Creative Writing Contest: Official Entries - Page 2

Posted: 13 years ago
Official Entry #10

I choose to write on RTH's 500, because it is a number. It is a nice round figure.

500
I don't want to love you
If love is this alone
But the greater pain than a broken heart
Is not having your heart broken at all
To have my heart broken by you
Such exquisite ecstatic agony
"There are still a few men who love desperately" J.D Salinger
17:50 PM: It was just another ordinary day. It had been just the daily grind, another endless day at work, more schedules, more deadlines and a generous heaping of crap from his boss. As he pulled into the driveway, he realized that he had just wasted another day in the blurb of forgettable days of his life.
22:59 PM: He threw back another shot and smiled at the girl across the bar. She waved back flirtatiously. He continued smiling, but groaned from within. All women were the same, she would smile and flirt and laugh with him. Then she would leave him for someone else, someone she could fall in love with ' he was just remain forever, a sweetheart, a crush a friend.
23:31 PM: He chugged another glass of something. He could not remember what it was, but he liked how it burned his throat. Just like the pain searing in his heart. He made gestures ordering another round of the unknown drink, and like a mind reader the bartender understood.
23:37 PM: He smiled into the glass and once again lost himself in thoughts of her. Just a few hours ago, she was real; she was in his arms, now she was but a distant dream.  He wanted to erase her memories, but he found himself paint her picture in his mind's eye. Her enchanting smile, the windswept hair eclipsing her face, the impish curling of her lips, the restless tapping of her fingertips. The way those frayed jeans hugged her hips, and how even the raggedy old shirt accentuated her curves. She was picture perfect, she was all he had wanted, she was all he ever needed, but now she would never be his.
23:44 PM: The smile on his face turned into a frown.  He had to hold himself from smashing the glass into the wall. His frame was shaking and his mind was in frenzy. He tried to think of all reasons he could muster on why he should hate her.  After all they had been through, had she not played him? Had she not played him cruel? How could she lead him on and let him down like that? What had she been thinking? How could she be so cruelly oblivious to his thoughts? He muttered expletives under his breath.
23:59 PM: In just a few minutes he was smiling again. The one thing he hated most about her is that he could not hate her at all. She still had that effect on him.  He nostalgically recounted all the times they had spent together, all the precious moments they had shared. You would have thought they were made for each other, the way they were inseparable, they way they made each other laugh, and they way they could spend hours of doing nothing and never get bored.
00:07 AM: Another sip of the hard stuff and he found his eyes welling up again. Why was he too late? Why could she not wait? Why were there no second chances? If only he could turn back time and make things right. He never believed in after lives, but now he wished he could have a second fair fighting chance.
00:15 AM: He saw the doors of the bar fling open, and he saw her come sailing in. She walked towards him like an angel floating through the crowd. He must be really hammered, he thought to himself. What was she doing here? Surely he was dreaming. He slapped himself. There were fireworks before his eyes, but then her vision still persisted. He tried pinching himself. His arm erupted in goose bumps but she was still moving closer faster. He chugged down the entire glass, his eyes felt weary ' but the vision of her kept getting sharper and clearer.
"Trying to wash me away cowboy" she sat next to him, rubbed his shoulders and laughed. He merely blushed.
"I thought I would find you here" she spoke soothingly "We need to talk"
18:01 PM: He patted his pants frantically to find the source of that buzzing sound, but it was nowhere on him. He put his hand in each pocket and looked about puzzled. Then as if he had a eureka moment he made a mad dash for the back seat and grabbed hold of the coat carelessly thrown down there "Hello" he chattered excitedly into the phone.
18:05 PM: "Sure. I'll be there in a few" His face lit up like a child opening Christmas presents. "I'm excited to hear how your trip was"
18:23 PM: Some people believe in love at first sight. One look, one stolen glance is all takes for them to fall head over heels in love forever. He was not one of them. He needed one, two, three, four, five; oh he had lost count of how many times he had seen her before to fall in love. But life is all about moments to live. Love is a strange feeling; it happens in a moment and can last a lifetime. It takes but just a moment to mend or break hearts, rendering us with eternal agony or ecstasy. It was all about moments that take us by surprise. Today was his moment. In that moment, something within him changed forever. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps that was what happened to him. His life was already feeling a massive void caused by her absence. That moment when she stepped out of her apartment with her frayed jeans and that grey t-shirt she had worn since high school, something magical happened. He saw her in a way he had never before. For the first time in his life he felt something he had never felt before, and now all he really wanted was to be with her. And soon he hoped there would be a moment when he would let her know.
20:02 PM: "Thanks for the lovely dinner" she smiled awkwardly as he entwined his fingers around hers.
"You want to walk down to the river" he asked gently tugging her closer
"Is that rickety pier, where we went fishing in high school still there" she asked curiously
"Ricketier, than ever" he grinned "It's almost high tide, the waters must be swirling at the edges, rattling it like nobody's business"
"What are we waiting for" she rushed ahead pulling him behind
20:31 PM: "Watch Out" he yelled, and caught her in his arms "I told you ricketier than ever. You can't really walk too far out, it would give in"
"Oh protective as usual" she nestled her head across his chest "Remember how you taught me balance on the edge during the rains. That silly game you boys would play on who holds out the longest"
"Yes, how can I forget" his eyes sparkled as he wrapped his arms around her
