New Year

The morning seems like late night.

The noon sun shines ever bright.

The haze dissolves as dusk falls

to once again blur my sight.

Tailor

 

The tailor sits on the street

zealously stitching away.

He hums to the sewings’ beats-

black, blue, green, purple and grey.

People come to stitch their clothes-

rush and are in a hurry.

He takes his time to reclothe,

and mends the torn and weary.

A smile replaces their frowns

but he cannot crown a clown.

Chatter

 

Chirps of the birds wake me up-

a new day has just begun.

Steaming coffee the sleep slurps-

labours of the day summon.

Radio blares known and unknown.

Once a sweet voice now a noise.

Truth varies from picture shown,

and tells you you have a choice. 

I seek mews of a seagull-

mills and trains sound a bugle. 

The Park

 

An old man comes to the park everyday-

strolls in the mornings, sits in the evenings.

He observes people - has little to say

for he dwells on the past and its meaning.

The swings swish, the seesaws go up and down.

Joggers and children run around the park.

Some come looking for romance, some to clown.

And some just loiter around until dark.

He used to sit and soar high on those swings,

and sit on the seesaw with that cute girl.

They would chase butterflies with golden wings,

and eat ice cold candies till their heads swirled.

Now, sitting on the bench memories flow-

Leisurely he mulls over, life runs slow. 

The Surface

 

Face is an ugly disguise

where something else is written.

For what you feel otherwise

you have kept it well hidden.

But if you let your desires

flow and rise to the surface.
The face, a beauty acquires

that forever truly stays.

Alter not to mob-uproar.

Let the heart roar, the soul soar.

Gamut

Gamut of grapes lie scattered-

each with its secret flavour. 

Their colours do not matter

for the taste one should savour. 

The sweet ones would blend deeper 

to give a delicious buzz. 

And the sour sometimes appear

as a luxurious fuzz. 

Our emotions are like grapes-

varied colours, taste and shapes. 

Purple Disc

 

One fine morning Michael was walking on the beach when he spotted a disc half buried in the sand, Not sure what it was, he gingerly touched it with his shoes. It buzzed, and slowly lifted itself out of the sand, Michael stepped back. He could see now that it was deep purple coloured disc. He couldn't make out what it was but it looked harmless. By nature and by profession, Michael was a mathematician and a scientist. Taking a deep breath he picked it up, It was damp and cold, It buzzed again and Michael dropped it, He was curious enough but not bold enough yet. It landed on the sand but flew back again in his hands. This time Michael hesitatingly held it. Michael looked around as if it could be someone's plaything and had lost it. What a lame thought! Seeing no one to claim it, he put it in his pocket and walked back to his house to examine it more closely.

Michael put the disc on his work table and stared at it. Now, he wasn't sure what to do with it so he kept staring at it, half expecting the disc to talk to him.  And sure enough the disc buzzed, lifted itself a bit and sat back. Michael blinked and went closer. He saw a few blurred red and green lights blinking. He picked up the disc. The disc sat nicely in his hands, almost too cozily. When he looked more closely, his mathematical brain now working, he realised that the lights weren’t blinking randomly. In fact, the red light blinked thrice, then the green light blinked four times, then there was a very light beep, almost inaudible at first, then there was a pause and then the same pattern continued. The purple disc was telling him something. Michael thought for a while and then tapped the pattern he had observed on the disc with his fingers. To his excitement but not much to his surprise, the disc buzzed and slowly opened its mouth making a sound as if an old cave door was opening after ages. The oyster was about to reveal his pearl.

Two jaguar-eyes opened from its mouth, and seemed to stare at Michael. Scary but interesting. Even the eyes appeared to be talking to him. The eyes rotated and slowly came closer to each other. Then they flashed a beam which fell on Michael’s shirt - a kind of blue image. Michael bent his head to see but couldn’t make out. He slowly moved aside and the image splashed its details on the wall behind him. Michael turned and looked at it.

It looked like an old film rolling. Some hazy characters in the film were moving about haphazardly. But they were carrying something that looked like a rock or a boulder. Suddenly Michael realised it wasn’t a movie he was watching. They were real life people. Michael scratched his head but couldn’t understand why the purple disk was showing such a film or whatever it was. He scratched even more as if the scratching would have some effect on his brain and a jinn would appear. Wow! This will do some thinking. And he loved it. He was born for it. Hmmm. 

