A PEG NOT ENOUGH

He promised himself, just a peg or two, and, no more.

Its been several, he had lost count; people came in the bar and left several of them through the night.

But, he sat alone, gulping down peg after peg...still it didn't seem enough.

The bartenders too came upto him several times as it was approaching dawn-time, and time to close.

Many hookers too had come, trying to woo and tempt, promising a more spicier night, but, he refused.

Everything blurred in front of him, except her face that kept flashing; a reminder, that he'll never be over her.




❤❀❤This 100 word post is for friday fictioneers, SixSentence ( Image Copyright – © Dale Rogerson )

WOULD YOU?

No builder would touch it although the seller was desperate to sell it somehow.

Being in prime area, yet, it had no takers; tall premium skyscrapers adorned its neighborhood.

At stake was a reputation that only got darker and darker.

Everyone had heard those rumors; whoever stayed as tenant, ending up jumping to their death.

Renting too was no longer an option, because, whoever lived in the place had to share it with the previous deceased occupants.

The place was slowing decaying with no takers, after all, who would want to buy or live in a haunted house! Would You?




❤❀❤This 100 word post is for friday fictioneers, SixSentence ( Image Copyright – © Lisa Fox )

MY SUMMERWEEN !!

Woken up in a jolt by the loud thunder,
Glance at the watch said it was midnight, so try sleep harder,
Twisting and turning in my bed, I willed myself to sleep,
While outside, lightnings flashed and the skies growled louder...

T'was almost dawn, when I finally did fall asleep, or thought I was,
When instantly I felt being pulled out of my body, in a shudder,
It was unusual, and in fright, I tried to crawl back,...but,
It seemed I was no more in control, my soul held by some being, another...

I felt a small draft of air in my ear,
As though someone had blowed in intentionally,
Then, I heard some whispers, voices several,
until, someone spoke to me finally...

The voice was weird and somewhat growlish,
But, to my surprise it spoke quite flawless English,
'We've come to take you,' it said, 'because,
Your time on this planet has come to an end...'

Horrified, I couldnot believe what I just heard,
I pleaded, I'm too young, give me some more time instead,
I said, there are others older and more apt to go,
Why don't you find someone else to take with you...

'That's not how it works,' it replied,
'It doesn't matter how inexperienced you are, or, how old,'
'Everyone has a limit to their time allotted on earth,
and, as for you, your time here's simply up.'

I pleaded, I cried, 'Oh Lord, save me I don't want to go,
I love this world, there's so much left for me to experience and more,
If you want to take me, just to send me back in another birth,
Then please consider, I want to finish this birth to my satisfaction, first.'

My pleadings and cryings seemed to have worked,
For I heard the voice say next, that after consultations they'd be right back.
While they left, near my ear few others, lingered,
They were also quite eager to reply to the queries I had...

I asked them how the system above worked,
What or who operated the things, and, who was the final God.
They named a few Goddess's names I was familiar with,
They said all Gods controlled different functions, and activities....

Since the other voice didn't come back as it said it'd,
I supposed, I was granted some more time here on this earth,
I knew I had to finish up lots of things if I indeed had to go,
Organize and settle everything beforehand, and ensure nothing was left incomplete...

I wondered, how my old mother would cope if I left this world,
It was then a loud clang of some vessel woke me up,
I was in my bed; the noise, from the kitchen; it was all a dream I realised,
A relief, although, beads of summer sweat ran down my forehead... .




❤❀❤ ( Image Copyright – ©Google )

THE FUNERAL

As news spread, people started flocking the town graveyard to mourn as his lifeless body lay flat.

The priest said the prayers, and the mourners offered flowers as their last respect.

Lots of hushed murmurs about how the deceased was during his lifetime; some praised him, while some who knew otherwise, kept quiet.

He was no doubt a very successful man, but also had a dubious past.

Little far he stood, invisible to all, as he stared at his own funeral - he could hear them all.

Once a real-estate tycoon, in death, all he had was a six feet grave.




