Thinkle

  On one of the parapet walls on the rooftop of a deserted skyscraper stood a middle aged man. He seemed to have one of those faces with a permanent frown, huge dark circles and highly wrinkled cheeks.  He held a clear green bottle of beer in one hand and an empty one in another.    I had an urge to immediately rush his way but I had known better.  I knew for a reason that, that parapet wall gave me an electrifying sort of thrill, as though challenging me to jump. What was disturbing though, was how although I hate to admit, I liked the feeling. I feared liking the feeling, craving it and giving in to it too.   But people like this man kept coming here on this infamous rooftop occasionally, luring me towards those awaiting walls.   Within the wink of an eye, his right leg was suspended beyond the parapet over nothingness...unless of course, you count the ground fifty floors below.    This time I couldn't help but sprint towards him. I regrett...

                                               Nobody would ever believe me on this. Not my friends, not my own family, not even you.   Every single night at around 10:00 p.m. I would hear the sounds of the piano. It was feeble at first, then subtle and soft, next it was audible and gradually it reached a stage where it became unbearably deafening. I had been reporting the same in the society office for months but no actions had been taken. I even tried to ask other neighbours for help, but in vain. One day I decided that I had had enough. My board exams were approaching and the tension in the air was already enough. The disturbing music only made things worse. Determined, I got up to leave and marched up the stairs, stomping angrily at the poor floor. It didn’...

That Night One of my first and oldest memories dates back to when I was a preteen. It gives me full-body shivers to think about even today, as an adult.  It was a no moon night. As fate would have it, the entire town had a power outage. This particular night also happened to be the first time my parents let me live home alone while they were out for work. I remember shivering intensely. Tears rolled down my cheeks when I couldn’t even get myself to muster enough courage to grab a jacket. I had my head buried in my hands when my eyes caught the sight of something unfamiliar. At first, it was hard to know if it was just my sleep deprived self making up visions or something really was up.  As I inched closer to the broken wall, I figured it wasn’t broken after all.  It didn’t exist anymore! Kid you not, by this time I had lost control over my limbs. They simply felt like a few lifeless grams of flesh.  And I had a fair reason to feel that way! It’s not everyday you see...

  He hated flowers... I once met a guy who looked older than his age whose behavior was weird and opinions beyond strange He received flowers daily bouquets of beautiful Jasmine, Rose, Lily but trashed all instead "I hate flowers" he often said I wondered where that came from and asked him too he said "The answer's too deep, too dark for you" When my curiosity would reach its peak I would force him to finally speak "I've just spent too long 'round flowers" I'd wonder then, just how many hours? Just how long would that take you To wish flowers were out of your view? "So you live in a garden!" I exclaimed with surprise Just when a sad smile reached his eyes "Never grow up" he whispered and went After years I now know just what he meant As I receive bouquets from fakers and more from those I barely knew I wish I could go back in the past and forget flowers lie in cemeteries too  -Palavi Karnik