted. Every theory
resulted in the same conclusion, that the family was pretty much asking for it
and that the victims had it coming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The town’s people who feared for their houses turned to the
boulder for help, but it was as dead (or at least as deaf) as Nietzsche’s god. The
attacks increased, and the elders kept trying to negotiate with the bandits.
The youth was increasingly losing faith in the boulder, mainly due to its
inability to protect the people, but the elders always told them to believe in
the boulder, to pray to it, to worship it, for the boulder worked in mysterious
ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If there was no boulder standing in the way, the safe path
out of town could be cleared. The opening of that path meant better trading
opportunities, and increased safety because then the King’s forces could come
in and protect the people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A small town was too insignificant for the King to risk moving
his army through the woods, but if the boulder was removed, even a small
contingent of the King’s men could come in and secure the town. That would most
certainly scare the bandits away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The town’s people could also arm themselves, but carrying
a weapon for self protection was considered as blasphemy. After all,
the boulder protected all. Carrying a weapon was the act of a disbeliever, and
disbelievers were stoned to death.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bandits kept raiding the town, the people kept getting
slaughtered, and all kept worshiping the benevolent and merciful boulder. When
every last one of the town’s people was slaughtered, the bandits and monsters moved in. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it turns out, they too worshiped the boulder, and were raiding,
raping, and killing in the boulder’s name. The good people of Pak Town are now
extinct, and the once beautiful town is now in ruins. The boulder
is still being worshiped. It's just a coincidence that the worshipers are bandits and monsters.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-66586043769114869582013-01-11T22:01:00.004-08:002013-01-11T22:04:04.767-08:00Talisman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Talisman</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Pssst…pssst.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jacob looked around in surprise. The walk from the train
station at three in the morning was usually uneventful. The people of the neighborhood
were all asleep by that time in their comfortable and cozy beds, and there was
not a single soul in sight. The sound of someone secretly “<i>psssting” </i>made
him uncomfortable. However, he followed the sound to a dark corner. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The homeless man had moved in next to the dumpster a few
days ago, and it was he who was trying to get Jacob’s attention in a hushed
whisper. People usually threw a coin or two at him, but no one ever actually
talked to the man. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even Jacob didn't know why he found himself standing in
front of the guy, maybe he was too tired to think and acted on instinct, maybe
he just missed human contact himself and the only kind of social interaction he
would get away from work was with this man. Whatever the reason might be, there
he was, standing in front of the homeless man who was weighing him with his
eyes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What?” After what seemed like an eternity, Jacob broke the
silence.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I know you.” The homeless man smiled. He had most probably
lost his teeth to a drug, and </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">most definitely had no access to dental hygiene
products.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You do?” Jacob didn’t know why he was entertaining the man,
but he asked anyway.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes I do. I know your type anyway. You are a lot like me.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“And how is that?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I am homeless out here under the sky, and you are homeless
inside your apartment.” The homeless man had probably seen Jacob walking in and
out of the giant apartment complex daily, so he knew Jacob lived there.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jacob was tired after working a double shift, but he was
feeling a bit generous. He knew the homeless man was probably suffering from
ten different kinds of mental disorders, so he just ignored his comment. He
reached into his pocket for some spare change, but found a ten dollar bill instead;
he took the bill out and raised his hand towards the homeless man. To his
surprise, the homeless man just ignored the money and kept talking.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I was like you. I wasn't thankful for the hand I had been
dealt. I wasn't content with what I had, and always found an excuse to feel bad
about myself…until someone slipped me the talisman.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The talisman?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Yes, the talisman. Here let me show you.” He took a strange
dark object out of his pocket and showed it to Jacob. Jacob couldn't get a good
look at the object, partly due to the darkness and partly due to the fact that he wasn't interested.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I had a job.” The homeless man continued, “I had an apartment.
I had a car. I even had a few friends. Yet I wasn't happy. I tried everything but
I could never find true happiness. And what is life without happiness? Right?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jacob had no answer to that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“So one day I ran into this old man, and he stopped me just
like I stopped you, and he gave me the talisman, just like I am about to give
it to you. This will help you find true happiness, here.” He tried to give
Jacob the object.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before Jacob could reach out and grab the talisman, the
inner voice in his foggy mind protested loudly. <i>What are you doing? You
should know better than to accept</i> strange <i>objects from shady characters
at three in the morning.</i> Jacob stopped.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What exactly is this and what does it do?” At this point
Jacob didn't know why he just wasn't walking away. The building was just a few
minutes away; all he had to do was start walking.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It’s a magical talisman. It will stop you from going to the
places that make you unhappy; it will help you find true happiness.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Just like it worked out for you buddy.</i> Jacob was not judgmental,
he knew better than to look down upon those of a lower socio-economic stature,
but he couldn't help but feel a little superior now. After all, standing in
front of him was someone who believed that such a thing as a magical talisman
existed. And that the talisman could help someone find true happiness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>He lives next to a dumpster for goodness sake, and he
believes he has found true happiness, so now he is ready to pass it onto someone
else…someone less fortunate…and he has selected you as that someone. Why are
you wasting your time here?</i> The voice inside his head screamed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What does this talisman do?” Jacob asked again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It physically stops you from going to places that make you
unhappy. If you are not happy with your job, it will not allow you to go to
work. No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, you will never reach your
workplace. If you are unhappy at home, it will physically stop you from going
home. How do you think I ended up on the streets?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“So being homeless makes you happy?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“No. But it’s better than being miserable at work or at
home.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“So why are you giving up the talisman?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What does it matter to you? Just take the damn thing.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jacob imagined giving up his job, and travelling the world
on foot without any material possessions. The idea appealed to him a little
bit, but he had bills to pay. He compared himself to the homeless man and
imagined living his life next to a dumpster. His own crappy life suddenly looked
better in comparison.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I have to go home now.” He said in a decisive voice, and
started walking towards his apartment building.</span></div>