"Never letting go of me, even when I could do well on my own" she teased
"That was the point" he looked at her mischievously
20:33 PM: She turned around and her eyes looked right into his. Questioning, searching, wondering, gazing, a myriad of thoughts seemed to be hidden within those orbs. He stole a glance at the moon and then peered back into her longing eyes. This was the moment he had been waiting for all evening. He could feel that she wanted him to be her answers. It was now or never, and he slowly leaned forward, pressing her lips against his, breathing in her scent.
20:37 PM: "No this is wrong" she muttered breathlessly and pushed him away.
"What is it?" he looked at her hurt and confused.
"This" she pointed to the ring on her finger. A million thoughts pounded into his head, questions he needed answers to. But he could not speak up, he stood there dumbfound trying hard to breathe and hold himself steady to the ground.
20:55 PM: "I thought you were just friends" he questioned.
"I know, but things just happened this summer. We just clicked, one thing led to another and before I knew it everything changed", she replied.
"But, what about us?" he asked
"but there never was an us" she tried explaining
He argued "That one time''."
She cut him off "We were young, we made a mistake, and I thought we agreed we would be just friends"
"But why him, why all of a sudden, did you even think about giving us a chance?" he protested
"I never planned it this way; you never have control over these things. I never expected to fall for him, but then one moment I find myself with him, and everything felt right"
"But then now you kissed me, does that mean nothing" he knew he had her this time
"I know, I'm so sorry, I don't know''.. I don't know what I was thinking'.I should have known better, but it happened all of a sudden" she burst into tears
21:09 PM: "And when were you planning to tell me" he found his voice raising and his frame shaking
"That's why I called you tonight right after getting back in town. I was excited to let you know, I thought you would be happy for me. But then I could not bring myself to tell you."
"Why not"
"The way you kept looking at me. You were different. You were not the same friend, I once knew. You were looking at me in a way you never did before. The way you were talking, there was something in your voice, I had never felt before. I could see it in your eyes; I could see what you wanted. And I could find the right way, to break my best friend's heart"
"But you could bring yourself to play with my heart"
"That's not what I wanted"
21:17 PM: He pushed her aside and walked away in a huff.
The funny thing about men is that they tend to be agnostic about love. They are not sure if they believe in it. They are quite skeptical of the stories woven around it. Yet they are fearful of the power it wields over them. And when they do fall in love, some men do desperately fall in love. In this lifetime of moments it had taken but just a moment to fall in love, just a moment to live his most cherished desire and then just another moment to shatter his heart. Now he walked aimlessly down the streets lovelorn, forlorn. The deep amber leaves of fall left their branches and danced sadly in the wind. It was almost as if the winter in his heart, was setting all around him.
00:20 AM: "I'm sorry for yelling and walking away like that" he slurred not wasting time to apologize
"If anyone should be sorry, it's me" she hugged him "I hope you can forgive me, this is not the way I wanted things to turn out. I wanted us both to be happy tonight"
"I know" he nodded sadly
00:43 AM:  "I do love you" she was explaining "You are still my best friend, and I love you more than you can imagine. It is just that I cannot love you the way you want me to."
He knew she meant every word, and something within him stirred and realized. It would break his heart to see her with another man, but it would hurt him more if he could never see her again.  He could live with this love.
01:19 AM: As painful as it was for him he was now smiling again, reliving those happy nostalgic memories all over again. They both wondered what maybe if he had realized himself any sooner, and what it would be if they were together. But it was no sad reminiscence as they both laughed over the ways of fate. Perhaps another time, another place ' things would have been different.
01:27 AM: She hugged him goodnight, and he held her close in embrace, wishing he could never let go. She held on to him too, and lost herself for a moment in his arms. It was not the lustful touch of passion, or the holding on of a jilted lover ' it was a moment for two friends who had just known and grown through the course of the night. Tomorrow was a new day and they were both ready to live on. He needed some time to himself, but he promised that he would meet her fianc soon. He also promised that he would help her plan her wedding, being her best man every step of the way. For now he needed to be alone, but she knew that time would turn and they would both be making new memories in the future. They could both see the earnest truth in each other's eyes.
02:03 AM: He walked into the convenience store. It was time to treat himself.
02:04 AM: He opened the freezer and picked up a pint of ice-cream, chocolate peanut butter, his favorite flavor. Not a whisper of this would reach another soul, but who said that men don't indulge or feed their woes away.
02:05 AM: He stood in line at the counter.
02:06 AM: He checked out and paid his bill.
02:07 AM: He turned around, the woman on the other register turned at the same time ' and now they collided together
02:08 AM: They both sheepishly handed each other their pints of chocolate peanut butter ice-cream that had rolled onto the floor. They both laughed at their coincidentally similar choices of middle of the night sweet tooth cure the blues cravings.
02:09 AM: They sat on a bench outside seven eleven devouring their pints and sharing their favorite ice-cream flavor.
Some people believe in love at first sight. One look, one stolen glance is all takes for them to fall head over heels in love forever. He was not one of them. He did not even know what he thought of love anymore. Would it take him two, three, four, five, how many glances to fall in love, he did not know and did not care. All he knew that in the next five hundred seconds something special had happened. He had no clue what future the fates or the moments held, but the next five hundred seconds told him that he was ready for that journey all over again.
 
