M&M FF: Will-O'-the-Wisp - On hold indefinitely

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Posted: 13 years ago

Will-O'-the-Wisp

Will-o'-the-wisp is a ghostly light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. It resembles a flickering lamp and is said to recede if approached, drawing travellers from the safe paths

Folk belief attributes the phenomenon to fairies or elemental spirits.

In European folklore, these lights are held to be either mischievous spirits of the dead, or other supernatural beings or spirits such as fairies, attempting to lead travellers astray.

In this FF, it might take a while before you spot the Will-O'-the-Wisp who is taking the characters astray.

"When you have walked too long on the lost path, its perhaps time to see if it was meant to be...What if you are not so lost after all?"

Index

Part 1: The story so far... Scroll Down
Part 2: Meant to be Scroll Down
Part 3: Teeki Mirchi
Part 4: The Ghosts of his writing past
Part 5: Bursting bubbles
Part 6: A Loud mouth
Part 7: Nancy Drew
Part 8: Caught in the act
Part 9: Spider Man
Part 10: Grey Scale
Part 11: A morning of many firsts

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and I'm posting the same in NBT NMKK forum at this link:Will-O'-the-Wisp

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Edited by 6th.Element - 12 years ago

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749230

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Posted: 13 years ago

Part 1: The Story so far...

Dismissed indefinitely...

He knew what that meant in the line of work he came from. The newspaper wasn't going to require him to report for duty until all the dust around the death of the actress would settle and no one can remember anything of it, unless they were to make a movie of it. But even as others didn't ask of him for answers, he was already aware that every waking day required him to face them just the same. He was in long denial that seeking out his childhood home at this hour, was merely to save on the exorbitant rents of Mumbai, while he waited out for the office memo to arrive. While he was asked to sit and meditate on the shadow of invisible yet indefatigable power his words wielded on the lives of men and women who read them.

Today, the last stretch of bus journey to his Chacha's place in purana Lucknow wasn't any different from the other times he'd traveled these aged roads and there was the same familiar welcome in the pits of the highway that bounced him high and low in his seat. The air in Lucknow, to him, was just as old, filled with stories of a lost beauty of another time and royalty. Of fragrant Urdu and overtly polite addressing and the ever-present fading scent of cardamom and basmati in the air. It was the land were people cussed with intractable respect for the object of their frustration.

Mumbai had changed it all for him, when he left in search of a living after his higher education in Bangalore. Going behind stories that wanted to be told, which held the glorious lifetime of one living day on the thin frail paper it was printed on, satisfied him more than sitting behind a desk and a computer. He worked in the streets, in the run that tired his limbs, in the sweat that flooded his pores from the searching, in the days and nights that sometimes went by without food or water. It was more than an addiction. It was his way of living the story.

Now, not so subtle in its irony, his own story was haunting him, determined to make into every one of his awakening thoughts. Without reason, he assured himself he wasn't going to let that happen to him in Lucknow. He was going to shut himself in the second floor room, he was used to having in his Chacha's home and sleep until he could no longer sleep; until he could claim he was weary of sleep.

But little did he know then that it was wishful thinking only proposed from his end. That the room had been disposed off to tenants new to their town: a school teacher and her six year old daughter.

"I didn't think you would ever come back here, Mohan...She was new...and the child looks like the one you would have had, had you been married by now...I wouldn't have rented it out had it been anyone else" His Chacha told him right after they sat at the chai shop, opposite their greying home.

His eyes lifted to the pink, blue and purple dupattas that billowed in the gentle drift of sun warmed breeze, as he said, "Chacha...I'm here...And can we do without your could-have-beens for this one chai?"

Towards the last sip of hot tea, a sprightly little angel in two pigtails and thick glasses came running down the stairs, almost without stopping until she dashed into his Chacha's arms.

"Daadaji..." She said gasping for air, "I'm going to school now...you take care and don't forget to water the seeds we planted yesterday"

"Ok..beta" Chachaji lifted her up into his lap.

She planted a firm kiss on his Chacha's prickly cheek, wrinkling her nose, "Daadaji...please shave. Else I won't kiss you tomorrow"

"Nanhi...Come let's go" He heard a woman's voice call out, when he turned in the direction of their home. The sight of her stunned him and a tight fist pummeled his heart at the same moment, making him jump up from the wooden bench he was seated in. The empty glass tumbled down to the floor from his stiffened fingers as he felt a shiver pass thought it, from the knowing haunting her eyes brought to him.

