Painting by Alifiya Nagarwala
Story 1
Everyday I visit the same moment in my past, although its been ages since I experienced that moment, I cannot get this out of my mind, even today when I am on my death bed, uncertain if I will wake up tomorrow or not.
About 42 years ago, when my eyes could see without glasses, when I could walk without pain and when I could look at myself without disgust, I came across a shining black pebble. The minute I saw, time froze, it was almost as if I had been hypnotized, almost like two lovers in love.
I was able to see my darkest fears reflect in the pebble but I could also see things that fill my heart with peace, I could feel the deepest of pain but also the highest pleasure. I found myself wanting the feeling gone but also craving for it more and more. I felt weak but powerful. I felt an eternity in a heartbeat.
Blissfully the sensation dissolved and I found myself back in by earlier state...state of normalcy? What seemed eternity to me was an experience of only 53 seconds. I ran back home. As soon as I reached, I wanted the pebble again. i went back to the garden to look, but it wasn't anywhere. I vowed to look for it again, but it never enlightened me with its presence again.
Days turned into months and months to years, I married a good man, had the pleasure to raise two beautiful girls and lived and probably even die in this wonderful house, but the explorer within me yearns to to find that pebble, she shouts ‘you will find it’ and that gives me hope, that I will reconnect with what I consider my inner half.
Well, its funny to think how an unexplainable somethings are. I do not know if that pebble was magical, or all this was only dream that only happened in my head. But I do know that some experiences last a life time even if they last only 53 seconds.
Off I go, transiting into my after life, hoping that the pebble makes it to my grave. Everyday i visited this moment in my past, I hope it visits me again....
Story 2
I am not a boy with any extraordinary talents or good looks. I am an average student who doesn’t get into much trouble at school or home. I wear superhero t-shirts and white adidas sneakers like most kids my age. I wear glasses but don’t look too nerdy. I have a good decent built but not as much as the football guys of our school team.
I am a fairly satisfied individual and if you ask me whats missing in my life, I would say a cat would be pretty good addition.
My name is John. Everything about me including my name screams ordinary.
But that was soon going to change...
I woke up on a hot Sunday morning, sat on my bed and poured myself a glass of water. The summer heat had left me so dehydrated that quenching the burning thirst every morning felt like rainfall on a barren land. I drank the glass of water and made my way to the washroom to brush my teeth but I saw a reflection in the mirror, that wasn’t me. It was me but it didn’t look like me.
I had no skin so I could see my own flesh, molten red. I didn’t have any hair, or lips or eyelids, I looked extraordinary but not in the way I would’ve liked! I yelled and I heard someone running up to me. It was my mother but she was green, and her skin was the same texture as a toad. When she spoke to me her voice was the same but her tongue was as long as my leg. She casually asked me what happened as though she wasn’t surprised by what she say. I nodded and said ‘sorry mom, I almost slipped’ she sighed and went back to her chores.
I could not comprehend what was going on. I looked outside my window when somebody grabbed me and took me in a weird shaped vehicle. I screamed for hours during this turbulent journey. Soon the vehicle stopped and my blindfold was removed. I looked around and saw a world of kittens. The kittens ran towards me, the closer they got, the better I could see them and they were not kittens but baby cheetahs. They rushed towards me- a skinless boy covered in blood red flesh- I ran as fast as I could, away from the blood hungry cheetah cubs. I took a big lunge and rolled back into my bed and the the world behind burst into a bright light that quickly disappeared.
After catching my breath back, I looked at my feet and there was a fresh bite shaped wound - a tiny scar. I looked next to me I saw a glass of water, I looked closer and I saw specs of red particles floating in.
This wasn’t water.
I looked at my scar again and memories came flying to me. I am John. I agreed to be a part of a government experiment that helps individual gets a more realistic feel of their adventurous dreams so that they are able to live ordinary, satisfied and monotonous lives in reality.
Upon the success of this experiment, this treatment will be given to every individual to make them obedient , law abiding citizens. I am not sure if this experiment will be successful or not, because even though we are ‘living our dreams in our dream’ what explains this scar on my foot?
Humans have ventured into a space that they will not be able to return from and I will be the boy who saves humanity from the ultimate doom.