People carrying those rocks or boulders were strongly built. They had dun coloured skin and were wearing similar colour outfits like skirts, but looking closely resembled animal skin.  Yes, they were. On instinct, Michael, so used to touching a screen for zooming, tapped on the wall. And to his surprise the screen zoomed out. The film paused. Michael went closer and tapped again and the film began rolling again. Wow! So the technology was new too. For a moment Michael blocked his mind to the technical aspect and concentrated on what was in the film. These people were not walking randomly. They were carrying big rocks or boulders of such size that even the bodybuilders would have a hard time lifting let alone carrying to a distance. And these guys were carrying it with ease. After walking a few steps they offloaded those rocks in a huge open crate like container. Michael moved his fingers on the screen to check what was attached to the crate.  The crate had a pulley and one massive animal was waiting to drag it. This animal was a mix of elephant and a rhino. It had long ears, a tail, a trunk, and tusks. It also had a horn. It looked calm and threatening at the same time. The moment the crate was filled there sounded a conch and the animal moved almost as if obeying to the sound of conch. It moved with a good speed despite its size. People moved back and sat in a circle for some rest but they were not  sweating or huffing. It was just a kind of custom.  Michael followed the animal. The animal which Michael named Elno in his mind, picked up speed and after a while stopped and stood in front of a cave. It touched the cave with his trunks and the cave opened. Elno got in and the cave closed. Michael noticed some numbers written on the wall which were not part of the film. The numbers read- 2MBC. When Michael touched on those numbers, the purple disc sighed. 

Suddenly the screen on the wall beeped, buzzed and went blank leaving a tiny red dot. Michael looked back at the purple disc and the disc seemed to be slowly closing. It gave a low hissing sound and went numb. The red dot disappeared. But Michael could hear some sound coming from the disc. It was kind of breathing. The disc was restoring power. But how, and from where will it get? Michael scratched his Jinn-head.  The lamp in his head was blinking. Hmmm. After a few minutes the purple disc gave a signal, similar to the earlier one. Red light blinked thrice, green light blinked four times, and a  beep, and the pattern continued. Michael quickly tapped the same sequence on the disc’s head.  The disc opened. Michael moved aside in anticipation and surely enough the disc threw a film on the wall behind Michael. Michael turned around half expecting Elno to emerge. But this time it seemed like a different film. The film had paused. Michael tapped on the wall. The film made some funny sounds and started rolling. It was indeed a different film.

He saw a street loaded with buildings. The Buildings were tall and circular. All the widows of the buildings were solar powered. The buildings had flat rooftops. On each of those rooftops there was a huge bird statue. It occupied the whole area. Michael tapped on the bird. It zoomed out. It had the face of an owl and long wings of an eagle. Michael couldn’t resist naming it and called it Ogle. Very funny. 

There were long, narrow structures on street corners. These structures had four sides and neon lights of different colours. The top of the structure rotated every minute. Like a street sign. But Michael noticed that there were no cars or people on the road. It was just an empty street without vehicles or people. Michael waited as if he was crossing a road. A two wheeler appeared and paused at the structure. There was no one riding it. The top of the structure rotated and turned green. The scooter moved forward and  Michael followed the scooter. He noticed that the scooter was closed from all sides like a rope-way trolley. It stopped at a shop selling groceries. There were three more similar scooters in front so this one waited in the queue. In a few moments when its turn came, two steel hands carrying a carton stretched out of the shop and loaded its content on the scooter. The scooter was small so the hands paused. There was a beep and the doors of the scooter opened. Now, two steel hands stretched out from the scooter, lifted the carton offered by the shop. It made space inside so it fit the carton. All done, the scooter's door closed, the shop's door closed, and the scooter sped away. The film stopped and instinctively Michael looked at the bottom of the film. It read - 2050!

Now, one doesn’t have to be a scientist or an intellectual to know that the writing on the wall was a date. 2050 was of course the year. But 2MBC?  Wow! Could it be 2 million BC? Mind boggling if true, thought Michael. He turned, putting his hands on his hips, staring hard at the purple disc. Hello PD, he mumbled. What are you? Who are you? Why are you? Welcome to the present from wherever you have come. The disc closed its eyes and shut itself. Whatever man! Michael scratched his head. Thank you.

