Peking Yang - An Alternate telling

Chapter 1 - Origins

Gandhi had got us freedom in the summer of 1922. The non-cooperation movement had been a success. It had been a tenuous path that Gandhi had chosen and had turned the massacre at Jalianwala Bagh into a positive notion to rally the entire nation against the British. This had resulted in the independence with the first Prime Minister being Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Subash Chandra Bose a radical thinker in the roaring thirties along with his trusted advisor Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel had led India into a new era by playing an important role in World War 2. The British Empire owed India 30 billion tonnes of gold by the end of the war. 

History was so intriguing. India has been in economic doldrums for the last 10 years. But the romantic in me thought of the golden age post world war two all the way to 1990 between which India grew into a super power. The cold war with China that defined world politics! And its inglorious end with World War 3! The Narasimha Rao / Manmohan Singh government could do little to stifle economic stagnation though India had obviously been on the winning side. Half of China became a part of India making India the biggest nation in the world that spread from Mongolia to the Kanyakumari while the other half was annexed by Germany. The annexation had not been a simple one. Rebel groups from East China have constantly worked at liberating the West Chinese Provinces. The bloodshed had not stopped and the internal war had now lasted for 20 odd years.

I don’t know why but I have always felt Indian though many around me are bitter about the annexation. I believe in India and am very much Indian. My father had roots that could be traced to the ancient Ming dynasty while my mum was a peasant woman of Kashmiri descent. If you did not know my name is Taiping Yang which means the Pacific.  I work at Infosys in the city if Shenzen. Narayana Murthy who founded the company just after the war ended, is said to have been an army infantryman who had stayed back in Shenzen post war and founded the News/ Media Empire of Infosys. It’s the kind of rags to riches story that inspires the youth that even in this economy it is possible for ideas to reap benefits if one has the passion and determination.

“Yo Tai stop day dreaming we got to move. News story breaking in the frontier town of Pok! The chopper is ready” yelled Macsan. I was her cameraman. And you don’t sit in lethargy when you hear her voice. I got into the chopper and as I did I got this strange smell. Something wasn’t right. I felt really uneasy. Kind of a premonition, I thought hard. The chopper lifted as I saw the fleeting figure of Macsan running on the tarmac and her shocked expression. I was confused and then I passed out.

I got up and found myself bound and blindfolded. I could feel and smell the damp floor. I heard a voice in the foreground and then I was shoved onto a chair. A whisper told me what to say and my blindfold was taken off. The Blinding light and I rambled, “ I am okay…. Disoriented… please give into their demands… whatever it is…” and then I was gagged again… time passed … I pissed in my pants… the stench… I blacked out.

I heard shelling. I heard bombs. I heard strange voices shout in fear. I blacked out again. When I got up I was alone. But my bonds were loose and I broke free. I grasped for air and looked around. I was in a strange cave and there were bodies around me. I started to run in the direction opposite to the blazing fire. I did not realize it then but I was running deeper into the mountain rather than out. I stopped to take a deep breath once I felt safer. It was really dark. I put my hand on the cold rock. I felt something trickle on to my fingers. It was a cockroach. I ate it. I was hungry.

I was totally lost in the unknown mountain and I kept walking deeper into it in the hope that I find an exit. And then I saw a light. I ran with joy thinking that I had finally reached sunlight. And I ran straight into a big opening and was surrounded by crystal that sparkled. In the centre was a strange vehicle and a being in a form I had never ever seen ever. I gasped. The being looked at me strangely and I felt a piercing pain and the last words I heard were, “You have finally reached your destiny child. Spread pacificity with what you will get.” I passed out.

I got up in an ambulance and when I gasped for air the male nurse told me to relax. I passed out again. I woke up in a hospital bed to the beautiful face of Macsan. She was looking very concerned and when I smiled she relaxed. I asked where was I and she said I was in a hospital in the frontier town of Pekren. Her face then grew dark. She looked at me with pity. I asked and she replied, “ Subramanian Iyer was released earlier today in a bid to free you. The black ops masterminded a plan such that he would die with the rebels and you would be freed. But everything went wrong. The rebels died alright but Subramanian Iyer escaped. No trace. And you were miraculously found in a field 20 kms away. The black Ops lead reported you to the government. The roumer is that you masterminded the whole thing such that Subramanian Iyer would escape. You of all the people , such a beautiful hearted person… you of all the people they would suspect… “ 

She was bitter.

I could not believe it. What was happening? I was an enemy of the state. I closed my eyes and then realized something with shock. I opened my eyes and I was in a field … I was able to tell Macsan from there to trust me and then I made sure she fainted with an injury to the back of her neck. I had a power I did not fully understand. I ran.

