DP Daily Prompt: Twilight Zone

What I am about to write may sound meaningless, but to me it makes a lot of sense.

A while ago I went to Boston with my family. We had to take care of something and felt it was the right place to get our answers. We were staying in a hotel.

One of my relative was living in Natick at the time . She found out we were in Boston,she sent her husband to take us to her house. My husband was not in favor of it. I thought it was only a matter of a few days what’s the harm. So we went. This person was not at all pleasant,I am mentioning her because she is the most important part of the puzzle.

While we were there she called her brother, he was not well, we didn’t know how sick he was, at least I didn’t. During the phone call he mentioned about his life insurance, he said she was his beneficiary ,but  after his death she should divide the money among all the siblings. This relative said to me, “he is talking about his life insurance and I should divide the money between the siblings.”

A few months after this incidence the brother died. This woman took out  the death certificate and got the money from the insurance company.

I reminded her what the brother said before he passed away, she ignored me and send the message to everyone accusing  me of black mailing her.

Anyway a few months after his passing, I had a dream, in my dream I heard the door bell, I opened the door and it was he, he had a large blanket over his head, I asked him why he didn’t come home at night and where was he. He told me he went to the doctor because he was having problem with constipation. I clearly heard the toilet flush.

When he sat down I told him about the insurance, he smiled and said,”I told her to share it with the rest of the siblings.”

I told him to write a letter  and mention what he said, but the date should be when he was alive.  I saw him writing something he gave me the paper,in it I saw a sketch of a bride and groom,I don’t know who they were. He wrote a whole page, I couldn’t read it.

When I woke up it was six in the morning. I told my husband about it.

It was unbelievable what I dreamt!

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/daily-prompt-twilight-zone/

Writing Prompt: First light

The first thought that came to my mind was snow. These days all I can see from my window is snow and lots of it. I was thinking let me see did the guy block our driveway again.

You know what that means blocks of snow as hard as rock completely blocking ours and everyone elses’ driveway. You get up in the morning to enjoy tea or coffee and breakfast, but oh no you think of how you’re going to shovel this. So the pleasure of having breakfast is gone.

We turn on the T.V there is more bad news, we are expecting more of the white stuff, and it is going to be a blizzard, it will continue till the next day. What’s worse is the news there is another system getting ready to hit us.

I turn off the T.V. , I say nothing new snow again. Then the question pops up in my mind,will it ever stop?

The result of all this white stuff is the roads are narrow, the sidewalk is slippery, the mailman doesn’t bring any mail. There is nothing to look forward to,but heaps and heaps of the white stuff.

You no longer have to dream about a white Christmas but you might at this point change the lyrics and sing, “I’m dreaming of a green Christmas,where the tree tops are full of leaves and the children breathe a sigh of relief and say,”Oh look there is no snow anymore.”

Isn’t it lovely to see the gorgeous sun,the green grass and the colorful flowers and birds singing?

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/365-days-feb28- first light/

Writing Prompt: Comedy of Errors

“Beverly my darling wake up now you only have a half hour to get ready,have breakfast and run to catch the bus,”

her Mom bellowed !

“But It’s too short a time to do all that,can I skip school today?”

“No You certainly cannot” her Mom yelled.

Beverly was having not so great a day,her alarm clock didn’t work, she was late getting up,Mom wouldn’t give her a break.So what if she skipped school just one teensy- weensy day, she thought. She grumbled through getting dressed,  eating breakfast, now she has to literally run so she does not miss that miserable bus, she was angry. As she was running she saw the bus whiz by her to the stop. She raised both her arms for the driver to stop a few more minutes so she could catch up and get on the bus.

As luck would have it,the bus driver was having a bad day,he refused to stop until Beverly could catch up. Tears came rolling down her cheeks, Why was this happening to her, why does everyone hate her.

She realized she does not have enough time to pout,she needs to get herself together and run fast before the school bell rang. When she was almost in the school,the bell rang , she dropped her school bag on the mud. She had to clean it or else Mrs. Hilton will lose her mind.

It happened what she was afraid of she was ten minutes late. Mrs. Hilton was furious, she said, “Beverly you’ll have to stay after school ,this is your punishment for coming in late to school.”

Could this day be any worse? she told herself.

What will happen when she goes home late today she wondered, maybe to add to my misery Mom wouldn’t leave any food for me.

“Okay God, looking up she said, can you see I’m not punished anymore,I’m tired and hungry.”