Michael needed to take a long walk to clear his head. And anyways the disc was sleeping. He decided to go to the beach again. What if the disc had left any clues as to its origin. It was a short walk to the beach, and Michael was soon walking on the familiar sand. Or was it? It was drizzling a bit. Michael let the rain drops splatter on his face. Soon he was at the spot where he had found the disc. Nothing had changed.  What did he expect? He shifted the sand around a bit for any telltale. Nothing. He walked some more. The beach sometimes gave him some ideas. But this time it was not to be. So he returned home.

He opened the door and looked at the desk but the disk could not be seen. Michael whistled as if he was calling his pet dog, and expecting it to come to him wagging his tail. There was a buzz and suddenly he saw that the disc was flying around in his house. It was as if inspecting his house. And every few minutes there was a flash. The disc was recording and taking pictures. 

Finally, the two pale eyes of the disk settled on Michael. It returned to the desk and hummed as if a naughty boy was caught, and was trying to make up. Michael went to the disk and tapped the now familiar combination to open it. It opened and threw a light on the wall as if a new film was starting. It was blank. Michael had a vague thought. He went to the disk and looked closely. And there it was. The disk had a very tiny keyboard with numbers and alphabets. Michael could now see it because the disk was radiating. It had charged itself. Michael scratched his head. How? 

Michael looked at the keyboard on the disk.  Surely it had a purpose. He thought for a while, and then gingerly typed in the current date.  The disc beeped and threw a light on the wall. Michael turned and saw the disc was showing his house in the film. It was recorded while he was away on the beach. Disc had flown around his house and filmed and clicked pictures. Wow! That meant…..

Michael couldn’t digest what he was imagining. If that was the case.  Wait…Could it be that this disc had recorded all the events it had been through -  Or rather travelled through or flown through? That meant that if he typed in a date on the keyboard, and if this disc had travelled through that period and recorded those events, it would show them in a film form - in this case on his wall. 

How had the disc managed to charge itself to show all these events? But realising the disc to be so advanced he didn’t bother to search for that answer. Now - What would he want to see? His hands started shaking. World war 1 If the disc had travelled? Holocaust? Making of an atomic bomb? Or something more constructive like building of pyramids which probably the film would have stored.  Or those crazy looking tamed animals Elno and Ogle which the disc had already displayed on the wall, God knows doing what? Great works of Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Leonardo, Shakespeare? Imagine seeing them live as they were painting or sculpting, provided, of course, the disc had travelled through that period. The list was endless. A murder? An unsolved mystery?....

Suddenly Michael thought of something which he had completely forgotten.  Who had made this disc? And in which year? Had the disc travelled through time and landed in its past? If the disc was made in the future then it had gone back to the past to record all the events. And if the disc was made in the past, say pre- dinosaur age, then it is travelling with the time and recording all the present events.  But then the disc had already shown a film of 2050.  It meant that when the disc was made - it could travel in time.

For the time being, Michael thought, let me see what the disc had stored.  Who made the disc ? Well. May be God. Thank you God. Does the disc answer questions too? No harm in trying, thought Michael so he just typed - WHO MADE YOU ? - and waited for its response. Few blinks, few beeps and the disc threw an image on the wall. The image was blurred, Michael squinted and went closer to the wall.  The disc was showing a man wearing a cowboy hat. Something was familiar, thought Michael. He tapped on the wall and the image zoomed out. Michael was staring at his own image.

Michael's hands started shaking. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. Which year should he type in? To the future or back to the past?,,,,,,

Gem

 

She is my light from her birth.

In my glum bubbles of mirth.

She will always be my gem.

Nothing compares to her worth.

Silent Features

She can do if she wants to. 

She will do what she wants to. 

Tell her what you have to say. 

But tell her not what to do. 

The Fuss

 

So much fuss but would not eat.

Just little milk but still cheat.

Jumping on the bed all time.

Or in bath her favourite treat.

Crossroads

 

Now at the crossroads you stand.

Unsure in a foreign land.

But whichever path you choose-

we will always hold your hand.

Ding Ding

 

To the crowd she shows she shies.

Mischief well hid in her eye.

She knows her mind. knows her strengths.

My funny crawler now flies.

Shoes

 

I have walked in others’ shoes

for my needs were too many.