</div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-31173676045605200742012-11-11T05:33:00.000-08:002012-11-13T03:08:34.889-08:00Schizophrenia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5983494566753507" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5983494566753507" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Schizophrenia</span></span></b></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5983494566753507" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5983494566753507" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘So, tell me about these people you see.’ The psychiatrist was good at her job and it was just another day at work for her. The patient in front of her was a scrawny teenager, shorter than most of the boys his age, with curly hair and shy eyes, he claimed to see people that did not exist. It sounded to her like a simple case of schizophrenia, and this session was supposed to allow her to dig deeper.</span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘They are aliens from a different planet.' His voice was surprisingly confident for someone with such shy eyes, ‘They are elemental beings, made of fire. They have been trapped here for thousands of years and need to get back to their home planet’. She observed that the boy was becoming more and more excited as he kept explaining, ‘they didn’t make contact earlier because we were too primitive, now we have the technology to build them a space ship which can carry them to the sun, their home.' </span></span></b></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Another case of a child being unable to distinguish between reality and imagination’, she thought.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘And when did you first see them?’</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘I saw them all the time; I have been seeing them for as long as I can remember’</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘And when did they first speak to you?’</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘They did not, they couldn’t see me, but I could see them. So I started talking to them. It took some time for me to learn their language, but once I started speaking their language they started responding to me’.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘And when did they first start responding to you?’</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘A couple of years ago’ his voice grew melancholy. She had read his file thoroughly before the session started. The teenager had lost his parents a couple of years ago, they had disappeared on a vacation and their disappearance had been linked to a forest fire. The police had not discovered any bodies yet, and the boy who was with his uncle and aunt at that time had been handed over to them permanently. It was obvious that he went through severe mental trauma, and had retreated into his fantasy.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘They know what you are thinking’ his voice was firm than earlier. The shadows of sorrows had been replaced by excitement again. ‘They are telling me you think I am mad. You think I am lying’ he was hurt, ‘they say they can prove their existence to you’.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘There is no need for that; no one is calling you a liar. We are here to work on some issues’ she said in a most calming tone. </span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘And what issues might those be?’ the teenager was becoming skeptical, ‘my uncle says that what happened with my parents has something to do with my seeing these creatures, he says that I am hallucinating. I have tried telling him that these creatures have always been a part of my life, but no one ever believed me because I am a child’ his tone changed during the last part of that sentence. He appeared hurt again. What the teenager lacked in body language, he more than made up for in voice tones and facial expressions. </span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She noted down ‘sudden bursts of excitement followed by short bursts of depression’ in her notepad.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘And these creatures, do they pay attention to you? Do they believe you?’</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘At first they didn’t,’ the burst of excitement was back, although he didn’t move an inch, his voice and his face revealed how passionate he was about this subject. ‘When I first communicated with them, they were scared. I told them there were billions of my kind, but they refused to believe. They think this planet is lifeless; they can’t see us or hear us’. It seemed like an appropriate moment for the doctor to intervene, ‘so how can they see you and hear you?’</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘They can’t see me, but they can hear me. I have taught them to listen to my voice’.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Just a few moments ago you said they knew what I was thinking? How do they know of me? And you said they didn’t make contact earlier because we were primitive, how could they have known we were primitive if they didn’t know we existed?’</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The teenager became silent for a few moments, then he looked the doctor directly in the eye and said, ‘you ask too many questions’ his cold stare sent chills down her spine. ‘Perhaps a demonstration will convince you of their existence’, she had seen some strange cases in her years as a psychiatrist but never before had she been so scared. ‘I think that’s enough for the day’ she hastened to put down her notepad, ‘I will see you in a week’ she tried to smile.</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Oh but I am not leaving’ the boy suddenly didn’t seem short or scrawny anymore. His presence in the room was making the doctor very uncomfortable, she could feel his eyes burning right through her, ‘I insist you leave, we shall have another session in a week or so’ she tried to pretend she was not intimidated. </span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘I like you. We like you. We enjoy your company. We shall stay as long as we like,’ it may have been her imagination playing tricks on her but she could swear the boy was speaking in four different voices simultaneously. She nervously moved further back in her seat and pressed the security button. She kept her eye on the boy and he kept staring back for what seemed like an eternity, until the deafening silence in the room was broken by someone opening the door.</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘You called’ the brawny security guy asked in his deep voice.</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Steve, would you please escort Mr. Chapman to the lobby’ she didn’t take her eyes off the boy; she </span></b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">had a feeling something bad would happen if she looked away.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Okay’ Steve sounded confused ‘Where is he?’</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Where is who?’</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘Mr. Chapman.’</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">‘You mean the boy sitting in the chair right in front of me.’</span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘But there is no one here’ her reaction to Steve’s reply was that of a person who accidentally touches a live wire. ‘He is right there,’ she screamed while pointing at the boy. </span></span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Dr. Dawson, there is no one here.’ The cold smirk on the boy’s face grew deeper, and the fire burning in his eyes became intense, ‘we told you, we are not going anywhere.’</span></span></b></div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-44588683077024978372012-11-03T03:35:00.001-07:002012-11-03T03:35:19.299-07:00Call Center<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Call Center</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">“Assalamu Alaikum. XYZ call center how may I help you.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was just another day at work for Taqi. He had just signed
in for his 3 to 11 evening shift at the inbound customer support call center for the local electricity supplier, and was answering his first call. The
opening greeting was worth ten points, and he had to sound fresh and pleasant
while delivering it to the customer.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You know what?” The customer was angry and started yelling
from the get go. “You guys should just say <i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">how may I screw you</span></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> instead
of </span><i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">how may I help you</span></i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sir we try to help each and every single one of our
customers, but some things are just out of our control.” Taqi had been working
there for about six months now, he had learned all the tricks of the trade, and
knew how to handle angry customers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The CRM at the call center did not have the customer’s phone
number in the data bank, so he couldn't find the customer’s address. Judging by
the area code, he placed the customer in region 4, and judging by the
customer’s anger, he placed him in the area where there was no electricity for
the last 4 hours.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“May I know which area you are speaking from?” Although he
had already placed the customer in an area but he had to hear it from him.
