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She cried herself to sleep pretty much every night. The voices inside her head would never quieten down. She would be laying in her bed with her eyes closed, but her mind had never settled for once in a long time. How did she know that her mind was running way ahead? The tears running down her face showed it all. Ava’s life was way too different.

Endless nights of wet pillows with muffled sobs and tossing and turning. Will the sun ever dawn on her, she always wondered. Days passed, so did months. Who knew she was having such a hard time battling with her mind. Plastering a fake smile seemed far easier than taking the pain to explain all that she feels only to be turned down as a joke or labelled “crazy”.

The only way she found to escape her mind was by collecting used pen barrels. Some would collect stamps, some collect coins, some collect comic books and even classic cars. But who thought of pen barrels?

During weekends, she’d spend all night meddling with her pen barrels. Her mother would peek from the door, look at her daughter sit with papers and pens. Unravelling the mind on to the paper she’d thought but, our girl was different.

Writing her mind down was something she had a flair for but for an introvert sharing the same was not. Moving into the new school, she walked in with all the nervousness and shivers one would generally have. But little did she know, things were about to take turns. Bumping into Nikolas was never a mistake after they’re beautifully grown friendship that budded from the bump. Nikolas would visit Ava’s family often, the friends became inseparable. Ava was certainly not what she seemed, Nikolas was the living proof to that statement. Ava’s mother was too busy to notice what was up with Ava’s life. But now she had Nikolas, who pretty much covered the shift for her.

Many months later, Ava decided to show him a secret that she had been keeping from almost everyone. The two of them got together at this diner that they called “their” place. They sat together munching on fries and sipping cola. Ava pulled a blue-green coloured opaque box out of her sling bag. Their eyes met in excitement as they opened the box together to find a massive collection of pen barrels. Nikolas’s eyes brightened as he picked a bejewelled barrel and opened it to try writing on the tissue on the table, except they never wrote.

He looked up at her sceptically when she slowly pulled the pen out of his hand. She was grinning as she twisted the barrel open to reveal a little scroll of beige paper that fell out of it. He opened it to read one of the most heart-wrenching pieces of writings he’s ever come across. It read,

“Only if people listened to humans as much they listened to ghosts, there would be lesser ghosts to listen to”

03.05.10

The paper was light in his hand and a few words were smudged, he knew what they were. It dawned it on him as he looked down into the box, all the barrels were opaque and wondered how many treasured thoughts it contained. Slowly, they started reading more barrelled scrolls together. There were too many barrels. So they’d read five barrels every weekend at the diner. It became their ritual. Ava and Nikolas confided in each other. People would have shipped them in school, all the way from middle school up to the senior year in high school. They had a lot to risk if they paid heed to it. It was moreover like a gamble, they’d either have all they would ever want or they’d end up losing everything they had and never wanted to lose. Who knew they might have ended up together. But fate certainly had other plans.

One winter weekend, Ava reached the diner half an hour earlier than usual. Her mum didn’t notice. She walked into the diner and seated herself at their usual spot. To while away some time, she rummaged through her barrel collection and decided to open one when a little paper peeked out of the cushion beside her. She pulled it out and it was one of her scrolls. Confused, she opened more of the barrels inside her box. Only to find them empty. She froze in shock, it could only mean one thing. She felt like her world had come crashing down, she felt like she was exposed with her writings out in the world unknown.

She picked her stuff and shuffled out of the diner when she briefly met the last person she wanted to meet. “Get away from me!” she said, as she walked out with tears brimming at the corner of her eye. A little scroll fell at Nikolas’s feet, he realized what must’ve happened. Before he could run to her to convince her, she crossed the road and was run over by a speeding car. The entire world froze for Nikolas. The box of barrels was thrown on the street and the scrolls from the opened barrels flew into the sky. Only if he kept no secrets or if she had known what Nikolas was up to.

***

At the funeral, after the ceremony, Nikolas gave a handmade album to Ava’s mother who opened the book to find beautiful writings penned down on beige papers which was stuck neatly. Some were smudged and some were scribbled. But a little warmth spread as she saw them all signed. One-piece especially caught her eye. It read,

To my mother who sculpted me, I may not be exactly like you.

But I know beneath these flaws lay an etching of you.

-A

As for the writings that flew into the air, a few were published in the local gazette as “The Flight of Thoughts.” The mother saw what her daughter was in little scrolls of beige that was the talk of the town. This time it was someone else’s chance. She saw that indeed it was from her that her daughter had incurred the thoughts. She cried herself to sleep pretty much every night.

Amber came back from office at 11 pm. She was totally tired. And she was like now I should rest. She had her dinner and

went to the bathroom, filled the tub with water and laid down just to relax.

Amber was enjoying the bath with her eyes closed and she was starting to feel relaxed.

After some time Amber opens her eyes and looks at the ceiling.

The roof was made of wood and was very old. It had a lot of cramps and were also broken in some places.

Amber kept staring at the ceiling for some time when an eye appeared from a hole.

Amber felt scared and didn’t feel right. That eye kept looking at Amber with fearful eyes.

Amber then took courage and slowly got out of the bath tub without any fear. She got dressed and went straight to the police station.

At the station , none of the police officer believed Amber’s words, so Amber felt disappointed was returning from there . While going back she met a retired police officer, whose name was Dan. Amber tells him the same scary eye story and shares her fear with Officer Dan. Officer Dan, someone who lived near Amber’s house some years ago, understood her problem.

He immediately reached Amber’s house along with the police team and conducted an investigation.

After probing for a long time it was found that there is a small room on the top of the roof and there a woman committed suicide many years ago.

Since then the spirit of that woman haunts the people living there.

The police team together decided that this house should be burnt so that no one should face any further problem.

