Tuesday, April 20, 2010

EPISODE 25-THE APPREHENSION


Pushing back any rational fear for himself, john lifted an ice-cold hand, rubbed the unresponsive fingers between his palms.Ellen i gotta thank u first for invigorating my confidence back in me.U need to wake up, and should know how deeply you've enlivened me."i was totally blank when i entered the exam hall about what i m gonna present in for tomorrows competition but now i ve gotta a theme which was deeply inspired by you."I owe u Ellen"said happily John.

While standing in the college parking lot .A small groan eased Ellen's apprehension. A branch that covered her face fell back in a gentle breeze as she turned her head against the seat, allowing an unobstructed view of her face for the first time. The sight of her made John's breath catch. He questioned his eyes, wondering if he had plucked an angel unawares from the mud, and not a mortal like himself. Maybe that explained the unearthly cry. Rubbing her eyes, Ellen looked at him again, trying to decided whether she was going crazy, or just in bewildered shock from the scream.John Understood that Ellen is hiding something from him, but John never questioned back,thinking that it might make her uncomfortable.It was almost 6Pm and John left the place uttering thanks and byes to Ellen.

Back in his house John didnt reveal his parents that he is taking part in the national level painting competition but instead modified the story and said to his parents, that he is going to attend his friends marriage so he has to leave in a couple of hours,to add up tension and confusion to the situation John's folks never let him go that night,but instead asked him to attend the function in the morning.The problem is that even though the competition was only on the next day at 8am, the competition venue was not in New york it was it will take some 6 hours travel to reach his destiny. For john's parents it was just a party but for John it’s his Duty to achieve his lifetime goal. Some how he managed to get the permission to try out his fortune. John had nothing except a train ticket and just a 100 bucks and his mobile phone which is currently in debt. If he loses in the competition he can not even come back on time. John was different from others in the way he take up things, he can always contradict himself.The way John speak , few people thought he has become a saint, but it was not so..According to John "The fear about Future is the foundation of life “When u get everything that you want you can never feel the happiness to the core of your heart. And so John was confident to fetch the cash award of 10k and it was also declared that the first 3 winners will be getting their return tickets sponsored by a local airlines.If John fails he has no other option to return on the stipulated time(For John's parents he was jus a few kilometers away attending a Marriage function,so he had to maintain that,till he endorse the story with a beautiful touch), so it was just not a competition but it was a must win situation for John.

While in train john thought was wandering like a lonely sky.His eye approached Faint silvery moonlight filtered through the clouds, lending a storybook air of wonderment to John's already dazed mind. He saw a slender face, delicate skin, even features that could of come straight from the pages of one of the triplet's much-beloved books of fairytale princesses. Maybe this was no angel at all, but a fairytale princess come to life. With that crown of raven hair and cute little nose, maybe John had found Sleeping Beauty outside his castle walls.

Angel to princess, John sighed at his own nonsense. Beneath John was sitting a little girl who was about 8 yrs . Without warning, a pair of large, dramatic eyes blinked open. They stared at John in such profound horror, it startled him even more. He wondered if she saw something frightening over his shoulder, and turned only to find his own reflection in the window. With a sharp gasp, Sleeping little angel twisted in her seat. She tugged at the passenger door, and before John could stop her, it swung out into the downpour. She leaned through the opening, but lacking strength, tumbled onto the steps with a splash and a cry of pain. John burst from his position , ran around to collect the little gal who was behaving as though she'd lost her mind. A frantic arm pushed away his hands when he stooped to lift her from off the Foot board. John wiped the rain from her eyes, stayed crouched and watched in bewilderment as the child moved to his knees, struggling to stand but unable to get upright.

"You're going to hurt yourself!" he shouted. "Let me get you back into your berth “said john soon the child parents rushed out of their cabin and thanked John for saving the child from slipping off the train. By now, John was shivering convulsively, having given his shawl to the little kid who knelt in the rain. He stared at the ground, his frame shaking with cold and something else, John couldn't quite place.

With a stab of reality, John realized it was fear. He was afraid of what could have happened if he hadn’t caught the little gal on time. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself," the kid’s father grinned, hoping it would encourage John to calm down. "My name's Terry. I live nearby with my family, and I work with computers for a living ". The woman turned her head. The sarcasm in that glance was easy to recognize. By the time it was almost 6am and John was all set to get down in his station bidding adieu to the little girl and her parents. He refreshed himself in the station and started to the competition spot. The three mile drive into Chaumont couldn't go by fast enough for john. Getting off the main road, he navigated surface streets until coming to a wide, two story brick building. While waiting for Registering John met his old friend Nancy. Nancy a good friend,it was almost 3 months since they met first time in the qualifying round. In that round Nancy got the 1st place with ease and entered the competition and she knew John is a big fan of all her creations .She was infact very much inspired by the way John bought out his thoughts. "What's going on in there?"the event organiser called up everyone. It was almost 8am ,the necessary Kit for painting competition was distributed for all the competitors. It was awfully quiet up there.The organizers jammed the key into the handle, threw open the door.John was infact very much afraid about the competition.John was the youngest one in the whole crowd. Thither about 300 artists from across the country. John's gray-eyed stare moved from the floor to Nancy. "Then did everything go all right?"”oh yeah John,how about u r side ” replied Nancy who was standing right next to him setting up the art board. "Well," John rubbed his neck, trying to buy time so he could figure out the best honest answer possible. "yeah, everything's fine." ”okay Nancy all the best” said John ; Surprised but grateful, Nancy thanked and wished him back.

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