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Neha alighted from the school bus and ran toward her home. She didn't carry any excitement rather than a bitter smile on her face. Neha was stepping into home. Meanwhile, she eyed her mom, Arti, who was waiting for her daughter's arrival near porch of her house. Arti interrupted her way, Neha looked her with a solemn face. Without a word,  Neha marched into living room and kept the school bag dangled on her shoulder. Arti pursued her daughter and exclaimed, "Do you want milk or coffee?". Neha nodded, "no". Neha started to do her home work. She didn't go outside for playing like most children of her age. The whole house was overshadowed by pindrop silence until incessant ringing of doorbell.

Neha heard the clatter of footsteps, a man with a grave face and trimmed beard entered into her room. Neha pounced toward her father, Raju. After a deep struggle, she finally queried, "Where is chocolate?" with an excitation in her eyes. Raju replied, "I gave it to your mom, go and grab it". Neha tilted her head to and fro, tediously tried to answer her dad, but it lasted longer than normal, and gestured, "No, I dont want". Neha ripped off the smile from her dad's face. Raju diverted Neha's attention, by inquiring about her birthday dress and she started to strive again. Neha was affected by a speech disorder which often stammered her voice called stuttering. It caused a major split in relationship between mom and daughter. Arti swallowed, as she looked downward a little and her eyes were misting up with tears. Like every mom and daughter, Arti and Neha had a splendid relationship till she started to talk.

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It was one of the summer holidays, Neha was playing with the kids around her home. On that time all kids were singing, it wasn't a singing competition but they were squandering their time. Finally, it was Neha's turn, she came flauntingly to lend her voice but she wasn't able to sing like her rivals. In the intervening time, the neighbours and their kids were deriding Neha . The aggravated Arti came to rescue her daughter. Arti beat Neha  and yelled, "don't come here to play, see? everyone is laughing at us because of you". From that day onwards, Neha misinterpreted that her mom hated and ashamed of her. After that day, Arti had approached her daughter countless time but her words din't heal the broken heart of benevolent soul. Arti refreshed the memories while she was watching all the conversation between her husband and daughter. Sooner, they had supper and went to bed.

A week passed, two days before Neha's birthday. On that day, Neha saw a news about a girl who was burnt by her mom. That news alleged that young girl who was affected by speech disorder and that girl's mom was ashamed of it, so she tried to kill her daughter. Neha was dazed by the news aired on television and the fear about her mom became thrice as before. She went to school but her mind was revolving around the incident and often scared her mom would do like it. When she returned to home, she maintained quietness and was waiting for her dad, Raju. When the time Raju came home, he told Neha, "Tomorrow, I'll the buy your birthday dress with your mom". Neha uttered, "okay" but she didn't reveal about her fear. Everyone went to sleep

The day before her birthday, Neha went to school but her thoughts were always spinning about the incident. Raju took leave and came in noon, as he planned to go for shopping. Raju and Arti went shopping to buy dresses for her birthday. They purchased all the things for in order to celebrate Neha's birthday. After some hours, they returned to home but they didn't find her daughter in home. Meanwhile, Raju's landline phone was ringing and Arti attended the call, the one on the other side told her, "Neha fell down the stairs" and ended the call.

The next day, Neha opened her eyes in a hospital where she was accompanied by her father. She didn't notice her mom, Arti wasn't around nearby as like she expected. She sensed something in her lip. She let her tongue swipe over her lip and licked. She felt something salty. When she looked up, she realized she was lying on her mother's lap. Tears were rolling out from her mom's eyes. Neha finally envisioned her mother's love. She was weeping along with her mother. Neha still had some tears to shed between life flashed before her eyes. She was realizing her mom's affection,  Neha's eyelids were forced her to close permanently. Neha breathed her last minutes in her mom's lap. The time when Neha was with her mom she didn't realize her mom's affection. Whenever realized her mistake she wasn't with her mom. Shadows of time..

Gloominess

Conversely, I felt a silence much deeper
than ocean 

I smiled...
It was an illusion, happiness was only in

my lips

I cried...

Though it didn't bring tears to my eyes

I sang...

Most of the times, it was my disguise

I wrote...

I always forgot to mention what I want 
to do.

I breathed...

Every minute, my heart skipped a beat

I drenched...

Despite, I didn't walk along with rain

I prayed...

I didn't ask for a auspicious time in life

I dreamt...

In the middle of the night, It always end
-ed with a nightmare 

I lived... 

I walked through the field of thorns and
bushes.

Though...

Tomorrow is the only aspiration and hope.

White pelette dissipates over the blue field, 

The darkness strengthens its dimension; 

Fishes imminent, sounds of humming everywhere; 

Unforeseen, black dots cover the blue field, 

followed by cool breeze, toddlers watch it weirdly,

she appears and mimics a lucrative smile to pacify me.

