Shhhh…

“I hear something,”

“I can’t hear anything..."

Shhhh…

“--listen!”

“Can you see--”

“--that!”

“Oh…..Wait--”

“--it’s gone..”

A dark, rugged, almost disheveled outline

lurks--

--in the corner of my eye.

Perhaps it is a person,

someone... I recognize?

Could it be,

someone I once knew?

Or, maybe it's someone I just can’t seem to place?

That face.. If only I could get a closer look--

--that sharp chin protrudes,

almost... snarkily..

Like its jeering..

...At, (I think), me?

And..

..That walk--

--the way those steps are paced..

One foot after the other, slow yet--

--purposeful (?)

I can’t really tell,

who’s following me?

Whoever it is--

--or, rather, whatever it is

seems to know me.

There’s this feeling,

I can't seem to shake..

You know? Or maybe it’s just me...

It’s indescribable..

It’s like a mask, like the first layer of my face…

As if it’s been peeled back, except--

--it’s not just one mask or just one layer…

Rather, it’s like... I’m bare.

Bare.

Not sure if that actually captures it--

--but it’s a feeling,

of being known..

Of not having any cards to play…

It’s really bugging me..

Who or what is this--

--entity?

(I’m not even sure what to call it, or her, or him..)

Am I special? Is it just following me?

Or does everyone have their own--

--special... friend?

(let’s call it that.)

This special friend seems sinister..

Almost scheming,

waiting, as if to pounce,

on a moments notice..

On who? Honestly...

I think it's waiting for me..

(But, why?)

I look around..

It seems so silent yet--

--not the silence of absence,

rather the silence of hushed tones,

suppressed feelings,

hurt yet veiled emotions..

I look closely..

And maybe it’s just me, but I feel--

--better? Maybe, I mean, just a little,

at least...relatively.

Why this sudden change? Suddenly,

I feel so calm.. (I think…)

I can see.

I can see others..

I mean, more ‘special friends’...

It’s not just me--

--there are so many, and they seem to be--

--I suppose, stuck to every person I see.

Some people, seem to have not one,

but two, two special friends..

Actually, some people seem to be, err,--

--I guess, popular…

I wonder, do I just have one?

Or maybe, there are more,

will they join me?

If I try keep walking..

Let’s see..

I quicken my pace,

I try altering it, taking different paths,

I try to fuse the outline of my special friend with others

(You know? By trying to walk close, and skirt buildings and crowds..)

I start glancing around,

trying hard to be discreet..

I don’t want them to know,

that I’m looking.

(can they see? would they know? I’m not sure

exactly..)

It almost seems like they’re onto me..

It seems I have more..

Or at least, I have grown somewhat of a...

...following (?)

They match my pace,

and seem to encase me..

Or rather, encase my outline..

I actually like this, it’s like.. I have friends..

Real friends, only ones I can see.

It’s strange.. Hmm, let me try think about this, or rather,

about them--

--I need a minute.

(seconds later)

Oh.. bad move.

I try to project my voice, make it loud,

unwavering, fearless…

I don't want them to know. (that…

..I know, I made a mistake.)

“Can anyone hear me?”

I hear echoes...

...echoes of laughs, cries, and shrieks.

I can’t shake it.

I can’t shake them.

My mind. My head, rather, feels…

..heavy, faint, light, rejuvenated, and, honestly,

kind of awake...

But… it hurts,

a lot.

I have no cards to play,

No moves.. Where do I even go?

I can’t go home, I think they’d follow me.

Or maybe they are already there, or others may be there,

you know?

Waiting for me..

I thought this was good, I made peace,

these friends, seem to know me.. they know

my thoughts, my feelings, and...

...actually, I think they can even

hear my heartbeat.

I look around, trying hard to soak in

whatever I can see, I don’t want them to take that

away from me..

Can they do that? (I’m not really sure.. )

I want to wonder, how others feel.

Or how they are coping.. You know?

Like other people, like me..

