Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Tunnel
the train mechanically comes to a halt. the doors slid open and the ugly pple swarmed out in masses, trying to squeeze past one another as though the more they squeeze the easier they would get outta the crowd. the boy stood behind the entire mess, numb to this ridiculous scene. for a moment, he seemed to be locked out of this world. the vision of the moving crowd still stays, but the ears hear nothing except for the sound of vacuum zoning in on the ears. there was no breath. it was just for a moment, before the signals of the closing doors woke him out from his spell. he hurriedly got in between the sliding doors, which were already half closed. this sudden exertion of his leg muscles sorta shook him up a lil, an early morning boost which he so desperately needs.
it is a every-morning routine. the same train. the same dreadful ugly pple. the same stop. the same lethargy. he is not where he wants to be, maybe he is, but he is not too sure. some pple would say how lucky he is to make it there, how smart he was and how they wished they could belong there too. they know nothing. just like those pple who were already there like him, they know nothing too. he, himself, probably knows nothing too.
he is not sure what exactly his mind is thinking. it seems to be roaming around many different things, some big issues that concern humanity, some smaller issues involving people around him and some on a smaller scale, at the personal level, his own inner thoughts. roaming around these many issues, touching them a little below the surface then turning away in disgust. such dissatisfaction.
he goes through this every morning whenever he reaches the stop that says 'Buona Vista'. this same thought process that haunts him every morning haunted him again today and he was delayed by another minute on the platform, in the same daze as he was minutes before behind the closing train doors. he was standing still, staring fixedly at one invisble spot on the screen of thin air erected directly in front of his human frame. he got into the spell again.
cacophony of the ugly pple complaining and train doors closing signals penetrated his ears. he breathed in some air. but his eyes were still fixed at that invisible spot. his limbs seemed to be immobilised.
he stumbled. the crowd coming out from the train that just arrived showed no mercy for him, they muscled him aside and cast some glances of displeasure at him, cursing him for his inconsideration in blocking the pathway. he shook his head. and he shook it again. he knows he got to stop daydreaming.
he walked into the crowd and blended into them. soon, he was walking the same kind of pace the ugly pple walk. he took the escalator down and exited the gantry. he went on another escalator that would bring him outta the station. he was now at the ground floor. same shit, different day. he sighed.
a few steps ahead, the Tunnel lies before him. it was fairly lit at this time. he carried on, and proceeded into the Tunnel. the smell of rotting leaves and murky drainwater pervaded his respiratory system. nothing alien. he continued walking. soon, the stench became more and more unbearable. this is the first time he is experiencing this. he thought he should have been immune to it considering this Tunnel is his routine path for 2 years already. he hastened his footsteps, not willing to put up with the smell any longer. the Tunnel seemed to be longer than usual today. it is usually only a 3 min walk, but it seemed like he had walked for ten minutes.
he stopped for a while, with his right hand covered on his nose. he looked back, and looked at the end of the Tunnel again. he is halfway through. he started walking again. the smell is suddenly gone. he let his right hand down and smiled to himself, heaving a sigh of relief. he slowed down his footsteps and began to drag his feet, walking at a leisurely pace now. he knows he is gonna be late. he doesnt care. its better to be late than to attend morning assembly.
he began to notice that the lights in the tunnel have started to dim. he looked behind him and looked at the end of the Tunnel again. he is still HALFWAY through. ??? the lights began to flicker, the stench started to come back and the walls of the Tunnel seemed to be moving in out and out of its place. he wanted to shake his head again, but he couldnt. he cant breathe. he cant smell anything. his eyes cant move. his limbs were locked. screams couldnt emerge from his throat. he was locked in a seeming forcefield.
his eyelids were suddenly forced shut. he was in darkness. he doesnt know wads going on ard him. maybe it doesnt matter. he couldnt see anyway with his eyes closed. a spark of light broke the darkness, for a second. the sound of wind. a very strong gust of wind. a big splash of light, blinding the total darkness. his pulsating nerves were no longer like choppy waters. they were now calmer than ever before. his heart beat at a steady rate.
the next moment, he saw a familiar boy wearing the same uniform as him walk into the Tunnel, and out of the Tunnel and disappeared. then he came back again, went through the Tunnel and to the station. the same boy kept walking up and down and this same scene repeatedly flashed itself to him again and again till it disturbed the serenity he had a little. the boy appeared at the end of the Tunnel again, now holding a piece of paper in his hand, walking with a group of frens, smiling in glee. they walked past him and into the station.
then a soldier started walking from the station to the end of the Tunnel and disappeared. moments later, he appeared again, at the end of the Tunnel, and walked all the way back to the station. the Tunnel became empty for some time. it seemed like a long time. no footsteps, no light, no smell, not a hint of life present in it. he stood there, still locked out of this world. wondering wads happening to himself.
he heard footsteps. he turned behind and saw a man in formal clothes walking smartly into Tunnel. he walked through it till the end and disappeared. this series of weird occurences made no sense to him.
he was waiting for the next character to appear. he waited. it is beginning to iritate him. the air becomes too stale and its getting stuffy. beads of perspiration began to form on his forehead. those beads of perspiration are causing discomfort to his skin. he cursed and muttered a vulgarity, then lifted up his sleeve to wipe off the perspiration. then he stopped.
it is over. he scratched his head. totally puzzled. he remembered that he was late for school. he lifted up his schoolbag. ??? a BRIEFCASE? he looked at himself. he was in formal clothes. wads happening? he took out his file from the briefcase and saw the documents he prepared the night earlier. he was supposed to give a speech at the graduation assembly today. he hurried towards the school. its not nice to keep the whole school waiting.