 
 
 
 

Edited by return_to_hades - 13 years ago
Posted: 13 years ago
Official Entry #11

I've chosen WA's Do Pal picture story for the short story contest. WA reminds me of Naina from Kal Ho Na Ho, and I've chosen Naina and Aman as the main characters for this short story. However, the following is a fictional story with no resemblance to anyone virtual, living or dead, active or MIA, and banned or unbanned.

Link: https://india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1414743&TPN=10

Do Pal
I still remember the night before it happened as though it was yesterday. It was late, and I was once again engrossed in the pages of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. No matter how many times I read it, Austen's words struck a new chord in me somewhere. I read, "I never saw a more promising inclination; he was growing quite inattentive to other people, and wholly engrossed by her. Every time they met, it was more decided and remarkable. ' Could there be finer symptoms? Is not general incivility the very essence of love?"
Those lines brought a smile upon my lips as his face flashed across my mind. I put my book down and looked out the window. There was a full moon that night, glimmering in the dark sky. The moonlight struck its shadow upon the dark blanket of night, and I found myself lost in thought. Thoughts of him. These days, they were always thoughts of him. It was as though my mind had found its happy place and refused to leave that sanctuary. I fell asleep deep in thought that night, unaware that the secrets the night whispered to me today would be the same ones that the morning would scream at me tomorrow.
The next morning I woke up as the sun was rising. I got out of bed, walked to the window, and looked into the sky, painted with bright strokes of orange and purple. At the time, I remember thinking it was a promising morning. I went about my morning rituals like any other day, showered, dressed, gathered my things and went downstairs into the kitchen. It was then I noticed the blinking light on my cell phone. I picked it up, and it read '1 New Message From: Aman". I hit 'Read' on my cell phone and his message appeared, "Can we meet for coffee this morning?" I smiled, and replied, "Of course". I should've seen something coming. He sent me text messages only when absolutely necessary, otherwise, he always called. Perhaps he wanted to hide the tremble in his voice, the hesitation in his words, or merely avoid the silence when I felt both.
 I drove through the morning traffic with a smile on my face. The sun gleamed overhead, casting its rays on my windshield, and reflecting off the diamond on my ring. I glanced at the ring on my finger and tried to feel its weight on my hand, but I didn't feel anything. It was as though it had been there the whole time, just like that, every morning. When, in reality, today was the first time I had walked outside of the house with that ring on my finger.
It was the ring he had given me many months ago on that starry night, under the moonlit sky, on his knee. His smooth voice had caressed the silence of the night, as he said, "With God's blessing, the radiance of the moon and stars my witness, and the night as our savior, I, Aman, would like to confess my unwavering love for Naina and ask her if she would be willing to spend the rest of her life with me by her side." Even after that he did not give me a chance to say anything, but insisted he knew that I was not ready, and that he would wait for me. I asked him why he was willing to wait for me without even knowing how I felt. At which he just smiled, wiped the tears that had started flowing down my cheek without my realization, and whispered, "Your eyes and these tears say it all". After that, we had laughed at how awfully cheesy he had been, how unlikely that was for him, and settled on the decision that I would put on the ring whenever I was ready for the next chapter in our life. Last night, it had struck me that now was the right time. Little had I known then that it was perhaps the worst time I could have chosen.
I pulled into the Starbucks parking lot, and before I even stepped out of the car, I spotted him standing nearby with a cup of coffee in his hand. I got out of the car, walked over to him and said good morning. He smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes as it usually did. He handed me the cup of coffee, and we sat at a nearby table.
"Is something wrong, Aman," I immediately asked.
Silence.
"Is everything alright?" I repeated.
 
