'tis Death
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One may have wondered one's own goal, role, worth, importance or use when one lived long enough to have developed a conscious.
One would think how much importance one has on an event, how much impact one can cause to such and what role one plays in it. But what if one can't find the answer, its reason to exist or its presence in the world.
Then from innumerable outcomes it would come to choose from only two options.
Either die or make the reason...
Most of them are content with the first choice, even if it was the only thing they felt before their end but there are those who have come to live with the second. They forged their own paths, defied destiny (ha⁓ such was their destiny), became the son of providence, then made their harem (I agree to disagree) or died in a ditch somewhere and yada yada yada.
This story, tale, bard extract, fictitious documentary (quite the contradiction I say!), a pass time (Now, am I?) or one may even call it a progression fantasy, follows such a man... a boy... a being who chose both. Well one may have been involuntary but he still did.
The being in its cynicism and its drive, its motivation (Ah⁓ I now remember I do have one!), its obses-OR we may as well be going off the tangent here, so read on folks, the cast's waiting for ya!
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A cold night it was.
How booorrring⁓
A windy day 'twas.
Still boring⁓
A SCORCHING AFTERNOON IT WAS.
(Ah⁓ certainly mister!) "How booorrring⁓" lamented the boy, squatting near an anthill and, well, counting ants.
"OF COURSE BRU-"Keep it down"-you nailed the exams, just checked the board-and OH! Manav's coming" Said another one, dropping down, sitting cross-legged on that very same nest, flattened after months of carapace-cracking hard work, now just another stain on his pants for a mother to reprimand on.
"Ants... heh⁓" said the first one, turning and quivering his brows under the sun, eyes bespectacled and brown by its glare, now scrutinizing another boy making his way through the overgrown weeds, a giant to them. A frustrated expression appeared when their eyes met, masked under a tree's shade, hastening his pace towards them.
"Ha! Found you assh-" His shout drowned being carried away in the torrent of now rushing students, the recess-bell being rung, chattering and eating lunch... yes, they are eating while in a very engaging conversation...very engaging (Ughh!)...
"... And going...So IIT it is huh, Sukhi?" asked the second boy now devouring his lunch, already warned of the coming threat.
"IIT it is Joy, Delhi in fact" answered Sukhi, Sukhi Mahajan the Philomath, remember this because this guy has already chosen the second option. Curling his dark brown hair, though not so well being recently barbered.
"So he says, our genius⁓" said Joy answered by the ever present drooping eyes slightly sunken through late night binge learning? 'Never heard this guy doing anything else other than some tinkering' thought Joy.
"Well?" asked Sukhi.
"The local one, considering if Delhi is local for you" and Joy tried being sarcastic again.
"Ah⁓ you too... the sub-"FOUND YOU"-Well you certainly did being late" and came the giant with his booming voice interrupting Sukhi as always.
"Ha! Take this" Manav threw an envelope towards Joy, which per chance got struck by a football mid-air, carried away.
"OH NO YOU SON O-" Manav cursed while getting farther away chasing the ball, and confusing the audience by the stands on the arrival of a twelfth player.
"... And there he goes-Oh goal!... So as I was saying the packages I chose are Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity, which may as well be one of the many things you are clueless about considering your dazed look" Sukhi smirked shifting towards his lunch, being the same for years, the good ol' sandwich.
"No! I heard enough to know that you will eating papers for years if you follow down that path" Joy retorted.
"Such is life⁓" and Sukhi being Sukhi, literally.
A comfortable silence dawned between them. One eager, though not showing, on the prospect of his blinding future and another sharing the same sentiment but with more enthusiasm.
The giant returned or maybe he was escaping from the jeers targeting him, panting with hands resting on his knees, blushing... Oh no you! He's exhausted from playing soccer, so don't expect something absurd!
"I got in!" He exclaimed, subconsciously crumbling the envelope.
"Certainly you did⁓" Sukhi got along the flow, recognizing the creased emblem on the now crushed envelope.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"AANND Noor accepted!" though Manav was more exited about this part.
(Another animal... driven by its mating desires, ughh... spoiled my break) grimaced Sukhi at the fall of another 'friend'.
"Don't you find it inefficient, that all the time you will be wast-" Sukhi tried to berate the brute but got interrupted by another now potential animal.
"Spare him from that man, just look at him getting giddy all because of a proposal, that's why you are not popular you know" Joy bored with his friend's daily rant about efficiency on learning, time and what-not!
"Popular? Define the word if you are so sure about!" Sukhi snapped back, now genuinely annoyed, considering his statement as an insult to his academic reputation.
"Ok Ok! Calm down, we got off topic there, sooo⁓ right! What did the director say?" Joy tried to steer the conversation back on track, though the atmosphere became solemn right in front of his black eyes covered by his unique black fringes.
