Oh Frank, did I tell you about Frank? The one who could make dull moments magical? The one who could turn every phrase into something silly, something smart, something so clever that you had to laugh! Oh Frank, who could look vulnerable but had a mind that could bend spoons. Frank and Aladdin had one thing in common - they both could show you the world...shining, shimmering, splendid....!
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Erich Segal
I revisited two books by Erich Segal - Doctors & Acts of Faith. While they certainly could not match his Man Woman & Child or Love Story, I liked both these books as a teenager because of its elaborate details on the life of medical students & life led as a Jewish or Christian kid.
The characters symbolized for me love of a format that was more valuable than the first surge of hormones or just plain boy meets girl. The love described in both had innocence yet complete awareness of each other as people first. While Tim & Deborah were separated in faith though similar in ambitions, Barney & Laura were similar in profession yet separated by their platonic friendship. Hence each of them had their reason to maintain their relationship as they did.
Reading these books after a very long time, I realize that they were just OK books but I had my reason to like them enough to remember them.
I do not feel the same about his book Prizes. Though the track of Jerry & Isabel had captured my imagination.
Looks like I did go on a buying spree after reading Man, Woman & Child - my personal favorite. Liked it better than Love Story.
The characters symbolized for me love of a format that was more valuable than the first surge of hormones or just plain boy meets girl. The love described in both had innocence yet complete awareness of each other as people first. While Tim & Deborah were separated in faith though similar in ambitions, Barney & Laura were similar in profession yet separated by their platonic friendship. Hence each of them had their reason to maintain their relationship as they did.
Reading these books after a very long time, I realize that they were just OK books but I had my reason to like them enough to remember them.
I do not feel the same about his book Prizes. Though the track of Jerry & Isabel had captured my imagination.
Looks like I did go on a buying spree after reading Man, Woman & Child - my personal favorite. Liked it better than Love Story.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Jeremy
Jeremy was a star. His appearance in a room suddenly brightened everything. His being oozed a sense of purpose and determination. His laughter added so much fun! Everybody wanted a part of him. Everybody was in awe of him. He knew his effect on people and would shamelessly use it to get his way. He could be a bit selfish and self absorbed but no one complained - he had the best retorts in town! His compliments could boost anyone's ego for they were quite sincere indeed. But his insults were legendary - always made the best stories with drinks. Jeremy would waltz in and out of social scenes as a deft dancer, leaving a string of fans and foes behind - with no in-betweens.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Summer Play
As he stopped to think, memory provided some places and people as company. The road was second from right. It turned into a quite corner and ended in a group of trees. His house was right there - an old, wooden structure with rust color paint, peeled at places to make a peculiar pattern. Memory plays games - it was brighter and bigger in his thoughts. It must have been a sad, small place. But to him, it was home - warm and comforting to his bones.
He could even see to this day, his sister Alice holding the wooden post that held their little patio up, waiting for him to come home. Those days he was working as an apprentice at the local lumber shop. Earlier that summer, his dad had made him join it, to make him earn some extra bucks for the house. He did not particularly love the job. The problem was he did not hate it enough. So he was chugging along, thinking of it as a temporary summer job. Somewhere he knew, this was not his future, yet he had no clue of an alternative that he could live for. But his parents thought otherwise.
He could even see to this day, his sister Alice holding the wooden post that held their little patio up, waiting for him to come home. Those days he was working as an apprentice at the local lumber shop. Earlier that summer, his dad had made him join it, to make him earn some extra bucks for the house. He did not particularly love the job. The problem was he did not hate it enough. So he was chugging along, thinking of it as a temporary summer job. Somewhere he knew, this was not his future, yet he had no clue of an alternative that he could live for. But his parents thought otherwise.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Missed the Point
A cygnet was born to a duck family. And eventually it became a swan. That is not the point of this story.
It is the story of the duck family. And how they failed to notice a swan. And how they tried every possible method in the book to make that cygnet, a duckling. And how they gave up.
How they missed the point.
And how a duck was born to the Swan family and how they too missed the point.
It is a pattern of sorts that I can see in these lives.
It is the story of the duck family. And how they failed to notice a swan. And how they tried every possible method in the book to make that cygnet, a duckling. And how they gave up.
How they missed the point.
And how a duck was born to the Swan family and how they too missed the point.
It is a pattern of sorts that I can see in these lives.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Of A Kind
She rushed up the staircase searching, looking for someone who could help her. Anyone. This was panic at its peak - she had to do something so vile that she dreaded it and yet, it had to be done pronto. In her flurry of emotions, she could not think of anyone who could help. The place was so crowded but it could have been an empty office on a Sunday night.
In the corridor she saw him, just about to turn into an open door. There was a vicious air about him. His companions looked more like co-conspirators, in a hurry to leave. She ran towards them just out of having nothing better to do. These were the kinds she had always dreaded and yet only they could have understood the urgency looming over her. The moving crowd made it difficult for her to reach to them. He had almost turned into the door when she caught his eye. Her face betrayed emotions her words could not have explained in such a short time. He stopped and turned. His companion touched his shoulder. This was not the time to waste.
She stopped few steps short almost in tears now. Tears of relief - because he had stopped. He motioned his companion to go ahead - he would be joining them in a minute. As he came towards her in a couple of long strides, all he asked was "What happened?".
He noticed that her eyes were brown. All these days, they had steered clear of each other's presence. It was a matter of principles and what they did. Each one in their heart of hearts knew that the other cannot be convinced - perspectives after all differ. But it was fine - they could co-exist as long as they did what they had to do. And he noticed that her lower lip pouted when she cried. "Like a baby" he thought.