He looked up at me and shook his head to indicate no. There was something sad in his eyes, in the curve of his lips. His jaw tightened, and I knew he was looking for the right words to come to him.
 
Slowly, he whispered, "I have to go. I have to go back home."
"Okay, sure, but what happened?" I stammered.
"I ' I don't have the words to tell you, to explain to you. I barely know what's going on myself. It's ' I," he sighed.
 "When will you be back," I asked.
Silence.
"Naina, I ' I don't know if I'll be back," he said.
I heard his voice strain over the word 'if', and in that moment, I saw several dreams shatter in silence. There was no sound, nothing to be heard, but we could hear the piercing silence scream at both of us.
"Can I come with you," I pleaded.
"No, no I ' I can't do that to you," he mumbled.
 
I nodded quietly, but that was when I couldn't stop the tears anymore. The tears began trickling down my cheek one by one. I wanted so badly to be strong for him, to control myself, but I couldn't. My hand flew to my cheek in a desperate attempt to wipe the incoming tears, and that was when he looked up at me. His eyes were sad, and I knew he was holding back tears as well. Then, something caught his attention, a moment of happiness, then realization, and finally his eyes revealed the same sorrow as they had before. It did not take long for me to realize what had grabbed his attention. The sparkle from my ring as I wiped my cheek reflected in his eyes. More uncertainty and grief crawled into the morning around us.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled.
"No, I'm sorry and ' thank you, for everything," he sighed.
He grabbed my hand and stared long and hard at the ring, carefully contemplating his next words.
"I'm sorry I can't promise you anything, Naina, but I'll do whatever it takes to come back for you. I ' I love you," he said.
"That's good enough," I whispered through my tears, "and I love you too."
We sat there for a few minutes just like that, studying each other, desperate to carve each other's pictures in our hearts. I wanted to memorize the details of this morning, just in case it was the last time I saw him. The thought brought more tears into my eyes. He looked up, wiped my cheek, and told me that he needed to go.
 
"My flight is today," he said.
"Okay, I ' I'll drop you off at the airport. Do you need help packing?" I asked.
"No, nothing," he said quickly. "This hurts too much already, Naina. I don't think I have it in my heart to say all this again to you. I have to go, and I won't be able to if you're there."
We got up and started walking towards my car. He pulled me close, and hugged me tightly. He held me for a long time, and I let him. If there was an ounce of doubt in my mind that all he had said was false, that he was really staying, it was cleared in that moment. This really was goodbye. I felt it in his embrace, in my tears, and in the suddenly gloomy morning that surrounded us.
He finally pulled away and whispered, "Goodbye Naina, I love you."
I wiped away the tears that were clouding my vision and said, "Goodbye, Aman, I'll wait for you."
He looked at me as though to disagree, to say something, but unable to find the courage to say anything. He gave me one last look, and then turned away and disappeared into the morning.
 
Jane Austen's words flashed across my mind, "They walked on, without knowing in what direction. There was too much to be thought, and felt, and said, for attention to any other objects."
 
I turned around and climbed into my car, tears strolling down my cheek without any indication of stopping. I sat there and cried for a long time in my car that day. Then I pulled out of the lot and drove far, far away. The music blasted from my speakers on full volume, but it still was not enough to drown out my thoughts. I could still hear myself crying, and when the first drops of rain splashed against my windshield, I knew that the heavens were crying with me.  
 
After what felt like hours, I finally reached my destination. I sat along the rocks on the sea shore and watched the ocean waves hit hard against the rocks and die out. I felt the same way, as though I was the ocean wave that hoped to travel forever, but runs into rocks of fate and quickly dies out. I sat there for hours that day, and cried my heart out. The rain kept away any concerned intruders that would ask me why I was sitting out there drenched from head to toe. I wondered how many people came and shed tears near the ocean, and how many stories of sorrow, grief, and pain the ocean held deep within its waters.
 