But. I can’t wonder, I’m scared--

--to think.

To have thoughts, as...

...my mind, it’s exposed. Bare.

They are growing stronger, at least I think.

They have this--

--this, power..

It’s captivating, fierce, and rather compelling.

I can’t resist, really…

...maybe if I stick with it,

it’ll get better?

(minutes later)

Open, bare, exposed--

--land is all I see

in the distance…

..I can’t find my home.

Do I have a home? Or, rather, did I?

I dared to wonder:

Where are all the people?

And...err, ‘special friends’?

I see…

...shadows,

(I think?)

But no people, no special friends,

just shadows.

I look up, and...

...I see clouds, but--

--no sky.

Strange.

But..

..I can hear.

(Like, a lot.. And,

actually all at once. Multiple voices..

Maybe the same echoes from before, those--

--laughs, cries, and shrieks)

It seems so distant, yet so close,

to me, you know?

(I mean, they, the shadows, they seem so distant

yet close, to me, physically..)

But, I can’t seem to get close enough,

It’s like they’re special.

Aloof, but somewhat above..me

(?)

They seem organized, like more than, err--

--you know, people?

Like they’re in sync.. Their thoughts and bodies are..

..one.

Dare I think: they are happy (?)

But.. how? So exposed, so bare,

so…. Singular...

(I guess maybe they seem so independently singular,

yet, err--they're... a unit, you know? The way they..

..operate (?))

(hours later)

It dawns on me…

I, too, am one of them.

I look down, I see..

..a dark outline and a stark cast of gray shades, projecting

onto flat gravel. I, too, have been

consumed.

The crowd had gathered to celebrate in feast. They drew up close around a roaring and crackling fire. From its vortex burned vivid reds which singed themselves into the night atmosphere in a euphonic hum of cinders. Guiding the mood, stroke by stroke, the village bards beseeched their souls for diversion of emotion into the medium of instrument, propelling the minds of the society at hand into their influence. They strummed vivaciously and ecstatically, propelling the town into an active ease. The aroma of food lazily drifted across the banquet, arousing the excited and joyful villagers into unbridled mirth. They gathered round closer to the fire in a hoard, readying themselves to dance.

Each raised a single hand towards the fire with their elbows bent at right angles-

A twirl and then a sidestep away-

A spin clockwise,

Counterclockwise,

And then three steps around the fire,

Shifting the now concentric circles of structured dancers in unison.

In their ensemble, they all leapt away from the fire, and then dove forward towards it,

Spinning nimbly as their feet landed in its gentle and yet coursing warmth.

As their movements grew more swift, guided constantly by tradition, osmotic knowledge, and the musings of a catalytically born society, the bards took full control of the pace, guiding the village as a whole in a hypnotic trance.

All Stepping in-

Out and forward-

Bounding hands raised-

Floating undauntedly into fire-

Darting away gracefully in glee-

Spinning,

Stepping,

Spiralling in smiles-

Spinning,

Coursing,

And Bounding-

Leaping and Shifting,

Stepping forward,

Backwards,

And finally aside.

The village followed the song, drumbeat by drumbeat, entranced by its undulating sequence of waves and lulls. In their minds sat not a single doubt of their chosen footing, nor of the set of events that brought it into being. They remained stoically joyful, bounding eternally and enchantingly-

Forwards,

Backwards-

And now spiralling,

Finally bounding aside.

The bodies sat around the distant table, listening in on the sounds of a lulling and omnipresent tune. In complement to its thrumming, a chorus of subjugated villagers hummed in joint satisfaction, their steps drumming up animation in an air-bound melody-

A song of simple devising, echoed from inconstant and uninspiring musings until it was propelled into the traditional canon.

A song that could give definition to their shadows and maintain their society in its throes of Death- or was it Birth?

Or Both?

A song to which all could dance and sing to, especially once reinforced by commonality.