for a second, he thought about the boy standing in the Tunnel. who was that? he had no time for such questions. he took bigger steps and made his way to the school as quickly as he could.
it is a every-morning routine. the same train. the same dreadful ugly pple. the same stop. the same lethargy. he is not where he wants to be, maybe he is, but he is not too sure. some pple would say how lucky he is to make it there, how smart he was and how they wished they could belong there too. they know nothing. just like those pple who were already there like him, they know nothing too. he, himself, probably knows nothing too.
he is not sure what exactly his mind is thinking. it seems to be roaming around many different things, some big issues that concern humanity, some smaller issues involving people around him and some on a smaller scale, at the personal level, his own inner thoughts. roaming around these many issues, touching them a little below the surface then turning away in disgust. such dissatisfaction.
he goes through this every morning whenever he reaches the stop that says 'Buona Vista'. this same thought process that haunts him every morning haunted him again today and he was delayed by another minute on the platform, in the same daze as he was minutes before behind the closing train doors. he was standing still, staring fixedly at one invisble spot on the screen of thin air erected directly in front of his human frame. he got into the spell again.
cacophony of the ugly pple complaining and train doors closing signals penetrated his ears. he breathed in some air. but his eyes were still fixed at that invisible spot. his limbs seemed to be immobilised.
he stumbled. the crowd coming out from the train that just arrived showed no mercy for him, they muscled him aside and cast some glances of displeasure at him, cursing him for his inconsideration in blocking the pathway. he shook his head. and he shook it again. he knows he got to stop daydreaming.
he walked into the crowd and blended into them. soon, he was walking the same kind of pace the ugly pple walk. he took the escalator down and exited the gantry. he went on another escalator that would bring him outta the station. he was now at the ground floor. same shit, different day. he sighed.
a few steps ahead, the Tunnel lies before him. it was fairly lit at this time. he carried on, and proceeded into the Tunnel. the smell of rotting leaves and murky drainwater pervaded his respiratory system. nothing alien. he continued walking. soon, the stench became more and more unbearable. this is the first time he is experiencing this. he thought he should have been immune to it considering this Tunnel is his routine path for 2 years already. he hastened his footsteps, not willing to put up with the smell any longer. the Tunnel seemed to be longer than usual today. it is usually only a 3 min walk, but it seemed like he had walked for ten minutes.
he stopped for a while, with his right hand covered on his nose. he looked back, and looked at the end of the Tunnel again. he is halfway through. he started walking again. the smell is suddenly gone. he let his right hand down and smiled to himself, heaving a sigh of relief. he slowed down his footsteps and began to drag his feet, walking at a leisurely pace now. he knows he is gonna be late. he doesnt care. its better to be late than to attend morning assembly.
he began to notice that the lights in the tunnel have started to dim. he looked behind him and looked at the end of the Tunnel again. he is still HALFWAY through. ??? the lights began to flicker, the stench started to come back and the walls of the Tunnel seemed to be moving in out and out of its place. he wanted to shake his head again, but he couldnt. he cant breathe. he cant smell anything. his eyes cant move. his limbs were locked. screams couldnt emerge from his throat. he was locked in a seeming forcefield.
his eyelids were suddenly forced shut. he was in darkness. he doesnt know wads going on ard him. maybe it doesnt matter. he couldnt see anyway with his eyes closed. a spark of light broke the darkness, for a second. the sound of wind. a very strong gust of wind. a big splash of light, blinding the total darkness. his pulsating nerves were no longer like choppy waters. they were now calmer than ever before. his heart beat at a steady rate.
the next moment, he saw a familiar boy wearing the same uniform as him walk into the Tunnel, and out of the Tunnel and disappeared. then he came back again, went through the Tunnel and to the station. the same boy kept walking up and down and this same scene repeatedly flashed itself to him again and again till it disturbed the serenity he had a little. the boy appeared at the end of the Tunnel again, now holding a piece of paper in his hand, walking with a group of frens, smiling in glee. they walked past him and into the station.
then a soldier started walking from the station to the end of the Tunnel and disappeared. moments later, he appeared again, at the end of the Tunnel, and walked all the way back to the station. the Tunnel became empty for some time. it seemed like a long time. no footsteps, no light, no smell, not a hint of life present in it. he stood there, still locked out of this world. wondering wads happening to himself.
he heard footsteps. he turned behind and saw a man in formal clothes walking smartly into Tunnel. he walked through it till the end and disappeared. this series of weird occurences made no sense to him.
he was waiting for the next character to appear. he waited. it is beginning to iritate him. the air becomes too stale and its getting stuffy. beads of perspiration began to form on his forehead. those beads of perspiration are causing discomfort to his skin. he cursed and muttered a vulgarity, then lifted up his sleeve to wipe off the perspiration. then he stopped.
it is over. he scratched his head. totally puzzled. he remembered that he was late for school. he lifted up his schoolbag. ??? a BRIEFCASE? he looked at himself. he was in formal clothes. wads happening? he took out his file from the briefcase and saw the documents he prepared the night earlier. he was supposed to give a speech at the graduation assembly today. he hurried towards the school. its not nice to keep the whole school waiting.
for a second, he thought about the boy standing in the Tunnel. who was that? he had no time for such questions. he took bigger steps and made his way to the school as quickly as he could.
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