Holding a piece of paper in his hands he stood under the crystal cerulean wide sky with a devastating look in his eyes for several minutes, outside the building where he must be working. I stood opposite to him, staring at the sheet which is crumbled into his big red hands with white knuckles as he was clutching with his great strength. He was fair-skinned, tall and handsome too. Brown eyes shining in the glare of sun rays, black hair and mouth closed in a thin line. It was a frigid day of December and impassivity was grasping this part of the earth with its enormous pressure. A whiff of wind came from nowhere swaggering around us like enrapture to be present to witness the spectacle which is going to occur soon. But there was nothing unusual except me staring with wonder in my eyes into the eyes of that unknown man, like searching for some glories but the glimmer was not there just harsh inciting appearance. He looked into the distance with the same expression and then he sighed, clenched and unclenched his hands rubbed his palms into his jeans turned and disappeared into the building. The crumbled paper lay there on the pavement and I was enchanted for some reason by his presence in my existential surrounding but knew better than approaching him or the paper, so I kept walking towards my destiny.
A year later, when I was secure and sturdy professionally perpetual at my job and from stance i can previse my prospects unravelling, however, there was affliction in my eyes maybe impuissant to utterly relish my life because of my fear for change. I was satisfied with my present way of life, having a one-bedroom apartment at a reasonable rent and which is also close to my office. What else do I need?
But things get complicated slowly with each step growing unknowingly and entangling the entire life of someone when they are at a steady stage…………………just to make you hop and flinch in the journey to maybe fulfil your life’s purpose.
So, one day unconsciously I crossed the path with the mysterious man (by the way I have given him that name because of mysteries he holds around him) in the library where he was sleeping while at the same time some journals were opened near his head. He seemed exhausted from the burden he carries in his heart, peacefully slumbering with his open mouth and breathing deeply (I bet you all are wondering how can I remember him so long, that same question still lingers in my mind.)
I sat across from him at another table with a book of poetry, well that book was consuming me and at the exact moment filling me with curiosity about the reality of the world. That book was asking me to challenge all the beliefs I have believed in. And so while reading that from time to time I was glancing at him too. For some reason, I wanted to converse with him and I wanted to know him. I don’t know if I’m attracted to him or I’m just curious about him. While I was flipping through pages, I got lost in the bottom of my memory lane and recalled when I first saw him. I forgot to keep track of him and he took off and only remained in an unoccupied chair where he was sitting.
Why in God’s name do I want to keep track of a stranger?
Honestly. I don’t know.
After completing the book I stood up and strolled into the literature section of the library for finding something which can pique my curiosity and then there was a book in brown and light purple colours with printed words, “Let each phrase create a New World” and that is what seized my attention. But it was on the upper shelf and I was ineffectively attempting to reach it, I looked on the floor for a stepladder to reach up to take that book but there was nothing in that section. I descried at the bookshelf and then my mind was racing faster than sperms would run towards ovaries to survive. The air was sucked out of my lungs and I was unable to breathe because when I looked once more towards the book it vanished like swallowed by the wooden shelf or by other books. I searched everywhere in the exclusive section of the library but I didn’t locate it, this whole thing was eerily making me remember that stranger I saw a few minutes ago, fascinated by him and how I find him disappeared leaving behind a deserted seat.
I packed my things up more rapidly than I ever did and ran from that place. Outside in the shadow, he was standing looking indifferently into the distance may be the pouring water from the sky which I noticed another ominous sign for me to keep a distance from the captivating aura which he has menace dangling underline everything he exists for. With no umbrella, I was hesitantly standing under the shelter outside the library with the man and praying or screaming silently to God to help this once and stop the rain. After a few minutes, he stopped glaring in the distance and start staring at me like the first time noticing me standing with him. The rain stopped at last then he looked last time at me, I was giving my best to not look at him the entire time but ultimately, I got crippled and peeked at him. He smiled at me beautifully and took off. Deserting me in hollowness with more questions than I had when I first time noticed him in the street.
Two months passed and I was still stuck at my job. Well, there is nothing wrong with my ongoing job but it was too good and now it is becoming boring for my brain cells. There is no tragedies or twists in life where I can walk at the edge of life-or-death, there was no drill to life. Tomorrow, we are welcoming our new boss. So, I have lots of work and things to arrange and organize for our new boss. Well, our former boss who worked in our company for 40 years, had died from a heart stroke and after his funeral, we got the news that his stepson is going to be our boss who was working in another publishing company.