After all, it was a recorded call and he didn't want to go off script. Points
were being awarded and quality was being assured; he had to aim for the extra
incentives.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Why? That computer of yours isn't telling you anything?” He
was amazed how people just overestimated the power of computers.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sir, your number is not stored in our database. If you
could kindly tell me your area, I could provide you with the latest information
and updates.”<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Screw your updates; there is no electricity here for the
last four hours. I don’t need excuses, I need electricity.”<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sir, the only area in Karachi without power for the last
four hours is FB Area Block 6. Is that where you are speaking from?”<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Why are you asking me if you already know?”<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By this time, 40 seconds had already passed. Taqi had to
finish this call within one minute; negative points were awarded for each
second after that. He decided to take the familiar route; he would just shower
the bastard with information and wouldn't give him a chance to speak.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sir, the main cable supplying electricity to FB Area Block
6 was damaged a few hours ago. Repairs are in progress as we speak. We are also
trying to route electricity to your area through our overhead network. Your
electricity will be temporarily restored within half an hour, but the main
cable will be fixed in about eight hours.” He rushed through it in one breath,
but waited for the customer to respond.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I am not speaking from block 6 you moron.” The clock was
ticking, the floor supervisor was already signaling him to wrap it up, and the
minute was almost up. Nothing had been achieved so far.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Then which area are you speaking from?” He had
received worst calls than this, he had been cussed at, threatened, and once a
few angry customers had paid the call center a visit, but for some reason, this
to him was the worst customer he had ever dealt with. And the call was not over
yet.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I am speaking from block 4, and my meters have burnt out. I
registered a complaint early this morning, and you guys haven’t sent the repair
team yet.”<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sir could you please tell me your complaint number?”<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It’s 4974.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now this was another problem. Taqi looked at the complaint
numbers in the CRM, and only 1500 complaints had been issued so far. It
appeared as if the morning shift had been slow. He checked for complaint number
497, it belonged to someone else. He checked for 4974 for the day before, and
it wasn't there.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“When was this complaint number issued to you?” He knew this
would piss the customer off even more, but there was no other choice.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What the hell do you people do all day? Someone issued this
number to me five minutes ago.” There were serious contradictions in the
customer’s statement. If the complaint number was issued 5 minutes ago, he couldn't possibly have registered the complaint in the morning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, the
clock was ticking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The floor supervisor had already left his chair, and was now
standing right next to Taqi, listening in on the conversation. This was a
pretty good sign that Taqi was in trouble and had to finish this quickly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sir how about I send a reminder to your area support center asking them to hurry up? Could you please tell me your name and address?” He
put his hands on the keyboard, ready to file a new complaint, while trying to
save face for his fellow call center agents who handed out fake complaint
numbers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Now I have to go through the whole process again?” It
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sir I apologize for the inconvenience, and assure you that
we will do everything in our power to get your connection fixed, just kindly tell
me your name and address so I can send them a new complaint.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two minutes were up, and the floor supervisor simply ended
the call with the push of a button. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Sir, he was about to give me his details.”
Taqi protested.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Next time, just give him another fake complaint number. And
for God’s sake keep your average down to 50 seconds.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taqi looked around in
disappointment as the supervisor walked away. The person to his right was lying
about a blackout; the person to his left was dropping calls in mid sentence
just to make it look like there was a problem with the line. Most were assigning
fake complaint numbers and giving false information to the customers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next caller in line had already been routed to him, but
he decided not to answer that call. He minimized the CRM and opened a new Word
document. He had a resignation to write.</span></div>
</div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-88145258266856611442012-09-23T09:38:00.001-07:002012-09-23T09:38:08.775-07:00Good and Evil: The Barren Land<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Good and Evil</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Part 2: The Barren Land</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The seal to the prison had been broken, and the fallen
angels in slumber had awoken. They both looked at each other in confusion as
their chains melted away and their prison disappeared around them. They found
themselves in a freshly dug hole and were greeted with two dead bodies, one of
them still twitching.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“Is it time?” The taller one asked.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“Doesn't seem like it.” The relatively shorter one answered
while looking around. Harut and Marut had been condemned to sleep in their
underground prison till the Day of Judgment. Their sin, disobeying God. Their
motivation, love of a human woman.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“This does not look like the Day of Judgment. It appears we
are in the middle of nowhere.” Harut checked his hands and feet, the chains had
disappeared without leaving a mark.<br /> “Doesn’t appear to be
Babylon either; their buildings are similar to the nation of Aad.” Marut could always see over great distances, he
could see two towns nearby.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“Have we been forgiven?” Harut was still confused.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“Our wings would be back if that were the case, we are still
trapped in these mortal bodies.” Marut could not hide the disappointment in his
voice. The human bodies could only hold so much of the angels' powers, and
without wings, they were just a fraction of their true selves.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“If God did not forgive us, then how are we out of the
prison?” It seemed as if Harut was about to ask many questions, but he was
interrupted by the sound of a pickup truck stopping nearby. The angels had been to many worlds, and had witnessed many
technologically advanced civilizations. They had seen similar travelling
devices before, so the vehicle did not surprise them; however, the woman who stepped
out of it did.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“Zora!” Both of them could not believe their eyes. This was <i>the</i> woman. Before meeting her, they
taught magic to the people of Babylon during the day, and ascended to the
heavens during the night.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“Shouldn’t you be in heaven right now?” Marut asked with a
hint of sarcasm.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“You haven’t aged a bit.” Harut still had the hearts for
her, even after all the years of punishment.<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We need a more private place to talk.” Zora was as
cold as ever.<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“There is no place where He can’t hear us.” Marut hissed,
his eyes shooting daggers at the woman he once loved.<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Oh, but we can always try.” She snapped her fingers, and
with that the two fallen angels felt their bodies disintegrate. The experience
was more painful than anything either one of them had felt before. They wanted
to scream in agony, but had to wait till their bodies came back together, this
time in a barren waste, most probably on another planet far away from Earth.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“Before the two you start speaking, let me fill you in on
the details.” Harut and Marut were still recovering from the painful journey,
but Zora wanted to make sure she dominated the conversation.<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The words you taught me. The words that were supposed to
give me the ability to fly to heaven, those words failed. I spoke them, and I
found myself here, on this barren land. I spoke them again, and I was back in Babylon.
I do not age since then, and nothing can kill me, so I guess I have to thank
you for that. But I have to ask you, why did you betray me? I mean you drank
the wine, and you killed a man for me. You even worshipped an idol just to make
me happy. But you didn’t teach me the right words, why is that?”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Marut was about to say something when she interrupted again.
“It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that I was finally able to free the two
you. And now you will help me go to heaven. Not by doing good deeds. Not by
dying a pious woman. You will help me go to heaven alive, in my physical form.”<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Let me guess. The two dead bodies on top of our prison were
your doing.” Marut sounded disappointed and resentful at the same time. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You
figured out a way to break the seal.” Harut was elated.<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Do not allow yourself to be fooled by this woman, brother.”
