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‘Ah, IT!’, Vrishank smiled, eyebrows raised. ‘Super-sassy air-conditioned glass buildings, free cabs to commute, perks… You must so love it, aye?’

She wasn’t born hollow; it was the ghosts born of her past gnawing at her that depleted the “organic” in her.

And then he saw her picture, but quickly  remembered, ‘Some doors are best left unopened.’

‘Yeah, no grey; either pitch black, or blinding white. I don’t know how people live otherwise’, she said.

Taking long strides, he reached the Shanishwara Temple fifteen minutes after he’d realised his last hope, his favourite restaurant had betrayed him. ’I’m sorry, Sir, we’re closed on Mondays,’ the man had said over the phone. The pizza place had something similar, ’Sorry, Sir. Telephonic orders closed twenty minutes ago. We’re shutting down for the day in ten minutes.’ JustDial had only confirmed his doubts, ’Sir, there are quite a few restaurants open in Indiranagar.’ But how was he to get there? How could he have slept nineteen hours—through the entire day!

As the falling veil of the downpour washed his face, the drumroll began, momentarily focussing his attention on the feeling that usually gripped him when all alone: fear. He remembered the talk about God. He was told that God would guard him against all evil, He would protect him from his fears. To him, God was the crutch on which rested man’s cowardice. God was nothing but denial of all the negative.

Earphones plugged in, volume nearing 40%, he was sitting in the Traveller, enduring the mosquitoes as they feasted on his blood. Coldplay, Linkin Park, Alter Bridge; he could not tell. Did he care? Remembering the difference between hearing and listening from his English class in the third grade, he went back to his thought train that had momentarily halted for the thought on a matter of technicality. He heard muted laughter and conversation around, the smooth, chill breeze of wee hours wafted through the windows of the minivan. It struck him, but he didn’t feel it. The train was defying all laws of sensory reception.