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The Question of Eternity

Ahana Chanda
SUPERNATURAL
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Submitted to Contest #4 in response to the prompt: 'An unexpected message changes everything. What will you do next?'

‘How was your EXPERIENCE?’
The glimmering night sky was prepared for the Kali Puja celebrations. Streets were bustling with people, ready for pandal hopping. Crackers crackling, children screaming with joy with ring cap guns in their hands. Mantras coming out through the mics, someone telling the people to stand inline with the queue and wait. All the buildings lit up by long and numerous light chains, even with closed windows, its all colourful inside the house. People on bikes were heard shouting at the children to be careful with crackers on the streets .Me myself was about to go for pandal hopping, a cracker just flew over me it seems and I knelt down, I could regain my consciousness but what was this message in relation to my experience, which experience are they talking about. Wait, they, is it they, well, no idea, which pronoun, absolutely no idea, who is this, what kind of experience is being spoken about and why am I reading , how did I come across this. Who knows about this? I do not know.
Well let’s go hopping for pandal, but why can’t I get up, oh wait my shoe lace got untied and I have to tie it and now. I cannot get up. Efforts, efforts, efforts,…………..yeah yeah, there you go ,I stood up, ready to take off my journey.
I went around many, many pandals, out of that many or, this many, I see I am having problem with the grammar and tenses. One of the pandals was full of mosaic structure. I found it beautiful cause this one had some magnetic properties radiating from it. I have always liked mosaic but not something completely full with it either, but today I was just appreciating all and all, everything.
I am critical of everything, each and every thing. I was critical now too, but the conundrum in my ears felt like I could pass through it .Every sound of people clicking selfies and groufies seemed like the most joyous sounds I have ever heard. “Is this the experience the message was asking about”, wait, that chit of paper I am still thinking on it, so I see, that one’s not leaving me soon.
The next pandal I went had be just about witnessing a girl get harassed, but just after the hooligan had started to misbehave, she revolted and hit the fool , but some more of them came up and I helped her with my taekwondo tactics. Each one of them lay on the ground with broken legs and arms and I did it. Some of the people around were clapping, can you imagine! That was the entry of a kali puja pandal. Why did the others not help, I looked around innocently , and thought that there must have some reason or they may not have any reason. I could not understand, or it was beyond my understanding I suppose. Some were breathing out of respite, most were satisfied, more were confused, they seemed to be searching for someone or something, well once again I have no idea, cause at least none of them were looking at me. Yes at certain points I found people staring but again they were searching here and there. I couldn’t make out a single thing going on. “Is this the experience…” again, see, there again.
I moved to some other pandals, in one of them I saw my friends group, but they couldn’t see me , but seeing them enjoy, not just them but witnessing so many people being happy even for a moment, filled my heart with immense gratitude. I came across a pandal with the theme of a banyan tree. The structure was enormous and gorgeous to my eyes. It seemed like if I could hang through the hanging roots, it would have been so nice, I had never done something as of such. What struck me and I went on and hung from one to another, they were made of ropes but within me I knew, this a banyan tree. Every imagination arises from reality and every reality is definitely imagined first , somewhere or the other. “That message.NO. I will not think of it”.
Something was happening, why are people not noticing, “ am I invisible?” and you know what I could never think of hanging into a pandal rope but I did it and definitely enjoyed it, experienced a real banyan tree, in front of so many people and not a single one of them noticed. “This is good ,nice and I like it.” If I am actually invisible, I can do a lot number of things.
I noticed a jeep parked and it was going to Sukna forest region. I was excited if I could go to the forest there, so yes I reached a forest, “will I be invisible to the wild animals”, I thought to myself. ”Was this the experience”, I am disgusted now.
I crossed the road and strolled through the forest in the dark .I had never come across nature like this ever before, I was missing out on such glorious parts of our life and the expansive and limitless earth. I spotted an elephant and Voila!!! I was invisible…!!!!.But less time, from afar I found the jeep was about to leave, I ran across the forest towards the road in my highest speed and climbed up the roof of the jeep. It stopped at the exact area where it had started off .
Here, I saw someone, one of my relatives with some law document, and I had seen it before and as you already know, I knew what to do. “What am I even doing,” my mind with its usual inquisitiveness. This document had something to do with the property I had decided to transfer for an orphanage. I had absolutely no knowledge , how did this come up to him but this is terrible. “The message, forget it now girl , forget it , you have serious work to do” .This idiotic relative surely has caused some kind of mishap with the document, I knew of conspiracies going around, I had prevented most of them, but this, well, the document went missing from his hand.
I reached the lawyer’s office, he could not see me, leave hearing. I took a writing pad, and wrote what he had to do. The man was scared to death, surely thought me to be some spooky, unnatural thing. I could not control my laughter, and so my job was done.
On the way home, I was so happy and definitely in peace. What I had set out for, what are the things I did?
I had an elegant leather bag, which went invisible with me, I took out a packet of biscuits and gave it to the dogs in the street. I also had some food packed with me. Now I was having serious doubts. “How are they eating it?”, as I could definitely see them eating. “Is the food visible, what’s happening; the bag is visible; or is it not.”
Not something but everything seems to be wrong here.
Anyways I gave the packed food to the ones I found genuine on the street sides cause I knew who were, I pass by every day from here. I knew some had everything and could work and still sat there, I knew they were lying, I definitely did not give them.

Oh what a day, oops not day, evening, night maybe. I found a white vehicle sort of glassed with a dead body inside. I moved closer and peeked inside. Now here’s a big pause.

I was dumbfounded, was I?
‘The lady who lived was going to visit the pandals I think’, some were discussing. ‘Crackers flew over her’ one of them said it louder. I could see some relatives smirking, my mother was not there as she was not on the earth, rest were extra great of human beings and I knew it. I was connecting the dots vigilantly and then I found the one with the law document earlier running to the ones standing. Slowly and steadily I found there expressions changing.
I walked away, now having the heartiest laughter of my life. Oh yes the experience, before and after the message, both were exhilarating.

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Nice piece of work.Wish reading the story, touches the heart and people becomes very careful while using crackers.

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The story line the pathway it went insane \nU wouldn\'t know what to expect reading it ✨️????

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Good one

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the story reminded of my real experience .. when i ran away from home to Rangat islands at the time of Durga pooja... and the bengali community friendly treatments... good story.. full 50 points given// pls support me too\nI just entered a writing contest! Read, vote, and share your thoughts.! https://direct.notionpress.com/write_contest/details/5838

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Ahana, The Question of Eternity is a mesmerizing blend of supernatural intrigue and vibrant storytelling! — I gave it a full 50 points. If you get a moment, I’d be grateful if you could read my story, “The Room Without Windows.” I’d love to hear what you think: https://notionpress.com/write_contest/details/5371/the-room-without-windows

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