Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Hide and Seek

Hello? Anybody there? 

Who are you looking for?

There used to be this girl who used to live here once? She had many names, but one soul. Full of joy, and hope and dreams and unending, ridiculous optimism. You could recognize her from her loud, propriety-be-damned laughter that used to ring out at the silliest of reasons. And her endless chatter - about the impossible things she would do.

Oh her, I remember her. Crazy one she was. She moved on. Doesn't stay here anymore. Just as well perhaps. She never really fit in.

Moved on? Where? Why?? She had said she would always be around.

Oh I'm sure she's around, somewhere. But noone knows where. And noone really cares. She made everyone uncomfortable. And they retaliated. With falsities and mocking laughter. With indifference and aggression. They won her trust and then tore her to pieces. Excellent bit of guerilla warfare that was. And she left - not out of weakness, but sheer exhaustion I believe.

Any idea where I can find her?

She keeps to herself now. Once in a while someone gets a glimpse of her. But that's very rare. You can find her only if she wants to be found. And she has so many conditions to that. Hardly worth it.

I'll meet those conditions! I will!

Really? Think before you commit. She wants someome mad, someone who doesn't care what others say and think. Someone who is never afraid to speak her mind, or go after what she really wants - hand the consequences. She wants someone carefree - who can dance in the rain, laugh loudly, do the exact opposite of what is expected. Can you pay that high a price.

Oh I see. I'm too late then. These are the things I was hoping to borrow from her for a while. But for that I need to find her. And it seems I won't find her till I have all of this within me. And I'm not sure I know how to go about it anymore...

And who are you?

I don't really know. I was hoping she could tell me. I used to know her very well once - was wondering if she knew me well too. If she knew that she would, one day, be me. But no, I don't think she knew. Else she would have warned me. And maybe things would have been different.