She cried some more,suddenly she heard a loud screech, she looked up and there was her Dad looking at her.

“Beverly what happened I was so worried when you didn’t come home I had to go looking for you,I am so glad I  found you.Let’s go home,dinner is ready,your Mom is waiting,”he said.

The thought of food and Mom wouldn’t punish her felt so good, She burst out crying,and said ,”Oh Dad I’m so exhausted, I want to go home.”

Thus ended Beverly’s bad luck!

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/02/27/365-days-feb27-Comedy of Errors/

DP Daily Prompt: Let’s Dance

My earliest and fondest memory of dance was in a movie I watched when I was barely eleven. It was a classical Indian dance. The dancer was wearing a beautiful silk sari. It had to be worn in a way to avoid getting in the way of the delicate steps she took while dancing. I’ve heard it takes a long time to perfect this art. I love how elegant the dancers look.

After that I have watched ballroom dancing which is pretty artistic.

Lately I watch figure skating when there is a competition. I am  amazed how elegantly they glide on ice.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/27/prompt-dance/

Writing Prompt: Happily Ever After

Am I living happily ever after ? My answer has to be yes and no both. I have to go back to the question I read in “Moral Science”, Can man be perfectly happy? the answer was and still is,Man can be happy to some extent but cannot attain perfect happiness.

Yes I’d say I am happy to some extent but not perfectly happy. Am I living happily ever after, I did for some time but not now. What will it take to get there? When I join,Iqbal,Rumi, My parents and all my wonderful friends and relatives, also the people who entertained us with their heart and soul. I will say I am living happily ever after not in this world but the one after.

http://sabethvillewordpress.com/2014/02/26/365-days-feb26-happilyeverafter/

DP Daily Prompt: Sweet Dreams( Are made of…

Sweet dreams are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. I have day dreams, which gives me great pleasure if they turn out as I want them to be.

There was a time I dreamed about living in a country other than my own. The political situation,the constant worry of living in a place with fear, was diminishing my  patriotic spirit to a point where I was having nightmares, I was looking for an opportunity to get out and live somewhere I could live in peace.

The opportunity although some might call weird I grabbed it. Now what was grand about it, I married a man who lived in North America, who  had a decent job. That meant I won’t starve, there won’t be general strikes, procession by students, or someone robbing us.

It was a beautiful city, I met a lady soon after I came. She and I became good friends,each morning we went for long walks  to get fresh air and also much needed exercise.

I watched the first snowstorm which paralyzed the city. It was not as bad as frequent strikes and turmoil in my native land.

People were friendly, my husband’s boss was a delightful gentleman. When he heard I intended to learn driving he very gently told me not to practice on his street.

There were a lot of new places to see and enjoy. I relished living in a country other than my own.

A year later we moved to a different province,my husband got a job in a small town of ten thousand people. I was lucky I was hired to teach in a local elementary school.

It was not all rosy, a colleague of mine was jealous when she found out my salary was higher than hers. She was never nice to me. I carried out my duties the best way I knew. The kids were excited to have me as a teacher. I had long hair, I wore a sari to school, I was different. The other children had  Mrs Hill, Mrs. Fogarty, Mrs. Bluebell and so on.

I was Mrs. Nasheman, they had a bit of trouble pronouncing it , the unique name made them happy. If you ever teach kids you’ll find out how unique they themselves are.

My dream is fulfilled I am so happy!

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/daily-prompt-sweet-dreams/

How to Escape the Claws of the Grammar Police

The Daily Post

If superfluous commas, misplaced apostrophes (looking at you, it’s/its, they’re/their!), and sentence-ending prepositions make you flinch in horror, you’re in the right place. We take grammar seriously at The Daily Post; my fellow editors and I can often be found quibbling and nitpicking over tenses, modes, and — you guessed it — punctuation. Good writing, though, isn’t merely about adhering to rules. It’s also about knowing how and when to break them. Today, let’s talk about grammar — and the kinds of liberties you might consider taking with it.

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DP Daily Prompt: We Got The Beat

I’ve never been in a band ,but I am thinking of an imaginary one, I’ll need a guitarist,a bassist, a pianist and a drummer.

My guitarist is: Billy

Bassist is           : Scott

Drummer   is : Neil

Pianist         is : Me i.e  Ranu

I want to be the pianist because it’s the only one I can play a little. Rest of the instruments are ones I’ve seen but never even touched let alone play.