Despite their colours and woos

I did not fit in any.

Some worn out from long journeys.

Some shined bright with a new hope,

Some chased the scent of money.

Some I wore though could not cope.

Tired to race. to track and trace-

now I need one strongly laced.

Tears

 

I try to control my tears

so they show not on the face,

But somewhere else they appear-

with double strength make a case.

Then all my act not enough

to make myself not look weak.

I play along with this bluff

for I know not what I seek.

Hard I try to make drops stop-

harder it becomes to mop.

Ennui

 

Smoke rings twirl in orange dusk. 

Wine spins stories of the past. 

Some tales bring a whiff of musk,

some are blurred and shadows cast. 

Memories sprinkle pictures. 

Somewhere half-smiles appear. 

Days drag on with strange features. 

Nights take long to disappear. 

Sleep evades till early dawn. 

Thoughts ramble on, life goes on. 

Hunger

 

Some are hungry for success.

Some ever thirsty for fame.

Some have wealth but find it less.

Some blow it up in one game.

To many hunger is food,

and a small roof on the head.

A few clothes and firewood-

jug of water, loaf of bread.

Some stuff up so much and bloat.

Many toil to stay afloat.

The Dog

 One evening I was walking down the street when I spotted a dog lolling on a footpath. Our eyes met briefly and I continued walking. The dog got up from his royal bed and started following me gingerly. I looked back, he looked at me. I walked a few steps and stopped at the pedestrian crossing signal. He stopped and stood by my side. The light turned green and I crossed the road. He crossed the road with me. Now -  dogs are blessed with a sixth sense and great hearing sense. I have observed that whenever they cross the road they don’t look right or left to check if a vehicle is approaching. They look straight ahead and relying on their sixth or hearing sense, cross the road. This champ probably had too much faith  in me and crossed the road when he saw me crossing. I guess he backed my walking and traffic sense. I stopped at a milk booth to buy eggs and milk. He too stopped and sat waiting for me to finish purchasing. He kept looking at me. And somehow I knew it wasn’t a kind of look that said - I am hungry-  so I didn’t buy anything to feed him. I started walking and he followed now more confidently. He had found a friend I guess. I patted him. He wagged his tail. And I went home. From my balcony I looked down to check if he was still there. You bet he was there- lolling on a new royal bed.

What Sense

 

Scent of ominous scenes pervade the air

but I take no steps to try to prevent.

I hear the chaos reigning in the fair

where peals of laughter veil the need to vent.

I see no truth in those big wisely eyes

yet I am told to believe what they speak.

I swallow my pride with platter of lies

then think why the taste is not what I seek.

How could I now wish for a soulful touch

for the seeds sowed will show their own colour.

And though my sixth sense had warned me as much,

my vision is blurred - the picture is clear.

While I have ignored the imprints of fate.

All I do is hopelessly hope and wait.

What Nerve

 

It was 4 o’clock in the morning. MIchael felt fragile- physically and mentally, even though he worked out regularly for his body and mind. His nerves had frayed. He was jumpy, and easily ruffled. Emotion! What a tricky and sensitive term in every sense. 

Every action of someone or something was bringing a reaction in him. Even an occurrence not related to him would sometimes trouble him. He finally decided to do something about it. But what?- he had no idea.

The beach was near his house. He decided to take a long walk. He made four large shots of brandy, mixed it with drops of lemon juice and water, and poured it in a flask. He would think it over over a few drinks. What an un-sober idea. Hell with it! He needed a few drinks.

He went to the beach for a leisurely walk. It was still dark but pleasant. Low tide. Shore and the sea were miles apart. He could see few people trotting around, probably late night revellers rather than the morning walkers. He didn’t quite fit into any category anyway. First sip of brandy coursed through his veins. Wow! Some fuelling. His speed picked up. Small white birds were flapping their tiny wings. Ready to fly looking for a morsel. How chirpy they looked without a care in the world. Hmmm. One large sip. Back to dealing with emotions. 

Michael had a friend called Raul, a brilliant computer geek who once told him all emotions can be controlled by machine. And to further prove his point he had developed a small chip or cell which he had named Al. Raul had told him that though Al Cell was work-in-progress, it had yielded wonderful results. Michael had understood part of what Raul explained but only vaguely. Michael had told Raul about his oscillating, highly sensitive emotions. Hmmm.