A song of unity, and yet a song of division-

One that would ensure divisions remained in just the right balance that their desired unsteady and yet eternal unity could be assured.

Birth and vitality; patriotism and identity; culture and literature; musings and thought; language and home- all of it pointed without fail to the tune and called out to the villagers. To this they responded as they knew how- with humanity, manifested in emotion and improvisation. To this they responded in joint joy and blended mirth-

Spiralling,

Spinning,

Bounding forwards,

Backwards,

And undauntedly into the volatile fire.

They fearlessly saw its grip and danced within it,

Ever aware of their limited action,

And yet liberated by understanding of their limitations.

Uncontrollable,

Untouchable,

Bounding and bounding,

Undauntedly,

Undoubtedly,

And Eternally

Into the fire.

They 3D printed a complete human today out of pewter and petri dish guts. We can all stop wondering what this world is coming to. Supermodels gave up, curled their nude bodies into fetal positions and rested their woeful heads upon fieldstone as the rest of nature crinkled into shiny plastic wrap. Blurry-fur Siamese kittens scratched Chinese characters in the sand with diamond tipped claws as time spooled out, revealing quantum string theory reality. Mobius sculpture has become all the rage. Electromagnetic microwaves chrome plate grocery store shopping carts, and turnstiles allowing only one per customer. A scarecrow hitchhiker wears a bolo tie and plays banjo while sitting on his suitcase at the side of the highway, waiting for his next ride. In the middle of the night, a nursery-rhyme-full-moon rises above a lego built city. Bandy roosters from a hippie commune evolve into asexual quadrupeds and return to the sea. Vast herds of sheep are branded with a red, all seeing Illuminati eye, then free-ranged to circle pyramids, exchanging chants of Om for Baaaa. A tired circus elephant is ordered to stand in the corner as townies bounce stale marshmallows off his back. A seven year old child poses for his drivers license ID photo with a tin pot twined on his head. Teething one-year-olds and cloned mastodons, soccer moms and John Singer Sargent, all fossils in the supermarket ice cream novelty section. Oh, it's very, very clear what this world is becoming.

# Catalysis of Culture challenge #prose #distopian #surreal #lampoon #sci-fi #william calkins

When we were studying engineering, all my friends used to wear long skirt and blouse. Only I used to wear maccis, pant-shirt and Punjabi dresses and all.

One day I said, "I don't want to wear sarees at all"

For that, my friend said angrily, "Will you wear macci only always? In future, you have to wear sarees." in a wry fashion.

The time was like that and I too was feeling somewhat hesitation to wear them as also inferiority thinking that they are not suiting me as I was a little fat.

Afterwards, we all completed engineering and got dispersed. After some years, all married ladies also started wearing churidars means Punjabi dresses. I was stunned to look at them. Thereafter every married lady started wearing the same suit.

I was teaching at one Banglore Institute of technology. There, in one class one girl wore long skirt and blouse. Among others, she was looking so odd. I thought in mind, "How the world transforms! Once upon a time, this dress was alright. Now it looks odd and explains the story of "Odd one out.""

I looked outside the window

It was a Creeper Seville

Very slowly, a man appeared

He rolled down the window seal

He looked around , He looked some more

He kept looking, looking all around

No telling what he was looking at

So, I went outside to look myself

Well he looked with squinted eyes

No telling what he was seeing

Then I got the right look from his eyes

That told me, I’d better be fleeing

So, I took off around the block

The Creeper Seville was gone

Just as I slowed down

From straight up the road

I saw it creeping , what I saw ...

It was the Creeper Seville

I knew I had to take off

A toe into the dash

I stole into a run

It was the fastest I’ve ever run my ass

I ran it hard and heavy

I walked a little to catch my breath

I smelled smoke

I heard something popping off

Right there at the corner

In a bang out , broken down

What I was looking at ?

It was the Creeper Seville, it’s self

The man inside appeared again

He rolled down the window seal

He looked around

He looked at me

“ Hey Man, can I get some help?”