Feverish

No words can explain, the way I'm missing you

“I am missing you very much”

Laughing she says “Sleep”

I had something else in mind. I have a hundred and two Fahrenheit level of fever and I am coughing profusely but still I need to write this one.

***

“Do you have a pen?”

It’s like I asked the most shocking thing ever. Wide eyed, she first looked around her to be sure that it was her I asked to; then after a brief moment she replied: “No!”

I felt sorry for myself for asking the question anyway.

I searched in my bag again hoping for a miracle to find a pen to write. Ideas don’t come by easy but when they start flowing, you got to take note of them. Who knows, bit by bit...those ideas may lead to a great story.

“Sweetie, pass me the pen please” seemed like her dad or uncle; who cares anyway...all I was concerned about was the pen I asked for.

She slowly looked inside her bag and then took out the pen to give to her whatever related guy. You Evil girl!

I looked straight at her. What the hell man! She knew what she did. Maybe that don’t talk to strangers has being very deeply hardcoded in her brains.

“Train thirty minutes alasyanga vastundi”

I stayed long enough here to understand the conversation among those fellow passengers, that the train was late by thirty minutes. Soon the announcement followed delaying it by ten more minutes. 

Just Great!

I was exhausted and I have a fever. I decided to take a crisp nap meanwhile resting my head on the one of the station pillars.

***

There is very passionate story about the water and the uvula. For him, she was nothing short of his everything. Day in day out, water would quench her thirst...to be with her. But that quenching was never quite enough for poor uvula.

Hot tasty burgers, crispy nuggets, Biryani...she just loved the touch of them as they slithered by her piece by piece. She was quite fanatic but then she felt the chill that shot through her making her really uncomfortable.

Water was very good at heart. He loved her so much. He offered his help only to see her happy. She was relieved to see him by her side.

One gulp, two gulps. Water was ecstatic to make her happy. But what happened next just broke his heart.

She asked for more fanatics’. The more she got the more she desired. Now she didn’t need the water anymore. Somehow coke came into picture and he was sidelined or ignored briefly.

Salt and lemon were very good friends with water.

“Dude, why are you chasing after her? You will suffer”

Water seemed foolish. He replies: “She needs me as badly I need her. She just doesn’t know yet.”

Chilled Coke, soda, beer, whisky...she loved them all.

“Who needs water mixed in these lovely times? I would rather have them raw.”

And she gulped as they again slithered past her. She felt the frenzy going through her. The waves started hitting her. She felt good...but that dehydration was slowly draining her of which she was completely unaware. She gulped some chilled coke. It felt good.

The water watched in distance. He wanted to help her dear uvula but simply couldn’t for she didn’t need him. She was happy though, about which the water was quite satisfied about.

“Maybe she doesn’t need me anymore” felt the water.

But the story was still not finished.

She got sick. She went sore. Even her dear coke couldn’t save her from her current predicament. It made her sicker. Suddenly those tasty delicacies, slurpy drinks became danger for her.

This came into the water’s observation. He went crazy. His dear one was sick and he couldn’t do anything about it. He went to the salt and pleaded for his help.

“Let her be sick, why do you want to go back to her again?”

“She needs me, please help me this onetime”

***

“That was one crazy dream!”

 I woke up to sudden ring on my phone. It was her. I checked the time...It’s been only half an hour that I had been sleeping while writing my story.

“Are you okay? You didn’t really sound that well”

When she calls back to says this line, and then you know that you are one lucky guy. Ahh...Sweet.

“Not really” and the cough started ruining my speech.

“Gargle...and take Honitus” her voice had more honey in it. God, I hope you are reading this (wink).

I went to the kitchen. Poured a glass of water and went to add salt.

“Water and salt” I laughed as I turned on the gas.

The story was still incomplete and so I continued to write.

***

The snarling sound of the raging engine woke me up. My head was hurting. It felt like hundreds of drums banging in my head.

“Em Ayendi ?” That translates to what happened.

“Nothing” I replied involuntarily. But then I realised.

Hey! I just replied to that evil girl. The train won’t wait for my sulking to finish, so I just boarded the train. It was pretty empty for a seven thirty evening train. I got side lower though and oh the evil Satan lord, that girl had the upper one. Has the good God gone on vacation?

I had to bear her as she just sat there. Poor me...I just wanted to lay down for some much needed rest.

“You don’t sleep in train?” I couldn’t resist asking her this; on which I got this reply

“I sleep when I have to”

“Miss Pushpalata?” The ticket checker asked for the ticket. I literally laughed by hearing the name.

“What’s so funny about it?” she glared one eye towards mine. But I found the name really funny.

After the checker passed us I asked her, “So do your friends call you Pushpa?”

She didn’t seem to like that either.

I thought you can be involved with anyone if you are a bit funny. I guess I was quite wrong here.

But it didn’t end here. After some brief time she replied: “My friends calls me P”

Like seriously...P? What is logic here...I am simply unable to decipher this unusual thing of alphabet naming. Damn...some weird people the world has.

“So you write novels and stuff” she seemed interested. And why won’t she be. She hid the damn pen.

“Yes...I write” I replied.

“I am sorry for the pen. I thought you were some weird guy asking for a mere pen.”

I was tired and I don’t have the energy to sulk much. So I replied: “it’s okay”

“Why don’t you tell me a story? I kind of love them too”

Why does this girl leave me alone?  I wondered.

“One minute” I took two sips of Honitus and a Calpol and then started off with the narration.

“Have you ever heard a feverish story?”

***

Someone just shook me vehemently.

“I think you reached the station?”

“Huh?” I was looking haplessly trying to understand the situation.

“umm...station” Miss P. She woke me up for my stop.

“Oh...shit” I jumped out of my seat and grabbed everything to just run for the door.

“Hey...the train will have an engine change, so you still have about half an hour to get down.”

I told you this girl was pure evil.

“Great Timing” I was amazed though at the speed I woke up and ran towards the door.

She smiled and said “I liked your story”

This made me smile too. I thanked her and got down the station.

While I was going away from the coach she shouted back at me.

“Hey!”

I yelled back: “What now?”

“I would have preferred water too”

I heard the horn. It was time to leave. I smiled at her and waved back. Bye!

***

Quite feverish indeed! I guess it was just enough to complete a story.

I closed my laptop and checked my phone.

“Good night” she said an hour ago.  I got to sleep now.

The fever started on a Monday morning but the cough is still there.

I hope Honitus works