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11月18日 The Cortana Letters I have walked the edge of the Abyss. I have governed the unwilling. I have witnessed countless empires break before me. I have seen the most courageous soldiers fall away in fear. I have seen your future. And I have learned. There will be no more Sadness. No more Anger. No more Envy. THIS is the way the world ends. 4月21日 The funny part.Ok. The funny part is.... In my last blog I had said that id be moving to blogspot. I did. I created an account. Then forgot to blog. Sue me ! Anyways... I'm back. Ive decided to keep both the blogs running in parallel. So people. How have you been ? Missed me ? No ???? Go play in the traffic. Who cares ? 12月26日 An-Ounce-Ment !!At tension ! At tension ! At tension ! This is to inform all my dear readers that I'm switching to Blogger. Find me on eternalsundae.blogspot.com. Comments, Criticisms and Curses welcome !!! :-P 8月4日 VCDsFinally got my order from Ebay.in
Bengali VCDs of ...
Pather Panchali
Baksho badal
Mayamrigo
Sonar Kella
Aparajito
Kabuliwalla
Bhranti Bilash
Teen Kanya.
This weekend's packed ! 8月3日 Shadows Of Forever - III : A drink too much."Eta ki ?", I asked incredulously, looking at the glass with some dark colored liquid in it.
"Kichhu na", my father said, picking up the glass, "tomar homework hoye gechhey ?"
"Haan", I answered, still fascinated by the rich amber-yellow color. I noticed my dad's friends were holding similar glasses. A friend asked me - "Kon class-e poro ?". I looked at him, a tall guy, dark with a head full of hair. He was smiling at me.
"Class 4", I answered. I was a very shy kid. I hardly spoke to anyone I didnt know. This was partly because my neighborhood had no one my age, and partly because im the only son of my parents.
"Ekdom porashuno korey na", my dad complained to his mates, "Shara din computer-er shaamney boshey thaakey."
This was true. I had a XT computer, 6 Mhz with 1MB ram and a CGA graphics card. My favourite game on that was Prince of Persia 1. When I wasnt jumping ledges and sword-fighting with guards with the prince, I was coding on Qbasic. My dad turned to find me staring at the glass again. "Ja bhetorey ja.", he said.
I went inside, and went straight to my mother, who sitting on the bed, sewing.
"Ma.", I called.
"Haan baba.", she answered, "Esho, amar kachhey esho."
"Baba ota ki khachhey ?", I asked, bursting with curiosity. I had seen dad drinking before. I'd never been curious. I took it to be some medicine. But everyone can't sit and drink "medicine" and joke at the same time, I had reasoned. "Keno baba ? Tumi ki korbey ?", my mom asked.
"Na bolo", I was adamant, "Bolo ota ki ? Tomra shob bhaalo bhaalo khaachho amake naa diye..", I complained. "Kothaye bhaalo khaachhi baba ? Aami to khai na oshob.", mom was gently insistent, "Tomake na diye ki amra bhaalo jinish khete paari".
"Taholey ota ki ?". At that moment, my dad came in looking for a pen and a piece of paper. My mom seized this opportunity.
"Eijey shunchho", my mom asked, "chhele jiggesh korchhey tomra ki khachho". My dad couldnt help but smile. "Amra ki khachhi ? Oshob daarun daarun jinish. Tui taratari boro hoye ja. Chhoto khele bhishon oshukh korey.", He answered, picking up a paper and a pen and going out.
"Dekhle to ?", my mom smiled.
"Kintu otar naam ki ?", I asked. Everything has a name, so this should too.
"Ja giye khel tor computer-e", my mom shooed me away.
I was at a dilemma. What to do ? I could chase this mystery for the rest of the evening, and still not get anywhere close to an answer, or I could go on another swashbuckling adventure with the prince of persia.
I chose the latter. Switching on my computer, I waited for it to bring me to the DOS prompt. Then off I went on another adventure.
I must have played for at least an hour when I heard dad's friends get up to leave. They came to my room to say good night.
"Orey baba ! eta abar ki game ?"
"Prince of Persia", I answered, my eyes glued to the screen. I was making a very difficult series of jumps.
My dad and his friends stood watching me bash some guards open. "good night beta", they said and files out. An idea came to my mind. I paused the game and ran into the living room. My dad had gone downstairs to see his friends off, and sure enough, his glass was half full. I took a quick swig of the liquid. It burned my throat and made my eyes water. I looked at the liquid in disgust, wondered for a moment as to how my dad and his pals could actually relish something so disgusting as this, then dashed back to my room when I heard my father come up the stairs.
The next day, I couldnt go to school. Thats because I woke up at 11'o'clock. An interview and a friend.I had received a call for an interview with a firm called Convergys. The posting, if I got thru, would be in Delhi. At that time, I was clueless about call centers. All I knew was that you had to speak very well to get into one. And I was not worried - I knew I could speak well. The day for the interview came, and saw me fighting with my dad. My dad insisted that I wear a tie, while I was resisting it with all my might. "A tie looks very smart with a shirt, son", he had remarked. "I hate ties. I dont wanna wear them in summer", I snapped back. Finally, he had given up and wished me the best of luck for my interview and had thrown in a few tips as well. I reached the Kenilworth hotel at about 11'o'clock. I was led to the main hall. Candidates sat huddled together, discussing god knows what. I took a seat near the front. A few minutes later, another guy came and sat beside me. I noticed he looked nervous. He looked around the hall and then back at me and returned the smile and nod I gave him. After a while, he came up to me and asked - "Any idea when the interview will start ?" "Nopes.", I shrugged. He turned away and stared at the floor. It was then that I noticed he was wearing a tie. "Oh man !", i thought, "You must be cooking in there." "Whats your name ?", I asked. "Samik Chaudhuri. And you ?" "Im Anand.", I answered as another bunch of candidates came in. We sat together and talked about the job, the traffic jams in kolkata, and why some people are never on time. About half an hour later, the interviewer came in. "Hi all", he said, and introduced himself. The T-shirt he was wearing said - "Just another f*cking day in paradise". The interview began. People stood up and introduced themselves in the general introduction round. Some people were disqualified then and there, some were given disapproving glances but allowed another round, and some sailed through. One thing that comes to mind was a oversmart rat sitting next to me. After the round, he had told me and Samik that we didnt really do very well. When the results came out, we stayed back and he was asked to leave. The second round, a written test on analytical ability, language and mathematics, was the easiest. Strangely, after that round, only 8 of us remained. Then came the last round, a personal interview with the boss. That was easy. My prospective employer, a female, had nothing to say. We discussed the pay package and benefits and that was it. We came out and gorged ourselves on Pepsi and eggrolls. Back home, my mom and dad sat with anticipation written on their faces. I suppressed a grin, put up a downcast look and told them i didn't make it. They came and hugged me and told me not to worry. I remember my dad say - "Failure is the stepping stone to success". Needless to say, they were puzzled by my huge grin when I showed them the letter of appointment.
