It was still drizzling. What was it - third consecutive day? The wind also carried a chill now. I was standing in the street. My android was buzzing beside me. It was losing fuel and wouldn't be able to go on for long. Maybe an hour or two. We both knew that.
There was only one place I could repair it - "The Shrine of Wishes". It was the most coveted and most dangerous place in the broken world now. The thought prompted me to look across the street at the broken, hanging parts of the building in front of me. It had broken off in the gunfire earlier this morning and was now looming over the street, swinging in the wind and threatening to drop over someone passing through the street. That was when my android received some damage too.
NO, I'll have to get it repaired. No matter what the cost. No matter how much dangerous it is. The android was the last companion I had. Infact it was the only companion I remembered. My parents were long gone.. my friends were scattered and had lost contact since what now felt ages ago. I'll have to save it.
With that thought, I moved. The android, as if reading my mind, buzzed along. That's what I didn't want to lose. Over the years, I had developed a connection. It would buzz and beep as if to talk to me, and I would respond back. People thought I was mad. Maybe I was. But I understood what it meant to say with the buzzes and beeps. And it understood me, was my constant companion in whatever I was going through.
The Shrine of Wishes was now controlled by a family who provided entertainment to people all over the world at the expense of desperate people who wanted to get to The Shrine of Wishes. Desperate people like me. They had built a maze around the shop. Not with hedges, but barbed wires. Some parts of the fence were electrified. There were traps that were installed to make it more tricky. Sticky traps, that if stepped on, would glue you to the floor and unless you pay handsomely for the rescue, you could be trapped there until you die of hunger. Exploding traps, blowing people to smithereens whenever someone stepped on them. That made sure, only the desperate would venture into the maze.
Well, desperate or lucky. There were some stories of people being escorted into the maze by The Princess. The Princess was a legendary figure. Younger daughter of the family, beautiful beyond dreams, she grew up in the shadows of the maze and knew every step of the maze like the back of her hand. She was said to be wild, with a heart of her own. She defied the family when she wanted. And killed for them as per her whims. I had seen her once. A flitting glance she gave me. I believe that was the day I lost my heart.
I could now see the gate. And my android was still buzzing. But I could feel that it was about to give up. It needed more fuel to make it to The Shrine of Wishes at the center of the maze. Where would I get it? I had no money. The android read my mind again and moved towards the gate as if to usher me in. The guards saw me coming. A poor young guy in tatters. One of them said something, and they all laughed. Probably, talking about how long I would last. The guard tower had fuel. Would they let me have some? Why would they? I had nothing to give them. I told the guards that I needed to go to The Shrine of Wishes.
"For what? You wanna rule the world?".
"No, I want to save my android".
"Save your android!!! Foolish boy, you could buy a new one easily. Why do you want to risk your life for an android?".
"I have to. I don't want another".
"If you don't have the money to buy another, get a job, let this one die, and buy another later. Why waste your life for a stupid piece of junk?".
"I just have to. Will you please open the gate?".
"You know that we have to let in anyone who asks. We only wanted to help you, save your life".
"Well, if you want to help me, can you give me some fuel so that my android can make it The Shrine of Wishes?", I asked with a ray of hope.
"We wanted to help you by saving you from death. If you are bent on venturing into the maze why do you want to waste our fuel? No, you are not getting anything. Now either go in or scram.. ", one of them shouted and I ran in.
As I turned the corner, I heard familiar beep. I looked at my android. It was carrying a vial of fuel. Enough to make it to "The Shrine of Wishes".
"Where'd you get that?"."From the guard tower?". "You snuck in grabbed it while I was talking to them". "Won't they miss it?". "What do you mean it's contaminated?". "You want me to filter it?".
I looked at the green fluid in the vial. I could see a dead mosquito floating in the syrupy liquid. So, that was why the guards had discarded. Even then, this was stealing. They would shoot me if they knew, with no regard for my life anymore. But I had to do it. I had to take out the mosquito, and plug the vial into my android so it could make it to The Shrine. I checked my pockets to see if i had something that i could use to pick the mosquito out. I found a pencil. I broke the seal with a stone i found lying on the ground. Apart from the sound of breaking glass, i heard something else. Someone shouting in the distance. Other voices followed. Had they found the missing vial? Were they going to come after me now? I wasn't very deep into the maze, so that wasn't going to deter them. I had to hurry. I quickly dipped the pencil, sharp end first into the liquid and tried to scoop the mosquito out. The pencil lead seemed bigger in the viscous fluid. Was it physics, playing trick on my mind or did the fuel just react to carbon. The sharp end had reached the mosquito. The voices were getting nearer. I tilted the pencil and jerked it. I got lucky and the mosquito was out of the liquid. I quickly gave the liquid another glance. It was clear now. No sign of any contamination. I plugged it in to my android and emptied it just as the shouts drew nearer and the first bullet struck the ground near my feet. I ran.