I’d have to convince my band to play : Old Macdonald had a farm ,EIEIO

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/daily-prompt-we-got-the-beat/

Writing Prompt: Cliche

Yes I truly agree cliches become cliches for a reason. There are lessons we learn from them,which is why we still use them.

My experience with ,”A bird in hand is worth two in the bush,”  has taught me lessons I wouldn’t have learned otherwise.

It happened when I was looking for a teaching job. I got one of the jobs I applied for. I was uneasy about taking the job,because I thought if I accept it I may not be able to explore other possibilities. I kept thinking and put my acceptance letter on hold. The authorities wanted an answer within a  couple of days,I wasn’t overly anxious to tell them I’d take it.

When I didn’t see any other job prospect, I quickly wrote my acceptance letter. Unlucky for me when the authorities failed to get an answer from me, they thought the obvious i.e.,she is not interested. They reopened their file  and gave the job to the applicant next on their list.  I was left in the cold,well how’s that for,”A bird in hand is worth two in the bush,” I told myself. From then on I took any job that came my way, teaching I mean!

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/365-days-feb 25-Cliche/

An Accidental Meeting

I was walking down the lane minding my business,suddenly I heard a loud screech, it brought me back to reality. I turned around to see who was making such an ugly noise, and there a few yards from me was a giant monster. He resembled Sasquatch.My heart was pounding fiercely thinking this creature would take me by my neck and kill me. I turned and kept running and breathing hard, fear  made me run faster without looking where I was going. There was a loud crash! I bumped into a trolley carrying fruits and vegetables. The contents went flying and I was hit by a flying potato . Before I opened my mouth,I heard  a shrill voice.

“Hey you stupid moron where do you think you’re  going so fast,Use your eyes, look what you’ve done, all my produce is scattered everywhere, it’s hundreds of dollars worth of fruits and vegetables I was going  to the market to sell.”

“I’m  sorry miss, I thought that giant beast would kill me.”

“What giant beast are you talking about, I don’t see anything here?”

“I swear I saw it,  it was only a few yards from me, I had to save myself, so I ran.”

“Are you hallucinating,  what kind of drugs are you on?” She said.

I never take drugs,why does she think I do,immediately I remembered  my friend Harry  gave me a cup of coffee ,I drank it and was on my way to see my aunt. As I was walking  I felt uneasy, I had no idea what was happening to me, I hope Harry didn’t intentionally add something in my coffee, could he, nah he wouldn’t, last time  he pulled a gruesome prank on his sister,he was grounded for a week . I told myself maybe the excitement to see Aunt Hilda after so long is the reason.

“Listen here buddy stop daydreaming and help me pick up whatever we can salvage,” she said.

“Okay, I really am sorry,  I am Kevin, what’s your name?”

“My name is Sangita, I live close-by, my Mom sent me to the market to sell these,How will I tell her more than half of the produce is ruined,come with me so you can tell her it’s your fault.”

I had no choice I agreed to go,I thought I’ll  apologize to her mom. She turned out to be an exceptionally kind lady, she wanted me to   have lunch with them, she cooked some delicious vegetables and served it with Naan. After lunch I thanked them before leaving and  promised  to see them soon.

Months passed after that incidence I forgot about Sangita and her mother.

I met them again in a shopping mall, where I went  to get something  for my  aunt. After checking in at the drug store, I bumped  into  the mother and daughter , I  made excuses why I didn’t visit, but my voice didn’t sound convincing enough, Sangita’s mother came to my aid, she said she understood kids like me have a million  things to do and he only met them once,it was too much to expect him to remember them.

Her sweet words made me feel guilty, I at once volunteered to go to their house. Sangita’s mom was happy, but her daughter was not. I went with them to their house, Sangita was  quiet I wanted to win her over and talked about my latest invention, the black hole. She was not interested.

An hour later Sangita’s Mom brought a tray full of samosas for me.  These tasty treats made my mouth water. I had an urge to grab the tray and start eating,I checked myself this was only my second day I should not be greedy.

Sangita sensed how eager I was to eat she brought the tray close I was about to take one but she turned around so fast the tray with the treats flew from her hand and struck her mother who was coming with a cup of tea, the cup with the hot tea fell on the floor, the broken pieces and the tea made a mess on  the floor her Mom slipped and fainted . I called the ambulance within minutes the paramedics came Sangita’s mother and I were on our way to the hospital.

Sangita sat on the floor. She waited for someone to tell her what to do next.

This is my submission for speakeasy #150

word count: 733