8月1日 The stall by the road."I hate these kids", he muttered under his breath. His wife, sitting a few feet away from him, shot him a warning glance. He snorted, then looked at the call centre cab that had stopped on the opposite side of the road. Although he was very offended by the call centre culture, the attitude of the young people and the dressing sense - he had to admit that he was actually making more money ever since the BPOs came up. He could keep his shop open at night to serve these people.
He lived nearby, in a slum, in Gurgaon. His eldest son, 13, worked in a dhaba near a call centre. He had a stall near a housing complex. He made paranthas for the sahibs and the madams while his wife helped him by making tea and boiling eggs. Boiled eggs were a great favourite with the sahibs. Although he had upped his price a bit, they didnt seem to mind.
"I wonder how these people can afford these clothes ?", his wife had remarked, eyeing a fine jacket worn by a female in a group.
"They get paid like anything. Dont you know ?", he had remarked gruffly and had gone back to work.
"Isnt it great to see these youngsters so successful", his wife had again remarked, smilinmg at the happy bunch of people.
"Shut up ! As if they bring it home to you !! Have you seen the attitude if these people ? They act like they own us. They'll spend all their money on drinks and drugs.", he had snapped back. His wife had kept quiet then, but at home she had made him realise that he was actually making more money because of these very people.
"As if you dont spend a major part of our money on booze, with your friends", his wife had remarked angrily.
"So I do, but I dont get drunk and fool around with other women like they do", he retorted.
"Huh ! By the time you come home, you can barely stand ! How do you know how drunk you are !?", his wife complained. At this, he had swung a vicious hand at his wife, who had staggered back from the blow. That had ended the argument, for then. Things had come back to normal in a day or two.
He saw his wife serve tea to a couple, a guy and a girl who came by on a motorcycle. His younger son of 10 was sitting near the stove, shivering. He looked at his daughter, even younger, she sat next to her brother, clutching his hand and looking in awe at the couple and the bike.
The cab, which was standing opposite, moved away. In its place stopped a Santro, loud music blaring from its speakers. A bunch of people poured out, two guys and three girls. The guys were a little unsteady, and the girls giggled like teenagers. They were all properly drunk.
"Yes Sahib ?", he looked up, putting on a smile, "What shall I make for you today ?". The guy looked at him and smiled, as he tottered and struggled to maintain his balance. The other one had sat down on a bench nearby. He saw one of the girls light a cigarette.
"Two eggs, boiled and a cup of tea", the guy answered, as he swayed gently, in tune to some absent rhythm.
"Yes Sir", he had answered. He looked at his wife, who had already started pouring tea into two cups. "Paranthey khaogey sahib ?", he asked. The guy shook his head vigorously and momentarily lost his balance.
He kept his eyes on the girls while his wife served the two boys. One girl was applying makeup, and the other two stood around, smoking. By the time, the girls had finished smoking, the guys were back in the car. As the moved off, one girl threw the stub of the cigarette out of the window. The car turned and went into the gates to the housing complex. I looked at his watch, 2:30 am. Still time till sunrise. the children had made space by the roadside and fallen asleep. He waited. At 3 o clock, he'll start making paranthas.
While he sat talking with his wife - about how his neighbour had actually murdered his woman, to run away with someone else - he saw 2 police jeeps stop at the gate to the complex. 2 teams got out and went inside. The drivers of the jeep stayed behind.
"Kya hua sahib ??", he asked across the street.
"Raid hai", the driver answered, disinterested.
"Chai piyo saheb", he offered, hoping to glean som more information out.
"Nahi, bara saheb hai. Abhi nahi"
After some time, there was a huge commotion on the road. The police team came out, and with them, screaming and struggling, were the group of 3 girls and 2 guys, who had stopped at his stall. Unable to contain his curiosity, he got up and ran across. A small crowd had already gathered. He tapped one hawaldar on his shoulder and asked.
"Drugs. Bahut din se khabar thi lekin pakad mein nahi aa rahey they", the constable answered.
He was joined by his wife, and they watched silently as the team shoved the 5 youngsters into the jeeps. Soon they were gone.
"See ? What did I tell you ?", he snarled at his wife.
"Oh stop it ! What will become of those poor kids. Im sure, they'll be beaten up", his wife complained. He looked at his wife in disbelief. Then, shaking his head, headed back to his stall. It was 3 and he had paranthas to make. 7月28日 Shadows of Forever - II : Gariahat"Aami baari jaabo (I want to go home)", said a 6 year old kid, tugging at his mother's hand. He's bored and disgusted standing there and being jostled by the crowd. Gariahat, in south Calcutta, is a busy place. The mother is busy looking at sarees in a stall. A few small kurtas lie strewn on the makeshift table in front of her. He wonders what else his mother's going to buy. She's already bought so much.
The child looks at the toy in his hand, a small car. Instantly, a road materialises in front of him, in the air, he finds himself driving the car down the busy road. His mother, unaware of her son's flight of fantasy, has finally singled out a saree. She engages in a bout of haggling with the shopkeeper. After some time, they agree on a price and the saree is sold. The mother looks at her son, who has turned away from her and is now chasing some other car on his busy road. "Babai..", the mother asks, "Konta pochhondo bolo". The son looks up, the imaginary road distingrated and fades from view. He sees his mother smile at him.
"Konta nebe shona ?". The son looks at the assortment of kurta-pyajamas in front of him. Now he'll have to choose. More delay. Oh well. He singles out a kurta - "Oijey oita". "Konta ? Oita ? Keno eita bhaalo naa ?", the mother asks, offering another kurta. "Na ! Amar oitai chai !!", the son is adamant. "Achha baba. Oitai ne ! Tobey aami tomar jonno eita nichhi.", the mother smiles again. The shopkeeper packs up the two sets.
The mother son duo set off. The son looks around at the shops. He somtimes glances up at the buildings towering over his small 6 year old form. "Kichhu khaabey shona ?", his mom asks again. "Na. Aami baari jaabo". "Baari to jaboi shona. Roj ki ekhaney asha hoye ? Baari giye tumi tomar gaadi niye onek khela koro", the mother says, while looking around. The child wonders which way they're heading. Are they going home now ? Or is his mother still looking to buy something ? He wonders why his mother is so slow in buying things, when he, being younger can decide so quickly. He fails to understand as to why his mother has to turn the clothes over and over again. What's the point ? If it looks good, then its good.