He did not know exactly how to react to this outburst so he guided her to the nearest pillar next to the wall - it shielded her from the looks of strangers in the corridor. And then he muttered "OK fine, what do I have to do?". Her head jerked in his direction and now she was suddenly quite. She had not expected this nonchalant attitude to her grave issue. Her mind raced. But then knowing him she also knew that he meant it to a certain degree.
She blinked. She felt relief flooding all over her. She was suddenly calm. She felt like giggling. Only he could have this affect on her. Unexpected. She looked up to his waiting face and he could see that her mind was made. And his eyes widened in disbelief.
In the corridor she saw him, just about to turn into an open door. There was a vicious air about him. His companions looked more like co-conspirators, in a hurry to leave. She ran towards them just out of having nothing better to do. These were the kinds she had always dreaded and yet only they could have understood the urgency looming over her. The moving crowd made it difficult for her to reach to them. He had almost turned into the door when she caught his eye. Her face betrayed emotions her words could not have explained in such a short time. He stopped and turned. His companion touched his shoulder. This was not the time to waste.
She stopped few steps short almost in tears now. Tears of relief - because he had stopped. He motioned his companion to go ahead - he would be joining them in a minute. As he came towards her in a couple of long strides, all he asked was "What happened?".
He noticed that her eyes were brown. All these days, they had steered clear of each other's presence. It was a matter of principles and what they did. Each one in their heart of hearts knew that the other cannot be convinced - perspectives after all differ. But it was fine - they could co-exist as long as they did what they had to do. And he noticed that her lower lip pouted when she cried. "Like a baby" he thought.
He did not know exactly how to react to this outburst so he guided her to the nearest pillar next to the wall - it shielded her from the looks of strangers in the corridor. And then he muttered "OK fine, what do I have to do?". Her head jerked in his direction and now she was suddenly quite. She had not expected this nonchalant attitude to her grave issue. Her mind raced. But then knowing him she also knew that he meant it to a certain degree.
She blinked. She felt relief flooding all over her. She was suddenly calm. She felt like giggling. Only he could have this affect on her. Unexpected. She looked up to his waiting face and he could see that her mind was made. And his eyes widened in disbelief.
At the Prospect
"Head for the door", someone screamed and a mad rush overcame the group. They forgot the camaraderie that had been almost forced upon them by the flagrant situation and ran for their lives.
Jim chuckled. He had counted on this reaction. "Fools!" he muttered and headed towards the back of the room. He was never in the favor of having a troop so divided - in spirit. If it was upto him, he would have handpicked the able bodied men from his old settlement and worked out a plan. But High Command had insisted that they needed numbers rather than head-strong men at this crucial hour.
He leaned against the wall and slowly reviewed the now empty room. His expression was saddened. He wanted to move but he was dejected. He knew this was coming all along and somehow it did not matter any more. He drew a cigar from his left pocket of his warm coat and scrummaged for the lighter in his right one. He had some time to savor this last bit of luxury and he was thoughtful as he drew his first drag.
He could hear the cries that filled the streets and they brought him back from his reverie. He moved briskly to extinguish the only lamp to his right. The room was draped in darkness. It could be a matter of minutes. They would come in and take him away. He could run out and expose himself to danger or stay in here and take a chance. He settled for the latter.
As he waited, his mind filled with the most trivial of affairs, he thought of why he had never learnt to dance. He knew he could not do that to save his life. He wished he had died last winter when he caught that bad case of influenza. That would have better than being arrested, now wouldn't it? May be they won't kill him after all. May be they will not even consider him to be important enough. He pondered laboriously as to why he should not die - he could not recall a clear reason to live. He had seen it all, done it all and forgotten none of it. But somehow living seemed harmless compared to being dead in sometime. What if he can kill himself now? He was not strong enough to do that - he smiled wryly. His state of mind seemed very casual as he slowly turned each thought around in his head and this seemed to please him greatly.
Death could only be the one thing he had not experienced and he might as well present himself to this latest opportunity. So he took long puffs and settled on a chair in the corner, as he waited and soon got lost in his thoughts.
Jim chuckled. He had counted on this reaction. "Fools!" he muttered and headed towards the back of the room. He was never in the favor of having a troop so divided - in spirit. If it was upto him, he would have handpicked the able bodied men from his old settlement and worked out a plan. But High Command had insisted that they needed numbers rather than head-strong men at this crucial hour.
He leaned against the wall and slowly reviewed the now empty room. His expression was saddened. He wanted to move but he was dejected. He knew this was coming all along and somehow it did not matter any more. He drew a cigar from his left pocket of his warm coat and scrummaged for the lighter in his right one. He had some time to savor this last bit of luxury and he was thoughtful as he drew his first drag.
He could hear the cries that filled the streets and they brought him back from his reverie. He moved briskly to extinguish the only lamp to his right. The room was draped in darkness. It could be a matter of minutes. They would come in and take him away. He could run out and expose himself to danger or stay in here and take a chance. He settled for the latter.
As he waited, his mind filled with the most trivial of affairs, he thought of why he had never learnt to dance. He knew he could not do that to save his life. He wished he had died last winter when he caught that bad case of influenza. That would have better than being arrested, now wouldn't it? May be they won't kill him after all. May be they will not even consider him to be important enough. He pondered laboriously as to why he should not die - he could not recall a clear reason to live. He had seen it all, done it all and forgotten none of it. But somehow living seemed harmless compared to being dead in sometime. What if he can kill himself now? He was not strong enough to do that - he smiled wryly. His state of mind seemed very casual as he slowly turned each thought around in his head and this seemed to please him greatly.
Death could only be the one thing he had not experienced and he might as well present himself to this latest opportunity. So he took long puffs and settled on a chair in the corner, as he waited and soon got lost in his thoughts.
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