Visions

Walking down the platform of Rajiv Chowk amongst a sea of people, Antra felt a nudge, ignoring it she moved forward. Busy in their monotonous routines people have become so accustomed to knocking into each other, that they don't even bother to look over.

But brushing past a good looking man in his late twenties, as she was boarding the train; Antra felt a vision flash before her eyes. In a dimly lit room in Hyderabad, a timid little boy was on his knees with his father standing above him. They couldn't see her but tears rolled down her cheeks as she heard his cries; begging for his petty life while his father continued to thrash him with his belt.

Sitting in her cubicle at lunch time, Antra was rescued from her work load when a chudda-clad hand tapped over her shoulder and Shivangi called her over to have lunch together. While moving two cubicles down, Antra found herself in a posh South Delhi apartment. Laying next to his wife in bed, a man gently swept aside hair from her face while he watched her sleep peacefully; kissing the forehead of his newlywed bride he got up and popped into the shower. Opening her eyes once he left Shivangi felt ecstatic, she had never loved a man more deeply than this one.

Antra was striding up her apartment building when she was stopped in her track by the watchman. Handing over an envelop the 60 something Rajnath smiled at Antra, but as the tip of his index finger touched her palm, she found herself transported to a skimpy one room hut. As Rajnath put on his uniform with trembling hands and got ready for work, his 30 yr old son walked in drunk as the night, cursing all along he stumbled on the cot and fell into a deep slumber. With a disappointed look on his frail face Rajnath walked away.

For Antra, coming back to an empty flat at the end of the day, had been the end to every day for the past two yrs.

Tired after working the whole day, Karan lay his head in Antra's lap while she caressed his hair, softly running her fingers; when she envisioned him in the conference room with one of his colleagues. Pushing Roma against the wall, he devoured her with passion that had been missing from their marriage for some time now. And she was forced to wonder what could be worse than seeing the love of your life with another woman and not being able to look away.

Wrapped up in everyone else's story Antra didn't realize when she stopped paying attention to Karan. The distance she created pushed him away, yet she couldn't stay with someone unfaithful. And once he walked away two yrs ago, Karan never returned.

Her visions were a part of her she couldn't separate; like a curse she saw and felt everything but could do nothing.