I thought of Aman, again and again. His were the only thoughts that came to mind. I still remembered the day I first met him, it was a rainy afternoon like today, but much happier. It was raining hard, and I was running late to class as usual that day. In all my rushing, I accidentally bumped into someone coming straight ahead. His umbrella had hit mine and sent mine flying in the other direction with the wind. By the time I gathered myself and looked up at him to apologize, I was drenched. He quickly pulled his umbrella over me and looked up. I quickly looked away to look for my own umbrella when he handed me his and ran after mine.  I quickly thanked him, and we had gone our separate ways. But I still remember wondering who he was even back then. Once again today, I'm left wondering who he is and where he's gone.
 
I saw him several times after that. I was on the third floor of the library, reading in my favorite spot, when I noticed a guy farther down, praying in a corner. I remembered watching him, his closed eyes, as he spread his hands and asked God for something. I always meant to ask him what he asked God for in his prayers. After we ran into each other a couple of times, we both finally gave in and became friends. There was nothing romantic about our bond. We were good friends, who enjoyed each other's company. It felt right, and we connected on an altogether new level. We were there for each other, and we could talk to each other about anything. He became a necessity for me, and I became his addiction. Over the years, we grew many cherished memories filled with laughter, smiles, and some tears and sadness. When friendship blossomed into love, I don't know. One day we were laughing and pulling each others' legs, and the next day he was down on his knee asking me to spend the rest of my life with him. It was a smooth transition, so smooth that I didn't even feel it. Everything was easy with him. And now that he was gone, I realized how much more difficult everything was without him.
 
The whole day passed in recalling memories of our past, and I looked up to see the sun setting in the sky. I walked to my car and drove home that day without any recollection of when and how. When realization struck, I was already at home, in bed, wondering how the next four hours will pass, and hoping that sleep will bring me the solace I was looking for. I had shed so many tears that day that I wondered if there would any be left for tomorrow.
 
I don't know how those four hours passed or how four days became four weeks, and four weeks finally turned into four years. But even today, after four years, I think of him every day. Not a second goes by where I wonder if he'll maybe show up today. I hope that maybe he'll finally return a phone call, an email, or show up at my door. At night, I find solace by looking up into the night sky and knowing that he probably looks up at the moon and thinks of me as well. We may be apart, but our love is still strong. I may not be able to see him, to talk to him, or to tousle his hair, but I do have memories to cherish. His memories. Memories that make me smile and rekindle the love in my heart. The same love that went into hiding due to overbearing sorrow that had taken over my broken heart. I have come to realize that love isn't just being together, even in parting there is a shadow of love.
 
Do pal ruka, khwaabon ka karwaan
Aur phir chal diye, tum kahan hum kahan
Do pal ki thee yeh dilon ki dastaan
Aur phir chal diye, tum kahan hum kahan

Posted: 13 years ago
Unofficial Entry #1

Introduction at end

Chernobyl the ghost town: Some mysterious events later

 

 

We all know about the accident in Chernobyl, but I am going to narrate some incidents that happened later. Some disturbing events took place inside the Zone. The Zone as we know is the region surrounding Chernobyl. Previously, the region used to bustle with people just like any other beautiful city. One day there was an accident that caused a nuclear reactor to blow up. Many people died. Many were rescued and the town was evacuated.

 

The events that I talk about took place after the above mishap. We were a team of 5 hardened and sophisticated criminals: Vlad (I am Vlad), Lev, Serge, Ivan and Petro. We lived  not far from the ghost town. We would take up missions to make money. The team got wind of some important documents left in the reactor. The agents would pay a lot of money for those documents. The radiations in the zone had decreased, but not much and we were not sure about that near the reactor. We were all set up for our mission. We packed our equipment, Geiger counter, medicines and suits to protect us from radiation.

 

It was evening when we left our car and decided to go ahead on legs. This was to avoid the guards that were installed to protect people from entering the zone. We entered from south and that day the gray clouds covered the damp and barren area. The roads were broken with vegetation taking over.

 

Our Geiger counter that would warn us about radiation level would start ticking rapidly in some places. There were many traps and the dangers were invisible in the form of radioactive clouds, radioactive animals and some unknown things. Even the breeze that spattered dust on our faces, rustled the overgrown grass and foliage, carried radioactive particles. The wind would lurch the branches of the trees as it blew. It swept away dust in small whirls. We were ready with our anti-radioactive suits.

 

The sight of the place was enough to chill anyone's heart. The forest hid some abandoned villages and isolated farmhouses. Later we saw many scrapyards with rusted and highly radioactive vehicles. Chernobyl lies in the south of the region and we took shelter in an abandoned school near it. All the five people sat in an abandoned classroom. Vodka not only calmed our nerves, but we believed it made us resistant to radioactive dangers. The talk shifted to the rumors that some genetically mutilated animals or things roamed in the ghost town.