I sit here; now and then I can't stop staring at you,

I have sought you out to give a clue, why are you far away?

Can I come near you? My ferocious mind doesn't have a word to conquer;

Let's move into an era of eternal life into ecstasy;

I sit here; now and then I can't stop thinking about you, 

You resist; endure all the pains, never see you sad.

I wonder how you wear a flawless smile all the time.

With your shrewdness, you grasp all my worries; soar it away.

I sit here; now and then I can't stop mesmerizing to be by your side,

You oughta know how much you're beloved to me.

You are enigmatic and enchanting; just like a dream come alive. 

I am bewildered by the grandeur of your magnetic beauty.

I sit here; now and then I can't stop falling for you,

Howbeit my eyes move away from you; I feel obsolete;

As my thoughts get deeper and deeper, let me know.

How do I get you by my side? I'm a bit confused by your silence.

When the moon showed its face; luminous stars were fading away

Clouds entwined together to sweep off, got ready for a riot

The road was impassable thro' the rain; staying away from the drizzle

I creep-ed to the lawn of the endanger streets; sat alone

 

A vendor in the street, she turned her melancholy eyes on me,

I realized a baby girl tangled in her arm; passionately she tried to nourish

She soaked in the drizzling rain; showed the sign of poverty

And covered the bare head of her baby; assortment got wet 

My torn-mind kept rattling, my heart popped-out like a snake's head

It was getting dark; the moon tried to hide behind a cloud

I lingered the moon; to show brightness to her; it cheat-ed me

Thou' I would try to offer a help; her pride wouldn't allow it.

On that evening, she managed to sell most of the things

Sighed like drowsy; she initiated the move to her paradise

I glimpsed through the traces of her footsteps; the rain stopped

Let my arrow flew to them, I uttered the verse; "It's going to be a peaceful night"

On a sunny evening, while the shadows from surrounding trees were acting as shelter and protecting us from the sunshine. I accompanied a friend, initiated the journey heading towards the highest mountain in the Nilgiri hills named as Doddabetta. We were encircling the road lined with huge trees in the mountain; sky started to look darker and darker. The little heat of the sunshine was overshadowed by cool breeze, kind of drizzling, which led to horripilation in my hands.  It might be around 15-20 minutes; we reached the parking area of the hill.

Instantly, we parked our vehicle and started to look at the surrounding scenery. We could see many vehicles that gave me an idea of the crowd.  From there on-wards, we continued the journey by foot, and we were passing the time by watching trespass shop on either side of the path. It took merely five minutes to reach desired place. As I expected earlier, it was really crowded around the spot. I was able to evidence different kind of people and accent. While I was sightseeing, my friend was moving to the other side of the place.

I started to follow my friend in-between; I saw a group of people who were focusing towards a person. However, my friend was moving towards the nearby valley; I supposed to follow him. Within a few minutes, we reached the valley, I stopped walking, but my friend continued his walk and entered the jungle. I was sitting on a little rock near the valley and started to look through the beauty of nature.  We spent hardly ten minutes near the valley and when the time my friend returned from the jungle, we started to move towards the parking area.

While walking back, my eyes were focused on the group and once again got my amenity. I saw a person who was an artist by profession, and he was drawing the image of the human faces. I was watching his drawing skills. Suddenly, my friend insisted me to leave the place. Someone was smoking in a smoking prohibited public place, and it caused coughing to my friend. Soon we were walking out of the particular place. Meanwhile, my friend was rushing to approach the guard to give a complaint about the smoking of a person in a banned place. 

Initially, there was not at all a good response from them and even a bit negligent about my friend's proposal. I was brawling with my friend "why are you making this as an issue, and they are not even responding to you?"  Even so, he gently replied, "It doesn't matter whether they are going to take action, but it's my duty to tell about it". In other-words, I could say as "perform your duties without expecting any reward for it".  Usually, I'm one among the people who doesn't like that kind of offense in a public place, but never dare to take action against it. At that instant, my friend's word left me speechless and made me feel like an awkward moment.

Simultaneously, I listened to the voice of a guard giving instruction to another guard "Just go there and check, at least for his words (my friend) ". Later, we continued our walk to the parking area.

As like above quote I learned a good thing from my friend, and it was an another message in a journey. A Journey with a Friend.

On that particular day, I was quite early reached the railway station. The train arrived at the concerned platform, even ready for the departure. Without any delay, I rushed to find my seat, and I left with disappointment after I saw my seat because it wasn't a window seat. Nevertheless, the train wasn't that much crowded especially in my compartment.  So, I was easily managed to get a window seat which was exactly opposite to my booked seat. After almost half-a-hour, the train began its journey and moving towards its destination.

