You see, there's a lump in my throat, ah well, possibly it's your throat too..is it sushi?maybe a piece of steak..aha!a lump of curry rice maybe! Or is it fear??
Well, fear has many flavours to enjoy and the most exquisite one is the fear of not having any fear! Have you gulped any yet? Awww poor thing..here..have some water....
The corner or the back seats of public transports usually have the same band of occupants. One would think the government allocates those seats for these special type of people, who the rest of the public identifies as miscreants.
Apparently, if you don't reek of booze or marijuana or something that smells 'unsocially' funny (read: savouries from an exotic geography), you are legally not a back seat material.
I had once, no actually twice, had travelled with my girlfriends chatting away on the last seats of a bus. When people saw three girls laughing and busy in their own world, something they couldn't care less about, I had noticed kids and the elderly came and sat next to us. This, I had noticed otherwise, wasn't the case very often. People somehow avoided back seats.
The stare, however, was universal. Now, one ought to know that, it's a very healthy and normal 'gosh!again some idiots at the back' stare. Which then, in a moment, turns into a 'but these folks kinda look and sound normal' frown and then ends in a 'well, none of my business anyways' sigh! Which is why, rather exclaimed by the rainbow of expressions we raised, people somehow lost the further interest of investing time to pick a comfy and 'safe' seat and didn't mind to take a sit next to us.
Well, that was my conclusion, however judgmental you call me.
A very funny thing happened to me though when I realized that I myself had avoided those seats many a times. What was I trying to avoid? Those fellas at the back or the stares in the eyes of the riders who'd think I'm one of the fellas??
As one thought led to another, you bet daydreaming wasn't very far off from where I had started. And yes, don't snap yet! Some people still daydream as if they are dreaming.
As the curtains of the dream were raised, it was a giant anthill and several ants were running to and fro with bits in their mouths. And then, there was this one ant who was tired pulling a cube of sugar uphill and suddenly looked up to see another ant on the opposite side, shrieked and shouted and ran for its life!!!
Now, if you have been observant as a child, you might have noticed ants running in a line, meeting, stopping and greeting the other and then pass by. None of the ants seemed alarmed seeing another ant.
I squinted my eyes and tried to remember if I'd ever seen an insect driving an insect away, or a pig thrashing a pig or a dog killing another dog??Maybe in one of those National Geographic special episodes, eh?
Well, maybe yes. But it certainly didn't feel that common as is among the Homo Sapiens.
Would I fear another bee's sting if I was one? Or would I not walk on the streets freely fearing another cat's paws if I was one? Even better, would I steal and eat another polar bear's fish if I was one and fully fed?
"Kreeeek",said the tyres of the bus. We had reached our destination. Its quite a nice place you know...spend a few hours in the shopping malls and you'd quite confidently convince yourself to believe that you are living in a free yet peaceful society! Blessed are the 'piece makers'..oopsy my bad...peacemakers!!!
