Im back!!!......missed me?? Two things i would like to say before you read the story.....
How often have you had those debates with your elders about the clothes you wear and the kind of life you live.....This story spawned out of this idea and then my imagination took flight.
Secondly, the title sounds a bit cliched( to me atleast) as it is a direct spoof of "The Bold and the Beautiful" but I really think you should pay less attention to it and more on the story. Hope you like it.....and plzz do comment..btw few more stories coming up soon...till then, enjoy!!!
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HONK HONK HONK
"I`m going as fast as I can!!!" wheezed the old man with a frown which, adding to the wrinkles on his face, made him look like a folded curtain."Stupid kids with their stupid cars" he muttered to himself as he walked past the car from which loud music was blaring.
Crossing the road, he walked towards the bus stand to rest his tired legs. The bus stand was empty except for a youngster who seemed to be waiting. The youngster was wearing a black T-shirt with skulls and flames all over it and baggy jeans. His hair was pointing upwards as if they were fighting their way upwards to get some sunlight. He had a large tattoo on his arm, which the old man initially mistook for a nasty infection.He had small bruises on his face and a bandage on his arm, which seemed like souvenirs from a drunken fight at a local bar. But the fact that the old man hated the most about the youngster was the fact that he was wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day like this.With an audible sigh of disapproval, the old man ambled his way towards the seat next to the youngster.
The young man acknowledged his presence with a smile to which the old man replied with another frown and a scowl. He sat down beside the youngster and unfolded the newspaper he was carrying. Glancing sideways, he saw the young man and felt extremely tempted to rant about the young man`s appearance. But he knew a direct approach would be pointless. Folding his newspaper he turned towards the man and said " Very bright day today is, I just wish I had brought some sunscreen!!!" with sarcasm dripping in every syllable.
The young man smiled but didnt say anything back. The old man, further instigated on not getting a reply continued " So how old are you, young man??"
"Twenty seven, Sir. Will be twenty eight this July" came a very polite and direct reply. This didnt seem to affect the old man`s demeanour who rambled on, " What is that thing you got on your arm there??"
"Its a tattoo Sir. Its supposed to be a snake called Fer-de-Lance, Sir"
"I can see that. But what is it supposed to mean?? And why the hell do you have it on you arm??"
"Does there always have to be a reason for everything, Sir??"
"I dont see the point of painting something useless on your arm, or any part of your body for that matter. Isn`t that what tribals and crazy witch-doctors do??"
The young man simply smiled at the statement and didnt offer a reply. The old man, now on a roll continued, " And what are you doing here on a fine day such as this wasting your time?? The way you are dressed Im guessing you are probably going to a Voodoo cult ritual or to a party with zombies. Since when did wearing skulls and blood on your shirt become a trend??"
"I am just going down to the mall with my friends, Sir"
"To the mall", the old man said without a pause," that is exactly the problem with you youngsters. All you do is spend your earnings or most probably your parents earnings by shopping for stuff which will get outdated within a week and will finally end up in a trash can within a month. In fact, most of what you buy is trash. Gone are the days when things actually lasted. We attached a sentimental value to everything we owned and kept things carefully. Nowadays people are buying new cell-phones every week either because they lose them or get bored with them. Times are changing."
"It isnt so bad, Sir. People still do attach sentimental values to objects that actually matter. This pen." he said pulling out a fountain pen from his pocket,"belonged to my grandfather who was in the war. I have treasured it. A cell-phone might not ellicit the same feelings from me, but that doesnt mean things dont matter to me.Besides, I think its not fair to stereotype our whole generation by taking some bad examples. Not everyone buys a cell-phone so frequently. I have had mine for 2 years already and it still works fine"
"Your grandfather was in the war, you say. Now thats one more thing you young men should learn. To have respect for your country and your elders.Just now I was walking accross this street, and this impatient guy sitting in his car was honking at me for no reason. After all, I can walk as fast as my legs take me. Always in a hurry. No time to sit back and think. Guys like you should be disciplined by sending you to the army. You wear your skull shirts and get tattoos to look manly and rough. But none of you would even last a second in war. I was there in the war and that was when I became a man. I survived under the harshest conditions and lost a lot of my friends. I have seen things you can`t even imagine, but I took it all for my country. I never wasted my time drinking or doing drugs or shopping in malls like you boys, I was fighting for honor and glory of my country.The war is fun when you watch it on your TV but the harsh reality is something you will never be able to stomach."