No...it wasn't her. But this woman was also her in so many forms.

So much for running into the shadows, he thought then, when there was just as much light in the depths of grey to leave him wakeful, to bring out the anguish of nightmares into the days of his life.

Edited by 6th.Element - 13 years ago

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749230

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Posted: 13 years ago

Part 2: Meant to be

"Megha..." His Chacha's voice boomed into the white noise that was surrounding him when her gaze held his steadily. "Can you ask Mansukh bhai to drop by this afternoon?"

"Ok..Chachaji..." He heard her respond, while she continued to look at him, her eyebrows arching into wicked bows, a growing wariness in the light brown of her eyes. The satisfying curiosity yielded to the struggle there, even if only for a moment, making her flicker her lashes down, shielding herself from something that made her clutch the tail end of her dupatta that flitted past her into the space between them.

When her eyes came back to him this time, he felt a sharpness, the momentary softening fading into a harsh questioning. Look away, he read there. A threat and it wasn't the kind the strong of the lot used on the meek ones to coerce them to get to their whims. Instead, he knew then, it stemmed from a foolish anger that came out of helplessness. Because then she was aware that he saw more than what people normally did.

The little girl ran to her, hugging her knees gingerly and he found her too giving him a once over from head to toe.

"Daadaji...Is this man related to Amitabh bachan?" She asked, just as seriously as her innocent gaze measured his towering form.

A chuckle at first and then his Chacha responded, his voice watered down from the remains of the laughter, "No beta...this is my nephew, Mohan. He is from Mumbai and he will be staying with me for some time...Kyon?"

Now he was forced to tear his eyes away from her and turned to face his Chacha, "You will stay...won't you?"

He could allow himself a nod, but even that felt like he was giving something away. Bending down to pick up the glass, his face strained to hold back an unreasonable annoyance. In those moments of reprieve, he decided to ignore the question. Nothing was certain anymore, not when the ghosts of his past were on the loose like it was Halloween. Eventually, he turned his back to everyone and placed the glass on the counter. "One more Chai...And make it kadak..."

"See...I told you he is related to Amitabh Bachan" The girl whispered, presumably to his Chacha. There was more squeaking sound of shoes and sandals, one of them doubling without a rhythm - perhaps the little girl's.

A few minutes later, he sat down next to his Chacha with a fresh glass of chai in his hands, shaking his head in dismay, finally feeling the lightness in the air, now that she'd left with the bacha party.

Seriously...Lord!, He wanted to scream, when his beliefs in certain meant-to-be's were beginning to take shape.

Edited by 6th.Element - 13 years ago

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749230

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Posted: 13 years ago

The location has been changed from Indore to Lucknow. You will know why a little later in the story...

And as is always expected from my FFs, I will not be shadowing the soap storyline, except some characteristics which I feel will still fit into the story line.

Comments and feedback are always welcome...Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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_SilentSoul_

@_SilentSoul_

Stunner

+ 3

Posted: 13 years ago

Res!!!

I need to be free of my daily life chores but will get back to you soon!!! 😃

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553993

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Posted: 13 years ago

RES

read then edit my comment :D

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Boogle.Schiz

@Boogle.Schiz

Navigator

Posted: 13 years ago

She planted a firm kiss on his Chacha's prickly cheek, wrinkling her nose, "Daadaji...please shave. Else I won't kiss you tomorrow"

I used to do that all the time with my Dad, and then he would purposely kiss me to annoy me 😆😆

Attraction at first sight, huh? He's already falling for the unwanted tenant, but I wonder who that other lady is...

Edited by .-Moksha-. - 13 years ago

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kushboo

@-Khush-

Dazzler

+ 2

Posted: 13 years ago

Hasini... 😲 ... Awesome work again.. 😃
I would love if you mean that you will not go with the show's storyline and go with the characters like you did with NY times... 😳... Loved that one... 😍
Keep writing... 👍🏼
PS: If my changed user ID is confusing you, does it ring a bell if I say I am the one reader of NYT who used to bug you with a lot of questions in PMs??? 😆 😉