Glass Half Untouched

I live in a well, a dumping well, like the dumping grounds you have. And I can tell for a fact that I saw it coming. Let me start at the beginning. Our well was gigantic, with no definite ends. Well, we definitely knew it opens at the top. Because things used to fall from there.  We never saw the top with our own eyes. But we knew it existed because we saw the things fall. Unused, broken, discolored, disfigured things. There were books, pages, letters, flowers, leaves, and whatnot. Along with flora, there was fauna. There were also beings, souls, tears, emotions, memories, and thoughts. We have seen it all, over the years, from the ugliest to the most beautiful journeys of the fallen. There was a spiral passage inside the well to go up and down. Our houses were just behind the spiral passages along the walls. We had neighbors on both the sides. To go anywhere, we used to walk along the passage but we never walked the longer distances until it was absolutely necessary. If needed, we...

  “Maa… Maaaa! I am making tea. Will you have some now or later?” Maa sometimes shared a cup of tea with me in the late afternoon. I shouted this question while already holding a vessel under the tap. There was no response. The vessel was filling fast.  "Maaa" "..." "Maaaaa" "..." "Mummyyyy" "..." I reluctantly shut the tap and left the vessel on the countertop to see what my mother was doing. It was unlike of her to sleep at this hour and especially such a deep sleep which didn't get disturbed with my first call. I went to look for her and checked the washroom first. Perhaps, she was not able to answer because she was inside. She didn't like answering her name calls while she was in the washroom. Apparently, the ‘whole building’ need not know that she was in the washroom! Not finding her in the washroom, with peaked interest, I went to her room and there she was!. In a corner, with her back towards...

  Glass  half  overlooked Link to Part 1 -  https://glasshalfuntouched.blogspot.com/2020/08/overlooked-series-parts-0-1.html Link to Part 2 & 3 -  https://glasshalfuntouched.blogspot.com/2020/09/overlooked-series-parts-2-3.html Link to Part 4 -  https://glasshalfuntouched.blogspot.com/2020/09/overlooked-series-part-4.html 5.  Let go (December 2017) Today was the day. There was nothing particularly special about the day. It started out like any other day except maybe she woke up a little bit happier and lighter. She could not think of any particular reason behind it. Maybe she was just tired of the haunting shadows, maybe she had consumed an extra pill of courage last night, maybe she just wanted to end this year unapologetically, or maybe a combination of all of the above. Who cares about the reason! What mattered was that she had a good feeling about today. Almost 19 months had passed since Charu had suggested that they become friends. It was ...

  Glass  half  overlooked Link to Part 1 -  https://glasshalfuntouched.blogspot.com/2020/08/overlooked-series-parts-0-1.html Link to Part 2 & 3 -  https://glasshalfuntouched.blogspot.com/2020/09/overlooked-series-parts-2-3.html 4. They meet (May 2016) Charu rushed to get to the office. Why is the t rain so late today? Bus…bus is late!! I am standing near the bus stop. What is wrong with me today? She glanced at her watch again and again, without actually seeing the time, thinking about what she will do once she reaches Seva Sadan. What is the time? She finally glanced at her watch to actually register the time. She smiled to herself thinking she will go mad one day juggling all these chores. But whom was she kidding? Though she was flustered, she definitely wasn't frustrated with it. Instead, she was ecstatic. All she ever wanted was to be self-reliant and encourage others to do the same. Now, she had it all. Her simple yet not so simple life was bliss. ...

Glass half overlooked Link to Part 1 -  https://glasshalfuntouched.blogspot.com/2020/08/overlooked-series-parts-0-1.html 2. A letter (June 2015) Dear Charu, It feels strange to write 'dear' before your name since we hardly know each other. And I have deliberately kept it that way. Because somehow, I feel like it doesn't matter how much we bond. I know that I can never be truly honest with you about how I feel and what I want. Not just about us but about everything. I can't be honest to anyone for that matter. Please don't take it personally. Please don't take any of this personally. And this marriage... Huh... I can't even say don't take this marriage personally. I wish I was brave enough. Brave enough to accept myself. Brave enough to say yes to myself. Brave enough to say no to this marriage. Brave enough to give this letter to you. Brave enough to save you from this quicksand. But how can I? I couldn’t even save myself. I am not even br...

  Glass half overlooked 0. A r equest This is something new that I am trying out. It will be a series of short stories. The numbers in the title will let you what part you are on. This is just to help you keep track of the series, in case I post other blogs in between, or if you start from say, 2nd or 3rd part. You can always go back and check out the first part. Although the stories are fictional, the quotes supporting the stories are real sentiments of really brilliant and non-fictional personalities. Feel free to search these names and their accounts. There is more to it. You will notice traces of transphobia in, around, and all over these stories. Trace those traces. Don't be afraid to trace them to yourself. I know you have those traces because I have them too. I grew up with transphobia and I have to admit that writing these stories, while acknowledging & keeping those biases at bay, was a difficult task and a learning process. So, if you are a trans person or an...

"Sujay...my boy... How are you?" I turned as my name was called and saw my boss approaching. "I am doing well sir. How are you?" "Good. Good. Tell me, are you enjoying the party? Have you eaten anything?" "Yes, sir." "Good... That's what these office parties are for. Eating and drinking,” lifting a glass in his hand, he continued, “I hope, Seema is here too. I always tell you to bring her and you never listen to me." "No sir, it’s not like that. But she is here today, sir." I started looking for my wife and found her standing exactly behind my boss at a distance. She was talking to a man. I didn't seem to recognize him. "Ummm... Sir, I think she has already made a friend here". My boss, who had followed my line of vision, looked back at me. "Well, that's good. Because I have brought someone to meet you so you can have a friend of your own". "Razaa, can you ...