"Just because you fought in the war doesnt necessarily make you tough. I personally feel that war itself is the root cause of all evil and there wouldnt be any war if I had any say in it. War is ugly and I feel we are better off without it"
"I expected you to say that, you people, all warm and comfy in your cosy homes who wouldnt even give a second thought to the fact that these soldiers were fighting for your security and protection. They are layng down their lives, not just for their country but for worthless and unappreciative people like you."
The young man looked like he was deep in thought. He replied, "I agree that the soldiers fighting for us are no doubt very brave and sometimes go unappreciated. But the whole concept of fighting a fellow human being seems wrong. A life is a life, no matter which side you are on. If there is an alternative to this mindless war, I would go for it. The mindset of fighting and killing for honor and glory no longer exists .I feel a good, clean law abiding dutiful citizen deserves equal respect as a soldier. Sadly, they are even more unappreciated than the soldiers. And it doesnt matter what the person looks like or wears on the outside, true patriotism comes from inside and cannot be judged by a few minutes of conversation or observation."
The old man looked at the young man with disgust. 'These youngsters are very good at talking back', he thought, 'I feel like I'm wasting my time with him.' He stretched his legs out to stand up when his foot bumped against something solid.
"That would be my walking stick, Sir" said the young man calmly, "My legs have never been the same ever since I came back from Afghanistan."
The old man looked stunned,"You were in Afghanistan??"
"Yes Sir. Lost my left leg in a mine explosion. Sadly, I lost my vision as well in the war," he said, pulling out his sunglasses and revealing a dark nasty gash where his eyes were supposed to be.
The old man was shocked stiff. He bent down to pick up the stick and fumbling with it nervously. " I dint know you were in the...I mean, I didnt mean all....The sunglasses and..umm....I am sorry...I really didnt mean to.."
"Its ok Sir, an honest mistake" said the young man with a wide smile. "In fact I`m surprised you havent recognised me yet.I am very much present in todays newspaper."
"Oh my God!!You are Kevin Foxx!! You are the guy who assasinated Ahmed Razaq and his close associates!!!"
"Yes, I was the undercover officer who was sent to kill them. But there,I saw the terrible side of war. Some of Ahmed`s associates had families, whom I met there, and I could never forgive myself for stealing them away from their loved ones. Ahmed Razaq had a beautiful daughter, a very sweet little girl she was, very delightful. Ahmed loved her very much and I am haunted by her face every night. I lost a lot of my dear friends in this war too. And I lost my ability to walk and see. That, Sir, is why I despise the war so much.And now," he said as he heard the horn of a jeep, " Im guessing that my friends have arrived so I will see you later."
The old man gently handed back the walking stick and looked at the youngster, still having the stunned look on his face. The friends came out and helped him get into the jeep. The youngster smiled and waved to the old man as the jeep took off.
The old man slowly sat down and watched the jeep departing. Then he pulled out his wallet and tears welled up in his eyes. He slowly brought out a device from his pocket, tears streaming down his cheeks now. He gazed around and saw that noone else had even given a second glance to the events unfolding here. Slowly, he brought his gaze back to the photo of himself when he was in the war, a much younger version of himself standing beside his best friend, Ahmed Razaq. The old man had wanted revenge ever since he heard about Razaq`s death.He always regretted the day he left Afghanistan and how he was unable to convince Razaq to follow him to America. Why did Razaq have to stay back and get caught in all this mess?? And this proud young man had been the one who finally killed him?? Anyway, everything had gone according to plan and noone would suspect a thing. Placing the tiny-yet-powerful bomb on the walking stick had been childs play. He pressed the big red button on the device and watched in satisfaction as the jeep exploded in a huge ball of flames far away. The old man smiled and turned away, muterring to himself "This one`s for you Ahmed!!!".
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How often have you had those debates with your elders about the clothes you wear and the kind of life you live.....This story spawned out of this idea and then my imagination took flight.
