Tuesday, December 4, 2012

When Stars Shine Down - My entry to the GetPublished contest

Have you ever chanced upon that little sprig of grass which grows in the middle of nowhere? Or that last stubborn leaf on the tree that refuses to follow suit and drift away in the autumn wind like all others before it? Or the frail rosebud that weathers the tumultuous storm of the night, to face the next day with pride and beauty? Unfazed, unafraid, proud. But was the rosebud really unafraid through the storm?

Pic courtesy Soni Somarajan
This is Naina's story. But Naina's story cannot be whispered without weaving through Siddhant's story in the same breath. A story that commences during the darkest hours in their life, but culminates to a point where they cease to exist as two separate beings.

While Naina tells her story, one cannot help but notice that her beautiful eyes intermittently seek out the 'reason' for that story from amongst the crowd. Her eyes are the first thing that you notice about her - as they dart across the room, bright and eager. They turn moist, the moment she spots him. I smile, but I decide against interrupting her time travel.

This is a tale that will take you through the minds of two people - one who refuses to acknowledge that love exists in such a cruel world, and the other, who conquers everyone around with selfless, sometimes charming, love.

My inspiration for the story is something Naina told me, "Even if there is one woman out there whose life may change because of my story, I think it would be worth the effort."

Excerpt:

When he held me, I knew this was where I wanted to be. But not just for now; and not just because we had to share an umbrella in pouring rain. If only it was because he wanted to hold me.....

I could sense his irritation at the unexpected torrents that would ruin the day for the creative team today. The rains lashed on the stalls that the team had put together so beautifully; now they would need to heartlessly drag the stalls into the pavilion, to salvage whatever remained. They would resurrect the stalls; Siddhant was not one to give up easily, and he would give it another shot - a second chance for the event.

Suddenly, I wanted another chance too. I wanted a chance at real life, at real love. I wanted him. As I realized this, standing with him under the umbrella that did an unsuccessful job of keeping us dry, I suddenly wanted to run as far from him as I could. I pulled away, planning to run towards the pavilion.

But he did not let go of my waist. "Don't like the rain, or don't like my company?" He had a smile on his lips, but his eyes held much deeper thoughts. I turned away and I ran all the way back to the pavilion, liberating my impatient hot tears into the cold rain. 

This is my entry for the HarperCollins–IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs from Yashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.

If you liked this entry, do remember to 'like' it on this link at Harper Collins

33 comments:

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    1. Maxims, I do hope you've gone ahead and 'liked' it on facebook!!

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  2. hmmmmmmmmmm ok heading over there to read the rest of it :) all the best

    Bikram's

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  3. Oh, the description just melted my heart. All the best :)

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    1. Thanks Gazala ..... Hope you voted for it :-)

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  4. Loved it.....dying to read the rest.

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    1. Thank you bhabhi ..... dying to write the rest :-)

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    1. I knew I could trust on you to do that :-) .... thanks Rosh!

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  6. WOW, YOU ARE AN AMAZING WRITER!!! absolutely brilliant writing. voted. by the way, have you submitted two stories for the contest? you need to write a lot, then :D

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    1. Debajyoti ... you are really kind! Thank you so much. Yes, this is the second one... what can I do... am surrounded by romantic fools :-)

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  7. This will be just great! All the best for the contest. Voted!

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    1. Thank you so much Amit!! Appreciate the support

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  8. Voted.. really want to read the rest.. All the best..

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  9. So very descriptive!! All the best!!

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    1. Thank you Roshni ... I do hope you've put in a vote :-) ..

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  10. This one will be great I am sure. All the best. Heading to vote for you.

    -Jas

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    1. Thank you so much Jas .... the confidence you guys seem to have on this story is really touching ... thankyou!

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  11. intrigued and you have a way with words and just liked it too !All the best

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    1. Thank you so much Priya .... appreciate the support!!

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  12. Nice read Meena....as always. But I was a little disappointed when it stopped abruptly.Eager to read the rest . All the best .

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  13. Sorry Meena, forgot to let you know I voted :)

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    1. Thank you so much Aroma!! REally appreciate it! And you will get to read the whole story only once it is selected for publication.

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  14. of course I voted.. but that's not the point.. when can I get the rest of it?? Great work, friend..

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    1. After so long.... good to see you. The rest will get printed only when Harper Collins decides to publish it, based on the popularity :-).... fingers crossed!

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  15. Sounds heartbreaking! Or is it a misunderstanding?

    Good luck for the contest!

    Here is mine. Kindly read and cast your valuable vote!

    http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/idea/248/

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  16. Interesting, intriguing! Hoping to read the rest! Best wishes for the contest!

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