They stop at a crossing. The mothers grips her son's hand tighter. Looking this way and that, she starts to cross. The son looks around, clutching his mother's hand. All around him he sees people crossing. Huge buses with glowy eyes stand side by side, across the road. A tramcar crosses the road, swaying to its own rhythm, like a huge caterpillar. Shops signs glow in the darkness. His eyes falls upon one shop. Its because he sees his own name in the shop's name - Anandamela.
Its a shop with lots of stereo systems and televisions. The child stares at the huge tv sets, all the while being half dragged by his mother. His mother turns around - "Ki holo baba ?", she enquires. The child clutches his car closer to him and keeps quiet. They enter a jewellery shop. The mother lets go of the childs hand.
The child sits on one of the chairs and starts to play with the car. His mother, meanwhile, starts looking at a piece of jewellery handed to her. After some time, she calls out her sons name. The son looks up to see his mother beckon him. Disgusted at being disturbed, he goes over to his mother, a frown playing on his face. His mother tries the small jewellery, a ring, on the child's finger. The child starts at the sudden coldness of the metal, then settles down. The mother, apparently satisfied at the fit, pays the jeweller. They set off again.
The child, curious of this new ring on his fingers starts playing with it. He stumbles while crossing the threshold of the shop, the only things that saves him from falling is his mother holding his arm. "Dekhe cholo", the mothers says, a little stern. "Aar angti niye ekhon khela koro na. Cholo amra ebar baari jaabo".
They stand at the bus stand. The child, again impatient, stomps his feet, as if willing the bus to come. A minibus, half full, tilting at an angle, rattles to a stop in front of them. The mother ushers the child ahead to climb aboard. The conductor lifts the boy up onto the bus. The child runs to a window seat towards the back.
His mother motions him to come up front. The bus jumps a lot at the back, she says. "Eitto janala aachhey ! esho baba", his mothers pleads. "Na ! Ei janala ta aaro boro. Aami eikhaney boshbo", the child has the final say.
In truth all the windows are the same size. Only the back seat has a complete window to itself, while the front seat is placed at the junction (lack of a better word) of two windows. The bus starts to move. The child looks at the shops and lampost running past him, the wind plays with his hair and forces a teardrop out of his eye. His mom pulls him back "Matha ber korbey na", his mother is stern again. She forces the window shut. "Dekhtey paarchhi naa !", the son complains. "Oitto dekhtey paarchho. Abar ki ?", the mother retorts. The son makes a face, then starts to sulk.
Another series of images came to an end. I looked at my mom, whom I had taken shopping. She's haggling again with the shopkeeper. I smiled. Some things don't change. I wouldn't bother about the price. I had told her. Don't haggle. Just buy whatever you want. But she wouldn't listen. "You younsters don't understand the value of money", she would say. I was getting impatient. Going upto my mom, I tell her - "Maa. Taratari koro. Aami baari jaabo". She turns with a look of concern. "Keno baba ? Shorir kharap korchhey ?", she asks, concern spreading on her face. "Naa naa. Dor daam korar ki aachey ? kiney nao naa ?", I tell her. "Chup kor", she retorts, then turns to haggle with the shopkeeper again. 7月18日 SuicideThe rain fell.. heavy, white and relentless and distant thunder boomed across the city. The street was empty. Only a few car parked by the road. A lone lampost stood adjacent to the green-white building. Somewhere a window banged against the sill in the wind. The world at that point of time was only black and white.
The boy looked out, at the sky - dark and depressing. His gaze slowly shifted to the window pane. He watched in fascination as raindrops chased each other down to the sill. The rain had intesified and the wind gently pushed against the windows. A sudden flash of light broke the spell.
The boy was sitting on his bed. An almost empty room. A table stood at one end. A closet. A chair, worn and old, was carelessly pushed against the wall. The bed was white, the pillows, the blankets. An old green cellphone was the only color on it.
8:47 pm - the clock on the table said. An almost defunct radio stood by it, followed by a penstand. Sheets of paper was stacked on the table. A book, half-read, lay open.
The boy's eyes slowly took in all this. He sighed. To all the world, he looked like one resigned to fate, broken and defeated. His shoulders stooped and he looked at his hands over and over again. He bent over and brought the bottle of liquor from under the bed. Raised it up and looked at it, then finished it in one quick swig.
"Drink the madness, smoke so coy.
Smile injection. Serum of a will destroyed." -"The Nephilim," AFI In the drawing hall of the small apartment. The TV buzzed away, its display a flurry of images. Below it, the time display showed the VCR to be active.
Outside, a police siren wailed. But the boy was not paying any attention. He was on his feet, unsteady but careful. He proceeded to the closet and brought out the box of medicines. He had the habit of taking sleeping pills. He took out a bottle and shook it - it rattled. He opened it and spilled a couple of pills in his palm. The police siren was fading away. Another sound of thunder, this time nearer...
The boy lay down again. The sleeping pills taken. The plastic bottle of water had been carelessly dropped and now lay on its side, spilling its contents on the floor.
"Life dries cold beneath the dead soul lights
When death sleeps, it dreams of you." -"Dead Girl," Acid Bath 9:15 pm. The doorbell rang. The boy lay, unmoving. The sky flashed a brilliant white and roared. The doorbell rang again. Outside, the rain was relentless. It pounded the ground and flowed in small streams. It was wild, savage and all-encompassing. The wind was gentler, only small gusts, like a shoal of fish, moving to and fro. The cars rocked gently, each in its own rhythm. On the rooftops, antennas turned lazily in the winds. The boy still lay. A closer look would reveal that his lips had gone very pale.
A single finger on his hand twiched once. The boy was dreaming, a feverish dream, fast and deep, holding him in its thrall. He seemed to sink deeper into the darkness. He saw light, faint specks and far away. He looked down, and the omnipresent darkness stared back at him. He tried to fight back and at the same time, suppress the panic that rose in him, and out of that liquid darkness, a single hand, brilliantly opaque, reached out to grab him.
"Moon shadows haunt.
I remember a honey morning, Liquid and brilliant. Desire like poison, I dream of my death." - Anonymous A searing heat, then sudden cold, like a thousand winters. He was numb. His already dark world was getting darker. His vision swam as he fought to regain control. Another rush of heat, and the hand rose up in front. As it opened to grab him, the boy watched, helpless, fascinated.