To Be continued. Filarial needs encouragement :D

Sometimes

Memories are an emotion not
They don’t let you go of the past
They flood you deluge you
With no warning whatsoever
A song a verse something
From a book is all that it takes
For memories to take charge
And make you feel enough

OF the Dragon and the Caterpillar

A dragon once kidnapped a princess
And put her on an island
The island had a lush forest
And as she made her way through
She saw a wood cutter

The wood cutter’s story was similar
Alone on that island having
Been brought by the dragon there
A little while earlier than
The princess herself

The princess was royalty
Having been brought up so
And yet she felt a surge of freedom
That the lonely island provided
And could not have been happier

Along with the woodcutter
She formed a friendship
That was carefree
And as the days and nights
Passed the bond only grew stronger

They scoured the mountains
And the valleys of the islands
Sun, Rain and snow they felt
Sang happy songs in zest
When they came across a caterpillar

The wood cutter was distracted
And the princess got news of
The outside world
The news was not good and
Without his knowledge did
She cut a deal with the dragon

She disappeared that night
And the wood cutter felt stranded
But the caterpillar on the instructions
Of the princess showed him
A path out of the island
A path he had not considered
To a whole new world

The island where there was no one
Else still remained in the illusive mind
But what the new world had forged
Drove things forward
For change he wondered was inevitable
No matter what the struggle

All that remained as a constant
Was the machinery of the Dragon
And the caterpillar wondrous

~ a filarial special pome

~(_8-(!) -- did not know the existence of Sibyl

“Don’t Ever Trust Yourself”

                             --- Filarial (3000 AD)

The governor of Alpha Centauri lay dead before us. I couldn’t believe it. All the precautions and nothing had helped. It had to be one of us. There could be no stowaways on this ship. I had calculated the amount of air to be supplied based on the ships size and the number of people to the last atom. This had been a precaution I had always taken without my crew knowing for if I saw a drop of sweat I knew things were not right. I knew! That was key to providing the kind of security the governor had needed.

And the strange thing was I trusted each of my crew more than myself. There was Sibyl (oh beautiful Sybyl… but I digress) Randy, Chad and Periyakarupan. I looked at each of them.  The stranger thing was that we had all been sweating from about 36 seconds before the governor dropped dead. And then everyone was breathing normally. I couldn’t make head or tail of it. “Report to your quarters and do not budge your tail or else you will be killed” I said quietly.

I thought for about 30 minutes looking at the monitors trained on each room. Randy paced about the room nervously, Sibyl was crying like a baby, Chad and Periyakarupan on the other hand were sitting quietly and patiently. I walked straight to Randy’s room and opened the door. As soon as he saw he whispered quickly,” Have you talked to anybody else? ” He saw the look on my face and said,” I was hoping when you saw me pacing you would come to me. I hoped in hell that you did. You don’t understand. I saw something. I cannot for the love of god figure it out. I saw... “And his voice broke into a whisper… his eyes wide open… and

Blackout.

The governor of Alpha Centauri lay dead before us. I acted per protocol and grounded the whole crew to their quarters.  I was observing them on the monitors. Sibyl (oh beautiful Sibyl… I slapped myself on the face… focus…) Periyakarupan and Randy were sitting down with an eerie calm. Sibyl was crying uncontrollably now. I could feel the air becoming thinner, she needed to calm down or all of us were in danger of cerebral hypoxia for we were still a million miles from Gyna.  I would get to her but she would be second. I headed to Chad’s room. I opened the door and his eyes were wide open waiting for me to walk in. I said calmly,” Chad … why did you do it… Chad? “And his eyes moved towards me and without any warning he jumped on me. The bastard had a hidden weapon. He must have used it on the gov…

“You are not the CAPTAIN.. YOU ARE NOTTTT.”… I felt Blood ooze out of my shoulder… I was having double visions as I staved off Chad with the last reserves of energy that I had left… He suddenly stopped looking horrified and said,” Captain is that really… really you???”... I screamed, “You Dumb MF what the... “I could feel myself blacking out. The ship’s computer was saying something about slight turbulence or something. I was losing consciousness. I poked my wound with two fingers harshly and screamed in pain as blood rushed to my head as well and I saw a little more clearly. Chad said,” You don’t understand captain… I… Saw… I….”

Blackout. .

