Ali:knock knock neo!
Neo:how r u doing that? my comp is not even connected to the internet... how can u chat with me? and my name is not neo
Ali:yeah i know, i just wanted you to feel comfortable. u have a big decision to make today.
Neo:how big?
Ali:"save the world" kinda big
Neo:im dreaming this, arent i?
Ali:no, listen to me
Neo:i know i was narcissistic, but this has gone far enough.. i need to wake up now
Ali:ok, let me start at the beginning
Neo:yeah right.. like that is going to do me any good
Ali:im not human. im an other species from a different galaxy on a mission to earth
Neo:stop flattering urself.. and im no jack bauer
Ali:ok, just let ur cynicism hang for a bit and listen to me.. i cant stress enough on how important this is
Neo:alright, u got my attention.. for now. what say u?
Ali:i say, you have to answer me one question and on that answer rests the fate of the world
Neo:wow! talk about pressure! go on, shoot
Ali:is what you want to be in life, so different from your ancestors?
Neo:WTF! i dont even understand ur question
Ali:what i mean is, do u think humans are you ready to take the next step in evolution?
Neo:why do u want to know? and how is it going to save the world?
Ali:i want to know bcos that is my mission. i have to ask u this question and based on ur answer i take my action
Neo:tell me all ur possible actions
Ali:if u say u do believe in humanity then i help u.. if not, i terminate myself and let u be.
Neo:why me? why now?
Ali:u were the chosen one bcos of ur personality and understanding of the human mind. you qualification as a doctor and a researcher were the main factors
Neo:oh i see. u didnt answer, why now?
Ali:it is the right time now bcos we predicted that humans will not be able to handle the technical adolescent. u'll destroy each other before u get past that stage.
Neo:hmmm.. and u r asking me bcos one voice of support is enough for humanity?
Ali:and u believe in free will
Neo:yeah.. sure.. an advanced alien creature predicted the future on earth and came to ask me whether i believe i'll save humanity or not.. IN A DREAM I'VE CREATED IN MY HEAD.. yeah! i believe in free will!
Ali:btw - last time we were here, we gave the apes "curiosity".. and practically set evolution on human in motion.. u better believe that too
Neo:wow! so what r u going to do this time, if i answer yes?
Ali:what do u think?
Neo:how the heck should i know? u r the advanced species.. who apparently survived the adolescence.. tell me what u do?
Ali:i know what i have to do.. i have my orders.. first, i would like to hear what u think
Neo:so many things have to change at so many levels.. the answer might be simple but it is definitely not easy
Ali:ok, fair enough.. just give me a yes or no..
Neo:i keep thinking what if u r wrong?
Ali:wrong abt our predictions of the world?
Neo:no, not that.. im sure we'll kill each other. what if, what u think might fix this world doesnt actually fix the world? and who put u incharge?
Ali:lol.. excellent question! i guess if u trust me then u place all hope on me.
Neo:and i dont even know u.. how can i trust u and hope thing will work out?
Ali:but thats the interesting thing abt hope. u have to lose hope to lose all inhibitions.
Neo:what do u mean?
Ali:fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear. if u trust me completely u'll become fearless.
Neo:ok, im with u so far.. but there is one more thing nagging me from that start
Ali:what is it?
Neo:i think this is just a dream. im hallucinating or something. and if im then what i do isnt real and dont have any meaning. r u in my head? am i imagining u to boast my ego?
Ali:what if there is a way to find out whether this is a dream or not? will u do it?
Neo:yeah sure.. i already pinched myself... tried opening my eyes.. but it seems im stuck here with u in this chat window. tell me how to confirm.
Ali:its really simple. can u do multiply big numbers in ur head?
Neo:no i cant.. whats ur point?
Ali:well u r on a computer.. open the calculator and punch in some big numbers!
Neo:of course...