A single convulsion, not even complete, and the body lay very still. The wind outside had suddenly died, the rain seemed more content now, falling easy on the earth. Distant thunders still boomed. The TV screen had become blank. It shut down automatically. The only sign of life was the blinking time display on the VCR and the soft, muted sound of the clock ticking. 7月15日 Yamaha and a rainy afternoon.Some people are plain jobless. Period...
My friend brought a Yamaha Gladiator today. A small audience waited for him there.
"Anand, Come over to the Jayanagar 5th Phase Yamaha Showroom", was his message on the phone. I was happy for him. He had been quite taken by the new Gladiator.... By the time I reached, he had completed all the formalities and was haggling with the dealer for a helmet and a helmet lock. Unfortunately, that did not work out.
The bike was brought out for a final demonstration. A light rain fell around us. The dealer, unsurprisingly, was painfully obvious...
"This is the ignition.", he said gleefully. Yeah, thanks Einstein..
However, what caught my attention was that 5 local boys had now surrounded the bike, and were watching the salesguy turning the ignition on and off. I wondered what could be so fascinating about a bike ignition.
"You see the indicators ? These are the same technology as Yamaha R1 !", The salesguy, at his best. An approving "aaah" went up from the crowd.
Dude, Its an indicator switch. What specialised tech. can you put in an indicator switch ??
Meanwhile, the 5 guys were absorbed in the new technology. They simply couldnt peel their eyes away from the indicator switch..
Come on....
Then we ran into a slight problem. The side panel, opened very enthusiastically by the sales guy, wouldnt close. The sales guy tried it. His friend tried it. The dealer came down, he sat down on the ground, wheezed like a pneumatic drill, then tried to lock it. No go. So he ordered the panel to be changed. The bike was again taken below.
All the while, I could see that the lock holder was actually bent out of place and was not letting the key turn. I preferred to keep quiet. A new panel was brought. They fit it in. And tried again. And failed.
Finally, someone pointed out that the lock holder was bent. My friend, the dealer and the salesguy peered at the lock holder from a distance of 6 inches. The dealer muttered a curse under his breath and brought a screw driver. Together, they bent, twisted and generally danced around trying to get the lock holder back to shape. I noticed my friend had stopped breathing.
Finally, after a sweaty 5 minutes, the lock fit in and the key turned, and we all heaved a sigh of relief.
The rest of the demonstration continued. The brakes, lights, gauges and tires were all introduced to my friend, who looked at it the way an expectant child looks when introduced to a new toy.
Finally, the object of his attention was handed over to him. My friend, very slowly, as if made of glass, sat on the bike. Then started bobbing up and down astride it, trying out the suspension. A stray dog who had made a place at one corner of the gate, craned his neck to look at this strange human astride this red shiny thing bob up and down. Logic failed him, and he went back to sleep.
Time to test the brakes.. My friend pushed the bike forward and braked. Then he pushed it backwards and bonked a guy in the bum, who was staring at the stairs. The guy gave the bike an irritated look, then looked at my friend, with the same irritated look, and resumed staring at the stairs.
Of what attraction could stairs be in a rainy afternoon was beyond me.
The bike was brought out again. A final test was done. The staircase-romancer was positively enraptured by the stairs now. The papers where handed over. My friend motioned me to climb aboard.
I clambered aboard the bike and made myself comfortable. One last look at stairy-eyed-boy... I noticed he was goggled-eyed, as if the staircase was going to reveal the secrets of life itself.. He could hardly control himself now. Or he needed to use the toilet rather badly.
I urged my friend to start the bike.
The bike wouldnt start. Thats because the salesguy had left the engine-kill switch to Off while demonstrating the clicking noise it made. We switched it to ON and tried the electric start. The bike croaked to life.
Ribbit.
My friend gunned the engine. Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit,ribbit,ribbit,ribbit,ribbit,ribbit,ribbit,ribbit....
I poked my friend to put the bike in gear. A second later we were off. I looked back at the service centre. Stair-boy was now hidden from view. I looked at the dealer, half expecting him to wave and call out "Haste ye back !", but he didnt.
We cruised to a stop at a signal, beside a rather shabby looking auto. The auto-driver looked at the bike, took in the gory details, suffered a massive inferiority complex, and looked away...
I noticed the bike was croaking loudly now. Yeah Whatever...I hated going to weddings.
All the grandmas would poke me and say - "You're next".
They stopped that when I started doing it to them at funerals.
Ban ja re ban ja mashaal-e-raah
O Yuva Yuuva, O Yuuva.... Dancing with the Dapper...Ubuntu 6 - Dapper Drake. Gnu/Linux Operating system
I have used a lot of distros before, and I must say that Ubuntu-Dapper is the first one to work right out of the box... well, almost.
Let's first get to know my computer. Its a laptop, with a 15" TFT screen. It has a 1.5Ghz 32bit processor and 1MB L2 cache. A 512Mb DDR Ram module and PCI-Express Chip set. The video memory is shared and currently set at 128MB. It has a 40GB Toshiba HDD, divided into 2 20GBs between Windows XP and Ubuntu Dapper.
I had Breezy Badger installed earlier, and I liked it. So what if it didnt take my Broadcom Wireless card ? Or my laptop's bluetooth extensions. The installation was simple and painless, and the desktop a treat to look at. Moreover, my video card was relatively new, but Breezy had no problems detecting it. Suse 10 and Debian had failed miserably. Now don't get me wrong people. I respect Debian a LOT. And I mean it.
I had gone to many websites read reviews about how great Dapper is... So I decided to try it myself. Hell ! One even said that Dapper was placed to compete against the upcoming Windows Vista. Well, If thats true, then I'm all for it. Because, Dapper Drake deserves that praise.
Rushing home from office, with the desktop version of Dapper safely tucked away in my flash drive, the first thing I do is burn it to a CD. I didnt have any data to be backed up on Breezy, so I decided to overwrite Breezy.
Dapper took a little time to warm up to my laptop, but they were the best of friends in no time. What came as a pleasant surprise to me was that the installation CD actually doubled as a Live CD, giving me a run through the Ubuntu-Dapper OS without touching my hard drive. I had the OS running from RAM! I have seen this in Knoppix and also Breezy, but a single CD doubling as a Live CD and an Install Version is pretty cool!
Clicking on a little unassuming icon that said install was all that was needed to start the install process. After the usual formalities of partitions and date-time zones, Dapper Live turned away from me to talk to the hard drive, while I amused myself with a game of solitare. In about 15 minutes, a window came up saying that the install was complete and I needed to restart the computer. As I shut Dapper Live down, I heard the sounds of bells coming from the laptop speaker. Dapper had successfully detected my sound card. And I could see the Gui, which spoke for the successful detection of my video card.
