Thursday, November 8, 2012

Tongue (un)tied?





“Watch out, you moron!” screamed Ankit through his car window, looking at the two bikers speeding by on the highway.

‘Hmm…A Harley Davidson! Cool bike but lousy rider’ he thought. They had come real close to his car and he hoped they had not dented his ‘baby’. He braked to a halt for a closer inspection of his shining black sedan.

Marega Sala” he cursed as he touched the spot that had been scrapped off showing an ugly mark in its place.

He got back into his car still cussing under his breath, fretting about the dent. He had driven a couple of miles, when he saw a huge crowd blocking almost the entire road. He peeped out calling for someone from the crowd.

‘Hello bhaiyaji…..Is there a problem? Why the traffic jam?”

“Accident sir, two bikers just crashed into a slow moving truck carrying heavy iron rods. Both were dead on the spot.”

Beads of perspiration started to form on Ankit’s forehead as he got down from his car and walked to the place of the accident. He couldn’t look on beyond a minute. The mangled remains of the Harley Davidson and the bloodbath around it revealed a gory story. Two lifeless bodies lay nearby awaiting the police and ambulance to transport them.

He reached home looking quite disturbed. Neha, who was tending to her garden, saw him and ran to the driveway.

“You look like you just saw a ghost. Why so pale and dull, love? Anything happened?”

He recounted the happenings of the day narrating how guilty he felt for having cursed them. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. They were not driving carefully. Maybe they would have met with the accident even if you had not cursed them. Stop feeling so guilty.”

“or maybe not…” he said eyes closed in thought.

Neha cuddled his head, giving him a hug, as he stood begrudging himself. 

“It’s ok baby…it’s not your fault.”

“It’s not a one off incident Neha, this has started becoming eerily repetitive!” he threw his jacket on sofa and slumped into it, staring blankly at the wall.

“You are only imagining things, Ankit. You cannot just say something for it to happen.”

“Oh really? Well, you remember the article I wrote about Vikram and his struggle with cancer? About how brave he was being, how he was an inspiration to everyone...blah …blah..? And what happened? He passed away couple of days after that article got published. How do you explain that? Maybe I have a cursed tongue or something.”

“He was struggling. He was dying anyway. We both know that. That article was a co-incidence.”

“Would you call Neelima didi’s bus accident a co-incidence? The bus had its entire right side ripped off. All eighteen people on the right side suffered grievous injuries. You know why? All because of this,” he said pointing to his tongue, “this damned cursed thing.”

“Ankit, my love, you did not cause that accident. You merely told didi to sit on the left side of the bus.”

“I told her, 'didi sit on the left hand side; even if there’s an accident, the impact is lesser there'. Am I a freak? Why did I have to say such things?”

“But that saved her life, didn’t it?”

“That is not the point. I kind of find that freaky. I cannot explain why I said what I did.”

“Well, well…let’s prove that all this is a co-incidence, ok? So say something just like that, umm…say that something will happen to me”, she tried to make him see reason.

“Are you trying to make fun of me? It doesn’t work like that girl. I don’t think about what I say. I just say it. Ok?”

“Say this roof is going to collapse on my head”, she suggested gesturing to the ceiling and smiling.

“Neha….”


“Hmm…..how about the gas, is it going to explode as I turn it on. Say it and let me try,” she said walking to the kitchen.

“Neha, don’t…..”

Without waiting for him to finish, she continued, “am I going to get electrocuted? or  perhaps fall down and break my leg?”

“yea, woman, go break your leg! Enough Neha, you are unbelievable.” He sighed and walked to his room.


“I am only trying to tell you that you are worrying unnecessarily”, he heard her voice trail off as he shut the door of his room.

“Ahhh…..ouch….Ankit…” he heard Neha’s blood curdling scream and the sound of something falling down with a thud. He rushed out to see what happened.

He saw Neha sprawled on the floor. Apparently with her leg broken, having slipped over, he wondered over what!

image courtesy :google

35 comments:

  1. Nicelywritten story. :D Enjoyed it thoroughly.

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  2. I had a smile in the end , I know not goood .. but it felt funny , she did end up falling and breaking her leg HOW ..

    lovely story

    Bikram's

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    1. Yea...that was intended...glad u read it like it was supposed to be!!

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  3. Hmm nyc post.. This is with many people... I dont beleive on crushed tongue.. Its all co incident... Keep writing.. And hppy diwali

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    1. Welcome aboard Ajnabi...thank u and happy diwali to u too!

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  4. OMG....The black tongue finally broke her leg...?? May be it was just a co-incidence...Nope, I don't buy superstition. And such cursed tongues do not scare me! Amen!
    But, enjoyed reading your story, princess. Lovely narration:))

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    1. ditto Panchali...i don't believe in superstitions too!

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  5. Woah, unexpected ending :)

    But just like you, I don't believe in superstitions either.

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    1. Thanks Kiara..and thanks for that lovely mail and all the nice things u said too! it brought a huge smile to my face...

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    2. Awww you're welcome Princess :) It's my pleasure

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  6. wow awesome story!!!
    enjoyed it...

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  7. Haha! Nice story! Enjoyed reading it...This reminded some of my friends superstition that if I wished them Best of luck for exams...They gonna fail!!..Funny ppl!

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    1. Funny people indeed Sri Valli...! there are weird people and weirder superstitions!!

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  8. OOH! Scary!! Nice narration and a good story! :)

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    1. Thank u Shilpa..appreciation coming from you always makes me very happy!

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  9. oooohhh nice...............very well written..thoroughly enjoyed

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  10. Well-written Princess. Loved your narration :)

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  11. Just came across your blog... Your writing has a smooth flow, enjoyed reading a couple of your older posts as well...
    Will keep dropping by for interesting reads :)

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Reshma...and thanks for the kind words!

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  12. That would be a creepy 'power' to have. An interesting read..

    +To Me It Matters+

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  13. Very interesting princess :) Poor Fellow!

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  14. Black tongues.. Even today in the country side, they believe that the black tongued ones are powerful. Whatever they tell will happen... Superstitious... A different perspective.. nice narration :)

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    1. though i've myself never believed in superstitions or black tongues, i remember elders in the family saying, be careful of what you speak, because the boon giving deity keeps flitting on our tongue and u never know when he says "tathasthu" (so be it)..and it will happen!!!!

      but i guess it was their way of teaching us kids to refrain from speaking anything bad about anyone....and had no supernatural connection to it whatsoever!

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    2. Many things said by elders are true.. though not in a tone that we understand.. It projects a different view for our welfare... Every day everyone realizes the value of those said by our elders... Even the scientists are proving that those things said by our elders have scientific values.. For ex, don't sleep with your head in north (magnetic field) and many others...

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At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person..deep gratitude for those who have lighted the flame within me!! your comments will be appreciated..

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