The Moon

A gush of wind entered the room through the slight opening of the window of Mariam’s room. The night was relatively cooler compared to others. Winter was drawing near and this was the prime example of it. Mariam covered her body with the blanket, more tightly than ever in a hope to perish the coldness that lay in her room. Her body became icy as the wind picked up the speed. Blood running through her veins froze. She could not feel her fingers, her hands so dry, her lips crisp and her eyes wide open. Clicking on the lamp beside her she steadily sat up on the bed and removed her blanket. It was 2 at night…

Walking up to the window she slowly pushed it open. “Oww… it’s very cold!” she shrieked. It was the middle of November and the panic-stricken days were ahead. Giving off a sign of relief she looked up to the heavens. The beauty, it held. What a mesmerizing appearance. The moon seemed so big. So close it was perhaps a ladder might have made me the second person to visit the moon and walk on it after Neil Armstrong. The lazy clouds played hide and seek as it at times covered the gleam of shine that spread across the dark night. It was as if she (the moon) wanted to tell us about the agonizing pains one might go through but never to lose hope because light shines back someday or the other. In short, every cloud has a silver lining.

The scars on the moon’s surface depicted the clear sting it goes through but how still many keep on fighting along to survive. She never learns to give up. Up there even in the taciturn space above where meteoroids are her only visitors she still has learned to shine bright, covering up the whole of earth as if saying, “I’m here for you my son!”

Mariam thought; how powerful is the moon that it controls the waves of the sea. What supremacy it has, that it controls the bodies of secrecy, of the planet that gives life to the greatest creations. One day who knows the soils that give us food, the soils that we are destroying might be under these bodies and earth will be lost. Cities will be destroyed. People will be killed. Alas! It might just be a story for aliens to write, “The once Earth!”

Similarly, like many others moon also might have secrets. Mariam gaped at the beauty that stood. Then she asked, “What’s your dark side?” Certainly you would not expect the moon to answer that but she replied, in her whimsical way. Hiding behind the clouds she left the earth for a moment. A throb hit her hard. She loved to keep her riddles to herself. Possibly we are not still old and trained enough to understand what she speaks. What she signals. Then again she is a mystery that will be difficult to solve. It is part of everyday life right? We do not know everything about our neighbors! Well, the moon is such a neighbor that tells us much as we need to know about her, but not too much.

Someday tough will still come, when missions might be set to understand our neighbor better. That day feasibly we may get to know her better. For now, she is an enigma and she likes it that way. Up from the sky who knows, smiling at us, at the brave efforts we take and sobbing for the mistakes we make!

The light breeze made Mariam close her eyes, as a smile of gratitude and satisfaction spread over her tired face which had now given up to the silent lullaby which was sang by the mother of our planet earth.

One of the best quotes I like about the moon:

Shoot for the moon, even if you miss it you will land among the stars. 

The Lonely Road

Chap 3

 The crunching sound of the dried leaves under my foot, the buzzing sound of insects and the occasional howling of dogs filled up the night atmosphere. Scared along with excitement both worked together as I strode along the dry road. With darkness on both sides and large tress covering up the mystifying moonlight the situation was made more frightening and scary.

I assumed that I walked for about 2 hours or so but not less but the road did not seem to end. To me it felt like that I would end up to the same place where I initiated my journey. Well, but one thing was for certain that no more sound penetrated through the dense woods. Everything seemed so serene and unobtrusive. Taking in deep breaths I walked on along the lonely road…

“There it is! Finally!”, I shrieked out in joy. I ran towards it to stop just before the door to take a full notice of the house. It was unquestionably very old. Type of an abandoned house. The walls had its plasters falling off. The windows were short and tiny and only two came to my notice. Slightly crooked towards the ground the house had a great chance of falling down anytime. There lay a chair old, broken with dust all over. Creepy but would work for a night.

“Woof! Woof!” I turned around to see the same dog that the old man had. “Here doggy, come here,” I whispered to the dog. As I walked towards it the dog seemed to move away from me. I took a step forward it took a step back.

“He does not get along with new people,” shouted someone from the back. Turning my head, I noticed there stood the old man. A smile spread over my face seeing him, but it vanished in no time when I looked forward just to see the empty air but no dog. It was just a spit second and the dog had vanished. Poof! Hudini!

“Follow me. Let me show you around the house,” the old man cried.

I walked behind him glancing from one spot to another trying to find the magician dog. It was then something caught my eyes. The dusky night with its heavenly moonlight shone down towards earth. I clearly observed my shadow but the old man?

As he opened up the door I stepped in the house. The floor beneath me creaked.

“Be careful son, the mistress is sleeping. You don’t want to wake her up. She will be very angry,” said the man anxiously. “Wait I thought you lived alone!” I replied. Looking at me in with an apprehensive face he responded, “Yes I do!”

As I strolled along with him towards my bunk many things caught me with surprise. The kitchen looked unused. The plates lying in the far end. Spider webs spread along the stoves, basins. Cockroaches zipped across the floors. Rats with their gleaming red eyes as if stared straight towards me.

“How do you live in this place? Don’t you eat anything?” I murmured.