 

Ivan said " Its all crap and some invented stories I don't believe in them".

 

Serge, who was our boss agreed with Ivan. Ivan and Serge were different personalities, but they would agree a lot sometimes. Serge, our boss, was strong built and was a very cunning guy devoid of emotions and ethics. He was a mad guy and sometimes he looked at me as if he wanted to kill me. He wouldn't hesitate to kill any one of us if something goes wrong. Ivan on the other hand was a family guy. He had got married recently and had a kid named Alek.

 

These days Ivan would mostly talk about his kid and his wife. He told me "Vlad, my kid likes you. You seem to care for him a lot".

 

He was right and in fact his kid reminded me of my friend Volod's beautiful daughter.

 

Lev and Petro made a pair of good friends. They would joke around and Lev would pull Petro's leg once in a while, but they were great buddies.

 

*****

 

There was yet some time for night to come. All of us except Serge, decided to look around the school building. Our plan was to move further when it was dark. The rooms were lying scrapped as looters had torn apart the furnitures in a bid to scavenge for items. Ivan got interested in a small classroom for small kids. Some decayed drawings made by kids hung on the walls that lay in tatters. He found a drawing that showed a rabbit wetting its feet in a lake. It reminded him of his small kid and when he had gone for a vacation with his wife and kid. The room had a broken wall with a big opening from which one could see the outside. The whispering wind from the opening carried the dampness from the lonely outdoor.

 

That smell...He could not be mistaken... Yes, it was the same smell of the lake at Buki...It felt the same.

 

"Alek! Come down and swim with your papa" he said standing in the water.

 

"No papa, I want to stay here!" pleaded Alek.

 

Ivan felt that there was someone else too in the room...he was sure he heard a noise... Must be his wife who has come to take him back for swimming...

 

He felt a leathery hand came from behind and started to suffocate him. He couldn't breath and tried to shout but he couldn't as the other hand strangled him. He was pushed near the broken wall. He tried to resist, but in an instant he was hurled outside from the opening in the wall. A loud cry emerged from his throat as he fell down from the 5th floor. There were rocks lying on the ground and he hit them hard.

 

There was commotion and all the people hurried to the ground outside. Ivan's dead body lay on the rocks present on the ground.

 

Serge shouted "What the hell!". All of us were shocked looking at the gruesome sight. 

 

Petro looked at the broken wall on 5th floor just above the body and cried "Everyone come with me!".

 

All of us ran upstairs to the room. We didn't find anything there except the skid marks near the broken wall. I suggested that we divide into two teams and search the building.  Lev and Petro formed one team. Serge took me with him as we searched one room to another. I felt that someone else was also there in the building. However, in my mind I still ridiculed the ideas about mutilated beings present in the zone "It can't be true!". Serge on the other hand was getting mad and kept growling as we went through the room. Once he even shot at a desk in frenzy. We found nothing and neither did Lev or Petro.  All of us were perturbed and tired. It was already night.

 

What could have happened?

 

After so much discussion, analyses and panic, we arrived at the conclusion that Ivan might have slipped himself near that wall opening. We were skeptical, but we were tired.

 

I asked them "We should dig a grave for Ivan".

Serge said some callous things. We dug a grave for Ivan and finished the task. After that we started moving towards the north. We all were in a shocked state.

 

*****

 

Like I had remarked earlier, the zone had Chernobyl city in the south and that was our initial location. The reactor was some 5 kms to the north with the city of Pripyat to its north-west. The cooling pond lake lay to the east of the reactor. The lake stretched over 4-5 kms to the south. Its shadowy and forgotten waters, that were dark and dead, hosted water life that absorbed the radioactivity. I wondered what kind of mutilated things moved below those waters.

 

Pripyat river was further to the east. To the west of that lake lay the wilderness of radioactivity that separated us from the reactor and the city of Pripyat. We moved towards Pripyat. The plan was to reach there, take rest and then make the final move to the reactor and complete our mission.

 

We could hear the sound of howling wind through the trees with occasional distant crying of hounds. Our steps made slushing sound as we moved hurriedly through the swampy ground. There was a damp musty odor that was present in the area. Occasionally we found abandoned villages and huts with sheeted memories of the past tattered with decay all around. As we moved closer to the reactor the vegetation became more and more pale and decayed. It must be the effect of radiation as we were moving closer to the source. In some places our Geiger counter would start ticking ominously and we would retract and go around that place.