The restart was, as expected, swift and painless. In minutes, I was again staring at the Dapper Desktop. The theme was a warm brown, with slight touches of orange. Sounds of bells emanted from the speakers again...
I went straight to work. Opening the network connection, I had to smile. There was my Broadcom wireless card and my Realtek ethernet card - all detected and sitting pretty !! Opening the file manager, there was another surprise in store for me - I could actually access the NTFS (Windows) file system on the other 20GB partition. This was a welcome improvement over Breezy, where I had been unable to access that partition due to legal restrictions.
However, the multimedia system was a bit of a let down. It couldnt find any encoders for MP3s, mpeg videos and 3gp mobile videos. Oh well, you can't win 'em all !
Other than the minor multimedia hitch, the menus were a snap - easy, categorised and speedy. Yes. The best thing I like about Ubuntu Dapper is speed and simplicity.
Im not too worried about the multimedia part. Thats simple. And can be easily addressed by connecting to the net and downloading a few codecs. I've got nothing to fear. I'm willing to learn and Ubuntu-Dapper is backed by extensive documentations, very active forums, and a very helpful bunch of people on #ubuntu@freenode IRC. Im least worried.
And thats the reason I'll keep coming back for more. Again and again.
Kudos to the Ubuntu team for this fantastic Operating System. 5月15日 TimelessMaggi noodles. A hostel room. 4.25 a.m. A winter evening. Four friends. One barsaat. Four glasses of chai. Hundred bucks of gas. A rusty old bike. And an open road. 3 old friends. 3 separate cities. 3 coffee mugs. 1 internet messenger. Rain on a hot tin roof. Pakoras deep-frying. Neighbours dropping in. A party. You and mom. A summer night. A bottle of coconut oil. A head massage. Gossiping about absent family members. You can spend hundreds on birthdays, thousands on festivals, lakhs on weddings, but to celebrate all you have to spend is your Time. It doesn't take much after all .. This composition is not mine. A friend messaged it to me on messenger. I put on my blog with her permission... 5月12日 Shadows of Forever - IIve been there... to the land of shades.. and have come out of it.... somehow. It all began with a simple sprain. A leg sprain. I had taken a painkiller to subdue the monster constantly trying to claw at my mind. Sure. I could have tried a pain balm, or a relaxant - but no, I had to had a painkiller. The painkiller, a heavy one took effect quite quickly. I felt groggy, disoriented and a little buzzed. I liked the feeling. As I switched on "Jaadu hai nasha hai" on my headphones, my hand unconsciously reached towards the bottle of whiskey I kept in my closet. Yeh Pal Hai Apna.. To Is Pal Ko Jee Le Baahon Mein Teri... Yun Kho Gaye Hai I drunk deeply, closing my eyes - enjoying the song and the moment. I kept the glass down on the table, by my side. As I leaned back further into the pillows (I was sitting on my bed), I felt as if the pillows were pulling me in... deeper, faster.. Shadows of my memories came alive, in sepia, flashing before my eyes. I could see vividly... My meeting with brishti. Myself, standing at the window holding the grill, looking at the blue-grey sky, wondering where the water came from.. Then looking down, and unconsciously smiling, at the little puddles of water on the road, rippling to the rhythms of the rainsong. A dog, draggled, crossing the road. Scarce passer-bys, with umbrellas, ponderous, slow, walking down the footpath. Mothers, holding their wards close, sheilding them from the water. The little ones, clutching at their mother's saaree, their feets in flurry, trying to keep up. The rambuctious ones, out of their mothers umbrella, splashing about in the puddles, their mothers pleading them to come back. Listening to the leaves, the patterings of raindrops, the rustle in the slight wind. Watching the roof water flow through the pipe down to the drain. A mini-bus, full of people, going down the street, its insides dark, silent, a crowd of heads. Me, running to the gate to our apartment, the freedom after school - a whole evening. Screaming into the flat, to find my cousins there, grinning, waiting for me. A quick change of clothes, and a wash. Playing cricket inside the flat, because of the rains outside. Thamma screaming, telling us to go outside and play -"Eki baariri modhye cricket khela ! eto jinish aachhey ! jaao bairey jao !", and my ma, "Na ma, oder bairey pathaben na. Thanda lege jaabey", to which my thakuma, "Kichhu thanda lagbe na bou-ma, oder boyeshey amra koto brishti tey bhijechhi. Kichhu hobey naa. Thanda laagleo theek hoye jaabey". Me, going to watch E.T. with baba and ma. Staring goggle eyed at E.T. when he's shown on screen. Crying when ET is found below a bridge, half-dead. Jumping up and down in the seat, in excitement, when the spaceship is just about to lift-off, and the family heads towards the landing spot, with the authorities chasing... Me learning to balance my first bicycle - on the terrace of our jamshedpur flat. A red honda - with helper wheels attached at the rear wheel so I dont fall off. My father standing at the door to the terrace, smiling, encouraging me to pedal and try to maintain my balance. Myself, unsure, afraid of falling, somehow adjusting my body weight and dancing around in the seat - only to make the bicycle wobble from side to side. Me crashing into the railing, because the thrill of finally balancing the cycle made me forget that the cycle handle can be turned to turn the bicycle. Me, staring wonderstruck at a girl, who lived across the street. What was her name ? Fair, sprightly, with dancing eyes. I still remember her asking - "Amar naam mimlu, tomar naam ki ?". Us spending afternoons on the terrace, arguing whether the world ends just over there or not. Arguing whether aeroplanes actually flap their wings to reach so high up in the sky. Arguing if we could outrun a train. Fighting over who gets to walk into the house first - an excuse to stay out in the pelting rain just a bit longer. Baba coming home, lifting me off the ground and hugging me. A show of strength, a mock fight, and the "dushtu daitya" retreating into the bedroom, defeated by a victorious 6 year old. Waking up to a glass of warm milk, dim poch, butter, jam and bread. Staring, bleary eyed at my mother, who scoops me up in her arms. Taking in the morning sunshine. Trying to look at the sun, only to snubbed by thamma. Crying on the way to school. Hating homework. Sneaking outside quietly in a rainy afternoon. Sitting alone, in the verandah, calling the street dog, throwing down biscuits and watching it grab them eagerly, its tail wagging non-stop. Stealing orange squash from the fridge. Watching the dada in the apartment below strum on his guitar, his elder sister squeezing my cheeks and holding me by my hand, trying to make me dance to the guitar's tune. Asking ma what kaal-boishaakhi meant... watching the sky, darkened by a frenzied wind, break into bolts of lights, feeling the sudden coldness. Discovering how it can be noisy and quiet at the same time. Feeling the tremors run through the floor everytime the sky roared. Hearing the wind, a haunting moan, a soul as if wailing for a love lost. Watching, fascinated, the