The Governor of Alpha Centauri’s mangled body lay before us. I was a little disconcerted. I had sent the rest of the crew to their quarters. I wanted to go to Sibyl’s quarters and comfort her. I couldn’t bear her cries. But when I did look at the monitors, I looked at but one monitor. PeriyaKarupan was looking at the monitor almost smiling almost signaling to me. I walked straight to his quarters and opened the door. I let it slide shut behind me and heaved a heavy sigh. “I saw… “He smiled and said,” Don’t jump to conclusions. “ and he closed his eyes and said, “ Let us think rationally captain, calm your thoughts and lets then go to Sybil’s Quarters.“.  I said, “I am calm enough - let’s go.” We were inside Sibyl’s Quarters and as I approached her… I  ...”aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah”

PeriyaKarupan looked down upon the captain’s dead body and then at Sybyl, “Come on Sybyl, we don’t have much time… “ ... The ship’s computer was saying something about approaching turbulence.  He half dragged her to his quarters and pulled her over a body. A badly disfigured body of…. Periyakarupan. She was almost hysterical. TURBULANCE…

Blackout.

The Governor of Alpha Centauri’s body lay still before me. I looked at the monitors desperately. I had sent everybody to their quarters and yet nobody was there. I saw no one in their quarters. I walked out of the control room as the ships computer talked about turbulence. As I walked out … I saw someone approaching. I ran towards the figure and tried to … my eyes opened wide. It couldn’t be… I backed away… and then he jumped at me. I screamed in pain as something struck and I felt blood spurt out and screamed …. And screamed…..

Turbulance and Forward…..

I stood there shaking. And behind me- the Governor, Chad, Sybil, Randy and…  Periyakaruppan. I had used the modulator, the only one on the ship… on…. Me. I wanted to cry, to vomit but we couldn’t afford me to do that for we were still a million miles away. I controlled myself. We all sat there looking at each other as if each were a ghost. Finally Periyakarupan spoke slowly, “it had to be done to break away from the anomaly. That was the only way that I could think off. Each of us… had to kill …. Ourselves… to break from the paradox…. It was the only way… it was the…”  

I looked at Sybil and said, “Explain.” 

She looked up through her tear soaked face and said, “When the turbulence hit the ship for the first time… I was pulled through some sort of anomaly and as I traveled I could hear all of your screams. And then I was back on the ship but 20 minutes before the turbulence hit. I tried warning us but the first time, all of you including a “copy” of me freaked so much at the sight of future me that you tied me up and put me into what was my quarters not listening to me. And again it was only I that survived. I tried through different combinations to drive the ship of path but I found I did not have control. Captain you para-programmed the ship to listen to only you. And then I tried to catch someone, anyone's attention. First Randy, then Chad, in that sequence by showing me at a certain angle while killing the most important person on the ship- the Governor. Both of them could not understand the paradox. And then Periyakaruppan...   

She stopped and Periyakaruppan continued, “As we started saving each of us we had to kill the so called “copy” the anomaly created of each of us. That was the only way. Believe me captain… “And he closed his eyes.

We were lost upon the act of violence we had had to commit… and yet we were alive… all of us… I could not understand…. Somewhere distantly I could hear ship’s computer say “400 thousand miles to Gyna”

PS- Some people like to use quotes of great men in History to make a point. So I decided to use a Quote I will make in the future at the beginning of the story.  K

PS PS- the story’s title- did it make you think? :D…. As I researched the theme, I found a quote in wiki which went like the “Homer seems to have been unaware of a Sibyl” Hence I assumed the reference to be the one person I turn to in a time of great despair… The one only philosopher of interest-- ~(_8-(!)  (Turn these characters by 90 degrees and you will see Homer Simpson!)

Fear.

There was something in the closet

Something under the bed

Something behind that curtain

Was that a skeleton or a monster?

I got up in a haze

The room was still dark and

There was perspiration

On my face

It was tiny and small

And it ran from behind the curtain

Into my open closet

I could see it there

I got up slowly and

Looked for my specs

And then realized that

I had none for I wore not

I wondered why the instinct

Was it me or an alter

And yet the mystery stark

In that closet close to me

I got up and walked

And opened my closet door

To find but a mirror

In which was my cold dark face

Was that the monster I thought

The fear that was inside

I could not be sure

And threw my clothes hither thither

I had a blind realization

I was running from whom

Was it myself

Or the country open

Things were hazy

The fear was clear

Fear is always with you

Not happiness, nor sorrow

Fear is your friend

Fear is your foe

Fear is not

Fear is yes

I got up with a fright.

Illusions may be false but sometimes they are the Truth

There was once a little girl

And then there was not.

