Rumour Has It...

this was my entry for a short story competition a couple of weeks ago. if you ask me i'd say it was just an experiment gone awry. so i'll let you judge, i'll give you a warning though, its not much of a story. so please be honest with your comments coz i really cant figure out why this story won the second place, i was just having some fun. the topic was 'rumour has it'. now what sort of a story can you come up with other than a high school story of gossip????


“Rumour has it that all dogs are cats, and all cats are dogs”, said Nosy Parker. Nosy and I had just settled down on the couch for a cup of tea, a routine event in our ‘mundane’ lives. Nosy’s statement might seem a little odd to the rest of the world, but if you live in Quipsville, it doesn’t seem odd at all.
Nosy works at the local rumour mill. The job’s a bore, so the lads at the mill try to liven things up by exchanging tit-bits about the town. Truth be told, the lads at the mill are the only reliable source of information as far as this town is concerned. So if Nosy says all dogs are cats and all cats dogs, there must be some truth in it. I find those little chats with Nosy a nice way to unwind at the end of the day. I work at Barney’s vineyard, and maintaining that grapevine isn’t a piece of cake.
Getting back to cats and dogs, Nosy said that he’d gone to attend the First Annual Canine-Feline Convention a couple of days ago. Apparently the growing disregard for pets by humans has forced dogs and cats to join hands and make a united stand. Both parties agreed that it was high time they stopped bickering amongst themselves. In the words of Nosy, “There will soon be a day when the cat barks and the dog mews, and together they’ll raise a cacophony that will burst the eardrums of every evil human.”
That’s Quipsville for you. This isn’t an ordinary town for sure. There’s a certain quaint charm that’s unique to it. I happened to first pass through this town eight years ago. I was on a trip across the country. I didn’t intend on staying here long, but Quipsville grows on you. I never left.
As Nosy goes on with his stories, I stare out of the window. Little Joey is still patiently waiting for the molehill to turn into a mountain.
Like I said, in Quipsville, everything is possible......

Life Goes On....

I always find it fascinating that if you let your mind wander off on its own for a while, it comes up with some pretty interesting thoughts. Like the other day in class, just to keep us busy, the lecturer asked us to suggest ideas for table topics. I wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on but then I heard one of my friends suggesting, “The Best Teacher You Ever Had”, and that set me thinking. Now that I’m almost at the end of my college life, who was my best teacher ever????
I could say the first one I ever had back in Kindergarten. She was a darling (well she is now, she frightened me back then). Or maybe the English teacher back in sixth grade, or the physics lecturer in the ninth, they were all really good but no, not them. They were all great teachers, and while they all imparted knowledge, I realised that none of them could pass on wisdom. Relax, I’m not talking about the wisdom of the ancients, just the really important things, like how to make everyday more meaningful. That’s when I realised that Life is the best teacher I’ve ever had, no kidding. Sure I’ve bickered about how my life sucks, I’m just human, but when I look at the bigger picture, I can’t quite find the words to explain it.
Every second of the last 20 or so years has taught me something (okay the first 5 years are kind of sketchy but I wouldn’t have gotten thus for if I hadn’t learnt right?). Like those times when mum and dad used to scold me and I hated them for it, now I realise it was just to teach me right from wrong. Life’s a harsh teacher, I guess she knows we aren’t going to listen if she says it sweetly so she just skips the niceties and makes us learn the hard way. I haven’t been around that long yet so my education’s far from complete, but I’ve learnt some pretty important stuff so far...
I’ve learnt not to regret any decision I’ve made. I’ll only be losing precious time in self pity and it’s not worth it. I know it sounds clichéd but it’s true. You can’t change the past but you can learn from it. I’ve learnt that the people who matter to me won’t always be around. People keep walking in and out of our lives; only their footprints remain, reminding us of the moments we shared, making us smile when we are down. I’ve learnt that no matter how much the world tries to crush me down, I lose only when I give up on myself. And no matter how tired I am, if I search my soul deep enough, I’ll always find a reason to go on. You know how sometimes it seems like you can’t live without someone? Not true, you can. Sure it hurts worse than hell, and the memories can torment you for a really long time, but once you accept it and stop trying to run away from it, you begin to notice what you’ve missed. To quote another cliché, “Don't cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”.
And for those who keep telling you that time is the best healer, well I doubt those guys ever had to experience anything that they think “time” can heal, because if you asked me, I’d say time doesn’t heal, it just kind of numbs the pain so that its more bearable, just enough so that we can learn to move on.
According to me, the most important lesson that life’s taught me is that every moment should be savoured, the good ones and the bad. You never know what going to be thrown your way, that’s why I’ve learnt to cherish those moments spent with the people in my life, because I’ll never know when I get to see them again. Some people might think I’m paranoid, but I really don't care, I want to make the best of what I’ve got. And to all those friends of mine from school, I don't know if I’ll ever see them again but I know I’m not going to forget them. I keep shifting cities every few years and saying goodbye to the people I know isn’t easy, I’ve done it thrice so far and I haven’t gotten used to it, don't think I ever will. But though it’s always hard initially, I’ve learnt that life moves on and teaches us to move along with her. That’s the beauty of it, she doesn’t leave anyone behind, it’s just that sometimes we’re too stubborn to listen. Good thing she doesn’t give up on us though. She’ll just keep prodding and gently coaxing us until we move on. Well, she isn’t gentle always, she does seem like Cruella sometimes ;-)
I guess that’s what makes her such a good teacher, and that might just be the reason that life’s beautiful..............................................
“There are two ways to live your life; one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein
P.S: for those of you who are wondering why I’ve referred to life as a ‘she’ well, not that I’m a hardcore feminist but women are the ones who bear life right? ;-)