From that horrific incident , Amber changed her house and started laughing and being happy.

It was a beautiful day in the small town of Millfield. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. A group of friends decided to take a hike in the nearby woods and enjoy nature. They packed some snacks and drinks and headed out on the trail.

As they walked, they chatted and laughed, enjoying each other’s company. However, as they reached a clearing, they noticed that something was off. The trees were dead and the air had a strange smell. They decided to investigate and walked towards a small cabin that was hidden in the woods.

As they approached the cabin, they heard strange noises coming from inside. They hesitated, but curiosity got the best of them and they decided to take a peek. What they saw inside left them speechless. The cabin was filled with high-tech equipment and gadgets that they had never seen before. It was obvious that someone had been using the cabin as a secret laboratory.

As they were trying to figure out what was going on, they were suddenly ambushed by a group of armed men. They were taken captive and brought to a secret underground facility. There, they discovered that the men were part of a government agency that was working on a top-secret project to create a time machine.

The friends were shocked and confused. They had no idea how they got involved in this and why they were being held captive. However, as they spent more time in the facility, they started to uncover some dark secrets. They found out that the government agency was not only experimenting with time travel, but also with mind control and other unethical practices.

Just when they thought they were doomed to spend the rest of their lives in captivity, they discovered a way to escape. They managed to steal a time machine and went back to the day they started their hike. However, when they arrived, they were surprised to find out that they were not alone. They saw themselves walking towards the clearing, ready to investigate the cabin.

It was then that they realized the truth. They were not just victims of a government experiment, but also part of it. They had been sent back in time to test the time machine and see if it worked. The whole hike and the discovery of the cabin was just a setup to make them believe that they were in danger.

The friends were shocked and angry. They had been used and manipulated by the government agency. However, they also realized that they had the power to change the future. They decided to use the time machine to prevent the unethical experiments from ever happening and to expose the truth to the world.

I am bisexual. I finally accepted my true self. It felt like a lifetime had led up to that point. Every step, every thought, every effort, all led up to a single statement that would alter everything. Coming out was a voyage of self-discovery, acceptance, and, eventually, liberation. One evening, I asked my mom and papa to sit with me. My heart was racing, my hand were shaking, there was constant sweat on my forehead. 

The air in the room was thick with expectation, as if it sensed the gravity of the truth about to be disclosed. I inhaled deeply and let the words flow, my voice barely above a whisper. “Mumma, Pappa, I am Bisexual.” They were in shock for twenty minutes. No word from them; just silence in the room. 

As my parents pondered what I had just said, seconds felt like hours. My mother’s sobs broke the stillness gradually but steadily. She stretched out, tightly grabbing my hand, her eyes filled with love and worry. “Ashu, don’t worry, we love you no matter what; you will still be our son. Yes,  it’s hard to process, but we are here for you.”

My father, who had hitherto remained silent, cleared his throat and looked at me with a mix of perplexity and understanding. “It will take a while for us to fully grasp this, but we love you.” We will always be available for you. Never feel alone, bacha.” A great weight was removed from my shoulders at that moment, and it was replaced with a sense of relaxation and acceptance. I was afraid of losing my family and my support system, yet their love got stronger. The weeks that followed were filled with endless talks, questions, and tears, but we became closer as a family through it all.

Coming out to an orthodox Indian family, who were always homophobic, was not an easy thing for me at all. But it was only the beginning of my journey; it was not the conclusion. It instilled renewed confidence in me, allowing me to accept my genuine self without apology. I felt a bit more liberated and a little more real with each person I spoke my truth to. 

Ashutosh Joshi

A young and inquisitive teenager named Rehaan once lived in a small village. He had always been fascinated by illusions and magic. He would spend hours reading literature on the subject while keeping hopes of one day being a well-known magician. Rehaan found a historical, dusty book in his home’s attic one fine day. The book was packed with magnificent drawings as well as knowledge about old illusions. He enthusiastically began to read the book, eager to learn and practice the strategies it included. Rehaan learnt that the real charm of illusions lied not in the tricks themselves, but instead in their ability to convince people that something was real while it wasn’t. He understood the power of illusions to occupy imaginations, create wonder, and transform perspective. Rehaan made the decision to do a magic show for everyone in the neighborhood after discovering new knowledge. He spent days and nights practicing his tricks of hand, developing complicated props, and improving his illusions. The downtown area was filled with expectation and excited whispers on the day of the performance. Rehaan entered the venue as the locals gathered. He started his presentation by combining a number of confusing illusions with a mischievous smile. He carried out impossible card tricks, made things vanish and reappear, and even gave the impression that he was hanging. The audience’s eyes were wide in shock as they gazed in amazement. They were in awe of what they were experiencing. They couldn’t help but question their own perceptions because of how persuasive and real Rehaan’s illusions seemed to be. A sense of mystery and magic had been skillfully established by the young magician. Rehaan, though, experienced some sadness as the show’s ending came near. He understood that though his illusions had held the audience’s interest, he hadn’t really shown his own magic—the magic that lived in his heart and dreams. He hoped they would see his manipulation and admire the love and care he had put into his trade. After coming to this realization, Rehaan created one last illusion, one that would not only amaze the audience but also leave them with a deeper message. He breathed deeply and stepped forward to begin the grand finale. Rehaan created an eye-catching show of lights and smoke with the wave of his palm. When the smoke cleared out, he appeared before the crowd dressed less like a magician and more as a young dreamer with big dreams. The surprised locals had a newfound comprehending in their eyes. They understood that despite the fact that Rehaan had tricked them with his illusions, he had also imparted to them a priceless lesson about the strength of dreams and determination. This encouraged people to pursue their dreams and work hard for it no matter what.