Ego's perspective

  New York, the city that is reborn every minute. Sekhmet , the cruise ship, stands majestically in the pale moonlight. After convincing his sister, Rachel, to board and that he would join her after a quick phone call, Raphael waves her off. Pulling out his phone, he walks towards the pier when a woman emerged from the shadows with ferocious speed and kissed him with feverous passion. After a brief shock, Raphael returned it with the same haste.   Breaking for air, she spoke. "Raf, where the hell were you? I’ve been waiting for, like half an hour." "Sorry Mel, it’s hard to convince her. She still has some doubts, "he spoke, pulling her close once more. It doesn’t matter if she had doubts. You gave me a word. You will come with me in Mac’s boat.” With a mischievous smile, she continued, "We will have all kinds of fun." Hand in hand, they walked to a smaller luxury boat bobbing with the waves; Omina . They have been plotting this since Raf found out th...

  Nothing, a more potent catalyst for change than a sudden war. But there is no such thing as a sudden war, it was always brewing, you either didn’t care enough, or you cared too much. This was the thought Marie had when she was sitting under the lunch table huddled with her son and dog while their world fell apart. When the bullets subsided. Marie went to the boarded-up window and peeked through a sliver. Moments passed, and then more moments passed, she looked back to her son and released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. When the moon rose high in the sky they were moving through the streets like shadows, with a precious few things in some bags. When they reached the harbor, it was almost dawn. Marie frantically realized that the ship she paid to take them on, has already fled. Among the countless masts and furled-up sails, she saw not one hopeful colour. Marie sat down in dejection, their dog Marly came to her and started licking her hands. As she mustered up enou...

Many may distinctly remember from their childhood a scene, where they realized that their mother (and/or) father will eventually die. Many may have asked their parents if they would die. I remember asking my mother that question and she told me the truth. Seeing me cry my eyes out and suffered my first broken heart she confessed that she was playing a prank on me and that parents don’t die. I never been hastier to believe anything and I deliberately refused myself to ever ask or think that question again. But when my sister became around the same age as me, she also had the same query. And my curious and analyzing eyes scanned every feature of my mother’s face. Without missing a beat she said parents don’t ever die. And my sister resumed her play content with the answer. I needed to become a big brother to understand why lies are important. That lie may have protected me from losing my childhood more than necessary and incurring any more trauma than we all get our fair share of. Ou...