❤❀❤This 100 word post is for friday fictioneers, SixSentence ( Image Copyright – © J Hardy Carroll )

THE PERENNIAL WATER SUPPLY PROBLEM IN GUWAHATI CITY

Living in Guwahati city has been no less a nightmare for the last so many years. Inspite of the mighty Brahmaputra running along its entire northern banks so close to the city ( with its hordes and hordes of water ); yet, the city remains parched. While majority of the residents were always dependent on underground borewells for their necessary water needs, only 30% used to recieve the supply given by Guwahati Municipality. However, last couple of years - almost a decade infact, that supply too has being going scarce and scarce. Many residents also, particularly from our locality has illegally gotten the system tweaked too to their favour by bribing the operators of the reservoir nearby and setting their pipes so that they run undisturbed, while many of the rest are left at the mercy of the operator's whims and fancy, who may loosen or tighten the release-key as per his mood. So, on days, he'd open just a fraction - which is essentially lots of air and no water. This had been happening so frequently, that people were praying and almost looking forward to the Govt announced JICA ( which promised potable drinking water 24x7 ), ready to pay whatever the price ~ in a 'bas, paani mil jaye' desperation.


residents left parched...
When Jica started to arrive, people beared the tremendous discomfort and inconviniences of the roads getting frequently dugged everywhere, just with the hope that at least they'll recieve water in the end. They were patient. Like others, even we had our Jica connection installed. But, do we get water? No! First couple of weeks, we did get some amount of water albeit at very slow speed. But of late, that too has disappeared. Like many other Govt schemes, this too seem like a failed project or maybe a cruel scam even. Every other day there's news of some pipe burst and that water supply is disrupted. This is proving to be even worse than the municipal water supply which was erratic no less. Govt announced that from July-25, municipal water supply will be stopped completely and that Jica will replace it. But ground reality is - both has stopped! In our area, it seems. Its quite hell, when you don't have water and all your tenants keep demanding water. As a house owner, you have to provide minimum water to the tenants; but when tap runs dry, its no less a nightmare and a huge burden, not to mention quite stressful too.


frequent pipe bursts around the city...

Because of these issues, two years back...I tried the rain water harvesting trick and linked some of our tenant's tanks to rain water. But it works only on rainy days. Other days we have to rely on water trucks that charge huge especially if one's house is on a hill like ours. Moreover, not all tankers agree to come up the hill as its too risky for the vehicle. And with water scarcity, its not easy to get hold of one - as everyone is calling them too. Also, Govt has been threatening to ban these water trucks ( or has already banned ) as they replete the ground water aquifers due to constant pumping. So, govt stops water supply, delivers a flop like JICA and now it wants to ban the private water tankers. Add to that is an on going feud between the Municipality guys and the Jica guys in our area, that has pulled water supply to a complete halt adding to the frustrations of the residents in the locality.


roof-top rain water harvesting...

One cannot live peacefully or pursue a good quality of life if there is water supply issue - that too so often. After all how can a human being survive without water? Water is essential for our daily functioning. Some residents over the years has even sold off their property and moved elsewhere. I personally has been mulling the idea too for quite some time because its just nightmare if water issue is your constant worry especially if you have several tenants to cater to. You become a prisoner in your own house wondering how to give water to them. Thats the only thought that occupies your mind 24x7 - that will you get water the next day! The tenants too ( several ) in the past left because of these water issues; afterall, its not a once in a blue moon thing, but rather a constant crisis. Add to that the house being located in a steep hill isn't always a pleasant experience - but, thats another story...


the new normal - type 'guwahati water suppy' and you always get these news of water disruptions every other day...

roz tenants maange paani paani, aur tanki hai khaali khaali ...Oh..well !!!

STEP BY STEP

The degree would be useless, if he didn't take the second step,

His first already done, as he stared, his hands quivered...

The lifeless body lay before him, at his sole disposal,

His scissors and tongs having already done the blood-splilled slit.


Tiny beads of sweat started pouring from sides of his forehead,

Could he afford to skip his next very important step?

In thory, it didn't seem as revolting or gross,

But practical, had him built into a bundle of nerves.


Never quite anticipating this nervousness,

He had never imagined would be this plight,

His solo OP mission in front of him,

All decisions, his; others, he could not blame.


A surgeon he had become, after years of intense training,

Yet, his first solo task gave him quite the fright,

Seconds ticked, a decision needed; he had come his far, taken the first step,

It was too late for him to now back out..