 

The memories of Ivan came back to haunt us. I could see that Lev and Petro gave strange looks to Serge. Serge was becoming more and more mad. I didn't know if it was the effect of growing radiation or the shock and distress of the previous incident that made him growl more and more as we moved on. I was worried that he would shoot any of us at any moment. I was prepared with my gun if that happens.

 

After some time, the contaminated and decaying mazedness ended. We found ourselves in the deserted town of Pripyat. Rusted metal and vehicles lay abandoned and our Geiger counter would increase its ticking when we go near them. Houses were broken and looters had broke open the doors and scavenged whatever could have been taken. Roads were empty as no human life was to be found. The cancerous radiation had made vegetation scarce, but birch trees were shooting randomly from the ground and sometimes through the buildings. Inside the buildings, the metallic things lay rusted, the paint peeled off from every wall, furniture dismantled and torn and floors were broken with even the tiles looted. The homes were full of wastes and dirty mess. Occasional graffiti and scattered gas masks could also be found inside the buildings.

 

The reactor loomed 2 kms away in the horizon and it was our final destination for the mission. We decided to take shelter in one building overlooking the amusement park. That park was scheduled to open 5 days after the disaster. Its ferris wheel and rusted bumper cars still waited for the children that would never come. The shadowy ferris wheel looked desolate in the background.

 

Serge ordered "We can take rest here. Lev, you be on guard while others sleep. Later you can change with Petro". I opened my vodka bottles. After lighting a bonfire, we ate the food that we carried and washed it down with the vodka. All of us were tired and slept soon after. Lev was tired too. He didn't drink much of Vodka because he had to be on guard. I told him "Don't worry and change with any of us after some time."

 

*****

I slept for long and I remember having dreamt of playing with my friend Volod's daughter. Serge woke me up with a jolt. I realized that all of us had been sleeping for long. It was already afternoon.

 

Serge told me in an angry voice "Lev is missing!".

 

That was enough to shake me up and I gasped.

 

Petro was awoke too and he said in tears "we should find Lev and I won't go anywhere before we find him!"  I tried to calm him and said that his friend Lev must be somewhere around and he need not to worry. We will find Lev. Serge was mad and he loaded his shotgun. He was ready to shoot anything in an instant. All of us took our guns and we searched the whole building, but found nothing. Petro wanted to search outside. Together, we searched near the rusted scrapyard and then the rusted amusement park.

 

Suddenly Petro uttered a cry and pointed towards a tree behind the rusted Ferris wheel. We all looked in horror as Lev was hung from the tree through a rope. The haunting sight full of rusted odor was chilling with Lev hanging with his head tilted to left and his body lurching. Petro sat their sobbing below his hanging dead friend. We brought Lev down.

 

Serge ordered me to bring Vodka from our room to calm Petro down. I went to the building and had to go around it to enter through a door. As I entered the room running, to my horror, someone hit my hands and took away my gun. I was shocked to find mad Serge standing in front of me! While I was coming round the building he had entered through the window. He pointed his shotgun towards me and hurled some abuses. I might have been dead in an instant, but with a bang Petro shot down Serge from the window.   

 

Petro came inside from the window told me sobbing "This mad person has killed my friend Lev!"

 

He shot the dead body of Serge multiple times.

 

I said to him "Mad Serge killed Ivan, Lev and was about to kill me too... Why?... In recent years he was becoming mad, but this much?..."  

 

I calmed Petro and gave him my Vodka. He was very tired and was sobbing.

 

I told him "I don't feel like continuing this mission anyway...we both should go back..."

 

He looked outside the window in tears. I tried to soothe him "I can understand your pain Petro...You have lost your friend, who was dear to you, because of a mad man..."

 

"I suffered the same when you all killed my friend Volod and his family ..." I said from behind.

 

Petro looked back with his shocked face. I blew his face off with the shotgun of Serge that I had picked up by now.

 

*****

 

Volod was my only friend. They didn't know much about our friendship, but we had developed some silent liking and respect for each other when we used to go on some missions together. Volod fell in love with a girl names Nikita. She gave birth to their daughter Tanya. I was so happy for him and his family. I wished them ever lasting happiness. Tanya liked me a lot. All children like me. Volod had told me of his desire to leave the crime business. Serge had welcomed the idea with a smile. Only if I knew what lay behind that smile.

 

I had to go away for a work soon after. They all killed Volod and Nikita. They didn't even spare their small daughter. I came back and was shocked and depressed to hear the news, but I was serene like always. I never used to share my problems with anyone though rarely with Volod before. From inside, the feeling of revenge started to grow on me.

