Tales from the Neverbeens

That shadow has been following me since the evening. It's one of those shadows I've always seen in the corners. Of tree trunks and leaves, of walls, of poles and of men. But then it was different too. As if it was moving among the still shadows, as if it rustled among the silent shadows. As I walked along the street the shadow seemed to be following, ever getting a fraction of an inch closer. As if it was bound to reach me very soon but not yet. I gathered the most courage I could and led myself forward. Blind to the time past and ahead. Just getting as close to habitation as I could. The shadow somehow seemed to have a great resemblance with loneliness. But this dark thing was alive, and I knew it. And the street seemed to never end. Other shadows of tree leaves seemed to flutter: of climbers seemed to reach out to my ankles to bind my feet. Ever so close. Yet not reaching me yet. It took me the most part of an hour to reach the place where I could see a house.  It was a lo...

Meditation is one of the first things I do in the morning. Everyday. But last night I was particularly disturbed. I felt as if some strange thoughts had taken upon themselves to not let me sleep peacefully. And I decided to meditate late past midnight. I sat down on the bed, crossed my legs, put my hands on the knees and closed my eyes. I began my journey inwards. Stars and galaxies flashed before my eyes. Those were the thoughts I was having in my mind at that time. I tried to find out the ones that were disturbing me. But then there was something else that made me uneasy. I could feel a presence around me that I had never felt before. I opened my eyes, and saw a pair of black eyes staring at me. A broad face of a lady with an expression that was so blank that it made me feel it was born just to stare at me. And the face did not have any body too. It was just suspended on nothingness. In fact, I realized I wasn't in my room anymore. I was in a black sky covered with stars and g...

I board this train daily. It passes though paddy fields, lakes and forests. Quite a scenic route, but a very isolated one. Only a few sporadic stations along the way, and only a few of them appear to be manned. On one of these stations, everyday, I see a man, a woman and a child of ten or so board the train. Over the days, they have caught my attention, for more reasons than one. For one, the man and the child are always the same, but the lady is always different. Never have I seen the same lady board on two consecutive days, or for that matter, on any two days ever. And the lady always looks depressed. I can almost imagine a stream of tears along her cheek from the distance. It was only today that I got a chance to talk to one of them. For the first time they were seated in my berth. We were seated in complete silence for a while. I stole a couple of furtive glances at them, but did not put any query. Yet. At once, the little boy demanded to be taken to the washroom. The man sudden...