He had to complete what he started, and fast,

His reputation almost at stake no less,

The second step was crucial; as would be the next, and next,

For the surgery to succeed he had to complete all the steps back to back!




❤❀❤ ( Image Copyright – ©Google )

THE GOODWILL GESTURE

Emptying the contents, he stuffed the packet into his pocket; this trick should work, he thought wickedly and called the helper.

'Complimentary juices for the opposite team as a goodwill gesture,' he drawled, 'remember, the transparent jug for them and the opaque for our team, understood?'

The helper nodded, as he was prompted again, 'the transparent for them, opaque for ours.'

Mid-game one by one the players rushed to the loo, confusing all, affecting their performance, and eventually, the opponents won.

Frustrated, he called the helper, 'What did you do?'

'You said, transparent for ours, and the opaque for them.'




❤❀❤This 100 word post is for friday fictioneers, SixSentence ( Image Copyright – © Jen Pendergast )

SCARRED FOR LIFE!

The loud snore beside her woke her in a jolt,

A glance at the watch showed dawn, and that her time was up,

Hurriedly she got up and faced the mirror,

Dishevelled hair; smudged lipstick and kohl,

Demanded a quick splash of water...


Vigorously she washed her entire body,

Disgust creeping all over, wanting not a remnant nor any memory,

His snore reached her ears all the way till the bathroom,

She wanted to get the hell out of the place as fast as she could...


Like others, he too had ravaged and plundered all through the night,

Whatever was left of her already scarred self,

Scarred, not by any visible marks or injury,

But, scarred forever by zillion emotions and mental agony...


Sighing, she applied fresh lipstick and pulled back her hair,

This was a life and fate she had now come to accept,

She had long stopped carrying for morals anymore,

Since, it was not morals that fed her or got her bills paid...


Getting out of the room, she closed the door slowly behind,

A drop of tear almost theatentening to fall from corner of her eye,

She felt her jean pockets, the bundle of notes given by the brute, firmly secured,

This was all that mattered, the money; no matter who was her client...


A betrayal, eons ago by whom she had believed was her only love,

It no longer mattered to her, with whom she now slept around.




❤❀❤ ( Image Copyright – ©Google )

PATCH THAT SURVIVED

'Different patches of land experienced different calamities; some wiped off civilizations while for others their existence changed forever,' the museum guide ushered in a group of curious visitors.

'But one patch,' he stopped outside a steel door,' experienced something quite extraordinary.'

As everyone entered the special room, he continued, 'the conditions were such that the entire atmosphere crystalized trapping the inhabitants within.'

'As time passed this crystal shrunk, but what's astonishing is that not one being lost their lives.'

'That patch survived centuries; look closer,' he urged everyone.

To everyone's surprise, they could see humans moving about inside the crystal.




❤❀❤This 100 word post is for friday fictioneers, SixSentence ( Image Copyright – © Marie Gail Stratford )

SEEKING LIL' MOMENTS OF PEACE BETWEEN WARS!

They say, war is bad, the current times we live in are the worst, both due to wars and climate change,

They say, this is the most difficult times to live...and, I'm like, is it really?

Are only the current times been worst and the world of the past was peaceful and a Utopia? Really? For I quite disagree. Because, I donot believe that only current times have been the worst. I believe, we might have had things far worse in the past. Didn't we have the Great Floods in the past or Pole shifts? So, is climate change only a 'present-day' problem? How did dinosaurs go extinct? For them it might have been the worst of times then. Also, I believe, this planet has always been designed as 'survival of the fittest' - a 'reality' set by the Creator himself - for almost all species. And that means, there'd be blood-shed, no matter how we cringe at the thought. And this has been the case, ever since our existence. Ever since our ancestors went around hunting ( for food ) for their survival - this world has always been violent. Had they not done that, they'd not have survived and as a result we ( their descendants ) wouldn't be in this planet now, right? So, can we say what they did was wrong? There were tribes warring each other - if we exist today, maybe, its because our ancestors defeated some other tribe at some point. I know, its a dark way to look at things. But, like they say, truth is bitter.

