A Good Life

This is a story of two friends which starts long ago. Even before planet Earth and the solar system came into existence, infact, it starts even before that. The two friends are  God and Satan! Oh yes they are friends and have always been that way, quite contrary to the popular belief that they are enemies. They never fought wars and they never killed anyone. They are just friends having a good time. Their friendship though, is like that of those two kids who go to the beach to play, one builds a beautiful sand castle and the other likes to destroy it for fun! It's all fun and games you see. God though had a serious plan. One day he asked Satan to come meet him. "What's up God, why did you call me over?" asked Satan upon arriving to Parádeisos, that is the name of God's official residence. "I want to discuss a grand plan with you Sat", said God. Oh and Sat is Satan's nickname, God often calls him that. "You got any food? I'm starving...

A worried Simon found himself guarding a compound gate at night. It was a dark and silent night. The chirping of the crickets and the rustling of leaves on the trees were the only sounds that interrupted the silence of the night. There was an eerie feel about the night. Simon sat in a chair by the gate, leant back and closed his eyes. "Hey, how you doing?" asked a woman. Simon was startled and scared, he wasn't expecting anyone. "Hey, I did not mean to scare you!" said the woman. Her soothing voice was most comforting, Simon immediately felt better. He looked up and saw she was as beautiful as her voice. "Do I know you?" asked Simon. "You don't, but I do know you. I'm Angelica", she said. "An apt name, your beauty is angelic!", exclaimed Simon. "So what are you guarding here?" asked Angelica. "You won't trust me even if I told you", replied Simon. "Try me", said Angelica. Mesmerised by ...

It was a rainy evening in New York city. There was thunder, lightning and heavy rain as Chief Inspector Jonathan Wade, waited to meet the Commissioner of Police of New York Police Department (NYPD). Jonathan was one of the most decorated officers of NYPD, having busted key members of various drug cartels and gangs. Under his watch the neighbourhood had been safe. Along the way though, he made many enemies in the underworld. "Sir, the Commissioner has called", said an inspector. Jonathan sat looking out of the window, lost in thought. "Sir, Sir", shouted the inspector while patting Jonathan's shoulder. "I'm sorry, what is it?" asked a startled Jonathan, like someone who had been woken up from deep sleep. "The commissioner has called you sir", said the inspector. "Thank you", replied Jonathan. He removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat off his brow. He walked towards the Commissioner's cabin. "May...

Maharaj Vikram Singh knew his days were numbered. He faced a dilemma in the twilight of his life. He had two sons, the elder son was Prithvi Singh and the younger one Harshvardhan Singh. The two brothers had very different nature and temperaments. Prithvi was more ambitious and wanted to expand his empire way beyond the existing boundaries. Harshvardhan was more concerned about the welfare of his people. While Prithvi believed more should be spent on arms and war, Harshvardhan believed more should be spent on welfare of the people. Maharaj Vikram Singh had two conflicting thoughts. Either make Prithvi the king after him and let Harshvardhan be his deputy or split the empire into two are make the two sons kings of their respective empires. Maharaj called his wise advisor, Mahendra, to advise him on the subject. After several hours of discussion they came to the conclusion to split the empire. Accordingly, the next few days were spent in finalising the boundary that would split the...

A captain, Jack, was to take a cargo ship from his hometown port to another where it was to pick up cargo and sail further under supervision of another captain. Upon request he was granted special permission to take his son along with him. Christopher, was home on holiday, he was training to be a captain. They packed up, got ready and set sail at night. Early next morning Jack was in the bridge of the ship. He was checking the bearing and other critical parameters. He heard a knock on the door. "Can I come in dad?" asked Christopher. "Sure son, come on in", said Jack. Christopher walked in towards his dad. "Mornin dad! Would you like to have some coffee?" asked Christopher. "Sure son, that would be nice", replied Jack. Christopher walked out and returned in a while with two cups of steaming hot coffee. "Thanks Chris", said Jack as he continued to work. Chris took his coffee mug and walked towards the window. "Beautiful day isn...

God created each and every being, He looks to see what they are doing, Good or bad, the deeds he's tracking, Well then, Who am I to be judging? In another I see only their wrong doing, In myself I see, only what's worth mentioning, With such a filter in my mind while looking, I wonder, Who am I to be judging? I see a man and how now he's functioning, Not knowing in life, through what he has been going, Without knowing the facts if i have been commenting, I say to myself, Who am I to be judging? I haven't been perfect, that's how I'm living, Right and wrong, both deeds I have been doing, When I do stuff that is worth questioning, I ask myself, Who am I to be judging? Friendships, relationships it has been destroying, To conclusions, I must, stop myself from jumping, Rather, I must develop care and understanding, Ask myself everyday, Who am I to be judging? Now I care not about how he's looking, How and what, I'm more into reason...