Walking up the stairs I met up with the long hallway. He pointed out to the room at the extreme end and said that was my bunk. Marching end-to-end I looked up into the various pictures held upon the wall. One had a man hanging upside down by its leg. Another had a reaper in the picture holding onto a head of a dead man. While there was one with a girl having green eyes unprotected holding a dog towards herself and glaring as if she was seeing my every move.

The old man unfastened up the bunk door and told me to get in. “Listen son, don’t get out from your room. Just listen to me and do what I say. Go straight in. Freshen up and straight to bed. First thing in the morning tomorrow you leave the place! Now go!”

Slamming the door behind me I heard his footsteps slowly perish away. What does he think of himself? My father? I do whatever I wish! No one is stopping me. Certainly not an old man who is 5 feet 7 and wears a jacket. He is definitely broke! (talking to myself).

The bed was messy, the blankets had a rotten smell while the deep-rooted wooden framework that made up the cabin even had terrible fragrance that flew up to my nose. Shaking the blanket, I only worsened my situation as I started to cough. It was to my surprise that this room even had a window. A relatively small one. I ran towards it but, alas! It was too tight. Perhaps rust had made it stuck to its position. My attempts yielded no results and ended up with me sleeping in that dusty, smelly and yuck-ish room.

The room was dark. Not even a glint of light from today’s full moon fell into this dreaded, suffocating bunk. I phone was dead and thanks to the brilliant technology in the woods I could not even charge my phone! Sluggishly getting up from the bed I made my way towards the bathroom.

Putting water all over my face I tried to somewhat clear up the tough day I had gone through till now. The freshening drops of water made me feel rejuvenated and relieved. I looked into the mirror and then splashed more water over my face. Something seemed wrong in the mirror. Yes’ it was me. I glared at it…

As I began to walk out my eyes again went towards the mirror. There it was, but a different me. A crooked smile spread over the face of that reflection of mine. His eyes enlarged, hair start to fall off. The smile became bigger and bigger where at one instance it turned into a great loud laughter.

I ran out of the room. The hallway was still lit. As I began to take long strides I stopped again to look into the picture of the girl. The dog seemed to be resemble the one with the old man. Before I could give any more thoughts the door of the bunk squeaked open and a hand came out. I ran through the hallway and stood at the stairs to just see what was coming out of the room. That same old me! But this time that thing did not have an eye. “Peek-a-boo”

Running down the stairs I made my way towards the main gate. It was locked! Now what? The windows all seemed fastened. The shadow behind me got larger. I glimpsed back to see him standing under that flickering light at the end of this room. As he started to take steps towards me, I began to squint around the room to find an escape. “Nothing was there, no escape, no, wait, the door? That’s open!?”

I ran towards it and got into the room, smashing the door behind me. There stood stairs. I had not noticed this part of the building. How did I miss it? I jogged down the stairs two at a time. Very soon a whimper came to my ears. A girl’s cry. I slowly came down the stairs into the chamber. It was then when the man turned his head and gave me a smile saying, “You are here?!” I got a hope. I was overjoyed. Extremely pleased. Possibly now I can survive.

“Who is she?” I asked pointing at the girl sitting cross-legged naked. “The mistress,” he replied. A kind of sympathy made me walk up to her. I asked her putting a hand on her head, “Are you okay? Everything will be fine now the uncle will save you. We will save you.”

The cries from the girl suddenly stopped. The old man was gone! He was nowhere to be seen. I ran towards the small window present there. Looking sideways I found the old man standing near a big banyan tree with an expressionless face.

“How did he get there? There is no way to go?” I screamed.

The girl stood up. It was that time I saw her. The green eyes being covered by the disorderly hair that spread over her face. Her mouth was knitted. She had no lips, no eyebrows as much as I saw. I slammed the window behind me shouting out at the top of my lungs for someone to help me. As I turned around I saw the other one who was a look alike me stand there with her crooked evil smile.

“Let me go please. Please let me go!”

The girl opened up her mouth for the first time just to add up to my horror to see gush of blood dripping down to the ground. She torn apart her hand and began to eat it herself.

I stood there numb. Nothing to do. Scared and shocked. As the girl finished up eating her hand she gave out a shrill cry. Her green eyes stared at me. I looked behind through the window at the old man. There he stood motionless, only a drop of tear rolled down his cheeks. Gulping in I glanced back. She was in front of me. Her blood stricken face was so close I could smell the rotten blood. I stared into her eyes. She came close. My heartbeats rocketed up as I knew my time was near. Her hand was cold; she was so icy.

My hands became numb. My throat was dried up. Head started to pain. I viewed her eyes. Such lush green. “All hail the majesty!”

My body froze. Her hand went through my body. I could see her joy and happiness after doing such an act. She for the last time looked up to me, and then with her icy bare cold hands spread my eyelids shut…                                          

“Where did you find him?” asked the police. “In the woods sir. He was lying there. Called you up quick!” replied the old man. “Woof, Woof!!” “Hm… it’s a good dog you got there,” the police said.

“Yes sir. She is just like my daughter!" replied the old man with a grin.