Knots

Why am I still not somewhere else? she wondered.

She had been stuck in the same place for so long.

Her chances of rising were fading, like the balloon she was tied to — slowly losing air.

Far away, the other wondered,

Why do I feel this tug, as if someone is trying to pull me away from where I belong?

Neither knew the full story.

Each was tied to opposite ends of a single thread —

One anchored for support,

The other drifting with the balloon.

Sky

The sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a warm glow over the landscape as they strolled through the glen. The tranquillity of the moment was palpable, and the trek felt like a leisurely dance with nature.

As they meandered along the trail, one of them, perhaps inspired by the beauty of the surroundings, decided to steer the conversation into more profound waters. Breaking the peaceful silence, he turned to his companion and asked, "Do you know the deepest valley?"

The question hung in the air for a moment before the other, caught off guard by the sudden shift, responded with a hint of whimsy, "It's the sky."

And with that, the conversation lingered, the words drifting like clouds in the vast expanse above. Each step carried them forward, leaving the meaning to unfold in the silence between their footfalls.

Marionette

Deep in the heart of the woods, on the outskirts of a quaint village, stood a castle where a  little girl with eyes that shone like stars lived. Despite her beauty, the villagers didn't like her because she was different. They thought she must be a witch as she lived in the castle outside the village, all by herself. They had no idea that the lovely birds in the woods and the glassy streams next to the castle were the reasons. 

The poor girl tried to befriend the villagers by giving them countless gifts in vain. To her misery, no one wanted to befriend her. Finally, she decided to move to the village. She didn't interact with people much as she spent her time learning and adapting to their style. Eventually, the villagers accepted her, and she did everything they asked her to do. "Am I happy here?" "Should I go back?" she missed the forest dearly but never went back out of fear of being called a witch again.

One day, she woke up and realized that she had an empty rattling torso, and her body was turned to wood. She ran to the village elder, shouting in agony, "Why is my torso empty? Why am I wooden?"

The elder replied, "You always listened and followed what others told you, just like a marionette. This  made you a marionette with no conscience and an empty torso."

- Sharvari 

Words

"Damn!! I didn't mean that", one was clearly frustrated. "See, I mean to...", one continued. The other one listened intently, still failing to grasp. With empathy, the other finally coyishly said. "Why are you trying so hard? You don't need to. Afterall all we are just... words" 

Colourless

He was born blind. Never felt how colours are. Today, though, he was very curious about colours and wanted to feel something. To quench his curiosity he said to himself, let's buy a few shirts.

At the shop, he asked for a yellow shirt. The shopkeeper handed over a yellow shirt. He could not feel the colour but instead, he argued that it's not yellow. The shopkeeper felt bad for him and gave him a red shirt just to be sure that he is blind. He still could not feel it either so rather he bought it.

Since he was still curious, he went to some other shop and asked for a yellow shirt again. The shopkeeper thought of ridding himself of the red shirt, he was unable to sell thinking he won't notice. As earlier, he said it isn't yellow. The shopkeeper was taken aback, so rather gave him a yellow shirt thinking he somehow can see and he bought it.

A Story

I passed her today by the stairs. She seemed a bit dull. Enquired if everything is alright. She assured me that all is okay. Since I wasn't very convinced, I asked if she needs someone to talk to. Felt she was waiting for someone to listen. She complained about how everyone reads her, listens to her but never actually gets the point. She is certain of the fact that she very clearly conveys a point, moral, or a meaning but people have their own view and disregard hers. I felt she just wanted someone to listen to her. I readily lent my ears and made her narrate her version. It indeed was very good. In the end, she probed me to see if I got point. I could clearly see the disappointment in her eyes. It was very clear that she was dismayed. I didn't have the courage to ask her for her version of understanding, so simply excused myself.

The next day I saw her with a girl and both were carrying a frown face. She just said "that's yesterday's version"

Similar

Today it was his turn to go first. He was anxious, very anxious. While waiting he was pondering over his deeds comforting himself that it would be alright. "It's time", someone said. It was dark outside and eerily silent too. He thrust himself out gesturing others to wait for his signal. He moved quietly in the direction, he felt is safe. Stopping for a while asking others to follow his footsteps. What's that smell? he wondered over a pleasant smell. Asking others to wait, he moved on to investigate. Wow, he said at the find. He had found something to eat. As it was his turn, he had a nibble while others waited for all clear. Moments passed, as he was alright, he signaled all clear. Other rushed to join him. He was scouting nearby for more so as to carry it back for others who did not join the frenzy. He saw something. He eagerly walked towards it. As he was about to pick it up, some elderly smacked him from behind before he could even touch it. As he was about to show his displeasure, he saw something familiar. He realized that it indeed was a trap. He thanked the elderly and joined others.