On the outskirts of a village there was an abandoned well. The well was deep yet there was only sludgy wet mud at the bottom, no water. The villagers believed the well to be cursed and stayed away. The village folklore had stories of men who wandered close to it and never returned. People of the village generally stayed away from the well. Vikram was a young boy, fourteen years old, who used to stay in the city with his uncle and aunty. Vikram's parents were aware that there wasn't much scope for him in the village so had sent him to live with his uncle in the city where he attended a good school and had access to quality education. During summer vacations Vikram would return to the village to spend time with his family. As always, Vikram had spent the vacation in the village. The vacation was due to come to an end and pre monsoon showers had cooled the village a little. One evening the boys were returning home after swimming in the river outside the village. Vikram was la...

Peter started early from his home one morning. He was heading to the base camp for a trek with his friends. Peter, normally a responsible guy, was known to be a bit lethargic in his preparations and would not pack well enough. Well, subconsciously expecting friends to cover up, should he end up short. Four other friends and Peter started their climb at dawn. A couple of hours into the trek and one of his friend, Alex, stopped. "Look, this path seems more scenic, let's explore this side", he said pointing in another direction. "No let's stick to our path", the others said in unison. "Well in that case let us part ways from here, adios amigos", he said and left the group. Peter was a little surprised that after deciding to stick together at the start, how soon had Alex decided to split. A couple more hours into the trek and they had climbed quiet high into the mountains. While resting under the shade of a tree, a splendid looking peak caught the...

The hot summer sun scorched the lands, For rain they prayed with raised hands. Water resources were fast depleting, Soon there wouldn't be enough, even for drinking. Then it rained and cooled the burning ground, There was happiness and joy all around. It continued to rain, reservoirs filling fast, The crops did good, food would be abundant at last. Heavily it rained and the river did swell, Breaching it's boundaries, made way to where people dwell. And it continued to rain, water flooded the plain, The rising water destroyed their crop and grain. Strong winds blew in, none could stand in the way of it's might, The trees bowed to it's fury, oh it was such a sight. As water from the river made way for village lands, To stop the rain they prayed with raised hands. Rain rain go away, people of the village want to stay, Spare us from your fury, come again another day. The same water which gives life now threatened to take it, Fearing for life the...

" Boss, ek glass paani dena, aur pankha chalu kar yaar ", said Vicky as he made himself comfortable in a plastic chair at Sapna dhaaba. Sapna dhaaba was a small eating place on NH4 outside the city limits of Mumbai. It was late in the night and there weren't many people in this secluded place, surrounded by a forest. Vicky had been going through a difficult phase and drove down to escape the hussle of life. The waiter got him water and a menu card. Vicky gulped down the water and asked for more with the movement of his hand. Vicky was looking really troubled as he put his elbows on the table and held his head in his palms. Suddenly he felt a pat on his shoulder, startled he turned around quickly to see who it was and was surprised to see a beautiful woman. "Hi, you seem to be troubled, do you mind if I join you?" asked the woman. "Please take a seat", said Vicky. Her comforting voice and calm demeanour instantly made Vicky feel better. "Order s...

'Triiiinnngggg!!!', sounded the alarm bell. Arjun extended his arm from under the blanket and hit the snooze button. In five minutes the alarm went off again, again he hit the snooze button, pulled the blanket over his head and slept peacefully. The alarm rang for the third time and this time Arjun switched it off and thought to himself, "mom will wake me up when it's time, I don't need the alarm". He slept like a log. The rays of the morning sun entered the room through the window and lit up his face. He woke up, sat in bed and stretched himself wondering why his mom had not woken him up. Suddenly he realised he wasn't at home, he was at the National Athletics Academy in New Delhi. He was training for the races at the upcoming commonwealth games. "Oh my God, it's seven thirty already, had to be at the training ground at five", he said to himself. He rushed out of bed, quickly brushed his teeth, wetted his hair, wore his uniform, put on hi...

The thirsty man searched for water, He found life in the flowing river, He quenched his thirst, washed his face, Then turned his back to the same life giver. But then he felt thirsty again, Unsure, he walked back to the same river, Though he had turned his back on it, The river welcomed him with all its water. He quenched his thirst, washed his face,  He sat by the bank and basked in its glory,  Something so precious he took for granted,  For this behaviour he felt really sorry.  The river though knows not of give and take,  Everything it touches it nourishes while flowing,  From source to destination it does only one thing,  And that one thing is giving and giving.  Yet the man had other ideas,  Because man is driven by greed,  He built a dam across the river,  Though flowing water satisfied his need.  Water trickled through the dam,  It seemed the river was crying,...

David was a woodcutter who lived in a small village in Siberia, adjoining a dense coniferous forest. His job required him to venture into the forest and tread along a treacherous path, everyday. Every day before dawn he would leave the relative safety of his village and go into the snow covered woods to hack a few trees and get back some wood. The return journey was always cumbersome, as he had to carry heavy loads on his back while traversing the slippery, snow and ice covered path, back to his village. But this was David's life, he knew nothing else, he loved his family, his village and the forest, together they made up his little world. David would often take breaks during his return journey, as it was tiring getting back home after a day's labour and carrying the heavy load on his back. In the silence of the forest he found inner peace, his body and soul felt rejuvenated in the peace and tranquility of the forest. One such evening he sat down and rested his back against ...