Whats currently happening in war torn regions is frightening, chilling, saddening no doubt. There's no justification. Both sections has their own agendas. Neither is guilt-less; and yet, can we say either is wrong? We have our 'chosen' sides we stick to hoping and praying that the opposite side is defeated, so that we get our 'peace'. Maybe the oppostite side is thinking the same about us. Thats the hard truth.

But, is there a way out of this? Can we have lasting peace for real in this world? Of course we can. Unlike the past, we are in much better position to get peace - world is better connected today! Its through an understanding that all countries need to discard their hatred, over-zealous competitiveness, religious imperialistic ambitions; to understand that we are all humans and have same flesh and blood. The realisation that we all come from the same Creator, that by co-operation and love we can indeed attain peace. That no one is inferior to us, that only one country/religion cannot claim to be the truest and try to rule the rest. Until there is collective realisation and a honest desire to discard hostilities ( based on whatever reasons ) and replace with 'love' - the situation will not change and we'll have to keep seeking lil' moments of 'peace' between never-ending wars. Its easy if one truly has the intent.




❤❀❤ ( Image Copyright – ©Google )

SLEEP HACKS - HOW TO GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP

When someone said that we spend almost half our lives sleeping, I was almost offended and immediately started to defend that - no, we don't. But later, when I started to really think and reflect on it, it seemed somewhat true. I counted my own hours of sleep - 10-11 hours ( I used to sleep much less earlier ); that'd be almost half the day of 24 hrs. So, if I'm a certain age now, then, yes indeed - almost half that age I've spent sleeping. Not just me, every creature in this world sleeps. A baby would sleep whole day infact baring the little time it wails for its feed. As it grows slowly, only then the sleep time reduces as it starts activities like play and interactions with other humans. As it becomes a child going to school, further, it's sleep reduces - but still average would be around 10-11 hours ( or maybe even more ), that he'd sleep. So, why do we sleep at all, when we've come to this world. Its like God designed it intentionally - and those who doesn't believe in God - lets say our body was designed to sleep. During day time, when sun is up - wake and do things; and once its night time, and sun disappears, we too need to retire for the day. But question remains - why sleep at all? Whats the greater purpose behind it. Is there anything related to health? Many science studies have said that proper sleep is important and have its benefits - and there's definately a purpose behind it; although, the whole process still remains somewhat a mystery and nobody has clear answers.


However, intense observation, research and studies show that sleep is important because it -

It rests your body and also, brain.

It freshens you up.

It rejuvenates you.

It heals you.

It repairs you internally.

It obliterates your bad memories or experiences.

It reduces your pain.

It conserves your energy.

It boosts metabolism.

It helps in new cell generation.

On the other hand, lack of sleep is dangerous to your body - it can lead to cell-degeneration, feeling bad/tired/fatigued/irritated the whole day, can lead to heart attack and escalate diseases like diebetes/cancer, and sometimes even death. Its said, when you don't sleep properly and new cell doesn't get generated then the existing cells in brains starts attacking each other which can result in ill-health and other cognitive problems. Over-sleep too however can have its drawbacks - affects metabolism and increase diseases.


Sleep Types : There are two types of sleep - rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep, and we experience both in our entire sleep cycle several times through the night :

1. Non-REM sleep has two stages where in first stage its the zone between being awake and falling asleep. We may or may not see dreams in this time and most sleep paralysis or occult experiences happen in the light sleep that follows, when our breathing and heart rate regulates and body temperature drops. This is followed by deep sleep, when we don't see any dreams and it is when the body actually heals and is most important part of sleep cycle. The NREM lasts about two hours overall.

2 REM sleep is after the deep sleep state, and lasts about an hour or so and the eyes move rapidly behind closed eyelids. The breathing becomes irregular, and the body temporarily paralyzes to prevent acting out dreams. Both NREM and REM together is a sleep cycle that can last 2-3 hours each.



