Blaze

A small innocuous glint, an inconsequential spark. Easy to miss. Best to extinguish it then. A shadowy flame once in a while. A glowing ember. Think nothing of these. Aberrations.

More eruptions, so frequent that the timing between them blurs. They feed on each other in savage frenzy. The flame builds. There is no destroying it now.

Hungry, the fire seeks any opening to expand, to take over every fiber, every dark corner a starving welcome. Spanning, hunting, devouring. Unbiased destruction.

No death for this fire, except death itself.

Reflections

As I looked at myself in the mirror, the mirror slowly dissolved.

Business Acumen

Manasi wanted to know why I was so exhausted yesterday. I told her I was in a 3 day class. My conversation with her:

Manasi: "Why did you go to class? Because your manager asked you to?"

Me: "Yes, he asked me to so I can do my work better"

Manasi: "You were doing your work wrong?"

Me: "No, I am doing it well, but he wants me to do it even better"

Manasi: "What did you do in the class?"

Me: "We played a game on how to run a company"

Manasi: "Did you win? Did you make money?"

Me: "Yes, our team won and we made 340 Million dollars"

Manasi (with a sharp intake of breath): "I love you papa!! How did you make so much money?"

Me: "We made lots of things in our factories and sold them to people"

Manasi: "Teach me to play"

Me: "Sure baby, go to bed now"

Flash

I almost sensed it an instant before it happened. A cold dread filled me. I could feel my testicles start to shrivel. Was this it? So simple? So sudden?

Why me? Why now? I trembled and knew that I had lost control of my bladder. It was astounding. How easily one gets scared. I always thought I was brave, but now fear pervaded my being. I had never been so terrified and so self pitying.

I looked all around. There was nothing around me but the horror clutching at me from without and within. I let out a thin whimper…or was it a wail…

What was I going to do? The options went through me and were all dismissed. I didn’t want this but where would I go now?

Minutes went by and I didn’t do a thing. I was still sweating like a horse after a race. I didn’t realize I had so much fluid in me. I had to take my mind of this thing.

I started thinking about my life. It did flash before my eyes! It was a good one. I had always done well and had never any reason to complain. Not that I had ever thought about it until now. The perspective seemed different now. Mundane events in my life that I thought were of portentous significance and earth shaking tragedies suddenly seemed inane. What the hell had I been so bothered about! Life had been good!

Strangely, the sweating stopped. I wasn’t afraid anymore. A sense of calm slowly took over. Maybe this was for the best. I actually smiled. Everyone I had loved was gone so what was left for me here?

Anyway, it’s not like I had any choice so might as well be brave about it. I was not going to close my eyes. Desperado! Bandido! God, I felt good. I’d never felt so confident and happy in my life.

My smile widened. I knew I looked silly. But I didn’t care anymore.

Slowly and deliberately I extricated my foot from the land mine….