Secondly, the title sounds a bit cliched( to me atleast) as it is a direct spoof of "The Bold and the Beautiful" but I really think you should pay less attention to it and more on the story. Hope you like it.....and plzz do comment..btw few more stories coming up soon...till then, enjoy!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HONK HONK HONK
"I`m going as fast as I can!!!" wheezed the old man with a frown which, adding to the wrinkles on his face, made him look like a folded curtain."Stupid kids with their stupid cars" he muttered to himself as he walked past the car from which loud music was blaring.
Crossing the road, he walked towards the bus stand to rest his tired legs. The bus stand was empty except for a youngster who seemed to be waiting. The youngster was wearing a black T-shirt with skulls and flames all over it and baggy jeans. His hair was pointing upwards as if they were fighting their way upwards to get some sunlight. He had a large tattoo on his arm, which the old man initially mistook for a nasty infection.He had small bruises on his face and a bandage on his arm, which seemed like souvenirs from a drunken fight at a local bar. But the fact that the old man hated the most about the youngster was the fact that he was wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day like this.With an audible sigh of disapproval, the old man ambled his way towards the seat next to the youngster.
The young man acknowledged his presence with a smile to which the old man replied with another frown and a scowl. He sat down beside the youngster and unfolded the newspaper he was carrying. Glancing sideways, he saw the young man and felt extremely tempted to rant about the young man`s appearance. But he knew a direct approach would be pointless. Folding his newspaper he turned towards the man and said " Very bright day today is, I just wish I had brought some sunscreen!!!" with sarcasm dripping in every syllable.
The young man smiled but didnt say anything back. The old man, further instigated on not getting a reply continued " So how old are you, young man??"
"Twenty seven, Sir. Will be twenty eight this July" came a very polite and direct reply. This didnt seem to affect the old man`s demeanour who rambled on, " What is that thing you got on your arm there??"
"Its a tattoo Sir. Its supposed to be a snake called Fer-de-Lance, Sir"
"I can see that. But what is it supposed to mean?? And why the hell do you have it on you arm??"
"Does there always have to be a reason for everything, Sir??"
"I dont see the point of painting something useless on your arm, or any part of your body for that matter. Isn`t that what tribals and crazy witch-doctors do??"
The young man simply smiled at the statement and didnt offer a reply. The old man, now on a roll continued, " And what are you doing here on a fine day such as this wasting your time?? The way you are dressed Im guessing you are probably going to a Voodoo cult ritual or to a party with zombies. Since when did wearing skulls and blood on your shirt become a trend??"
"I am just going down to the mall with my friends, Sir"
"To the mall", the old man said without a pause," that is exactly the problem with you youngsters. All you do is spend your earnings or most probably your parents earnings by shopping for stuff which will get outdated within a week and will finally end up in a trash can within a month. In fact, most of what you buy is trash. Gone are the days when things actually lasted. We attached a sentimental value to everything we owned and kept things carefully. Nowadays people are buying new cell-phones every week either because they lose them or get bored with them. Times are changing."
"It isnt so bad, Sir. People still do attach sentimental values to objects that actually matter. This pen." he said pulling out a fountain pen from his pocket,"belonged to my grandfather who was in the war. I have treasured it. A cell-phone might not ellicit the same feelings from me, but that doesnt mean things dont matter to me.Besides, I think its not fair to stereotype our whole generation by taking some bad examples. Not everyone buys a cell-phone so frequently. I have had mine for 2 years already and it still works fine"
"Your grandfather was in the war, you say. Now thats one more thing you young men should learn. To have respect for your country and your elders.Just now I was walking accross this street, and this impatient guy sitting in his car was honking at me for no reason. After all, I can walk as fast as my legs take me. Always in a hurry. No time to sit back and think. Guys like you should be disciplined by sending you to the army. You wear your skull shirts and get tattoos to look manly and rough. But none of you would even last a second in war. I was there in the war and that was when I became a man. I survived under the harshest conditions and lost a lot of my friends. I have seen things you can`t even imagine, but I took it all for my country. I never wasted my time drinking or doing drugs or shopping in malls like you boys, I was fighting for honor and glory of my country.The war is fun when you watch it on your TV but the harsh reality is something you will never be able to stomach."