"Running in a maze full of traps. He's mad. Let's leave him be. He'll die anyways.", I heard someone shout behind me and the bullets stopped.
Of course, it was madness. What was I thinking. What if I stepped on a trap coz of how fast I was going. People here take a lot of time for each step, each turn. And yet I was flying.. Colored tiles whizzing by me. My android, buzzing and trying to keep up with me. A colored tile with something red on it came into my view. I was going to step on it. It was a trap. Something was taped on it. There was blood too. What else could it be. Oh God! was this the end. My end. Just a puff of smoke? Where else could I go. If I leapt I would be heading towards the fence. Was it electrified. What had I read about electricity. You can't be electrified if you don't touch a naked wire. What if instead of trying to leap over the fence, I leap on it. Would my shoes protect me. Better chance than the tile. And so, I leapt.
And with that leap, everything suddenly slowed down. I saw the maze in a new light. Every tile, every wire, every corner - made sense to me. The maze didn't take lives because of traps in it. It took lives because people were desperate. And because people feared the maze. Because they feared death. The traps were supposed to be scattered. But to me they made a pattern, in a way that no one could reach the Shrine if they followed the beat down path. I stepped over the wired fence - nothing happened. I was still alive. I jumped again. This time over another set of tiles. I leapt again, this time to take a shortcut over the wired fence.. towards the center.. towards The Shrine. And suddenly something whizzed by my ear and hit something behind me. I turned to see a guard dropping to the floor. A javelin stuck out of his heart. Was it meant for him or me. Why would someone want to save me here? I turned again to face whoever threw the javelin.. and froze.
"I was told you ventured into the maze, just for your android", The Princess said. She was balanced majestically over a wired post. As if she was in a ballroom.
"I was intrigued. Why would someone want to go to such lengths for such a petty thing. I wanted to see it for myself. And now I see that you are already breaking the rules of the maze. I want to see where you end up. Go on. I will follow you, though you will not get any help from me.", she continued.
I was still frozen. My heart beating two inches out of my chest. The heart that I had lost the day I first saw her. And now she was in front of me again. Actually talking to me. And she wanted to follow me. Her eyes fixated on me all the time. Her beautiful pearly eyes. I had all their attention. I felt as if I was the luckiest man in the world. I wasn't dead yet. And was being watched by The Princess herself.
"Abhi..". "Abhi..", Suddenly I heard a voice. I knew that name.. Was it mine? But the voice wasn't of this world. Who was it calling. I turned..
And woke up to see my friend calling me to ask where had I kept the keys of the house.
There was only one place I could repair it - "The Shrine of Wishes". It was the most coveted and most dangerous place in the broken world now. The thought prompted me to look across the street at the broken, hanging parts of the building in front of me. It had broken off in the gunfire earlier this morning and was now looming over the street, swinging in the wind and threatening to drop over someone passing through the street. That was when my android received some damage too.
NO, I'll have to get it repaired. No matter what the cost. No matter how much dangerous it is. The android was the last companion I had. Infact it was the only companion I remembered. My parents were long gone.. my friends were scattered and had lost contact since what now felt ages ago. I'll have to save it.
With that thought, I moved. The android, as if reading my mind, buzzed along. That's what I didn't want to lose. Over the years, I had developed a connection. It would buzz and beep as if to talk to me, and I would respond back. People thought I was mad. Maybe I was. But I understood what it meant to say with the buzzes and beeps. And it understood me, was my constant companion in whatever I was going through.
The Shrine of Wishes was now controlled by a family who provided entertainment to people all over the world at the expense of desperate people who wanted to get to The Shrine of Wishes. Desperate people like me. They had built a maze around the shop. Not with hedges, but barbed wires. Some parts of the fence were electrified. There were traps that were installed to make it more tricky. Sticky traps, that if stepped on, would glue you to the floor and unless you pay handsomely for the rescue, you could be trapped there until you die of hunger. Exploding traps, blowing people to smithereens whenever someone stepped on them. That made sure, only the desperate would venture into the maze.
Well, desperate or lucky. There were some stories of people being escorted into the maze by The Princess. The Princess was a legendary figure. Younger daughter of the family, beautiful beyond dreams, she grew up in the shadows of the maze and knew every step of the maze like the back of her hand. She was said to be wild, with a heart of her own. She defied the family when she wanted. And killed for them as per her whims. I had seen her once. A flitting glance she gave me. I believe that was the day I lost my heart.
I could now see the gate. And my android was still buzzing. But I could feel that it was about to give up. It needed more fuel to make it to The Shrine of Wishes at the center of the maze. Where would I get it? I had no money. The android read my mind again and moved towards the gate as if to usher me in. The guards saw me coming. A poor young guy in tatters. One of them said something, and they all laughed. Probably, talking about how long I would last. The guard tower had fuel. Would they let me have some? Why would they? I had nothing to give them. I told the guards that I needed to go to The Shrine of Wishes.