 

When Volod was gone, I suddenly felt alone. I realized that a man is alone in this world. He has to fend for himself. 'Friends' may help only to some extent, but they choose to look after their own interests when it comes to it, except for the rare ones like Volod. The reason I never shared my problems or secrets with anyone was because the misery of one only delights others. I never trusted anyone in my life except in case of Volod. No expectations meant no disappointment. I believed in taking things in my own hands when justice needed to be served. I had to take revenge. I had to ensure justice. Volod's friendship demanded it.

 

I saw opportunity in that Chernobyl mission. I doubted any documents would be there at all because some time had passed since that reactor accident, but I made my plan to take my revenge in the isolated town. It was me who followed Ivan in that room and pushed him off from the wall opening. When we reached Pripyat, I made them drink my Vodka in which I had dissolved sleep inducing pills. Lev was having difficulty opening his eyes when after 1 hour I got up. I told him that he can exchange with me and I will be on guard. In another instant, I told him that I heard a voice from the next room and asked him to check the next room with me. Serge and Petro were sleeping. I didn't know if pills were strong or not. I had dissolved only a few pills to not change the taste of Vodka much. Lev wanted to wake them up, but I told him that first lets check it ourselves as it could just be a dog or some other animal. When Lev and I reached the next room to check it out, I hit Lev on head with the Vodka bottle. Dragged him outside and hung him dead from a tree. I came back. I could have killed the two sleeping persons then and there, but Serge had locked the guns and key was with him. I didn't want to take risk hitting them with Vodka bottles or some other thing as they were two. Moreover, I wanted to see their horror stricken faces when they will wake up the next day and will find Lev. I waited for the next day and slept.

 

I should have taken my chances then and there because next day my plan almost foiled when Serge pointed his shotgun at me. I think Serge suspected me after he realized that all of them had slept for too long. He must have suspected something in the Vodka and thats why came through the window to question me. He was about to ask me about Vodka on the point of his shotgun. Petro saw him running after me, followed him and after seeing the inside scene suspected him to be the killer and shot him. Then I had to send Petro near to his friend Lev.

 

Tanya, I will keep this letter near your grave. Your dad was my great friend and now you would have grown to an 8 years old girl had these heartless people not killed you. However, now you can lay calm in your grave. I have done what was needed to be done.

 

THE END

 

Author's note:

This story is based on the following pics story: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/31174642

It is my personal favorite, but I am just submitting it as an unofficial entry and thus not for the contest because here people don't read long stories. I saw that Jettythegod was bored with love stories so I decided to write a thriller.


Edited by return_to_hades - 13 years ago
Posted: 13 years ago
Unofficial Entry #2

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/1414743?pn=6

 
In a fast paced, selfish world, its the forgotten aged parents who need that 'hand of yours' - a hand of strength and assurance assuring them that they still have their own to stand by them, in their hour of need. This poem is dedicated to the dilemma of many of us across the seven seas, far away from our parents, wanting but unable to reach out to them.
It is a dedication to those, who have given up their lucrative careers abroad and returned to be part of a more important selfless obligation -a return gift to their parents for making them what they are today and finally a dedication to all those who are experiencing Parkinsons directly or indirectly and are fighting against it, for afterall, its collectively - A Battle To Be Won! 


A battle to be won

Holding his hands to stop them tremble
Nudging him to have another morsel
I dwell over his life from 'then' to 'now'
He is God's choice, I wonder how?

I look upon his photograph
With medals on his uniform
He exudes both strength and serenity
Lived his prime life with pomp and dignity

Tears drop from my eyes on the frame
Blurring the glow in his face
I realize with anguish
Parkinson's has engulfed him at a fast pace

He is a frail body, a distant from a soldier
Now forgets to take the next step, any farther
To lift his foot, I coax and nudge him
A sudden spurt of soldier-spirit
Makes him step forward
Nullifying the situation, so grim

Where he is, he suddenly forgets
It is a temporary memory lapse
Stands gaping at nothing for hours
Holds the railing with a firm grasp
Wanting to get his life back
Nescient about his bowel movement
Pegging his life's predicament

Each day is a new beginning
A challenge!
For a normal day's yearning
Walking the greens while I hold his finger
His eyes shine, in a body so meager

Taking me back to those days
When I was a toddler
He held my hand
To make me walk, he found new ways
He fed me the last morsel at night
With dreams in his eyes
To see his son grow big,
And reach the skies

No matter what I accomplish
Whatever I may do for him
The years of his that he gave me
Has left me indebted to the brim

Least I can do is give him company
Be part of his life
Share his happiness and agony!
I shall be beside you
For you are my father,
I am still your son
Together we have a battle to be won!

Edited by return_to_hades - 13 years ago

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