ants go by, in a single file, on the window sill, while the wind rages outside. Opening the door to find no one, just a cold gush of wind, Hearing the windows rattle, a tincan bounce and roll across the road outside. Roaming around from room to room on the dark afternoon. Absently kicking a football, displacing a book. Suddenly sitting down on the floor to draw something. Picking up the telephone to listen to the dial-tone. Building a toy school - then destroying it with my favourite tank, as my toy soldiers open fire at the hapless teachers. Building houses by folding playing cards - making a city, then bombing it with a rubber ball, from my fighter jet (the fact that the ball was too big for the plane never figured). Stealing biscuits when the whole family gathers in front of the TV, to watch the news. Imitating the bespactacled newscaster - "Nomoshkar. Aajker bishesh bishesh khobor holo....". A set of images drew to an end... I was heady. My head reeled and found some tears forcing their way out. I realised I was smiling in the dark.... 5月5日 Tagged !Since I was tagged by Pezz, Here goes.I copied your Questions pezz (sorry) :-P. 1. The Ultimate Truth When your hands are tied up in something, you nose will itch. 2. Dont wear a helmet if.. You don't have any grey cells to protect ! 3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? Animal Planet 4. Without looking, guess what time it is? 1:15 ?? 5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time? 1:30 pm 6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? My stomach gurgling ! 7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? Today morning. Riding my bike to work 8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at? A sms that just came thru 9. What are you wearing? T-Shirt, Jeans, Runners and yesterdays dinner. :-P 10. Did you dream last night? Yep. Walking by the sea, quiet moonlit night 11. When did you last laugh? Har har har !! 12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? Wall mounted auto-sensing rapid fire laser cannons. 13. Seen anything weird lately? Yep. Myself 14. What do you think of this quiz? Sucks !! :-P 15. What is the last film you saw? Hasna err.. darna zaroori hai 16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy? An island, in shark infested waters 17. Tell me something about you that I dunno. I am building a state of the art spacecraft, which will have automatic bathrooms. 18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? Buy the damn planet and tell everyone else to clear out !! :-P 19. Do you like to dance? Yes. Mating dances specially. Alumunium buckets turn me on. 20. George Bush. You're joking right ? 21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? No worries ! Dont mind having a girl as first child 22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him? I think I can handle Calvin 23. Would you ever consider living abroad? Hey ! I own this planet ! I can live whereever I want ! 24. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates? Where's the pub ? bub !25. 3 people you'd want to tag ? Mystique - http://spaces.msn.com/members/spinonthe13thfloor Orphan Monsoon - http://spaces.msn.com/members/orphanmonsoon Seabreeze - http://spaces.msn.com/members/SEABREEZE907/ 4月29日 C&H download.Awright people... Heres how you download C&H. I downloaded it thru utorrent. So Im gonna tell you how to download it. First, we'll need a torrent download software like Utorrent. (search it in google). Download an install the program. Its something like Limewire or Kazaa. Only it doesnt have any ads in it. :-) Second, Goto the link --> http://www.demonoid.com/files/download/HTTP/325544/ Save it on your desktop (or where-ever) Open your torrent software (utorrent or bittorrent) Select the saved file. right-click on it in the torrent software window and click start (If it hasnt already started) NOTE: Torrents are slow to download. Please be patient. The CabinME: Do you really think this is a good idea ? MYSELF: Sissy ! ME: Hey ! I: Hey cut it out you two ! Its already dark and im straining to see. We have set out for an overnight camping, a little away from the city, and were hopelessly lost. It was my fault that I left the route mapping to these 2 dunderheads. Out transport was a modified jeep with and open hood. Darkness had set in with the night. The air was cooler and a gentle breeze blew some scattered leaves across the road. The sky was a deep purple, studded with stars... MYSELF: I think we should stop for the night ME: Yeah ! Now look who's talking. MYSELF: No really. I think its better. Dont wanna get any more lost than we already are. I: Thats a good idea in fact I pulled the jeep off the road into the woods. I stopped in near a clearing, but kept the lights and the engines running. I: How much fuel do we have ? ME: Quite a lot. (ME picked up a medium can of fuel). Its not used yet. MYSELF: Grab your gear. People I helped MYSELF pull the small tent out of the jeep. It was bulky and unwieldy. ME jumped down from the jeep. ME: Here. We'll set it up. You get the supplies. I: Okay. Don't mess up ME & MYSELF: Hey ! No way Boss !! As they dragged the tent away, I pulled out the music system for the seat and the cache of spare batteries. We had managed to find only one big flashlight. For the rest, we compensated with single celled torches. "Hope the head light's good enough for you", I called after them. "Yeah, They're ok for now. We'll need more light when we setup the other side of the tent.", MYSELF said, pegging the tent. "This ground's a little soft", he remarked after a while. "Maybe it rained", ME answered. "Its a jungle. Hope there arent any mosquitos" I had meanwhile pulled out the food supplies. biscuits, fruits, cheese cubes, chips and bottles of coke and water. I: Theres not enough food. We should have bought some more MYSELF: Its ok. We'll pass the night somehow I had gone a few steps towards the tent, when a sharp rustle sounded in the bushes. "What was that ?", ME was alarmed. He pulled out a flashlight and swung it in wide arcs. The rustle faded. I went back to the jeep, backed it out and brought it round to the side of the tent. It now stood that its headlight beams fell right in front of the tent. ME still stood frozen, his torch swinging all over the place. "Look", I said, "We'll light a fire". "Yeah ? how ?", MYSELF asked, a little calmer than ME. "Gather some leaves. Theres a lot lying around" ME set the pile of leaves on fire. The fire, greedily consuming the dry leaves, cackled with mirth and blazed angrily. I set aside another pile of leaves. "Well theres no need for the jeep to be running", I said, as I cut the engine and turned off the ignition. As the headlights died, darkness fell like a sudden heavy hand on my eyes. Only the fire offered a circle of light, and warmth. In the darkness, the jungle seemed huge, and unfriendly. Sounds of the forest, which we had missed before, now came to life - chirping, buzzing, rustling of leaves and a softly moaning wind. They were all there, yet it was oddly quiet, as if the sounds were out of place. "Come on out near the fire, We can hardly see you", MYSELF called me. I stepped into the welcoming circle of warmth and sat down. Packets of biscuits changed hands as we bided our time, waiting for the sun to rise. An owl hooted in the distance. ME: Do you think there are tigers around ? MYSELF: Im more worried about dacoits. I: Lets not talk about that. We'll see. Minutes passed. Another rustle of leaves. ME again shone his torch at the source of the noise, and a minute later, out came a lamb. A perfectly white, small lamb. ME: A lamb ! MYSELF: Whats a lamb doing in the middle of nowhere ME: Strange ! Its pure white ! We stared at the little creature as it bleated a hello. It looked at each of us in turn, then took a step forward. I realized ME's torch was blinding it. "Turn off that torch Me", I said. "What !! Are you crazy !?", ME was almost hysterical. "Do it Me", MYSELF agreed. "Turn off that torch. Lets see what it does." ME looked at us uncertainly and finally switched of his torch. The lamb seemed to relax, then promptly trotted to ME and bleated. It then sat down before ME and looked around at us. It seemed vulnerable, harmless and very innocent. It looked at ME and bleated again. ME: Why is it bleating at me ? MYSELF: You should know. A lamb as you are ME: Shut up ! The silence of the jungle was almost broken by the loud laughter from me and MYSELF. The lamb, startled, looked straight at me for a while, then looked away. "Its a harmless little lamb", said MYSELF, as he pulled the lamb closer to him. The poor creature hestitated and tried to step back, but MYSELF was fast. He lifted the lamb and placed it on his lap. He stroked the little creature gently, till it stopped shivering and opened its eyes. Then it settled down on his lap. Time passed, the lamb getting a lot of attention from the 3 of us - jumping from one lap to the other and in general, prancing around the fire. We realized we were getting hungry. "What do we eat boys ?", MYSELF popped the question, as he coaxed the lazy fire into burning brighter. I put another handful of leaves into the fire. "What time is it ?", asked ME. "4:40 am", MYSELF looked at his watch, "Whats that smell ?" Surely, a smell had begun to linger in the air. A strange, yet familiar smell, which began to excite our hunger. "Mmmmm.. foood !", ME was the first to respond. The smell was of richly cooked food. "Food ?", I asked, "Here in this god forsaken land !". By now the smell had grown stronger. The lamb had become quiet, and it came and stood beside us. "Mmmm.. jalebi ??", We chorused as the smell of jalebis hit us. By now, we were ravenously hungry. But logic still had the upper hand. "Who would cook such food in the middle of the night ? in a jungle ?" The smell lingered and at times almost lifted us off our feet. Many a time, I found myself turning around to face the direction from whence the smell came. The lamb was peering in that direction too, and suddenly, backed down and started bleating loudly. "Now whats wrong with him ?", ME asked, looking at the lamb. "Hey ! Is that a light ?", I asked as I spotted a dim glow a little distance away. The lamb was bleating more pitifully than ever. "Maybe thats where they're cooking food", MYSELF offered. "Lets check it out" We must have got up with a very decisive air, because the lamb ran forward and blocked the way to the light, still bleating loudly. "Poor guy. Must be hungry", ME said, as he stroked the lamb. The poor creature cried its heart out, at the same time, determined not let us pass. I picked up the lamb and tried to console it. It was tense, its little body tight and trembling. We headed to the light source. It came from inside a small cabin. ME knocked on it "Hello". There was no answer. ME pushed the door and it swung wide open. Inside, a strange sight greeted us ! Food of all varieties lay on the table, untouched, hot and ready to be eaten. We were almost hypnotised as looked at the spread before us. "You people hungry", a male voice said from behind us. We turned to find a stooped character, draped in a full cloth. "Eat up. I dont mind". His voice was nice, but there was more than a hint of impatience in the voice. I dimly realised that the lamb had started bleating again. In fact, the lamb was panicking, it bleat in short sharp bursts, jumped down from my hand and backed away, still bleating frantically at the figure. "Who're you ?", asked MYSELF. "What do you do ?" "Im an old hermit who lives here all alone, with nature" "Whats the food for ?" "Some people were supposed to visit me today. But they never turned up" "People ? What people ?" "You ask too many questions. You're young. Thats why ?" We tried peering in the face. The figure remained standing, his face hidden in the volumes of cloth. Suddenly, the lamb charged ahead and tried to butt the figure in the leg. The figure grunted and shifted away from the lamb. But that was what we had to know. That grunt, was not natural. Its was almost animal, savage in its quality. As we backed away, a deep growl came from the figure, "Stay ! Fools ! And dine with me !", He snarled as he advanced upon us. I noticed he walked with a limp. Almost as he was dragging his left foot along. The lamb pulled at his cloth and a part fell off revealing a hand, rotting and diseased. As panic set in, we turned and ran. We heard the figures voice just behind us. "How far will you run ? This forest is unknown and there are many dangers. You will not get far" Mud and earth splashed around our shoes, we pounded across the jungle path back to the clearing. Behind us, the figure was relentless in pursuit. He was slow, but relentless. And behind him, pounded the little lamb, bleating from time to time, still faithful to us. We reached the jeep and I swung across the wheel and switched on the headlights. Its beam caught the figure squarely in its path. The figure, startled by the sudden light, let out a cry of anguish and stepped rapidly backwards. We realized that light could be the only saviour. In a bold move, ME jumped off the jeep and picked up a small branch that lay on the ground. This, he set fire to, from the leaves, and swung it before the figure, who flinched and backed off. We followed suit. I found another branch, but it was too wet to light, so pulling out the big flashlight, I blinded and forced the figure to retreat. The lamb, meanwhile, had also joined us and together we advanced upon him. The figure must have realised that dawn was breaking, for he turned around and ran. We, infused with new energy and courage, now gave pursuit. As the figure reached the door to the cabin, the first ray of the rising sun broke through the dark forest. A piercing cry, of anguish and pain, and the forest became quiet again. The lamb was again calm, and it stepped up to the door of the cabin and pushed it open. We stepped inside. The cabin was deserted, broken and unused. There was no trace of the food that we had seen. A broken chair lay across the floor, and the table had a large crack through the middle. Years of decay had set in. The wood was rotting and dark. We crossed the room to the inner room. In it, on the floor lay a white shroud. MYSELF stepped forward and removed a part of the cloth with his boot. It revealed a withered, rotten human feet -- caked with mud from running in the jungle... 4月27日 C&HAttention people !!
I have stolen/copied/burgled at gunpoint (haha) -
DA COLLECTION OF CALVIN AND HOBBES comics
a whopping 180MB of download.
It has every freakin cominc which had Calvin and Hobbes in it. I havent completed all o 'em.
