January 11

"Sometimes a story just knocks at your door."--Anu

I was writing a story, feeling well. The sun was shining bright outside and my room enjoyed an uninterrupted supply of electricity. Everything communicated something good.

Then God appeared to me. He had a sullen face. He said- “Today, for the last one hour, you forgot to think about me, whereas for the previous one week you were giving enough time for prayers.” 

“Mr. God, there is no point in arguing about this. For the last one week, I was silenced by a block. It is only today that I regained my flow,” I told him and resumed writing.

He stood there and with each of the words I jotted down, grew more and more fierce. I could not help it. I had to talk about the fathomless sea of silence I crossed within the past days of creative non-productivity. Therefore, it was hard not to write. I must utilise my boon; otherwise it will be transformed into a curse.

It had been a whole week for which I was trapped in the writers block. I had a night of severe allergic symptoms, in which I dreamt of the Evil and a death that had no return from it. I had the next day very exhausting with demands unable to be met with, from my family.

The burdens of expectations—to be a good son, a responsible brother, a matchless teacher—curbed my mind from taking any more flights of imagination and creative defamiliarization. And that was how I spent the previous one week, remorseful and bad tempered. I had thought of God though, but in agitation for what a suffocating week I had.

Someone came into my room, suddenly without knocking, and screamed. I rose from my book, shocked. Instead of God, there stood the Evil, in front of me. One of my friends, who came in to see me swooned right there seeing the horrible sight. But I did not budge and continued writing.

With each word bloomed on the page, the Evil showed signs of discomfort and it stood as if enchained by a higher power. I knew I was pleasing God, by doing what I loved to do, and throughout the previous week worshiped Evil. The Evil was unveiled from the mask of God. Then it disappeared.