Marut warned Harut. “She hurt us once, she will hurt us again.”<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Not if you help me go to heaven.” Zora smiled. The same
smile had made the angels forget about their calling, and had set them on a
path of sin and disobedience. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Why are you so obsessed with heaven? Why do you not try to go
there like a normal person?”<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You mean by asking for God’s forgiveness? By committing good
deeds? By being kind to my fellow humans?” Zora could not hide her skepticism. “If
you haven’t noticed, the punishment for my sins is immortality. While the two
of you slumbered, I have seen all my loved ones age, and wither, and die, right
before my very eyes. I have seen humanity destroyed by great floods. I have
seen the destruction and rebirth of civilization. I have seen the rise and fall
of empires. I have seen it all, and I am bored. Just like I was in the ancient
times.”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“We will not be your entertainment this time around.” Marut
said in a firm voice. Harut seemed confused and double minded, but he kept
quiet.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />“Then you will rot here until you change your mind. The
horrors of this place will make you yearn for your prison.” With that, she snapped
her fingers and disappeared into thin air.<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What did she mean ‘the horrors of this place’?” Harut asked
Marut. The two angels looked around but there was nothing and no one on the
barren land. Even with his supernatural sight, Marut could not see any living
being on the planet. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Let us explore this land, and let us pray for God’s
forgiveness. That is our only option.” Marut sighed as the fallen angels got
down on their knees and looked to the sky.</span></span></div>
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Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-30357777095110561672012-09-10T11:03:00.000-07:002012-09-11T00:01:47.434-07:00Good and Evil<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part 1: The Awakening</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <i>“Keep walking!” The
cold voice sent chills up his spine. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was most likely that this voice would be the last he
would ever hear. It was a cold starry night, and there was no one within miles
but Peter and Victor. The only sign of civilization was the road where Peter’s pickup
had been stopped. Victor had been on his trail for a while, and had finally
been able to overtake him, block his path, and point a shotgun at him. Peter
had pretty much done whatever he was told since then, “do as the man with the
gun says” he had told himself repeatedly during the long walk away from the
road into the wilderness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Victor was walking behind him with his gun constantly
pointed at the back of his head. He was also making Peter carry a shovel. They
walked for about 30 minutes before Victor started talking, “Did you think you
could get away with it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Get away with what?” Peter’s voice was shaky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“With what you said in the shop, asshole” Peter could not
see Victor’s face but he was sure he made a sour expression, and spat shortly
after he said asshole.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I apologize if I have offended you, but please let me go, I
have a family.” Usually, Peter was a proud man, but these were not usual
circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Keep walking!” The cold voice sent chills up his spine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Think, think.” He tried to force his mind out of its sorry,
frightened state. His brain decided to start from the morning. He had awoken
early, had his morning coffee, kissed his wife goodbye and left the house, nothing
out of the ordinary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The odd thing about that day was that his boss wanted him to
go to the adjacent town to pick up a delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables. For
some insane reason, the truckers charged way too much to drive all the way to
Peter’s town. It was cheaper to go out there and collect the shipment, and
drive it all the way back to his town in his pickup.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While he was in the market, he decided to get a haircut.
Victor’s hair saloon was the nearest he knew, so he went there. He still couldn’t
think of what the hell it was he said to Victor to piss him off. The guy had
done nothing when he was in town, but had chased him down and was making him
walk to the middle of nowhere, most probably to kill him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Could you at least tell me what I said?” For some reason,
most probably because his brain had gone into overdrive, he forgot the gravity
of the situation and spoke in a loud frustrated voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Stop!” Victor ordered and Peter did exactly that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Start digging,” Seeing that he had no other choice, Peter
started digging. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I am sorry, I apologize, I take back whatever it was I said”
Peter was too scared to notice, but tears had started running down his cheeks. He
did not want to die, he had too much to live for, and he most certainly didn’t want
to die at the hands of some maniac, without knowing why. He decided to ask
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What did I say to you? Why are you doing this?” His voice
was shaky again, this time due to the fact that he was crying while speaking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You look down on us all, just because you’re from a bigger
town doesn’t mean you can look down on us. Very soon, I will be looking down on
you.” Victor hadn’t bothered to answer Peter’s question yet, and it looked like
he wasn’t about to start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter kept digging, he was used to manual labor but for some
reason his hands were full of blisters. The hole he was digging was now big
enough to be a shallow grave. He usually loved silence, but this silence was
getting to him. He knew he had to do something quickly or his end was inevitable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“There is something here,” His shovel hit something metallic,
and made that noise when metal strikes metal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Keep digging!” Victor wasn’t at all curios about what it
could be, in the middle of nowhere, exactly at the random spot he had picked to
be Peter’s grave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter struck the ground again, and the sound of metal
striking metal was much louder now. He looked at Victor, and this time Victor
did not have to bark an order at him. He struck the ground again, and there it
was, that sound again. Only this time he dropped the shovel as a result of the
impact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When he bent down to pick it up, he finally saw the object.
It was a partially exposed metal surface with strange carvings on it. Maybe those
were random designs, maybe some foreign language, Peter neither knew nor cared.
What he cared about was Victor’s gun touching the back of his head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Victor had come really close, and was standing just a foot away from him, just at the edge of the hole, so he could touch Peter’s
head with his gun, and remind him of who was in charge of the situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter picked up the shovel again. As he got back up something
strange happened. The carvings on the metal surface seemed to glow. In one
final attempt to save his life he whirled and smashed his shovel as hard as he
could where he thought Victor’s head would be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sound of the shovel cracking open Victor’s head like a
water melon was not as loud as that of his shotgun going off. The side of Peter’s
head was blown right off, he first dropped to his knees and then to the side,
the blood from his wound filling in all the markings carved into the partially
exposed metal surface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Victor was on the ground, twitching uncontrollably until he
too fell in the shallow grave. His death was not as quick as Peter’s, but
the shovel to the head did its job. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As their blood mixed together to form a thin layer on top of
the metal surface, something woke underneath. After thousands of years of
forced slumber in the middle of nowhere, the prophecy had come true. Only fresh
blood of a victim and perpetrator, mixed together from their fresh corpses, could
break the ancient seal, and it did. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some may call it destiny, some coincidence, but
the seal had been broken and the two fallen angels, who had dared teach magic
to earthlings, were now free.</span></span></div>
</div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-8132977692552698612012-08-28T10:46:00.001-07:002012-08-28T21:21:28.697-07:00Crossbreeds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Crossbreeds</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“This is bad.” The blood dripping from his brow had somehow
found its way to his mouth. The cold night air was penetrating through his skin,
chilling his very bones. He had already lost both his shoes, his clothes were
torn, and he was pretty sure his feet were bleeding profusely, leaving a
crimson trail on the rocky road behind him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If his pursuers had been ordinary human beings, the bloody
trail would have led them straight to him. Yet he wished they had been human. If
they had been ordinary humans he would have stood a chance, a minor chance, but
a chance none the less. He envied those pursued by
humans. “This is bad.” The thought kept crawling back into his mind. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He knew
they had his scent, his sweat, his blood, they could smell it miles away, and
they were on his trail.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The messenger had news to deliver. Important news. The fate
of a whole regime depended on it. The insurgents could not afford for him to
deliver the scroll. He could not afford to fail. The queen had written the
message in her own blood, and had trusted him to deliver it to the garrison. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He had barely escaped the skirmish outside the castle, and
was on his way to the garrison when the insurgents intercepted him. He fought
as well as he could, he fought as well as anyone could in his predicament, but
they just kept coming at him. He managed to kill most of them, and then ran for
it. His horse had already been mauled by the hairy beasts during the fight, but
the garrison wasn’t far away, “I can make it in an hour,” he had initially
thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His armor was weighing him down, so he had to remove most of
it. The chainmail which saved his life on numerous occasions now seemed like a burden
that would ultimately be his undoing. Yet he kept running. The sun was about to
rise, and he could see the well-lit towers of the garrison from the distance. The
sight gave him hope, he was about to make it, he was about to save the Queendom,
but something halted him in his tracks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rocky road leading to the garrison was blocked by
insurgents. They had not seen him yet, it was a miracle they had not smelled
him, they were too busy sinking their teeth in the dead corpses of the patrol
guards. There were five of them, and there was no way around them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I would sneak up to them. They are busy eating, I will get
the one closest to me, and then, and then…” He played many scenarios in his mind,
none of them ended up with him being victorious over five crossbreeds. “If I
only had a bow and arrow” he could have shot the scroll in the direction of the
gate, someone would have surely found it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He knew that while he was standing there indecisively, the
crossbreeds on his trail were getting closer. He started sneaking up to the
beasts who were still feasting on the corpses. With clenched jaws and tightened
grip on the hilt of his sword; he tried to breathe quietly, afraid that the
beasts would hear him. He knew they would smell him before they would hear him,
but some things he had no control over, and those things he never worried
about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He was true in judging their sense of smell. The crossbreeds
attacked him before he could sneak anywhere near them. He had his sword, they
had their claws, and teeth, and horns. He was one, they were five. He was a
knight of Placentia, they were Myali’s twisted experiment. He had faith on his
side, they had hunger. He had the goddess looking over him, and they served the
god of all gods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The battle was as bloody as there is blood in one human and
five crossbreeds. He lost a few fingers and an ear, but the crossbreeds lost
their heads. He overcame them, but he lost everything he had in him to do so.