Hahaha !!
4月26日 The Demon Hunt: FearThe flappings continued. The hunter stood absolutely still, eyes and ears straining to locate the prey. Then suddenly, a snapping sound and his crossbow fired. A dull sound. More flappings. The hunter had missed. Now the flappings drew near. I was near panic ! I groped for the hunter only to see him slowly collapse to his knees and finally, collapse on his face.. Standing behind him was a half-bent figure of a woman, her mouth spread in a twisted grin. The darkness was merciful enough to cover her bizzare features, but her eyes shone with fire. She looked down at the hunter's body. Fascinated and shocked, I vaguely noticed a dog like creature come down from the ceiling. No longer in control, I backed away slowly as the demoness turned towards me. Running back to the previous room, I narrowly avoided a mindless grinning child standing in the center, who viciously swung at me. While racing outside, I almost ran into a apparition of a woman with flowing white hair. Her visage was beautiful, hauntingly so. She hovered a few inches above the ground and looked straight at me. Something told me that this was the demoness I was running away from. "Human", she intoned, in a voice, devoid of emotion, "I have nothing against you. But remember, if you follow me, you will meet the same fate. Now go. You will not be harmed. By morning we'll be gone" I couldnt sleep the rest of the night. I couldnt believe I was still alive. And I partly cursed myself for running away. and partly for forcing the hunter to take me with him. Morning came, and I set out with a couple others "believers". The house looked the same - dilapilated, broken, old. But inside ! Gone were the walls of flesh. The place was dirty but there was no signs of what happened the previous night. The only thing that I found was a small vial with some liquid. Outside, people excitedly discussed the haunting. Standing a little away, at the street corner which led away from the house, was a little girl, who was looking at this scene with more than a passing interest. As I looked at her, our eyes met. She smiled, a terrible, unnatural smile, full of contempt, then melted into the morning air. 4月23日 The Demon Hunt: Nightmare ChildrenThe room was damp and smelled of rotting wood. The dark stains on the walls seemed to dance in the flickering light of the flare. Beside me I heard the demon hunter shuffle his feet. He took out a small vial of liquid, opened the lid and splashed it on a part of the wall. "Holy water ?", I asked, totally out of key. "No. Take a better look at the wall and you'll know.", he said, pointing at the nearest wall. I hesitated for a while, looked at him then at the wall, then proceeded to it. At first glance, its easy to dismiss it as a normal wall, but a closer look made me start back in horror - This was no ordinary wall. It was as if the wall was a living, breathing entity. The wall contracted and relaxed, as if breathing. A touch confirmed a vague suspicion - it was made of flesh. The area were the liquid was splashed was smarting. Wisps of smoke emanted from it. The wall seemed to throb as if in pain. I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder and pull me back. The demon hunter seemed perfectly at home in these surroundings. He looked around, then motioned me to switch on my flashlight. We proceeded to the next room. Our flashlights cut quick stabs of light into the darkness as we swung them around - Taking in the large hall's dimensions. After a while, both the beams came to rest at the center of the room. There stood a child - a small child, no more than - maybe - four years old. However, Its face was bizzarely disfigured, the skin and flesh on the right side of the face, had melted away, distorting the features. A single eye glared balefully at us, and a thin line, running almost from ear to ear, Trickling blood, accounted for the mouth. It started backing away, growling, covering its face as we caught it in our flashlight beams. It didnt take me too long to figure out - this was a the entity that had snatched the chicken meat from the doorway. The hunter took a few steps forward, his hands hidden in the volumnous cloak. He brought out a small crossbow and fired, in a single motion. The arrow, a big headed one, hit the child square in the face. A squeal, as it flipped backwards and fell, madly scratching at its face. Then its features melted, and slowly it became a lump of flesh on the floor. It throbbed and rippled and made odd gurgling noises - but didnt move. "Works everytime", I heard the hunter say. "What was that arrow ?", I asked. "It has a liquid in the tip of it", the hunter explained, "That melts away the bone from within, then works on the flesh". The lump of flesh, by now, had started emitting a hissing noise as it slowly disintegrated. "Come on. We have work to do", said the hunter, suddenly uninterested in the mass of flesh that melted away on the ground. "How many of these are there ?" I asked. "I dont know. Depends on how many the demon has taken and how long it has been here. From the looks of it, its been quite sometime", the hunter said casually as he walked to a rotting table. He looked up at a broken chandelier that hung over it. "Keep you flashlight trailing over the place", he said, climbing on the table and steadying himself, as it creaked and groaned under its weight, "We dont want to be mobbed by more of those". "What are you doing ?", I asked as I watched the hunter examine the chandelier. "Theres a child here - morphing. Im trying to get a shot at it", he said, as he slowly turned the chandelier. "Morphing ?" "Yes. This one's had a good feed and is now evolving" "Into what ?" "You'll see..", said the hunter as he finally stopped revolving the chandelier. Taking out a small cylinder, he broke it in the middle and threw it into the chandelier. Jumping down, he pushed me aside. The chandelier burst into flames, and there arose a terrible screech of pain. In the light of the fire, I saw a cocoon burning atop the chandelier. A furious shuffle followed as whatever was inside the cocoon tried to break free. A single claw broke through the cocoon. The screeches stopped. We watched as the cocoon burned to cinders. So fascinated I had become with this spectactle, that I had failed to notice that the hunter had moved away from me and was engaging a small group of 3 demon children. The slashed and stabbed at him with their claws and surprisingly long and sharp teeth. He backed away in small jumps, one by one, blinding them with the flashlight, then shooting them from the crossbow. A furious flapping noise came from across the hall. The 3 demons were melting away on the floor, hissing in unison. The flapping panned from one corner to another. Something was flying around in circles, clearly agitated. "I don't know if I should call you lucky", said the hunter "Why ? What is that thing ?", I asked warily, pointing my flashlight at the far wall. "A flying demon", he answered, his crossbow at ready. "These things can fly ?", I almost screamed in surprise. "For a short distance. Yes", He said, "Well, you saw the cocoon. That was the second stage of evolution for these demons. They turn into these dog like creatures, fast, with an acute sense of smell." "Thats a dog ?" I asked, pointing at a vague shape flying around. "Imagine a dog with wings", he said, "Which can cling to walls and crawl on them." The flapping noise had stopped. An deathly silence had descended on the area. The darkness suddenly seemed too overbearing, stifling, almost reaching out for me. A bell sounded in somwhere in the city. As if on cue, something scuffled at the far end of the hall. "Its on the ceiling. Hang on. Its coming", the hunter said as he stepped back and raised his crossbow Continued... |
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