The devil's mirror

The inspiration behind this blog is my nephew Aditya; the very same cool guy I had mentioned about, in one of my earlier blog posts- a teenage boy who resides in an altogether different, parallel universe that's far more fantastic than the absolutely humdrum monotonous world that we dwell in! In this imaginary realm of his, laboratories brew the most innovative magical potions; kitchens cook yummiest of the foods; superheroes battle and triumph over deadliest of villains using bizzare gadgets; laws of physics act as per their own convenience, travels lead you accross time to mysterious places and enigmatic people ; and stereotypically boring and mundane entities like mathematics are barred from entering!
Despite being nothing more than a mere figment of the talented boy's vivid imagination; the strange world is way more fascinating than the one that we are acquainted with!
"The devil's mirror" is an idea that popped out of the dreamer's mind  and hopped onto a shabby, insignificant; yet a curious looking piece of paper that I found lying around in some corner of the house. Despite the overall unattractive appearance of the paper, there was definitely something about it that cought my eye. The handwritten piece was titled "My favourite dream" and went on to describe one of the most extraordinary dreams I've ever heard of!
Apparently his dream carried him off to the hilly terrains of Sikkim; where he stumbled upon a singular mountain peak; a mysterious air about it. From afar, the peak had a distinct appearance- a one characterized by multicolored square shapes on one slope and what looked like multiple dents on the other.
As he approached closer to the hill; he was greeted by a queer looking stranger who introduced himself as his guide for the day!
The "guide" informed him that the 'dents' were in reality; a maze of deep caverns and that this part of the hill held deep secrets; the access to which was forbidden to everyone except the "Maharishis"( the ancient sages).
The other part with the colourful squares was actually a sophisticated resort which was carved out into the mountain; and had variously colour coded suites.
The most interesting part however; was the mountain peak; which carried a huge table-land over it; balanced to perfection. This part was the fabled 'lair of the devil'!
Ignoring several warnings from people discouraging him from wandering off near the devil's lair; he still decided to pay a visit to the hilltop. He reached the place; half anxious; half curious; anticipating the appearance of the 'devil' at any moment! However, all he found there was a mirror;  the devil was nowhere in sight.
Curiously, he peeped into the mirror, his heart pounding with anxiety; only to encounter a great fall; and find himself in bed; awake, flustered, but very much present in the boring real world!
"This may not be a very nice dream", he goes on to say, "but it has certainly given me some ideas to write a new fictional story".
Much as I envy the boy's colourful imagination; I certainly couldn't help but think about how much his idea holds true in real life too! 'The devil' truly resides within us; the only way to find and destroy him is to look into the mirror; introspect!
The boy's brain however; is not yet cluttered with such serious, cliched philosophical stuff. The spirited young mind is already busy weaving some magical story about decoding the secrets of the 'Maharishis' and destroying the devil.
That carefree attitude and youthfully fresh, innocent, unadulterated perspective is all I long for!

The proposal...

A fairytale has begun in the most perfect way
Down on one knee a ring was given, “yes” did the lady say!
But this is not a dream you’re in, this is the love that’s true
Now all await in eagerness, the day you say “I do”!

I smiled to myself, as I read this lovely verse our photographer had printed on his own accord, while I fondly flipped through the pages of our wedding album. Automatically, I drifted back to a time four years ago, while I was still studying to be a post-graduate. My parents, like any other, had already started worrying about my marriage and would keep bothering me with proposals from prospective marriage alliances. The typical headstrong, impulsive girl that I was, however, would end up feeling extremely annoyed at the abruptness of the whole procedure. The very idea of placing my trust in some random person I barely knew, did seem absurd, if not dangerous!
It was then, that I met him- a simple guy with a pleasing demeanour. Like me, he too was pursuing higher studies in medicine. The first time I met him, he did seem like a decent guy after all! I had always been an introvert and would often find it quite difficult to strike an effortless conversation with anyone I met! Quite astonishingly, I found I was able to talk to him quite easily, without much of inhibitions!
“I can’t cook”, I muttered, fidgeting nervously with a spoon, as we sat in the cafeteria, chatting over a mug of latte. “I can, though!” , he remarked reassuringly, as I stared at him in utter disbelief !
“Look, I really can’t! All I can make is 'maggi'” I tried to retort. He merely laughed aloud, looking thoroughly amused at my nervousness.
“It’s no laughing matter, mind you! Think about it- I’m absent minded, and dead clumsy too!”  I sighed desperately, as we walked out of the cafeteria while I finally opened up about the worst fears I had, about my home-making abilities!
“Sir, I think you’ve forgotten your bike keys in here!” called a distinct voice from the cafeteria. I chuckled, throwing a mischievous glance at him, as I finally realized that he was no better, quite confused whether I should be feeling relieved, or more apprehensive about the fact!
"Shall we meet again, then?" he asked expectedly. He beamed, as I replied, "I guess so!"
I saw him waiting for me the next day. His face lit up in a dazzling smile the moment he saw me!
"Hi!"
"Er... why don't we just take a walk?"
We walked along the alley to reach an assortment of ancient looking buildings. "Well, that's my school!" his eyes sparkled as he talked about those loving memories!
I'm not quite sure where that conversation drifted to.. I can merely recollect that hour and a half as a happy blur!
A couple of meetings were followed by several phone calls full of such interesting topics as movie reviews, novels, sports, work, studies and practically everything under the sun, and some mundane,  insignificant ones like our “future plans”. I’m quite surprised  that we even brought up the topic, considering neither of us had much idea of what we planned to do with our futures!
“Listen, I'm still struggling to make my career..I  don’t think I can give you the kind of well settled, lavish lifestyle that you’ve had at your place, at least not for now! But we could build that life together! I wanted to ask you something… I’m not very good with words… but…well…will you marry me?” he said one day, as he finally popped the question, rather unceremoniously! That was it! Here was a proposal, that was so overly simplistic that it could easily qualify as one of the most unromantic proposals in the history of humankind; one that neither had the intense chemistry nor a dreamy air about it, the way it is, in the typical candy-floss romances that we tend to idolize!
Indeed, here was a proposal, quite unlike a one that any girl would dream of! No ring, no wine, no candle-light, no flowers.. no one went down on a knee….just a straightforward question over a humble phone call, yet, a one that was beautifully simple, honest and straight from the heart!
Well, here was a guy, who wasn’t afraid of being himself.. here was a guy, who undoubtedly excelled at practically whatever he did, be it academics or sports, and yet, was down to earth. Here was a person, who had the strength of character to accept his limits, as well as the courage to try and defy them. Here was a man who didn’t cringe at the fact that making tasty meals and perfectly round ‘rotis’ wouldn’t exactly be my top priority, in fact was responsible enough to offer sharing the load!
Frankly, I had never believed in ‘happily ever after’s, I still do not! Well, people are not like those clowns in the circus with a façade of a permanent happy expression pasted to their faces, nor is life, a fairytale! I was quite sure, that our relationship, like any other, would have its share of easy streets and rough patches. But here was someone with whom I could survive whatever situation life threw at me, be it happiness, sorrow, anger, disappointment, frustration or utter confusion, without having to pretend otherwise.. someone I could disagree with, without being judged; someone I could be angry with, without being misunderstood AND someone I could be HAPPY with, without being taken for granted!
On that cold February night, over a distant phone conversation,  I was convinced, that I finally found the man I could have my “honestly ever after” with!