Third sip or rather a gulp now. Michael decided to pay him a visit, and demand some answers - as if he had a right. Well - he did since Raul was a good friend and Michael was three pegs down, or rather up.

Raul lived right on the beach, a cozy flat in a building, surrounded by long coconut trees overlooking the ocean. He lived alone, like Michael. His flat had a small balcony with a swing where he used to sit to watch the dawn and the sunset. Michael hoped he would be there now, though it was quite early. Michael reached Raul’s house and looked up. There he was swinging leisurely in his swing. One more large sip and he finished off the brandy. He waved out to him and without waiting or asking if he could come up he took the stairs and landed in Raul’s balcony. 

- So tell me about your baby- Michael asked. 

- Al Cell - Raul smiled and replied. No hi, no pleasantries.  

- Ya ya. Are you ready to back up your boast?-

- Yes. Now? -

- Now is a good time. Shoot-    

  Raul looked at Michael closely.

- Wow! Someone is charged up. Am I smelling something fishy? - he asked 

- Yes! I’m at sea-

- Well, so let me navigate you. Al Cell is a microchip with a camera. It receives images, stores, dissects and emits answers as per the software programme built. So far I have tested it on an animal- don’t ask me which, where and how? - it has given me good results. Now, if I am not mistaken , you want to use it for yourself. -

Michael nodded.

- Hmm - Raul continued - so here is how it will work. Al will be installed behind your retina. It is so small that you will find no itch or discomfort. Once operational, It will save all the images your eyes see, including reading, thinking , dreaming. Now, from what you have told me earlier and I understand, you want to deal with your emotions through this chip. -

Michael nodded. Raul continued.

- Once I put this cell inside you, everything you see or read will be fed into Al. It has a programme which will ask one of your nerves to emit a reaction which it feels is best suited for you. The reaction will be different from how you would have otherwise reacted to the given situation normally. For example, if you are walking on a beach and a few dogs come barking, you might run or get scared. Once Al is installed, it will record what you have seen and send a signal to your mind saying it is nothing to fear. With the result you won’t think of running nor would you be scared. I won't be surprised if the signal Al sends would be such that it will not only tell you that the dogs are harmless but you may want to go and pet the dogs or feed them. -  

     Michael was about to laugh but stopped short when he saw Raul had said this with all seriousness and intensity. Raul continued. 

- Similarly, you are talking to a person and you don’t agree with his or her view points, and normally that would have gotten you damn agitated since your emotions are fragile. But once Al is installed it will record everything and will ask one of your nerves or tongue or mind to react differently. Mind you, the answer you would then give to this person may not be to your liking but at least you will be calm and assertive and your emotions will be in control. Al Cell is designed to please and make you comfortable in any given situation. You will be at peace with yourself. But, the person on the other hand may or may not be pleased with your reactions. Al Cell doesn’t care and so will you not. -

Michael sat transfixed digesting this information. He needed a drink. Or did he ? He needed that bloody chip. Raul put his hands on Michael’s shoulder.

 - My friend, though this is a work of art I forbid you to use it just now. Not that I am not sure about its success but I don’t want any machine to be ruling human. Especially you, Michael. -

Michael was shaking his head. He was aware of what Raul was saying but he was deep in a well. This was the only ladder to climb up.

- I would rather be a machine than the man I am. - Michael mumbled. 

Raul was shaken. But he was at a loss to convince Michael not to do it. Still he felt it was his duty to tell Michael everything from every angle. 

- There is one glitch- 

Michael looked up askance. 

- Al has a tendency to grow on its own. -

- Like a tree? -

- Like human -

- Oops!-

- Yeah, oops and double oops. - Raul paused before continuing. 

- There are hundreds of things you see in your daily life. And hundreds of things, though seen, go unobserved. Very few are retained in your memory box. But Al will deposit all that you have seen and read, in its cell, and return everything with interest. It will work when you are asleep. And when you wake up you will see the same things which you have seen earlier, differently. Or to be more precise, you will act differently. Bottom line, Al will calm your nerves.-

- So where is the glitch? -

Raul hesitated. 

- Over a period I can’t tell how Al would think-

- Meaning? -

- I have chopped all the vegetables, added ingredients and spices and started the stove for cooking. I know it will be tasty for me but not sure how others will like my recipe. And…-

- Stop talking in riddles. - Michael interrupted. 