After sometimes, I made up my mind to read a book titled as "who will cry when you die". I was pretending like I’m busy with reading the book, but I was watching the ambient scenery which was moving slowing from my eyesight while breezes were shooting my face. During that period, I felt someone was watching me (kind of intuition). I saw nearly five - six members belonged to a single-family and the one who was watching me might be 10 years old little girl. I visualized a smile in her face when I turned my face towards her.

Have you ever imagined your world around kids?  I wonder how many of you would like to spend your time with little kids. Concretely, I like to spend most of my time with them, but I spend at least one hour per day. Most of the neighbours around my home had kids (I mean baby) when the time I grew up. I think that is the reason why I am addicted to spend my time with kids.

One of the most important reasons, why I like to spend my time with kids is my selfishness. Indeed, reason is nothing but for my mind relaxation. Just imagine a hectic day with full of stress, frustration and depression. In that situation if I supposed to splurge a half-hour with kids’, wholeness will be alright and very soon my mind will be free. I cannot even compare anything to their invaluable smiles, innocent mien in their face, and veracious tears in their eyes when the time I bother them. There is no such evil thing in their smiles like some human being. I cannot describe that kind of feeling. I guess everyone should feel it rather than from my words.

It was the time, I walked along the lonely road. I was trying to move out quickly from the abandoned road to reach my home. I was haunting that my parents might look for me as it was already too late to reach the home. I was barely able to walk, and the ambient scenery was moving too slow. Subsequently, I observed a group of people, and I was hurrying towards them with an excitation.
 

When I was reaching the crowd, people were arguing something seriously by pointing their hands to the middle of a group. Without any delay, I  rushed into the spot to see "what has happened?"  A person had died who might be around my age. I could not be able to see his face because his head was crooked downwards. Furthermore, I was trying to see his face. Meanwhile, another guy was trying to bend over that person to see his face. 

When the time, I saw the face of the person, I'm shocked that I was almost crying. It was hard to believe whatever my eyes were witnessing that time. That person was so familiar with me, he had been with me every day, every hour, every minute, every second, and every beat of my heart. As I was trying to touch that person, but I could not. I was starting to urge everyone "I'm still alive" but no one listened to my words. In fact, I was not exposed to them.

My journey begins from the place where there is no sign of known faces. Though that place is where I have been grown up. I moved my feet forward, as soon my mind started to chew up memories. It was years back, I saw that girl nearer to my home (Actually she was waiting for me). She was one of the few friends who were inevitable in my life. Indeed, I never had any intention though roamed often with her. On that particular second when I saw her, my intuition said, "She is the one who was born for me”. I do not know why I felt like that way. Perhaps, it is “Love”.

Exactly, after ten days from that incident I told her about my feelings. She was my good friend even though the girl within herself made to leave speechlessly. I could say, she was shocked due to my words. It was a matter of fifteen-minute silences around us, she decamped the place. She left without saying any word. "She almost left from my life".

Over years back, my day began when I started to find the mobile around my bed. Just like any other guy of my age, I used to wake up with my mobile. As soon as I sent morning greetings in all the social networking sites, after sometimes, I got a message from a person who was from southern India  and his message was

Who is he? 

"Who is he?” - Those questions drove my memories back to a year ago. It was the time, I began my walk in to a new world which is completely different from my reality world. I always had turmoils around my new world. As a newbie netizen, I always had a dilemma about people, "whether they are believable or trust-able". I’m quite frightened to talk to someone.

During that time, I came to know that person through a messenger website. He was an amiable guy even though I hesitated to accept him in my contact list due to the bad thoughts I had about online people. With a lot of confusion, I accepted his request. Days moved on, I started to believe him and we were chatting almost every day. We started to discuss about many different things, just like real friends, and even shared about our personal lives too.

After 6 months, we lost contact and were never able to contact each other again because we didn't exchange our details. Frankly, I never had a thought about him until I received that message. I realised that "he is my old friend". I messaged him back, “I remember you and glad you recognised me."

From that day onwards we became good friends. I’m glad to say he was the very first person I met from the online world. 

It was an early Friday morning as I woke up really early due to the excitement of meeting someone who will be a part of my future, my life. It was the very first time that I felt very interested to spend my time with a girl. Things moved firmly and it was time to meet her. As soon as I recognized her, I am left speechless and I said to myself “She is Beautiful" more than I expected. But there was not much reaction from her side when she saw me. Well, she could mesmerize anyone.

Soon we started to walk away from that place. She was too fast and I followed her like a kid. (It’s worth to mention about her simplicity) Even though I knew that she was a rich girl, she was very simple, simply like how my girl should be. I thought golden times in my life starts from here. (But it ended within a few minutes actually). And we reached a place to have our lunch.