Reason

A feather flew aimlessly in the air, being carried by the wind. It blew where it's driving force directed it to move and landed without weight on the shining leather shoes of Adam, who at the point of time was waiting impatiently outside the operation theatre. His brother was admitted to a hospital after a road accident in which Adam himself was involved. The moment the little red bulb outside the room turned off, his heart started beating in an even faster pace. The doctor came out with an expressionless face.
"We did everything we could but the injuries were too severe. I’m sorry. He must have been very strong, he fought for a week which was a miracle." he said.
     All the anxiety and tension left Adam as he felt calm. He accepted the plain truth, served directly to him, without thinking twice about other consequences that were possible. He tried to remember the times he had with his brother. The good ones first. He knew all those memories were incomplete, most of them never even happened. Then sprang a thought from nowhere. He couldn’t remember what happened to him in the accident. He couldn’t even remember how he got to the hospital. A range of questions hit his mind, as he suddenly felt distant from his surroundings. He turned back slowly, there was something different. Something was missing from reality. It seemed normal but the slight difference was so obvious that it could not be laid a finger on. He then saw his mother crying. It seemed to him only fitting. He stood there with his mother, grieving his brother's death and slowly reason caught up with him. He knew he had to console her, tell her it was all going to be okay. But she wouldn’t respond. The best he could do for her was to leave her alone. He stood there in the corridor wondering how his family got into such a crisis. He tried to remember the accident but everything seemed so faint and foggy. The mind was blank and the more he tried to explore it, the more lost he would get. The state of mind he was in was like a maze with no exit. To get out of such a maze, he had to retrace his steps to go back to where he started. Sometimes getting too deep into answering questions, we forget the question itself. Adam then thought, it must have been his fault. After all, he was older and had to take care of his brother. His mind encountered a new emotion, guilt. He failed to look after his brother and protect him which led him to his death. He turned back to look at his mother. She was now weeping looking at the body being moved out of the operation theatre. Adam thought to himself that this will be the last time he’ll ever see his brother. He moved forward with anxiety and froze suddenly. It hit him with all force. There was something wrong with the surroundings. Now he noticed what his subconscious was trying to scream at him. He turned to the direction where he earlier saw a boy sitting in a wheel chair. The boy had seemed strangely familiar. He took a closer look, only to be shocked. It was his brother. The mind functions mysteriously as reflexes work in a way that even science fails to explain sometimes. He rushed towards the body being taken away. He peeked over his mother's shoulder, but he already half knew what he was going to find. Everything fell in place. On the stretcher, he saw his own body pale and motionless.

-Sandeep Kunichi

What we fear, we dream

What we fear, we dream!

“And they say a human’s brain is most evolved”. The comment lingered for a minute in cold winter air. A couple driving home from a late night thriller movie had little to talk about of the climax where in the script writer blamed insanity.

“A troubled mind is not exactly a primitive one Sonya.”

“I don’t get it. How can anyone lose their mind? Seems so improbable.” said the wife with a naive school girl shrug.

Alexander Ford was a man of reason. He had great knowledge of things and never accepted anything without facts. While his wife was suggesting that a human brain cannot lose itself in the abyss, he had little to say.

“Oh grow up Sonya!” he cried.


The route from the theatre to Robinson square where they lived passed through a lot of medical facilities. But most prominent of them was an asylum. The asylum spread out for a huge area. The grounds were a small forest before they were used as a safe haven for the inmates. A service road ran straight through the grounds which was open for the public use. Sonya saw the huge fences and felt a chill.

“These fences, I know they don’t let anyone inside but I wonder sometimes if that is the real purpose of their being.” she said sinking into the car seat.

“You are being too observant.” replied her husband in his usual humorous tone.
Suddenly the car slowed down. The engine almost spat black smoke.

“My God Alex its not the right time for this to be happening.” Sonya said almost with tears.

“Relax! I’ll look into it.” said Alex with a firm voice.

He stepped out of the car and took off the bonnet. It was filled with smoke. He examined for a few moments. He then stepped beside the door and looked into the car. Sonya had fallen asleep. He shook her shoulder gently. Sonya being a deep sleeper seldom let herself be woken up with force. She thought it was barbaric.

“Well hold fort Mrs. Ford I need to get water for the radiator. I won’t be long. You can sleep if you can’t keep your eyes open. Lock yourself in and don’t open no matter what. I’ll be back soon.”
None of those words made sense in her state of mind. But she understood. She tried not to doze off though. It wouldn’t be wise to be sleeping in a car in the middle of an asylum.
After a few minutes Sonya heard a thud on the car roof. She woke up with a start. But she didn’t dare to look outside. She thought it was just a bad dream and tried to stay awake this time. There was a silent tap somewhere. She couldn’t make out from where the sound was coming, but the faint tap continued without break. She switched on the music system and tried to make out what was playing. Sleep is a weird thing. It occupies you in times when even closing both eyes seems like sacrilege.


Sonya woke up with a start. It was bright outside. The car was still in the same place where it was the previous night. Where is Alex She thought? She peeked outside to find a crowd of people standing all around the car. She couldn’t make out what they were saying but their lips where moving.
A couple of men in uniform were moving slowly towards the car. They were making gestures She couldn’t understand. She was scared. She thought it was all a bad dream. But the sun in her eyes was quite real. No, it is happening. All this is real. She opened the opposite door and jumped out. Now she heard what the crowd was shouting, “Get out fast! Now!” they screamed. She ran towards the crowd, turning back as she did. She saw something that could not be explained in mere words. Emotions rushed through every nerve. There was a small thought in her mind, a small hope that all that was happening was just a nightmare. How perfect it would be if she could wake up and continue with her normal life. Even if it was an uneventful one it did not matter! All this hitting her mind in a nanosecond as she stood there in the middle of the road looking at a small man crouching on the roof of the car tapping it with what seemed from this distance, a human head. Smiling while doing it, his tongue hanging out of his mouth with no support. Sonya felt like all reason left her sane little world. This is not a nightmare, even if it is she has seen something no shrink can cure. She has witnessed the height of human lunacy. A mind can only take so much, she fainted. She felt free from all bindings. She felt happy that she couldn’t think. If reason could comprehend the things she saw, she couldn’t afford it. The very thought made her feel free.

HOURS earlier, A paper boy threw the morning news paper at the back door of a shabby house. An old man with dragging footsteps opened the door and bent down with a frown to pick it up. Grinding his teeth he said “These young brats! No patience! What has the world come to!” his eyes grew larger “Oh lord what has the world come to indeed.” he exclaimed as the headlines read ‘Asylum inmate escapes. Feared to be lurking in the grounds’.

 - Sandeep Kunichi