Try some of my tried and tested sleep hacks for a good nights sleep. They really work :-)

¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪¸¸ Avoid caffeine like coffee and tea in the evenings; also, strong drinks like alchohol. Instead, one can drink sleep inducing warm Chamolie tea or have a banana an hour before sleep. There's melatonin food or supplements to help if you have extreme sleep disorders. Avoid the blue light ( mobile/tv ) atleast 1 hour before sleeping. Take a light warm shower before going to bed, avoid cold baths. Don't keep any strong lights on. Dim light in a corridor is perfect. Dark is best. Use soothing soft sleep music or white noise ( optional ). You can take foam ear plugs if you don't like any noise. Relax your body when going to sleep. Drop your shoulders, hands on the sides, legs - all parts from tip to toe. Close your eyes and gently lift your eyebrows - it'll instantly lessen any tension. Don't do it forcefully. Slowly drop them. Relax your face. Take long breathes and take pauses of 5 secs between each. Try not to think of anything. If any thought comes just try to imagine a blank slate. Try counting mentally the numbers 1-7 slowly, and then backwards, taking pauses between each. Visualise a picture of nature, water body, hill, clouds or anything serene; and then, slowly try to blur it mentally ( its possible ). IMP Note : Never sleep with your head in north direction; also avoid west - north's magnetic pull can be dangerous and west sleep is not wholesome and you feel irritable and it takes longer to heal. Try south, and east is best to make you feel healthy and refreshed. Avoid alarm clocks. Try to wake up naturally. -: I try these often, and sleep like a log :-

STILL MIRACULOUS

In its hey-days, it formed a giant canopy that'd shelter all those who came to be healed, for it was the tree of life - literally.

An ancient mysterious tree, no one knew who planted; but, everyone knew of its miracles.

Thousands of years, it absorbed the diseases of those faithful giving them fresh lease of life, while taking in all their sicknesses.

In present times, all that was left was a stump, and modern world largely ignorant of its glorious past.

Yet, anyone who passed by it surely felt cured.

Its miraculous properties toned-down with age, but not quite extinct.




❤❀❤This 100 word post is for friday fictioneers, SixSentence ( Image Copyright – © Dale Rogerson )

EVE-TEASERS!

In a row, everyday, they'd stand; a row that from her home till office would stretch.

Just to watch her walk; how she carried her bag, her dress and her overall sexy looks.

Never mind how she felt, on 'object' under their constant gaze.

Being a girl was not easy, especially if she was this pretty; her unease ignored, her every move whistled.

They loved doing it; she hated always being subject to it.

Their entertainment, her walk from her home to the office; her dread, her walk from her home to the office; but, out of spite, she survived.




❤❀❤ ( Image Copyright – ©Google ). Eve teasing is a form of sexual harassment that occurs in public spaces and is typically perpetrated by men against women

THE CURSE

The curse was - whoever remained in the ancient tower after dark remained forever trapped.

'But we have to wait till after dark to know for sure if the rumors are true, we have to sneak in the tower somehow.'

'I'm not adventurous, so I'll wait outside.'

'Fine, I'm going in; oh this is so exciting, finally I'll find out if I'm trapped forever in the tower as they say, or escape alive.'

'Yea, so they didn't listen and stayed after dark, you can hear their cries during daytime,' the tour-guide explained the visitors.

'Another new voice was captured since last evening.'






❤❀❤This 100 word post is for friday fictioneers ( Image Copyright – © Sandra Crook )

NOT AFRAID TO START ALL OVER

The truck was loaded, her parents looked around the house,

was anything left behind by mistake, every nook and corner scanned; none, they found...

Tiffany stuck her nose to the window, looking out the neighbourhood,

a place she had come to love so much, all the new friends she had recently made...

She had barely settled in and started to enjoy it all,

when her parents announced it was time for them to move again,

the lease had expired, the company didn't halt their employees at any place

for more than three years...


'Come Tiffany, her sister squealed from out, its time for us to go',

strange, her sister was more than excited to discover whats to come

than regret what they were leaving behind...

Every three years, moving new place, getting settled, making new friends

then repeating what had become almost a norm...

This time Tiffany held fast to the window grill,

she didn't want to leave the cozy nest...


But move they did; start all over, they did,

It happened all the while till Tifanny grew up,

It was finally time for her to explore world on her own,

She found all those constant moves in childhood made her quite experienced,

and unafraid of what could be coming next...


