The Blind Bookworm

The haze of confusion accumulated with time. Where ever he went, the haze followed. Blinding him to the world around. The people were a source of fear, for they projected themselves as blurry figures who mostly spoke words that pricked his soul.

The invisible hell around him was crowded today. A ritual called the weekend was being observed. He let his haze covered vision direct him through the crowded side walks, towards the park. The park had a red bench at the right hand corner, just beside the water fountain. The bench was clearer than anything he saw around. He walked towards the bench and sat there. After slowly rummaging through his bag he took out a hefty book.

The clear printed words became a welcomed sight for his vision. The words blocked his vision to the hazy world around. With each page he read he looked up, and the world around was clearing up. He kept reading on, till he finally reached the bookmark he had set for the day.

He closed the book, looked up and smiled. The haze was gone now. The world was clear for some time. He ran his hand over the red hardcover of the book, feeling the gratitude bring up a smile on his face.

Prisoner of the Lake

He was dweller of the lake; its waters were his home. A lake which was unnoticeable to the world around him as it gave very little idea about its endless depth. The lake’s depth was safely covered under its small, befooling surface.


Like a mermaid, he stayed there with the cold waters consistently numbing his body. People passing by would sit by the lake and talk to him. Some walked off sooner but some would sit a little longer. She was one of those people, the ones who would sit and talk to him. Just like many others even she queried about the bruises his shoulders displayed. “They hurt when it rains” he told her, something which demonstrated itself after a while.


It began to pour and the drops of waters continually lashed his dried wounds, like a jailer constantly whipping a convict. The hurtful sensation was accompanied by the voices inside his head. She held his hand but he was feeling helpless. With a last glance at her, he took a plunge into the lake remaining in the deep till the rains stopped outside and the storm inside him subsided.


After seeing the imagery of ripples stop on the surface, he swam all the way up. But she was gone. She was gone, just like an entire world which goes away after he surrenders to his haunting.


In the end, he was just a man prone to take a plunge into the pale blue waters that imprisoned him, hoping that someone someday will pull him out, once and for all.