No-Kids-Cry Phenomenon!
LA Times June 9
More than 100 cases are now reported to CDC and officials about what's now dubbed as the No-Kids-Cry phenomenon. This unusual behavior among newborns was first reported yesterday in Los Angeles maternity wards. First it was believed to be an epidemic contained in the hospital, but apparently several cases has now been reported from New York and as far as Europe and Asia.
Kids affected by this syndrome albeit appear perfectly healthy are unable to cry at all. It is a rather large implication since the only way a baby communicates anything is by crying. At first scientists believed it to be a vocal cord paralysis of some sort brought on by a parasite or infection. On further diagnosis they were not able to find anything and now the only explanation left is a neurological problem with all the new-born.
Dr. Foreman, a neurologist from NY, commented, "the brain images on these kids suggest that the fear center of their brain is unresponsive. we are yet to determine what caused this, and it is too early to confirm."
Whether this is a freak of nature or the hand of God and whether this can be contained remains to be seen...

Labels: Dreams, Short Story

7 owls

"hey lover boy, what's up?"
"listen, i had this weirdest dream!.. i died and i went to heaven"
"heaven? you sure? bcos people who wake someone up in the middle of the night to talk about their dreams.. usually end up in hell."
"im sure it wasn't hell. now, cut out the sarcasm and listen to me."
"ok, im sorry, go on.. did you meet God?"
"you bet i did. and i even got to ask him some questions."
"interesting.. so, what did you ask Him?"
"i asked Him a lot of questions and got all the usual, expected answers."
"like?"
"well, i asked him what was His purpose to create everything.. life, world, sun, universe, humans? and He said that He was experimenting and wanted to create an ultimate species -us humans- that would be His epitome of creativity."
"what about the rest? sun, universe and stuff?"
"..the rest were put in just for fun, i was told."
"ok, wow, so He was experimenting huh?"
"yeah, totally... and you know what? He also said that the entire world is being run by a huge computer. a giant server hosting everyone. and millions and millions of programs running.."
"that sounds very close to the version of that movie Matrix. your dream has been already made into a movie.."
"wait, there is more. i haven't told you that final question, for which i got a completely unpercedented answer."
"what is it?"
"i asked Him what was He thinking when He created love?..."
"and?"
"He said He didn't create it. He said it is a known bug!"
"a B-U-G?"
"yeah a bug in the software that is running the big server thingy. He was going to fix it up with a patch, but since everyone seemed to love "love" so much, He decided to leave it there!"
"haha... love "love"... kind of a recurssion in the code eh?"
"so that was it. i woke up after that and called you immediately."



"...love is a bug?? you sure?"
"YOU ARE QUESTIONING ME? YOU DO REALISE THAT I AM GOD."
"yeah, im sorry, my bad. now that you mention that it is a bug, it makes a lot of sense. even explains a lot of things..."
"GO FIGURE. AND SINCE EVERYONE LOVED "LOVE" SO MUCH, I DECIDED TO LEAVE IT AS IT IS."
"wow! Thank God for that. i mean.. thank you, God."
"BUT THERE IS A PATCH ONE COULD APPLY TO FIX THAT BUG. IT IS REALLY SIMPLE ACTUALLY. ONE SHOULD.......



".......and called you immediately."
"is there anything else interesting i should know?"
"no, but there is something i like to forget about this dream, because i found you!"

Labels: Dreams, Short Story

13 owls

Warning: Folks, inspired by my accident, i wrote this story thinking so many stuff. The first draft was twice as long and felt like a science lecture. So please feel free to remind me that i suck at creating fantasy.

Chapter-I "Blue colored sheet"