"Just because you fought in the war doesnt necessarily make you tough. I personally feel that war itself is the root cause of all evil and there wouldnt be any war if I had any say in it. War is ugly and I feel we are better off without it"
"I expected you to say that, you people, all warm and comfy in your cosy homes who wouldnt even give a second thought to the fact that these soldiers were fighting for your security and protection. They are layng down their lives, not just for their country but for worthless and unappreciative people like you."
The young man looked like he was deep in thought. He replied, "I agree that the soldiers fighting for us are no doubt very brave and sometimes go unappreciated. But the whole concept of fighting a fellow human being seems wrong. A life is a life, no matter which side you are on. If there is an alternative to this mindless war, I would go for it. The mindset of fighting and killing for honor and glory no longer exists .I feel a good, clean law abiding dutiful citizen deserves equal respect as a soldier. Sadly, they are even more unappreciated than the soldiers. And it doesnt matter what the person looks like or wears on the outside, true patriotism comes from inside and cannot be judged by a few minutes of conversation or observation."
The old man looked at the young man with disgust. 'These youngsters are very good at talking back', he thought, 'I feel like I'm wasting my time with him.' He stretched his legs out to stand up when his foot bumped against something solid.
"That would be my walking stick, Sir" said the young man calmly, "My legs have never been the same ever since I came back from Afghanistan."
The old man looked stunned,"You were in Afghanistan??"
"Yes Sir. Lost my left leg in a mine explosion. Sadly, I lost my vision as well in the war," he said, pulling out his sunglasses and revealing a dark nasty gash where his eyes were supposed to be.
The old man was shocked stiff. He bent down to pick up the stick and fumbling with it nervously. " I dint know you were in the...I mean, I didnt mean all....The sunglasses and..umm....I am sorry...I really didnt mean to.."
"Its ok Sir, an honest mistake" said the young man with a wide smile. "In fact I`m surprised you havent recognised me yet.I am very much present in todays newspaper."
"Oh my God!!You are Kevin Foxx!! You are the guy who assasinated Ahmed Razaq and his close associates!!!"
"Yes, I was the undercover officer who was sent to kill them. But there,I saw the terrible side of war. Some of Ahmed`s associates had families, whom I met there, and I could never forgive myself for stealing them away from their loved ones. Ahmed Razaq had a beautiful daughter, a very sweet little girl she was, very delightful. Ahmed loved her very much and I am haunted by her face every night. I lost a lot of my dear friends in this war too. And I lost my ability to walk and see. That, Sir, is why I despise the war so much.And now," he said as he heard the horn of a jeep, " Im guessing that my friends have arrived so I will see you later."
The old man gently handed back the walking stick and looked at the youngster, still having the stunned look on his face. The friends came out and helped him get into the jeep. The youngster smiled and waved to the old man as the jeep took off.
The old man slowly sat down and watched the jeep departing. Then he pulled out his wallet and tears welled up in his eyes. He slowly brought out a device from his pocket, tears streaming down his cheeks now. He gazed around and saw that noone else had even given a second glance to the events unfolding here. Slowly, he brought his gaze back to the photo of himself when he was in the war, a much younger version of himself standing beside his best friend, Ahmed Razaq. The old man had wanted revenge ever since he heard about Razaq`s death.He always regretted the day he left Afghanistan and how he was unable to convince Razaq to follow him to America. Why did Razaq have to stay back and get caught in all this mess?? And this proud young man had been the one who finally killed him?? Anyway, everything had gone according to plan and noone would suspect a thing. Placing the tiny-yet-powerful bomb on the walking stick had been childs play. He pressed the big red button on the device and watched in satisfaction as the jeep exploded in a huge ball of flames far away. The old man smiled and turned away, muterring to himself "This one`s for you Ahmed!!!".
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Hope you liked it!!!........The double twist is my favourite where you think the twist is over but you dont suspect another twist coming up!!!.......I dunno how effective it was, u tell me
Anyway, Im working on my next story and your comments will help me improve so do comment........
