Shadows of Change

The years curved in on one another and each curved in with a more somber silence. Where there used to be the clanging of human existence was now an empty theatre where spectres of the father performed. Vanished the quarrelsome eloquence of artists, the hopeless weeping of beggars, the hasn't joyous of the black coated gentlemen. This is because only the sinful echoed in the dust since the father's rules tightly reigned the house.

Both Sam and Arjun became isolated from the rest of the world because of the problems that their families kept away from them, and they depended on each other for companionship. Yet, there wasn't that absolute quiet, with a kind of excitement underneath the calm. They were two young birds born and brought up in the lap of luxury, but they were tired of it and longed for something they had seen only in black and white photos—literally. "We can't spend the rest of our lives in this place, Sam," Arjun said one evening, and despite the setting sun and the rosy light it cast on everything, he too sounded restless. This cannot be the case. 'Sam looked into his brother's eyes, seeing the emotion of rebellion in the man's hazel irises. 'Yes,' he agreed, 'there is', The lines around his mouth remained set in a faint smile. "But first, we need to see something – " There is no indication where the story of this appearance is going, but Arjun's curiosity has waken up. The very idea of anything but their mundane routine was thrilling enough to have them intrigued. "What is it?" Sam scratched his head, the smile fades away and a wicked smirk replaces it. 'You will see,' said Q lost in thought, 'Tonight.' The city outside their safer quarters was a whole other creature. CCTVs glared at them, wanting to kill them, and the buzzing of human-like drones did little to improve matters on Arjun's end. "You really mean to say that we're going out there?" Arjun quizzed, understandably scared. Sam looked around uncomfortably; his expression turned dour. "Not quite," he replied softly. "We have to be careful," the officer said slowly, "there are those… things with cameras for eyes, and the freaks that roam the streets at night." Arjun felt his stomach churning with nausea. He looked into the darkness and saw the shine of wild animals that glare in the curtain of the night pierce through a source of artificial light—a street lamp. Those were dogs? In so much as they were like those canine lords and masters of the picture-book, they were like in the most horrible manner. Sam put his hand on his friend's shoulder and spoke in a level tone. "Don't worry Arjun, we will wait until it gets dark, When the streets are blank and freaks are asleep." And as the final ray disappeared below the line of the earth's atmosphere painting the sky in the colours of purple and orange Sam and Arjun set on a journey driven by the lust. Sins burdened them, yet freedom as small as a wingbeat of a butterfly inside each of them. Before them opened the enormous emptiness, and it was an open world which was still to be painted and have limned on it the path of life.