“Don’t be afraid to start over. This time you’re not starting from scratch, you’re starting from experience.” ❤❀❤

THAT OSTRICH-LIKE BEHAVIOUR

Kangana Ranaut once said, India gots its real independence in 2014 only. What did she mean? Didn't India exist before 2014? She meant after Modi won 2014 elections, only then India came into existance. Of course now that she is a BJP MP, we know the real motives behind that statement. However, such sweeping statements has darker meaning too. People not wanting to recognize or accept the real facts. They are unwilling even to acknowledge past developments. Did India suddenly came into being only after Modi won in 2014? Like really? Similarly, in our neighbouring country of Pakistan, they are tought right from school days that Pakistan came into being only after 1947; that they didn't have any history before that. While its true 'Pakistan' as a country did come into existance only after 1947, can one just say that there was no civilization or a past history in that region? Pakistanis truly believe there was nothing before 1947. Sad state of affairs, as it was in these regions that the massive Indus valley civilization thrived. To disown one's history and ancestry altogether is what can be termed as ostrich behaviour. They don't want to acknowledge the past; and rubbish all stories be it positive or negative.

There was once a classical musician living with his family in an old house. The house was the typical tin-roofed structure with lots of wooden work, as used to be the architecture during olden times in that area. The house was engulfed in bougainvilleas; and, its branches that grew quickly always seem to hide the house from rest of the world. Such a house with so much foliage looked quite quaint and even spooky at times, so to speak. The musician had four sons, who over time got married and had kids. Initially, the whole family lived together. The man grew old and ill-health over time meant his time on earth was nearing the end. His old mother had passed away a year before him. His wife however died within months of his demise, which was strange as she was not suffering from any known ailment and was quite younger than him. After these three back-to-back deaths, suddenly, one of the sons who was in his early thirties died from a heart attack one day. And within next few months, one of the daughter-in-law suffered from cancer and succumbed to it. With so many deaths happening within such short span of time, the rest of the brothers decided to move out of the house, as they feared the house was cursed by some bad omen. For a while they lived in another place and then suddenly came the news that they sold off the property at just less than a quarter of the market value. Such a hasty sell-off did spark rumours if the place was indeed having some negative energy around it. For many years the new owners did nothing, and the place lay abandoned. Due to its appearance it got a reputation of being haunted, and people gossipped how so many family members of the old owner died within months of each other in that house. As more time went by, the new owners finally pulled off the old structure and started new construction. They built a guest house. There was quite a delay too and it took almost a decade to finally complete it. They however invested a lot in the new structure and if someone didn't know of the past history of the place, no one could assume that place had seen so many deaths and strange occurrences. The new building was posh and very attractive, so unlike the old tin-roof house.

Within weeks of its opening, the guest house became quite popular and visitors started pouring in. Being near top tourist places and in main city center, it was a busy place. However, stories too started coming out soon about what the guests in that guest house experienced during their stay. Some weird things would almost always happen at night. Furniture would move, strange footsteps, someone passing by, knocking on door when there was no one, cold pockets of air and temperature drops frequently, odd whispers etc, that place started to acquire a reputaion of being haunted. The new owners didn't mind the new found fame of the guest house at first, as it generated more curious customers and foot falls; but over time the dark reputaion became quite overwhelming for them to handle. With social media, stories spread fast. Instead of trying to look into the past as to what actually happened and the history of the place, the mysterious deaths, and why they had got the property dirt cheap, they started blaming the messengers instead. They refuted the rumours outright and started threatening everyone with legal recourse instead. Sure they had invested a lot in the new building, but can the past be erased? That place did have a history of strange quick deaths in the previous family that owned, and their rapid exit from it. But to deny everything as if there was absolutely nothing before the new owners took over the place is like being an ostrich. Refusing to look into the issue or facts, instead pretending the issue didn't exist altogether; and threateing legal action at whoever even mentioned it.



What is ostrich-like behaviour? It is a colloquial phrase for a person who refuses to recognize the truth, reality, etc.: a reference to the ostrich's supposed habit of burying its head in the sand when confronted with danger it can’t avoid. The ostrich effect, also known as the ostrich problem, is a cognitive bias that describes how people often avoid negative information, including feedback that could help them monitor their goal progress. Instead of dealing with the situation, we bury our heads in the sand, like ostriches ( wiki ). ( Images - Google )