There was no way he could walk to the garrison now. The sun had already risen
half way through, and he could see the drawbridge being lowered over the moat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Praise the goddess, praise the queen.” He forgot all about
the pain in his wide open wounds pushing him towards the darkness. The lowering
of the drawbridge meant only one thing. The garrison had sent someone to check
on the night patrols. “The scroll would make it to its intended destination,
the Queendom will survive.” His last thought set his mind at peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“He killed five of them, unbelievable!” The general was in
awe. The sun had risen, and the general stood over the knight’s dead body,
surrounded by those of the crossbreeds. The scroll, written in Silvia’s blood,
has reached the hands it was meant for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Send a message to Myali.” The general ordered one of his
subordinates. “Tell him, the queen had a daughter. She hid her away in a secret
chamber and dressed her as a commoner. Her very existence was undisclosed till
now.” He smirked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Tell him, the throne of Placentia has an heiress. His
animals may have killed the queen, but there is another to take her place.” His
voice grew cold. “This scroll contains directions to the chamber.” He handed
the scroll to the subordinate. “Tell him to find the girl and finish the job.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“And what about the knight?” The subordinate inquired about
the dead knight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Leave him for the crossbreeds.”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-53057987461774553262012-08-12T11:13:00.003-07:002012-08-12T11:13:30.999-07:00Curiosity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Curiosity</span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the members of the council had gathered; the topic in
question was <i>Curiosity</i>, NASA’s recent
attempt to explore Mars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I think we all know why we are here, so why don’t we start
the discussion!” The relatively young but charismatic member spoke in his
signature style. He was probably the youngest among them, but represented a
great and powerful nation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What is your opinion on Curiosity? Do you think the people
deserve to know?” One of the council members asked him. They were all going to
have a vote at the end of the discussion, but the young leader’s opinion could
swing many votes either way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I believe it is time the people learn the truth.” He spoke casually.
The others waited for him to justify his opinion but he looked to them to
continue the discussion. He knew his nation was the strongest. He did not need
to justify his opinions. He could very well be the emperor of the world. Yet he
could not make this decision alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The people are not ready. If news gets out that we are not
alone in the universe; it would be chaos. People will start to question
everything; religion, the meaning of life, how we govern them.” This leader
represented another great nation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“They will want us to establish contact.” The leader of the
largest population in the world interjected, “And we all know how that goes.
First contact, then travel, then trade, and finally war. We all know human
history.” Many of the people agreed with that opinion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“One day, the people will find out” the young leader spoke
again, “It’s only a matter of time. An age will come when people will travel
freely from one planet to another. Why delay the inevitable? We have an amazing
opportunity in our hands.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We have an opportunity to save our people from war.” The
leader of the largest population was not convinced, “We need to handle it the
way our ancestors handled it in ancient times.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The literature about ancient times is filled with
contradictions, so let’s not use it as a guideline.” This leader was shorter
than others, but his nation was the most technologically advanced nation in the
world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“And I suppose using the sacred text as a guideline is out
of the question?” this leader represented a nation known for its religiosity. His
comment inspired many smiles among the council. To him and his people, the
answer to every problem in the world could be found in the sacred text. Others couldn’t
care less about his opinion. The importance of the strategic location of his land
was the only reason he was a member of the council.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Not everyone follows your religion; you need to keep that
in mind.” The young leader gave him a friendly reminder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I say we do not tell our people yet. Let us send some of our
representatives to their planet, as spies of course, and let us wait for their
reports.” This leader had a heavy accent. He was probably the oldest person in
the room and represented a nation that was once almighty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“We have reports that their world, not unlike ours is
haunted by war at the moment. There is a financial crisis in most parts, in some
parts there is plague and famine. We could trade with them, establish economic
relations. There are most certainly natural resources over there that we can
use.” The young leader was insistent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It all comes down to natural resources with you, doesn't it?”
The religious man could not hide his resentment. The most powerful nation was
the largest consumer of natural resources, and the natural reserves of the
world were depleting quicker than they liked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“You have no problem selling them to me.” The young leader
retorted, the religious man had no answer, but the two stared at each other
with clenched jaws.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I think we are getting off topic here” The short leader
tried to calm things down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“There has been enough discussion, let’s start the voting.” The
leader of the largest population added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“So we all agree we have three options.” The young leader
was quick to switch back to his usual calm demeanor. “We tell the people there
is life on the other planet and establish contact. We send spies and wait for a
suitable time to establish contact. Or we take the usual measures to ensure
there is no contact and no news.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Virtual screens appeared before each leader. The screens
contained all three options. Each leader reached out and touched the option
he/she favored. The result was 80% in favor of not making any contact, and not
telling the people about life on the other planet. The leaders who had not
participated in the decision turned out to be the majority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The young leader was clearly disappointed by the results. “Okay
then, we feed them the usual pictures of deserts and rocks.” He sighed, “Just
for the record, I still believe we are missing out on an exciting opportunity.”