The last thing i remember was staring into the headlights of that truck. The next thing i remember is waking up in a hospital. I knew it was a hospital because of the smell. I tried to get up when my friend standing next to the bed said, "Relax hero, lie down. You are still in shock from the accident."
"Oh.. i hit that truck is it? How bad is my bike?"
"Blummer.. you stupid.. we were worried about you. and idiot you are worried about.. your bike? You were in a coma for almost fourteen hours now, you know that?"
"No it wasn't coma." said a female voice entering the room, which belonged to a young lady with a sthescope around her neck.
"Hi, i'm Dr. Sneha. I've been taking care of you."
"Hello doctor."
"Hello doctor. Why do you say it wasn't a coma?", asked Aamir.
"Because coma is dreamless and you were dreaming last night. I saw REM. Rapid Eye Movement."
"Oh i see. So what are my damages? My friend here won't even let me get up."
"So far we have seen, from your CAT scan, X-ray & other reports, you are perfectly normal. Not a scratch."
"So why was i out cold for the entire night." i asked.
She took time to see both of us in the eye before she continued, "You received a heavy blow to your skull which made you unconsicious. Although you weren't hurt physically because of your helmet, there is a small chance that the blow might have affected your memory in some way. What i am saying is there is a possibility that you might have forgotten something..."
"Forgotten? Like my passwords?", i asked slightly alarmed.
Aamir added, "Yeah, i know a friend who forgot his handwriting after an accident. He couldn't even sign his name as he used to."
The doctor continued, "So dont be scared if you dont remember something. It is not abnormal especially after an accident. Its my duty to inform you that... and now im taking your leave. You can go home anytime you want."
"Thank you doctor"
"Thank you doctor"
"Just sign the blue colored discharge sheet with the nurse before you leave. Thank you." said Sneha and was about to leave the room when suddenly i realised what i have forgotten.
"Shit!!"
"What happened? You don't remember your signature?", asked Aamir.
"No i remember that. But i dont know see colors...everything is black & white!!"
"What!! You mean you don't see colors after the accident?", asked Sneha.
"Yes"
"Oh my God!", exclaimed Aamir.


Chapter-II "Common sense"

"I feel like a color TV with bad reception. Its like the chip that processes color in my brain is smashed or something. Is there anyway i can get my colored vision back doctor?"
"hmmm... this is a very specific problem. I believe, similar to all other senses like smell or touch... colors are also coded in your genes."
"coded?" asked Aamir.
"Yeah.. you see nobody has to teach a kid that a smell is bad or good. Or the sense of taste and touch is already present in you when you are born."
"So what are you saying? My gene got altered because of the accident and i forgot colors?"
"No, you are the same before and after the accident. But something is missing.....wait a minute..the `Weaver bird` experiment!"
"Yeah i know that experiment. What about it?", i said.
"Wweaver birds breeded in captivity were denied twigs and coir to build their nest and they never saw their parents do it either. But when the fourth generation birds were provided the twigs they built a perfect nest."
"Because...?", asked Aamir.
"Because the nest building skill was already in their genes. Nobody had to teach them. Twigs were the missing entry. Your case is similar to this."
"So you mean... i know all the colors, i can see all the colors, but someone/something is denying me that?"
"Yeah something like that."
Aamir noted, "Thank God, that you haven't forgotten your common sense. That would have been more difficult."
Sneha said, "Yeah it would have been so much simple if common sense, whats good & whats bad, religious faith are also coded in one's gene. But they are the qualities we learn by experience and treat it as more important."
"Thats all very interesting but will i get my sight back?", i asked getting a bit impatient in a black and white world.
A long silence followed.
I was worried.
Aamir seemed Mr. Head on shoulder.
Sneha was thoughtful for a moment and lighted up like she found the answer. She was very excited when she said, "Its a dream. It makes sense. You knew about Weaver birds. Dreams are colorless."
Aamir smiled like he understood what she said.
"What are you talking about? Dream?"
"Yeah, open your eyes." said Aamir.

Chapter-III "Deja vu"

I opened my eyes. I was in a bed and could smell the hospital. I turned around and saw my wife Sneha and my friend Aamir besides the bed.
Sneha said, "Thank God! You woke up. I was so worried."
"Oh.. i hit that truck is it? How bad is my bike?"
Aamir said, "you stupid.. we were worried about you. and idiot you are worried about.. your bike? You were in a coma for almost fourteen hours now, you know that?"
"No, it wasn't a coma. Coma is dreamless, but i was dreaming. A very wierd dream... which i'll tell you. But first... this room is painted green right?"

Dedication: To my helmet. If you didnt like the story blame it on the helmet, that i lost my creativity in the accident. :D

Labels: Dreams, Short Story

2 owls