For she had been exposed

To mesons in the Cryon

No one knew how

-          On the walls of the ruins of the Babylon Research Facility (Circa 2566 AD)

Humankind had finally mastered space travel in the year 2333 AD. Since the first settlement on the moon of Saturn had been successful there was flood of settlers all across the galaxy. Dr. Gaber Wallpee’s ground breaking research in the field of Mesogentic travel had opened the way for the future of mankind. He had led the greatest to the planet Babylon in the beta quadrant of Sector G. At its heyday something happened. No one knows what. Why am telling you all this rubbish you ask? I am a Reperto Historian and I came to the ruins of Babylon 10 years ago. We are considered a cult, us Repertos. Fuck people don’t know the importance of the Reperto History research. The incident needs to be uncovered soon for the all our futures are tied to it. People are such dumb fucks.

Anyway I walked into my office with my cup of Joe and saw Parka was already there. She was always there before me. Everyday this past 10 years, she was always in that seat when I walked in. I began to wonder if she even slept. I knew everything about her and yet I did not. She Said, “Heyy… we going down the tunnel today?” I nodded my head.  We started walking. One sip of my coffee is all I enjoyed anyway. We took the elevator and then the beast.

I smelt her hair sitting behind her as she drove the beast full speed. I closed my eyes and stopped. We would soon be at the cusp of the tunnel, at the doorway. No one knew what lay behind the doorway. We had not yet figured out what Dr.Wallpee had intended it for. We started the work of painful restoration. We had 10 hours before the LUPP set and the Lumsar cycle started, after which it would be too cold to work. I went to start work on sector 72. I was the only Reperto who could translate the ancient symbols. The story so far on the Doorway was “There was once a little girl…”

I was ready for some coffee.  I didn’t realize it had been 6 hours. I had added a full two line today which was extremely fortuitous. We would have been lucky with a few letters. The new line read

But there is a legend of a Circle

And that is an Aakrap

I wondered what that meant. That was when I heard her scream. I ran and I ran. I came to Sector 64, it had taken me exactly 7 minutes. She was not there. I looked at the doorway section and saw no clues. I looked around, closed my eyes and thought “Fuck!”.  I started the technique of Labarynth Math. It was the only way to stay calm. It was a method discovered by the great yogi Japurandakudi of the planet Kudra in the year 2453 AD. She was the first Reperto. I concentrated. I didn’t realize it but I played around with the pattern in my mind in a different way. I wondered why was I seeing these strange patterns. This was not calming me down but rather it was making me sweat. And yet I was cold. I tried opening my eyes I could not. I felt an intense pain and I passed out.

I got up, I had a pain in my elbow. I wondered why and looked forward but there was no doorway. I looked behind me and there it was the doorway. I was confused. The patterns in my head were now bright orange in color. I opened my eyes and started walking forward. I heard the calm voice of a little girl. And then she was in front of me and she smiled. I felt at complete peace with myself.  She sang,

Have you come to rescue me

Finally after all these years

Panda San do you not see

It is futile to save Aakrap

For without the meson accident

There is no humankind

And this circle will destroy

You Panda San

At least this time leave

While you still can for

You cannot solve the puzzle

Panda San

I was confused. Why was… I not horrified at finding myself on the other side? Why did I know this little girl? Why did the words she said make sense? I closed my eyes. The patterns had changed and I had this sudden urge to push the Cuboid I saw. It changed. A flush of memories flooded past my neural network and it all came back to me. I understood.

“Parkaa”, I said, “When were you caught in this time loop?” She looked at me confused. She said “ I am Aakrap Panda San”.  I continued, “ Parkaa, you were not the cause of the accident. We need to get out of here. I know how now” She looked at me confused. And suddenly she found herself fully grown. She took my hand and realized who she was. I turned and the doorway disappeared and we walked through.

Epilogue

Panda San was just a creation

Something of a mindmeld

What was real was but false

and what was false was really

something like the truth.

She looked at me with her eyebrow raised. She said “ So when I was a baby I was caught in the vortex when the Cryon generator broke down.  I understand that but why were you the one to figure it out?”. I smoked some berrylthum and said,” Its simple Parkaa, Labyrinth Math allowed me to connect with you in the warp hole. You were able to project yourself out of it into the real world without realizing it. You thought the real world was an illusion or a dream while you slept. And these last 10 years I have always wondered when did you sleep? You knew me and I knew you and yet in the warp your mind kept you at an age that was comfortable for the body. Once I realized that the rest was simple.” She smiled, and I smiled back. The world needed to know. This was going to .,….

A Filarial Special Story