The other members were already on their way home, some had already reached
their countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In an underground lab in a desert, <i>Curiosity</i> laid disassembled. The scientists and engineers in the
lab had all gathered in a large room, looking at a large screen excitedly. “What
do you think they will decide?” One asked the other, the young leader’s face
appeared on screen before the other could answer. “Send them the usual pictures”
he said in a disappointed yet authoritative tone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The excitement in the room died with that order and the
people started getting back to work. The one who had asked the question earlier
went to his work station, and transmitted few pictures through a device that
had been salvaged from the rover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back at the NASA headquarters, an excited group of people received
the pictures with glee, not knowing that the leaders of Mars wanted nothing to
do with Earth.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-61210240253960600052012-07-26T10:18:00.000-07:002012-07-26T10:18:46.548-07:00Virus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Virus</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Short Story by
Ehtisham Rizvi</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“There are two kinds
of people in this world…..” The scientist in charge of the large research
facility carefully mixed two chemical compounds while talking to his
apprentice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“People who agree with me and people who do not.” The blue
and yellow compounds silently reacted together to make a viscous green element.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The catalyst seems ready.” The young apprentice wasn’t fond
of the amount of hours she had to put in. The sooner the catalyst was ready,
the sooner they could finish the experiment and she could leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It looks good,” the comment from the scientist was as much
a declaration as it was a compliment. “Thanks,” although the gas mask almost
covered most of her face, the scientist could tell the young apprentice was
smiling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What is this experiment anyway?” seeing that Dr. Smith
wasn’t his usual grumpy self, Annette dared ask the question. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her role in the lab was simple; she was to assist Dr. Smith
in all of his research and experiments. When she signed up for the job, which
paid much better than anything else out there, she was excited beyond measure. She
would assist this old scientist conduct his experiments, gain knowledge and a
fat paycheck every month. Not too bad for a college drop out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dr. Smith was also happy with the arrangement. Annette was
smart enough to facilitate him and not ask too many questions. She wasn’t
curious or nosy, and for the most part was just interested in getting the job
done and going home. That is why her question came as a surprise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Are you interested in the experiment? Don’t you have to go
home?” After storing the catalyst away, Dr. Smith removed his mask and gloves.
Annette had already removed hers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I have a few minutes,” Annette smiled lightly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Okay, if I start explaining the experiment, we will need
months, maybe years.” Annette was sure that the old scientist was exaggerating.
She was also slightly insulted, but maintained her usual pleasant demeanor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“As you were saying, two kinds of people, those who agree
with you and those who do not,” Annette politely reminded him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Ah, yes. I want you to know this.” Today was one hell of an
extraordinary day, Dr. Smith wanted his apprentice to learn something. Those
who knew him could testify that the old man wasn’t into the habit of sharing
knowledge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“All my life, I have had to argue with ignorant people who believe
they know it all. In college, at the university, at those seminars and get-togethers
and weddings and funerals. Everywhere I go, everywhere I meet people, every time
I try to participate in a discussion. There are always people who disagree with
me. I hate that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Annette really couldn’t see where the scientist was going
with this rant, but she wasn’t about to stop him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“So one day it just hit me,” Dr. Smith continued, “the
chemistry of the human brain, that is what’s responsible for likes and
dislikes, preferences and priorities.” That too was one of the many theories he
had presented to the scientific community, and not many agreed with him, but to
him it was as authentic and reliable as the law of gravitation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“So I started studying patterns in my own brain.” This was
the weird part; Annette did not remember ever assisting in an experiment where
the Doctor himself was the test subject, but she let him continue anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I found that the chemical reactions happening in my brain
can be induced in others. I just need to stimulate certain areas of their brains
and Voilà, they will see the light.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“But how exactly will you do that? And who exactly will you
do that to?” Annette was confused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“That is a very intelligent question” it was the second
compliment the doctor gave that day, but this time Annette was more scared than
thankful. “There are legal complications to it, but now that the catalyst is
ready, I can simply create an air borne virus.” Annette stepped back. Sensing
her fear, and not knowing what to do, Dr. Smith stepped towards her, raising
both hands as if to declare his peaceful intentions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It is not as bad as it sounds; think of it as a lifesaving
drug. There is no pain involved, it’s perfectly safe.” The doctor was speaking
with an uncharacteristic haste “let me show you”. He rushed at the cold storage
and picked up the catalyst. Annette rushed towards the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lab was large, and she had to climb a whole flight of
stairs before she could reach the door. The doctor had more than enough time to
introduce the catalyst in the system and turn on the reactor. Before Annette
could reach the door, the virus was airborne.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Before you leave” the doctor was very calm now, “could you
please tell me your favorite color?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Blue” Annette was surprised by her own answer. She most
definitely knew it was pink, but somehow, pink didn’t appeal to her anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Favorite drink?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Coffee” it was orange juice, but coffee sounded so much
better now. She wondered why she ever hated coffee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Favorite kind of music?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Classical” she had always been into heavy metal, but just
like the color pink, metal had lost its charm to her. Dr. Smith was now
observing her somewhat subservient behavior and taking notes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Last question. What do you think is the…” the question was
cut short by a loud thud of a body hitting the floor. Tiny droplets of blood
started dripping on the floor. Annette tried to rush back to the collapsed
doctor, but by the time she reached him, he had already died. The blood coming out of his eyes, nose, ears and mouth would have sickened anyone on any given day, but Annette found herself indifferent to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She reluctantly picked up the clipboard and saw the list of
questions the doctor had prepared. “They must see the light” it said at the top
of the sheet, “they must see the light” she whispered in agreement.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-82492833355319090472012-07-17T23:31:00.001-07:002018-07-18T14:26:11.356-07:00Collar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Collar</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As soon as Abdul entered the market they surrounded him. Men
and women of different colors, speaking different languages, wearing different
attires, some offering success, fame and glory in this world, some in the
afterlife and some offering both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He was confused, he was lost, and he didn’t know who to
trust. He reached for the skin under his collar and scratched a little, this
collar was too tight and his neck was itchy and sweaty because of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘Believe in God, those who believe will go to heaven and
those who do not will go to hell’ the man of god reached for Abdul’s collar and
attached his leash to it. He started pulling him to the right, ‘let me show you
the path to heaven’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘He misleads you’ another voice halted him in his tracks.
‘Belief alone does not guarantee heaven. You have to do good unto the society’.
