The Minimalist Geek

The Elevator to Realms Act 10: Silent Hopes Kriti The soft hum of the car engine filled the quiet Uber ride as I leaned back, my thoughts swirling around like a whirlwind. "Damn it! I... I don't know what I was doing!", I thought to myself. It had been days since I last saw Vaibhav. We hadn't spoken much either, and the growing silence between us gnawed at me. Yes, I know, and I am pretty sure that he was busy with his cousin's ring ceremony as I had come to know about it from my friends. Also, marriage at home comes with all the family events, but still, I couldn't stop thinking about him. For a few minutes, I looked around. The traffic passed by through the other side while the cab stood still on the intersection, waiting for the signal to turn green. "Should I call him?", I wondered, my fingers hovering all over my phone. I had his number open on my contact list. Well, I had trouble finding his number on the call logs because, you all know w...

 "The Elevator to Realms" Act 9.5  Unspoken Silences Pooja The soft chime of the school bell echoed in the distance as Aarti hurried to get ready. The warmth of the morning sun spilled through the curtains, casting a gentle glow over the room. "Pooja di, where's my uniform?" Aarti's voice came from the next room. "Check the drawer near your bed," Pooja called back, absentmindedly folding clothes. Aarti quickly got dressed, her small face lit up with excitement. She always loved school, especially on days when her favourite teacher taught. Their mother bustled into the kitchen, packing Aarti’s lunchbox with precision, calling out, "Aarti, your lunch is ready!" Within minutes, Aarti was out the door, her bright smile the last thing Pooja saw before she left for school. The house fell into a gentle quiet after that, leaving Pooja with her thoughts. She began helping her mom with the household chores, scrubbing the floor, wiping the windows —...

 "The Elevator to Realms" Act 9  Crossroads Vaibhav "Okay. This is kind of enough.", I said to myself after I hung up the phone.  .. *Phone rings again* No. I just can't pick up the call. I need to go back and think of something. I should... I can't think of anything else right now. Who was that holding the exact same glowy blue thing in her hand?  *Phone keeps ringing...* "Damn it!", I yelled. And picked up the phone.  "What's the matter?! Why are you not picking up my calls?!", said Pooja. "Pooja, I need some time. I have no idea what's happening, I'll call you back later. Please give me some time.", I reassured her that nothing was wrong. Everything is okay. "You don't tell me anything, you call me at 2 in the morning and you don't tell me a thing about what happened? You owe me an explanation, Vaibhav," she said. "No, I don't. I'll call you again, sorry Pooja. I need to do this. Tak...

"The Elevator to Realms" Act 8 The Wedding Vaibhav I looked at my watch, It was almost 5:30 PM and the skies were clear. I went to my room to check for anything I'd be missing. There, I thought of calling up Pooja before leaving. It was late February so it was neither too hot nor too cold. I went to open my window and sat there for a while listening to the chirping of the birds, all returning to their nests for the dawn. "Damn. This view never gets old.", I said to myself while remembering the childhood I had. Like seriously, kids nowadays would never get to know the value of nature. They seem to be all busy with cellphones and smart TVs. In our time, we only had keypad phones so no endless reels and shorts. Just some nostalgic games and texting to friends.  In fact, also meeting my cousins after a long time would definitely feel good. The thought of cell phones and texting reminded me of Pooja. Yet again. I opened my WhatsApp and video-called her. "Hey, Va...

The Elevator to Realms: Angel Kriti “I took a deep breath and then proceeded to ring Aaryan’s doorbell. I was quite nervous. I pulled out the pen drive from my right pocket and gave it one last look. Hoping this would work. He opened the door and invited me inside. He was a little confused about my visit, but I had it all planned inside my mind. I knew what I had to say. I told him that I came for a proper closure of our relationship and that I would never ever tell anyone anything about our relationship. He went into his kitchen saying he would get us some water. ‘Kriti. It’s now or never. Insert the USB in his router.’ Said Vaibhav through the tiny com inside my ear…” ------------------------------------------------------------------- I had my lunch and noticed the wall clock. It said 2'o clock. I called up Pooja and Kajol in a conference to talk for a while. “Pooja? Yaar, I’m so scared. This will go right na?” I said. “Don’t you worry. Everything will be fine.” “Isn’t this wro...

"The Elevator to Realms" Act 6 Exam Days Pooja It was already February. The gradually decreasing chill in the wind marked the end of the winter season. Everyone was hustling for their final board exams. Many were tensed about the change in question pattern this year. I had to score good marks this time to get admission in a good University. I opened the board's website and entered my details to find out my exam center. DAV Public School Sector 4, Bokaro. I let out a sigh, and sat on my study chair. I grabbed my notebook, and then I thought to myself...  " Yaar.. Vaibhav ka exam center kidhar hogi?" I switched on my desktop computer one more time and searched for Vaibhav's admission number. It was different. His exam centre was located in a completely different city... Delhi Public School, Jamshedpur. At this point, I had a wild idea that Vaibhav hasn't noticed this yet. A part of me wanted me to inform him about this right now. But, I didn't. “...