Sitting at my desk wondering about our new boss, something moved in the peripheral of my eyes I focused and saw my colleague Maria waving her hand in front of me with a frowning expression. When I saw her, I smiled brightly and asked what happened, she passed new few files and started blabbering about current problems in our offices which for me are just everyday problems which are not a bit interesting for me.
After a few minutes, my eyes suddenly shot up from the papers which I was scanning for any mistakes and looked at her because now she was saying something about our new boss. She said, “You won’t believe it, as you know I can get any information about anyone who works with us directly or indirectly (which I don’t know why she thinks it’s an admiring habit) I have some amazing information about our new boss.” Now everyone’s attention was on our side and looking directly at Maria inquisitively.
She continued looking happy at new attention which she was getting,” He is charming doubt but he has a complex personality, no one in the previous company liked him, someone said he can be so unpredictable that they almost lived in fear of getting fired or quitting their job due to his personality, they all have to bear it in the end. But on the positive side, he increased their sales by 30% in just 3 months.”
Everyone was now wondering how much it is and how they should get ready for someone like him. Then she profoundly added “Of course, he has a nickname they call him ‘Screwy’. Well, of course, it is us who we are talking about nothing which we can’t handle, right? I’m excited.” she declared and disappeared behind her desk. Leaving me confused about whether I should be excited or afraid about it. I should reflect on the words I said about me getting bored, but now I think tables are going to turn. I left work at 5:30 p.m. and travelled in the metro to visit my sister’s house which she bought recently and having a housewarming party today, she invited me and couldn’t say no because that’s what I do mostly.
I’m a mixture of emotions reacting to internal chaos on regular basis. I’m so involved in my own mind space that I have little time for other people. In sense of human beings who are ‘social beings’, I too crave human interaction but until my mental limits to comprehend and tolerate other people’s actions and words, then I shut myself in. Then again they say something and do something else. I am a person who lives in the world of imagination from books, movies, and series and even I make fictional scenarios in my mind in the present consciousness. Now. Maybe you think I’m nutjob to be like this living detached from the world’s reality. Everything goes on in the world from which are insignificant in the whole picture, in the higher purpose of our life. We are so attached to the meaningless notion of our living which fogs our minds and hearts’ path.
At present, I’m walking slowly into a dark alley and suddenly being aware of the surroundings I started to look again at the location which my sister send to me. Unaware of what is going to happen next, I turned at the curve of the street and came across the main road but it was still abandoned by the souls (well, physical bodies, I think here are wandering lost souls). Across the road, there was a tiny restaurant and shockingly I was looking at him, the man who keeps crossing paths with me sinisterly. He was in blazing anger which is flowing from his eyes into his facial expression. After that everything happened too fast, he was standing there staring at the man, who was standing opposite to him.
Then he slapped the man with so much force that he stumbles backwards and fall to the ground. In fumes, he walked and vanished in the darkness of a nearby alley. Too shocked to react I was staring at the man who lay on the floor. Shaking myself virtually I run towards him to help him from the floor but then I turned and run towards the dark alley. Something told me, to keep the mysterious man company because foreboding sensations were now running through my nerves. Walking faster and hoping to catch him in the darkness. I discern a knot tightening into my belly, something is not quite right. Now running on instincts, I turned a few times got deeper into the labyrinth of alleys. I discovered him slowly walking and with a board straight back in the darkest route, he seemed okay relived I moved one step closer to approach him but I halted, confusion overtook my sense, I realized what I am going to say to him even if I talked to him.
Glaring at him again with an odd look in my eyes. I saw something shifting ahead of him in the darkness. Then a man came with a knife in his hands towards the mysterious man and attacked. With fast reflexes, I Ian to stop the attacker, pushed him and hold the sharpest side of a knife in my naked hands. Now blood pouring I Looked directly into the attacker’s eyes. Madness was swirling in his eyes, sneering at me he tried to pull the knife from my hold but failed. Protective about the mysterious man I tried to think about something to distract this man from hurting anyone but then cackling menacingly he put full force and pulled the knife out. Now pain hit in my right-hand palm, wet gloaming red liquid pouring on the dry road.
He tried to attack again but this time at me but someone caught him from the back and knocked the knife out of his hand which fall on the road somewhere in the darkness. And he found himself on the knees, at the same time ambulance came with the police. Sirens and lights blurring visions, I fell unconsciously but someone grabbed me right when I was about to hit my head on the road.
Knowing nothing I lay there. Don’t know for how long. Just peacefully laying there, lost in my pleasant dreams.
ETERNAL EPITOME 