Encouraged by the reluctance in Abdul’s eyes, this new man of god (wearing a
slightly different garb and sporting a slightly different beard) stepped
forward and attached his own leash to Abdul’s collar. ‘Let’s talk about good
deeds and how they please God’ he started pulling him in the opposite
direction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Seeing that the two priests had their leashes attached to Abdul’s
collar, most of the religious merchants left in search of new customers. The
crowd around him thinned a little, but the spectacle was far from over. ‘These
religious zealots will lead you nowhere’, this new voice came from a beardless
man. His clothes, his demeanor and his accent indicated that the man was highly
educated. ‘Organized religion has caused nothing but pain and suffering in this
world. Do not follow them, they promise heaven and make you do things that even
Satan couldn't dream of’, the beardless man stepped forward and attached his
own leash to Abdul’s collar. ‘Serve humanity and God will be pleased’ the
beardless man started pulling Abdul in an entirely new direction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘What a bunch of troglodytes!’ this new voice made fun of
all. The first person to attach his leash to Abdul’s collar was pulling him to
the right, the second to the left and the third was pulling him forward. None
of them were letting go, and Abdul was moving left, right, forward then left
again like a drunkard trying hard to gain his footing. The new voice, which called everyone a troglodyte, came from behind. Abdul struggled hard to twist
his neck just enough to see who it was, it was yet another man, sporting a
small mustache. ‘Why should your life be aimed at pleasing God? Do you really
wish to mold your actions, your hopes and your dreams to please an entity
whose existence cannot be proved?’ This new guy also didn’t take long to attach
his own leash to Abdul’s collar. ‘I say you only get to live once, you should
do what pleases you, not what others tell you to do’ with that he started pulling
Abdul in his direction ‘let me tell you what to do’. With that all hell broke
loose, although many traders and merchants had cleared out, the remaining all
swarmed Abdul like bees to honey. In a matter of seconds, he had more
leashes attached to his collar than he could count.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 11pt;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
‘God. Liberty. Righteousness. Progress’. They
were all speaking many different languages about many different concepts, but
more importantly, they were all pulling him to their respective directions. ‘No
more’ he wanted to shout, but there was no way his voice could have left his
throat. Come to think of it, there was no way any air could have entered his
lungs either. He clawed at his collar, desperate for one breath of air. His
eyes were about to burst out of their sockets and he was sure he could taste
his own blood in his mouth. The voices around him started to mellow, as if
someone was turning the volume down. The picture became blurry and dark. In his
final desperate attempt for survival, he grabbed his collar by both hands and
pulled at it as hard as he could. The sound of the collar being broken was the
sweetest sound he had ever heard. The crowd that had gathered around to watch
the spectacle left in disappointment. The traders and merchants pulling at him
gathered their leashes and left in search of new prospects. He lied on the
ground, breathing heavily, trying to gather his wits. The broken collar
shimmered in the scorching sun, and he could clearly see a hint of blood on it.
‘I will have to get that fixed’ his weak murmur drowned in the loud noise which
suddenly erupted near the market entrance, another Abdul had just entered.</span></span></div>
Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6331439284778559265.post-13350678479155248452012-07-09T03:58:00.001-07:002012-07-09T03:58:53.101-07:00Camera<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Camera</span></span></h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
Not So Short Story by Ehtisham Rizvi</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Finally
he had enough money to buy a camera, he was not a miser but for the last year
he had been clutching onto every rupee as if his life depended on it. He hadn’t
eaten out for what seemed like ages, he skipped his lunch to save money, and he
didn’t buy new clothes. He did all of that because he needed a state of the art
digital camera.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Xeshan had always been a
loner, he was blessed to be among the few educated people of the third world
country he lived in. Just like many of his peers, he worked day and night at a
job he was overqualified for, for money that wasn’t nearly good enough, and in
a capacity which did not allow him to utilize his talents. His only dream, his
only goal in life was to be the best photographer in the world. He did have an
eye for beauty, some of those, and there were few, who knew his work even
suggested that he found beauty in the most lifeless and ordinary scenes. He
made the viewer stop and think, and he did all that with the 5 mega-pixel
Camera of his cell phone. Some of the people who had seen his work online had
suggested that he get a better camera, for even the best of gladiators could
not survive for long with a blunt, rusty old sword. “A better camera means
better quality of pictures, and will help you reach more viewers” one of his
online ‘friends’ had commented on a picture he had taken. The picture was his
magnum opus so far, it was of an old man with a wrinkled face, sitting near the
grave of his dead son. There were no tears in his eyes, not even a frown on his
face, just emptiness, infinite emptiness. Xeshan had captured the withdrawal
and the exhaustion of the old man with such finesse, that as soon as he
uploaded it on his Flickr account, it started trending on different social
media websites. The picture made one stop, the picture made one think, the
picture crept into the very soul of the viewer and made him/her want to shake
the old man out of his oblivious state, it made one wish he/she could deliver
justice, it made one wish one could drag that man out of his hopelessness, and
it made one realize that Xeshan’s people, and his country, were already dead
inside, they just didn’t know it yet.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">The picture titled ‘Cleanistan’
was picked up by several local newspapers, and it was with the help of some of
those papers that Xeshan finally had the money to buy his dream camera. He was
on his way to the ‘President’s Electronic Market’, the largest such market in
the city, and the money was carefully rolled up in his shoes. He wasn’t going
to lose 50,000 rupees to a mugger, and he didn’t care if it made him look like
a fool in front of the shop keeper. Money out of a shoe is still money, and no
shopkeeper would reject 50,000 rupees just because they smelled like his socks.
He got off the bus at the stop, and started towards the market, he knew what he
wanted, he knew how much it cost, and he had the money, what could possibly go
wrong? As he made his way through the crowd of people walking in different
directions, he bumped into someone. His first instinct was to check his
pockets, bumping into people in crowded place often meant that you would end up
without a wallet and/or your cell phone, but to his surprise, his wallet and
phone were still there. He looked at the man he had bumped into, and received
the shock of his life, it was the old man from the picture, the picture he had
taken when he was visiting his grandfather’s grave, the picture which had made
him enough money to buy a decent camera, the picture that had earned him the
most important thing a photographer in Cleanistan could earn, a name. The man
was staring directly into his eyes, but there was no emptiness in his eyes,
there was a sense of recognition, “you have a gift” he said to Xeshan, “you
shook them from their slumber, yet they are not awake. My son was not the first
victim, and he wouldn’t definitely be the last. If you can show them the
ugliness of what they have become, if you could show them the truth, maybe,
just maybe they could change” with that the man reached into the deep pockets
of his traditional Cleanistani shirt, and when his hand came out it had a
camera in it, a large black camera with a strange scope and a stranger
flashlight on top. Xeshan did not recognize the brand, and at first glance, it
did not even appear to be a digital camera, but he could not refuse the man’s
extended hand, he took the camera and tried to look at it from all angles,
weighing it, looking for a brand name, trying to judge the quality, when he
looked up to thank the man, he was not there anymore. He took a picture of the
shop in front of him, and the quality he saw on screen was much more than any
camera he could buy for 50,000. He smiled and started to cross the road to
catch the next bus home, “what a trip” he thought “saved 50,000 and got a free
camera”.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">The next few weeks were
magical to say the least, every picture he took scored a ton of hits on
different websites, and many local and some foreign magazines and newspapers
bought his pictures. He could finally quit his day job and dedicate himself to photography.
