The Negotiation

 It was a negotiation in the true sense of the word. Two people and their respective teams were at the table. Two facts complicated the negotiation. The first being that both parties believed they were more crucial to what was being negotiated, and the second that both parties wanted the negotiation to work out really badly.

Meeting the Magi

I met a really strange guy today. I was sitting at Pete's Inn, when this fellow walked in. He was in a hurry. He went over to Tom at the bar, and said, "Give me a large of something hard”.

"Now Jim," Tom said, in his most serious tone, "I don't want any trouble down here, and I certainly don't want Della to come in here at midnight, and scream the roof down and my customers out. You take it easy, old chap." With that, he turned around and from some grimy brown bottle poured the man, Jim, a large measure of some thick dark alcohol that barely splashed around in the glass.

One of Art's true stories

It's the holiday season. We're crowding around heaters, fires, television screens, and covering in blankets. Couches are paradise, and with hot tea or hot chocolate elixir, we can watch ourselves breathe. But there's not much else we can do.

Times like these call for a story. You know a lot of people have a favourite story, one they are so absolutely in love with, they must tell it again and again.

Art for Class 4

When Mr. Ribinsky entered the classroom, Robin went silent. It wasn't shock or fear, but merely surprise. Mr. Ribinsky wasn't their regular teacher. Mr. Bibisky as Robin would come to refer to him, was nothing like Ms Amily, her earlier teacher. In class 4, the change from a name one can pronounce, to one, one can’t, can be traumatic, but Robin had to deal with the people switching along with the names! Surprise was perhaps an understatement, Robin was anxious.

U-Turn

Rakesh was troubled. Things were coming to a head, at least in the cauldron that was his brain.

Rakesh and his wife Sansskriti had recently shifted to Gurgaon, finally ditching the rented DDA flat for a more peaceful stack of apartments. They owned the ground floor apartment in one of 6 towers that made up Rakshak Towers. Everyday as Rakesh drove out of the parking lot heading for work, he would pass by their drawing room window, and find Sanskriti waiting there to wave to him.

A game, and The Game

So let’s go…

No, I’m not in the mood.

Why what happened?

Nothing, just, mmmmph I’m not feeling good… I don’t want to go.

Come on, get out of the house, you’ll feel better, trust me.

No I won’t, and just because you’re me don’t try to pull any mind reading tricks, okay?

Arey? Where did that come from? I’m just saying ya, some moving around, some physical exercise would feel nice.

No! It won’t.

Stop being a baby, whining won’t make you feel better… take your mind of whatever is bugging you, it’ll help.

I just want to be alone, I don’t want to be surrounded by people… I said na, I’m not in the mood.

But I want to play, come on, don’t spoil the fun for me, please.

Oh yeah, you want to play, so I have to come along, but I want to brood, that of course is entirely unacceptable. You’re so selfish.

You’re just saying that to yourself, you know!

A conversation with me, by me, for me, aka schitzo

I had a revelation…

Not again…

Yes, well, no, it’s different this one, really different…

Oh like the other two thousand were different?

Well, relativity was different, wasn’t it?

Yeah, different and over 80 years old when you were born!

Yeah, but I worked it out on my own, doesn’t that count? At least a little… and without all the confusing maths too.

Umm… relativity without the math! Your credibility with me is taking a hit, and considering, this conversation is between the two of me, you’re really not doing so well.

Hey, wait a minute, who said, the two of you, it’s the two of me, or at least the two of us! At the very least, I am not going to be one of you, and get that straight!