Raul sighed. 

- Like I said, Al will acquire knowledge on its own. Not from just what you have seen or read, but what you have overlooked but he has seen. And though its primary function is to keep your emotions under control, and which it will gladly do, it can spurt things which can be futuristic, and beyond anyone's understanding. -

- When can you install it? - Michael interjected. 

Hello! Was he even listening ? 

- In three months- Raul said though he knew it would take at most one month to complete. He wanted Michael to think it over more deeply and soberly, hoping he would change his mind eventually. Michael seemed stubborn and adamant at the moment. 

Michael got up unsteadily and hugged Raul with all his strength. 

- I need this Raul, I need this, my friend.-

Raul still had his hands up in the air as he was explaining to Michael. But he finally brought them down in resignation, and hugged Michael. 

- ok. Now hang around for some breakfast and will talk about something else. -

But Michael was in no mood to talk about random stuff. He was focused though tipsy. Determined when not needed. 

- Call me when you are ready. - he said and left abruptly. 

Back on the beach. Thoughts heavy. Mind fuzzy. Pace slower. Michael walked. He looked at the sea and felt like taking a dip. Would Al feel the same once installed? He was already thinking ahead. He thought of taking a small vacation up in the mountains. May be if that changed his mind he wouldn’t have to take machine-help. Michael was a stockbroker or rather trader. He had set up his office at home. He was the sole owner with no employees. He could take a break whenever he wanted. Yes, that’s what he will do. He called up Raul and told him that he will be away for a few days. Raul wished him luck and hoped that the change of air would help him change his mind. 

Michael went up in the mountains and Raul immersed himself deep in his project- Al Cell. 

Few days went by, then months. Just when things appeared to be settling down, Michale called up Raul. And the unavoidable route was trodden. 

Dr. David was an eye surgeon, an old acquaintance of Raul’s, who would be performing the surgery and the plantation of Al. Now, David owed Raul a favour or two. Basically their favours went back and forth. Each would be called upon to do a certain task from time to time without any questions asked, specially when money exchanged was large- as was in this case. Michael was prepared to spend a bomb on his fragile and ignited emotions.

The surgery was to take place in David’s lab in the early morning. As usual, Michael walked down to Raul’s house on the beach. Raul was waiting for him and they drove to David’s lab. Introductions were made to be forgotten. Michael made the payment in cash, and the procedure began. Michael was given a drug which put him to sleep and made him numb for a while. Before he drifted off he heard them cracking jokes to ward off the seriousness. 

For a long time the time paused. In Michael’s cells Al got a new cell. The inmates interacted and shared their stories. Al was a newcomer. Some were attracted to Al, some bullied him, while some outright rejected him- unaware that soon they would know who the real boss was. Al had patience and speed. Once loaded he would fire on all cylinders. For now, he laid low waiting for Michael to get up. 

When Michael woke up it was late evening. At first he thought he had lost his eyesight since he couldn’t see anything, but then slowly his eyes focused on the light outside and he realised it was dark. Raul heard some movement and realised Michael had woken up. Dr. David had left asking Raul to close the lab after he left. 

- How are you feeling? -

- Little heavy but otherwise alright.-

- Hmm. Let’s take you home. You must be hungry-

Michael nodded. Raul stood by Michael's side just in case he felt giddy. 

But Michael said he felt fine. Raul drove to his house and insisted Michael spend the night at his house. Michael was groggy, and reluctantly agreed and soon after dinner went off to sleep.

Michael woke up at 3 A.M., earlier than usual. But he felt refreshed. First thing he did was to check his eyes which he hadn’t last night because he was drowsy. He looked in the mirror. They were alright. No itching. And no three eyes looking back at him, he mused. Slowly he washed his eyes and said good morning to himself in the mirror, half expecting the third eye Al to respond. Just do your routine stuff- that’s what Raul had said. He peeped into Raul’s bedroom and found him deep asleep. He would go home and give him a call at a decent hour. Slowly and quietly without disturbing the morning or the night, he stepped out. 

Back on the beach. Too early for the revellers or walkers or for him. But guess not too early for the new eye. The dogs barked and Michael paused, and waited. Well- no love forthcoming. He blinked a few times as if Al needed a recharge. No love lost. Michael sighed and walked on. The beach appeared the same- good to walk, good to feed your thoughts. 