His pictures exposed the bitter and sad realities of life, unlike his previous
pictures taken through his cell phone, which were all about finding beauty in
the otherwise invisible elements of the society. These pictures grabbed the
people by the collar and shook them, slapped them, cussed at them. Through his
pictures, he tried to awaken his comatose nation, but his efforts seemed in
vain. Surely he was appreciated as a photographer, and surely he was doing what
he loved and was making more money than he could ever hope to, but he felt an emptiness
and a void, he felt that old man’s eyes upon him, questioning him, asking him
if he had saved some other father from losing his son to sectarian killings.
With every picture he took, with every day that passed, with every “good job
Xeshan, I am a big fan of your work” comment he received on social media, his
frustration grew. He could feel his guilt overcoming him, days went by when he
didn’t take a picture, every time he picked up the camera, he felt as if the
camera was asking him the same questions as the old man, and that wasn’t all. He
could feel that somehow, the camera was connected to his mind, if he found
himself concentrating on something within a picture, the camera would
automatically focus on it, and blur out the rest. Looking through the lens and
looking at things without it, were now the same thing. Xeshan was puzzled by
his situation, he had taken a picture of his camera with his old cell phone,
and had posted it online, but no one was yet to come up with a manufacturer’s
name.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">It was a slow,
depressing summer afternoon, with hot wind and dust ruling the city streets,
and Xeshan was out there looking for inspiration. After wandering the streets
aimlessly for an hour, he entered the nearby posh coffee shop, he remembered
the time when he couldn’t afford to eat there, when he desperately wanted to
but the prices were too high for a salaried man like him. It had always been
his fantasy to run into his favorite TV actress Mahnur there, she had mentioned
in an interview that she frequented the place, and running into her in that
coffee shop was a dream he had seen with open eyes on more than one occasion.
As he entered the shop, camera in hand, he could not believe his eyes, there
she was, sitting right in front of him, much more beautiful in person than on
screen. His hands gained a life of their own, and forgetting all gentlemanly manners
and ethics of photography, he simply took a picture of her, all the while
thinking how good his life would be if she were his wife. The camera flashed,
and the picture was taken, when he put the camera down, he was in for the shock
of his life, he was not in the coffee shop anymore, he was in some strange
house and there she was in front of him. He noticed the ring on her finger, and
then memories started flashing before his eyes. He could remember asking her
out, he could remember the time he popped the question and he could even
remember the wedding. What he couldn’t understand was the existence of those
memories, he did not live that life, but he could see himself living it in
those memories. He could try to forget those memories like a pleasant dream,
but he could not ignore the reality, standing right in front of him, with a
loving smile. “Ready?” she asked, and he suddenly remembered that they had to
go to a dinner party.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">After a few weeks, when
he was finally settling into his new life as a married man, he again decided to
take a stroll and think about his situation. He knew that somehow, the camera
was involved, he wished for her, and the camera made his wish come true. He
knew that the thought was silly and if he shared it with someone they would
call him crazy, but in his heart he was convinced that the camera could do
things, extraordinary things. To test his theory, or to validate his belief, he
stopped in front of a large mansion, he had always hated people who lived in
big houses, it’s not that he had something personal against them, he just
didn’t understand why some people had to show off their wealth with their big
houses and bigger cars. However, this house he liked, this house he wanted
“this house would be the perfect gift for Mahnur” he thought and looked at it
through the lens of the camera. His throat was a little dry and his heart was
thumping in his chest, his hands were cold and sweaty, but he put his feelings
aside, focused on the house and pushed the button. The camera flashed and the
picture was taken, when he removed the camera from his eye, he found himself in
the mansion, with Mahnur thanking him for the extravagant gift. He smiled, and
memories of him selling the mansion’s picture to a foreign customer flashed
before his eyes, the money was enough to make the down payment on the mansion,
and he could remember himself and Mahnur signing the contract. He knew that the
memories were false, but he was happy with the results.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">His life changed forever
once he figured out how the camera worked, all he had to do was wish for
something and capture its image through the camera. The camera would fill his
mind with memories of how he acquired the object and the object would come into
his possession. He now owned several houses and cars, and frequently cheated on
his wife. The goal of changing his society for the better, one picture at a
time, had far been forgotten. He was now extremely rich, and Cleanistan was a
society where rich people could do as they pleased, no questions asked. He had
started using recreational drugs to numb his conscience. Looking at the camera
did not remind him of the old man anymore, he loved the way people treated him,
and he loved that he could break any law and get away with it by simply
spending pocket change. The society needed no change, the society worked for
him, everything was at it should be. But sometimes he could still feel the
void, no matter how many pills he took or how much powder he snorted; he could
feel the burden of his guilt increasing. He could feel as if he was letting
someone down, as if he was letting himself down.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">He tried seeking help,
at first he went to the nearest priest; he skipped the part about the magic
camera, but told him that despite having everything he felt emptiness. The
priest advised him to pray regularly, and to donate money generously. After
trying that for a while, he became convinced it wasn’t working and went to a
shrink, the shrink advised him to exercise, to get in touch with his parents,
to take up a hobby and to meditate, but none of that worked either. His drug
and alcohol abuse increased rapidly, and his womanizing reached new heights of
degeneracy. Mahnur tried to leave him on multiple occasions, but every time she
did, he captured her image with his camera and wished her to stay; she became his
prisoner without chains, not knowing that she was being forced to stay against
her will.</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">“I was given a chance, I
was given power and I was chosen to change my society, but instead, I allowed
my greed and my lust to overcome me, I allowed the society to change me, I
became what I despised. Look at me and be warned, I had everything a man could
possibly have, but I didn’t earn it, I abused the gift given to me, and I
strayed from my path. Pray for my forgiveness, if you believe in prayers” the
very last entry in his journal was very similar to a suicide note. “Looks like
a simple case of suicide to me” said the inspector visiting the scene, “the guy
overdosed on drugs and alcohol, a good way to go in my opinion” the inspector
loved to crack wise. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">“Rich guy, wife sure
inherited a large sum, could be murder” the sub inspector took his job way too
seriously, at least that's what the inspector thought, “look if you wish to
investigate murder, it means more work for me, so why don’t you just fill the
paperwork and let’s get out of here” the inspector was in a hurry to finish his
twelve hour shift. The men from the ambulance service took the dead body away. The
camera just sat there in the corner of the room on a table, looking at the bed
where he once laid, one more soul corrupted by his own greed, one more soul
adding to the camera’s magic. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would like to thank my dear friend Zeeshan Haider for the central
idea of the story.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>Ehtisham Hussainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01979290718241966259noreply@blogger.com0