"... Haa⁓ I gotta go" Sukhi answered looking down, finding something of interest on his white school shoes, somehow safe from any blemishes.
"She told... well ordered me to clear my luggage from the NGO building tomorrow... the day I leave that mess" He continued "And she personally made my lunch... though I say even if its nostalgic, she is waaayyyy out of practice"
"Well the institute's dorms always welcome bright minds-OH! The bell rung! Race till class and loser will buy me a samosa!" Off he goes, Joy racing for the stairs.
"That too is included in the treat you know!" Sukhi followed, tailed by the still dazed Manav.
Time will tell what will become of these youngsters, for one of them has chosen.
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... Or not, I didn't mention how much time, did I?
The bell rung, though this time of end for today's learning for most.
Sukhi stood by the school's gate bidding his 'friends' goodbye, for they will meet again at the neighbouring bus-stop as they both live nearby.
Sukhi returned inside, in-group with some other students returning to their only home, the school's orphanage.
They reached inside the building adjacent to the school's, and reported their attendance. The entrance's light still flickering, familiar to most, oppressive to some.
Sukhi followed some other students, two boys and four girls, to the building's hall and stopped on the stage in line with each other, students or rather their brothers and sisters filling in.
Some stage lights focused on Sukhi and others when an elderly woman stepped up, wrinkles showing the erosion by time and dimmed eyes narrating her tale of struggle donned her visage.
"My children, I hope you spent your day well today" She spoke on the mike now placed in line the front edge of the podium on stage. "Good evening Miss Mahajan!" answered the orphans.
"As you all can see, your bothers and sisters here-" She continued praising Sukhi and others on stage, on being accepted by their dream colleges, to heavens and cursing the same heaven for their unfortunate fate for still being stuck here, refusing them from privileged studies earlier. And expertly ignoring the children in the same generation as them, making those on stage smug about it... and Sukhi? Well why would he waste his mental resources on some animals around him, he got better things to think you know!
"-Now, go back to beds children!" She finished, shooing us for a good nights sleep, which may as well be study hours for some.
Sukhi parted ways with others for he had his room on the ground floor. He hauled a trunk as soon as he reached his bed from under it, and got on for some late night packing, being well above the age for the orphanage to house him, his room will be someone else's tomorrow. He gathered all the trinkets that were already ordered on his desk and packed them, reaching next for his books and clothes (As an orphan one can only own so much⁓).
Arranging his trunk and bag properly, he laid down on his bed to let the exhaustion take over.
Though his 'dream' got him more exhausted.
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A Boy was falling.
Sukhi at that.
Wearing the uniform he ironed for tomorrow's college orientation.
Their neatly creased edges fluttering. He was falling with him facing the sky, so he turned his head and saw something really intriguing... yes intriguing, makes you question if his amygdala is working... Oh wait it's not!
As for the thing or scene he saw was, a cloudless sky, red with a blue vortex in between.
Where the sun should have been. A city under it, burning with explosion seen even from his fall point.
For miles the city illuminated with supposedly raging fire under gaze and he was falling rapidly towards it.
He kept on falling down, his adrenaline circulating on overdrive to make him at least feel excited about his impending doom... which he felt.
He had a manic smile on his face, which froze on the prospect he won't be able to learn again. Miraculously he felt fear. Fear after so long. Fear on that god-forsaken day which took his parents from him. His then source of learning.
Panic evident in those brown eyes he started searching his pockets, his underclothes and his mid-air surrounding, but all for naught.
He kept on searching as he fell down. His landing point coming into view.
A barren ground. Just on the city's edge, in front of a hill. A hill which also exploded.
The explosion covering the whole hill and the ground surrounding in blinding golden... light?-Are you sure its an explosion? (Yes I am! 'twas too loud for it not to be one).
He neared just top the dust covered site.
Neared enough to see the parties responsible.
At one side a silver cross covering his sight and at another, a platinum blonde girl garbed in black armour and holding a shining stick?
(Huh?)"Wha-" "Ekusukaribā" The girl shouted and all he saw was a blinding flash.
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The boy woke up.
And reached towards his stomach, bringing a bloody hand in his view.
A gaping hole in his abdomen, charred black.
His uniform stained red... crimson at that.
He felt extremely nauseous, keeping his eyes open a taxing task.
He got down or rather rolled down his bed and crawled towards his bag finding it miles apart.
He reached his bag and hugged it. Trying with all his might to zip-it open. Trembling while taking out a book, one which he read far too many times to count.
One which he bought with his first prize money, the day which was his parent's last.
He tried opening it but found unable to do so anymore as his head touched the cold tiled floor and his breathing stopped. His unfocused eyes still open with the book's cover in front of them 'Panchatantra'.
And so he died...