The moon shone bright, displaying its power of calmness. The fishermen were readying their nets. Tiny birds waited in anticipation. Few boats lolled in the background. The sea seemed endless as if stretching itself to meet the sky. Tall luminous buildings were equally eager to touch the sky. Michael looked at the sand. It looked inviting. He took off his shoes and started walking bare feet- which he had never done. Quite cool. He walked for an hour or two, not sure how long - timeless, like the sand. Sun would be up in an hour and forty three minutes. Anyways, he kept walking and reached home. He called Raul. He was up and eager, and a bit restless, since he hadn’t seen or heard Michael when he had woken up. Michael assured him he was fine and before Raul could ask he told him nothing unusual had happened so far. Not that Raul expected anything soon but still he knew or rather didn’t know the power of Al. He asked Michael what he saw or did. Michael told him.  Michael saw all this but what did Al see? Wondered Raul. 

- Oh yeah! One thing- Michael suddenly thought. 

- What?-

- I could somehow predict the time when the sun would be up. Anything to do with our friend, Al? -

That's it! Thought Raul. Al had woken up,  and was active. 

- Possibly, but take care and report everything- said Raul. 

Michael felt good, and decided to celebrate with a shot of brandy. After all, whose permission did he need to celebrate? Be it morning or evening. He poured the first shot and mixed it with his customary paraphernalia. It sailed through nicely. One more please, he ordered himself. He made one more and stretched in his long, wooden armchair. Just a habit, he thought. He sat there longer than usual. Normally, the second peg would also take just a few minutes to finish.  He stared at the glass as if it was a stranger. He picked it up and finished off in one large gulp. The glass wasn’t challenging him though. Barman Michael got up to pour one more, but something held him back. He was moving toward the bar on reflex, but he didn’t feel like having a drink. Strange. And then it struck him. It was probably Al’s doing. 

He called up Raul and told him what had occurred. 

- Yes, he is on- 

- Hmm..- 

- ok, could you elaborate what happened please? -

- Al is on. He saw you drinking and has recorded it in his cell. The cell probably didn’t like what you were doing. It could be anything, morning drinking or too many pegs or whatever.  So, he sent a signal to one of your nerves to make you stop drinking. The nerve which he contacted could be the one which salivates when it sees a drink. Anyway,  Al didn’t like it and accordingly has sent, and will keep sending such buzzes to your nerves. Bottom line, he will give you a healthy life. - Raul concluded. 

- Bad boy - Michael grunted and hung up

. 

Few days zipped by and nothing extraordinary occurred, or so Michael thought. He was busy in his work and had little time to observe Al’s antics, unaware that Al was beyond being playful. 

Michael had an annoying client, who always demanded answers even from any unforeseen circumstances. Michael always replied patiently to his queries, but after talking to him, he felt numb or agitated. It would drain him completely. One day the annoying client called him, and as usual started his blahs. Michale put down the phone after responding quietly. But that day he didn’t have any of those negative symptoms which normally followed after talking to this client.  Michael was quite ok and even worked with double energy. Michael was surprised by this change and called Raul to report to him. Raul chuckled. Yeah, it was Al. Michael blinked his eyes a few times in appreciation and smiled. 

It was late and he decided to get some shut-eye. Well, almost. 

He rose early the next morning and got immersed in his work straight away. He decided to trade today. Kind of itching to trade. One particular stock was nagging him for a while. He hadn’t known its history yet but somehow it didn’t bother him. He monitored the stock for a few minutes before deciding the right level to buy. He watched its movement for sometime and punched in the keys to buy. But instead, his fingers moved towards the ‘sell’ button. He was surprised. He sold short, which was not his typical move while trading. He watched it rise, and began cursing his luck, but all of a sudden the stock started dropping like a hot potato, which he was glad was not eating. Wow! Some luck, he wondered. Or was it just luck? He sat back, watched the stock drop a bit more, and bought back, making some good profit. 

He called up Raul and told him what had occurred. 

- first of all, send me a check for half of the profit - Raul said. 

