Saturday, May 09, 2009

When the Woodcutter's axe fable did not work....

This happened a week ago. It was a rainy day and with exams around the corner, rain did not stop me from going to the library. I had an umbrella with me when I entered the library. As soon as I entered, I was roaming around here and there taking printouts and finding a place to sit. I finally settled down and started youtube. ( Yeah, I came for studying....)

After about 2 hours (it was like 2 am), I realized my umbrella was missing. I went around searching for it in the places I was sitting initially before I settled down and I could not find it anywhere. Feeling rather annoyed for being so irresponsible, I was getting desperate to know it was safe somewhere. I went to the front desk guy who directed me to someone who was responsible for lost property on my level. I found that guy(Lynch) and he took me to the "lost property" room.

Then.....
Lynch: Is this your umbrella ? (He showed me a really new, nicely polished, black, sturdy umbrella. I was impressed but I was reminded of the Fable I had learnt when in kindergarden.)
Me: No....
Lynch: Is it this one ? (This time it was a ok-ok umbrella. Fairly new, black, long and sturdy.)
Me{(Soliloquy): "If I do accept this, it will be bad....".}: NO....
Lynch: It is this atleast ? ( This time, it was an old umbrella, barely a piece of cloth with some metal rods here and there to hold it against breeze( not winds).)
Me; No.....

That was it. ! There was no Goddess who came from the bookshelves in the library to give me all the three umbrellas :-(.
I have a feeling, I even looked around a bit to check if someone would just pop out and give all the three to me.... However, it did not happen and I was getting ready to leave cursing how I can never be careful.

At that moment........
Lynch: Hey, we should check out the shelf at the back. Hardly anyone uses it these days for lost property. But we should try.....
Me: (Eyes lit up).. Sure.......!

We walk to the room - a rather concealed place that I never knew had an entry point on the level we were in. We went in. He switched on the light.
And...... There it lay, silent, almost smirking at me... my 9 year old umbrella from India...... I was happy...

Quickly thanked him and walked back with almost an air of indomitable rudeness. {soliloquy:"I am sincere too......."}

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

An amazing scene....

Taylor:This is chemical burn.
(Jack's whole body JERKS. Taylor holds tight to Jack's hand and arm. Tears well in Jack's eyes; his face tightens.)

Taylor:It will hurt more than you've ever been burned and you will have a scar.
(Jack looks--the burn is swollen, glossy, in the shape of Tyler's kiss. Jack's face spasms)

JACK (V.O.):If guided meditation worked for cancer, it could work for this.
(SHOT OF A GREEN MAPLE LEAF, GLISTENING WITH DEW. RESUME:
Taylor looks as Jack's glazed and detached eyes.)

Taylor:Stay with the the pain, don't shove to center.

JACK:No!

Taylor:The first soap was made from the ashes of heroes. Like the first monkeys shot into space. Without pain, without sacrifice we would have nothing.

JACK (V.O.):I tried not to think of the words "searing" or "flesh".

(SHOT OF A FOREST, IN GENTLE SPRING RAINFALL. RESUME:
Jack, snapping back, tries to jerk his hand away. Taylor keeps holding to it and their arms KNOCK UTENSILS off the table. Taylor JERKS Jack's hands, getting Jack's attention.)

Taylor:Stop it! This is your pain -- this is your burning hand. It's right here! Look at it.

JACK:I'm going to my cave. I'm going to my cave to find my power animal!
(SHOT OF THE INSIDE OF JACK'S FROZEN ICE CAVE. RESUME:
Taylor JERKS Jack's hand again. Jack re-focuses on Taylor...)

Taylor:No, don't deal with this the way those dead people do. Come on!

JACK:I get the point, ok, please!

Taylor:No, what you're feeling is premature enlightenment.
.........................