The stairway circled the mall
Like a haunted house ,
Far away sounds , cradled like echoes Like a haunted house ,
Like they were lost in time . . .
LOST ! It hit me just then - I was lost ! Lost in a mall - searching for a wedding gift . Finding an "appropriate" gift was herculean .Finding the EXIT seemed just as impossible . . . .Hot-blooded Indian men do not ask for directions . My ego wished I remain lost ;and to my ego I always listen.
Far away from prospective customers radar was a shop,sharing a wall with the generator room. Its name board read "D" on a plain white background . "Last try", I told myself and pushed the teak door open.
Far away from prospective customers radar was a shop,sharing a wall with the generator room. Its name board read "D" on a plain white background . "Last try", I told myself and pushed the teak door open.
"Welcome Sir , how may I help you? " , Morgan Freeman stood behind a counter top .An Indian Freeman with a cheshire grin on his face . I was glad he dint wear a white suit . You see , I was tired and worn out , not quite the right mood to have a chat with "GOD" . And Morgan Freeman with a white suit was GOD .
The room itself was dimly lit . Cobwebs clung to posters of beaches with bikini clad women, treasure chests , gadgets and fancy cars . There were a billion posters ; one over another hanging loosely to a tiny patch of wall . The rest of the shop was empty except for a creaky old chair in the corner of the room .
"Do you sell anything here ?? "
"Of course ", Duh !! yes , u idiot , "We sell dreams !! "
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
He put his hands up in exasperation. Muttering under his breath , he bent beneath his table and turned a few switches . . . . click,click,click........ brightness and hue changed with every turn . Soon the shop turned into a scene out of a driveway , tall palm trees on either side . Mr.Freeman wore a Hawaiian shirt and beside him materialized a race car .
"Bugatti - turboprop under its hood , don't you recognize it??" , he said faking a seductive voice
I walked towards it as if in a trance and touched the shiny red metal . Heat from its engine sent tingles down my veins . I got behind her wheels , and whirred her into ignition . Soon Mr. Freeman was nothing but a dot in the endless road of reality behind me .
Palm trees turned into beaches , beaches into buildings , buildings into temples . It was a pleasant drive , no suicide squad on the street, no motor bikes swerving their way in. It was just me and the road . I was the king of the world , I was God .
*****************************************************
I was in a palatial chamber . Red curtains with golden embroidery adorned the walls . Girls in silken sari's held sweets in their hands and smiled. Bipasha and deepika padukone (albeit , a bit out of place) were dancing to "muni badnaam hui" in front of my throne . A few others were there too in a deep and serious discussion with me . I was smiling , my legs stretched over a cushioned footrest , juggling a golden coin between my fingers . I stood up pocketing the coin into the depths of my pockets . Expectant eyes laid on me , some even bowed their heads down . I cleared my throat . . .
"That would be 5000Rs , sir " . . . . . . The dancers popped out of existence , the chamber maids left too , my palace and the throne followed . . . Freeman was grinning again .
My friend got no wedding gift , but later that night when I checked my pocket there was a gold coin with my face minted on it . . . . .
Palm trees turned into beaches , beaches into buildings , buildings into temples . It was a pleasant drive , no suicide squad on the street, no motor bikes swerving their way in. It was just me and the road . I was the king of the world , I was God .
*****************************************************
I was in a palatial chamber . Red curtains with golden embroidery adorned the walls . Girls in silken sari's held sweets in their hands and smiled. Bipasha and deepika padukone (albeit , a bit out of place) were dancing to "muni badnaam hui" in front of my throne . A few others were there too in a deep and serious discussion with me . I was smiling , my legs stretched over a cushioned footrest , juggling a golden coin between my fingers . I stood up pocketing the coin into the depths of my pockets . Expectant eyes laid on me , some even bowed their heads down . I cleared my throat . . .
"That would be 5000Rs , sir " . . . . . . The dancers popped out of existence , the chamber maids left too , my palace and the throne followed . . . Freeman was grinning again .
My friend got no wedding gift , but later that night when I checked my pocket there was a gold coin with my face minted on it . . . . .