"For what? You wanna rule the world?".
"No, I want to save my android".
"Save your android!!! Foolish boy, you could buy a new one easily. Why do you want to risk your life for an android?".
"I have to. I don't want another".
"If you don't have the money to buy another, get a job, let this one die, and buy another later. Why waste your life for a stupid piece of junk?".
"I just have to. Will you please open the gate?".
"You know that we have to let in anyone who asks. We only wanted to help you, save your life".
"Well, if you want to help me, can you give me some fuel so that my android can make it The Shrine of Wishes?", I asked with a ray of hope.
"We wanted to help you by saving you from death. If you are bent on venturing into the maze why do you want to waste our fuel? No, you are not getting anything. Now either go in or scram.. ", one of them shouted and I ran in.
As I turned the corner, I heard familiar beep. I looked at my android. It was carrying a vial of fuel. Enough to make it to "The Shrine of Wishes".
"Where'd you get that?"."From the guard tower?". "You snuck in grabbed it while I was talking to them". "Won't they miss it?". "What do you mean it's contaminated?". "You want me to filter it?".
I looked at the green fluid in the vial. I could see a dead mosquito floating in the syrupy liquid. So, that was why the guards had discarded. Even then, this was stealing. They would shoot me if they knew, with no regard for my life anymore. But I had to do it. I had to take out the mosquito, and plug the vial into my android so it could make it to The Shrine. I checked my pockets to see if i had something that i could use to pick the mosquito out. I found a pencil. I broke the seal with a stone i found lying on the ground. Apart from the sound of breaking glass, i heard something else. Someone shouting in the distance. Other voices followed. Had they found the missing vial? Were they going to come after me now? I wasn't very deep into the maze, so that wasn't going to deter them. I had to hurry. I quickly dipped the pencil, sharp end first into the liquid and tried to scoop the mosquito out. The pencil lead seemed bigger in the viscous fluid. Was it physics, playing trick on my mind or did the fuel just react to carbon. The sharp end had reached the mosquito. The voices were getting nearer. I tilted the pencil and jerked it. I got lucky and the mosquito was out of the liquid. I quickly gave the liquid another glance. It was clear now. No sign of any contamination. I plugged it in to my android and emptied it just as the shouts drew nearer and the first bullet struck the ground near my feet. I ran.
"Running in a maze full of traps. He's mad. Let's leave him be. He'll die anyways.", I heard someone shout behind me and the bullets stopped.
Of course, it was madness. What was I thinking. What if I stepped on a trap coz of how fast I was going. People here take a lot of time for each step, each turn. And yet I was flying.. Colored tiles whizzing by me. My android, buzzing and trying to keep up with me. A colored tile with something red on it came into my view. I was going to step on it. It was a trap. Something was taped on it. There was blood too. What else could it be. Oh God! was this the end. My end. Just a puff of smoke? Where else could I go. If I leapt I would be heading towards the fence. Was it electrified. What had I read about electricity. You can't be electrified if you don't touch a naked wire. What if instead of trying to leap over the fence, I leap on it. Would my shoes protect me. Better chance than the tile. And so, I leapt.
And with that leap, everything suddenly slowed down. I saw the maze in a new light. Every tile, every wire, every corner - made sense to me. The maze didn't take lives because of traps in it. It took lives because people were desperate. And because people feared the maze. Because they feared death. The traps were supposed to be scattered. But to me they made a pattern, in a way that no one could reach the Shrine if they followed the beat down path. I stepped over the wired fence - nothing happened. I was still alive. I jumped again. This time over another set of tiles. I leapt again, this time to take a shortcut over the wired fence.. towards the center.. towards The Shrine. And suddenly something whizzed by my ear and hit something behind me. I turned to see a guard dropping to the floor. A javelin stuck out of his heart. Was it meant for him or me. Why would someone want to save me here? I turned again to face whoever threw the javelin.. and froze.
"I was told you ventured into the maze, just for your android", The Princess said. She was balanced majestically over a wired post. As if she was in a ballroom.
"I was intrigued. Why would someone want to go to such lengths for such a petty thing. I wanted to see it for myself. And now I see that you are already breaking the rules of the maze. I want to see where you end up. Go on. I will follow you, though you will not get any help from me.", she continued.
I was still frozen. My heart beating two inches out of my chest. The heart that I had lost the day I first saw her. And now she was in front of me again. Actually talking to me. And she wanted to follow me. Her eyes fixated on me all the time. Her beautiful pearly eyes. I had all their attention. I felt as if I was the luckiest man in the world. I wasn't dead yet. And was being watched by The Princess herself.
"Abhi..". "Abhi..", Suddenly I heard a voice. I knew that name.. Was it mine? But the voice wasn't of this world. Who was it calling. I turned..
And woke up to see my friend calling me to ask where had I kept the keys of the house.
