#2

I forced him to shave his face, but he hesitated. I wondered why? He even said no to take bath.
“I don’t need a false face, so I don’t like to be perfect in front of anyone.” He grinned.

      He invited me for a walk and took me to a valley. There I found a numbered stone, and it was marked as number one. I have been made mute, I found a beautiful stone art below that number, a lady. It stunned me.

      “My first wife, I lost her.” He murmured.

   “Where?” It came out only due to my immense curiosity.

  “She climbed top of the hill and became a stone.”

   “Crazy?”

   “She loved my wealth more than me. I said my wealth is stored atop hill.”

   He smiled. I twitched my face and turned around to walk away.

   “One day, there’ll be stars instead of women. Men will become most creative by then.”

He was screaming.

                       (Continues…)

– Rakesh Raghavan

#1

When I found him, he was walking around a big stone. Everyone in the market was staring at him. He passed a cool smile to them. He neither uttered a word, nor looked at the stone but just kept walking around it. No one dared to question his act. They stood there, closely observing his doings. Suddenly he bent down to take a small stone and started scrubbing on the big one. I wondered what his actions meant, but how shall I ask him? His outfit was so daring. Moustache, beard… Some one screamed. ”He is mad…!” and others lashed out with insults. But he continued what he was doing. I started analysing his movements. I realised something weird and unbelievable. It was just like an Indian marriage. His incessant movements made me cry. Why did he marry a stone? I stepped forward and embraced him. All murmured that it was a foolish act. I hold his hand with love and sympathy, and took him home.

                   ( continues…) 

– Rakesh Raghavan