- Will send it to Al. Explain -

- Well, - began Raul - Al saw what you saw, read what you didn’t, analysed, took a call to buy or sell, sent a signal to your brain, which in turn sent it to your finger, and made you sell short. - 

- But it was just this morning, may be few minutes of my reading the stock -

- But you have been reading about it for some time, right? - Asked Raul. 

- Yes. -

- Well, it seems Al has picked up the information which you have retained in your memory, probably when you were thinking about it or when you were  asleep- 

- Wow! -

Michael sounded excited. He thanked him and hung up. 

He traded some more, made some money, lost some. Come on Al- he muttered - you are my star employee or rather only employee. Don’t lose- 

Michael was enjoying this. He ignored all clients’ calls. He was hungry for trade, and decided he would cater for no one any more. Just pure trading and investing. He felt satiated. If the day was filling, the week was sumptuous. He read and read and read- half of it not digesting- till his eyes were heavy and red. 

Come Saturday, and he had made substantial profit by just trading. He called up his clients and told them, not regretfully, he would be closing all their accounts, he would be on his own, and gave an alternate reference of his friend whose services they might want to take up. Goodbye!

That done he felt a new kind of freedom. Not answerable to anyone. 

Raul came over in the evening since he hadn’t heard from Michael the whole week. Michael was beaming and, over a bottle of a luxurious wine, gave the week’s account to Raul. Raul said he was glad but scolded Michael for not calling him everyday. Michael apologised and promised he would do so from then on.

The next few weeks were lottery- weeks. Michael rarely steeped out of his house, traded - or rather Al traded - profusely, and made immense money. He drank less. But did not call Raul as promised. And Raul, as eager as he was of Al’s development, was worried for Michael, so he decided to have a small drinks and dinner party at his place the next coming Saturday. Two close friends, himself and Michael. He thought of calling Dr. David, the eye surgeon who had performed the surgery but decided against it. He wanted to have unprejudiced eyes.  Since everyone liked to start early in the evening in case they had to wind up if they felt sleepy, the gathering was fixed for 6 o’clock. Raul had observed that Michael or rather Al, was not yet exposed to humans other than Michael. It would've been interesting to monitor.

Come Saturday, and the four friends met. John and Lee were childhood friends of Raul and Michael. They practically grew up together, and though their work was diverse from one another, they regularly met and stayed in touch. John and Lee weren’t aware of ‘new’ Michael. And who best to notice the difference, if at all, then these two, thought Raul. So the gathering this time was more strategic than for fun. 

They all met, as always on time, hugged, punched, and sat in their customary chairs. Raul had set up the environment in his balcony. He sat on his swing. 

After a couple of drinks the discussion grew heavy and serious- politics, education and environment. These topics would normally bore Michael. And just so that he wouldn’t fall asleep his friends would poke him verbally here and there just to keep him awake. But tonight nothing of that sort happened. Michael not only took the beatings head-on but also debated aggressively. John and Lee thought the drink had gone to his head but they had not noticed that Michael had hardly touched his drink. Michael had had them in a corner and they were losing their arguments, much to their surprise. The long evening finally came to an end and they gave in, and almost saluted Michael. They had never felt so exhausted ever. Raul couldn’t hold his face from beaming.

The days went on. Michael became more aloof, more opinionated but less jittery. His emotions were in control so were his nerves. He rarely got agitated or angry. Raul got busy with other projects but kept a tab on Michael off and on, but less frequently. Raul noticed that Michael or rather Al had aided Michael in acquiring immense wealth. Michael appeared in good shape physically. But both Raul and Michael didn’t realise that Michael had almost stopped functioning on his own. Every command was given by Al to any of Michael’s nerves as he deemed fit. Michael started living quite a different life. People gave him a curious look which Michael was indifferent to on most occasions.

And then it was almost a year since Al was planted. To celebrate one year of the insertion, Raul invited Michael to his place. If Michael was grateful, he did not show it. Normal things or talks began to bore him quite easily and immediately. Though he showed no outward emotion for it, Al was beginning to wear him down. He was losing his identity and focus, and it was just all Al. Michael was living because of, and for Al. Raul asked him about his health and Michael said he had never felt better. It was Al speaking. A stranger would see Michael as a perfect man, a prime example. But Raul could see and observe the difference. A little spark of old Michael would sometimes spring up just to disappear as quickly. He was fully in control of himself, of his emotions and of his life. But he was Michael no more.