The Direction Blog

Vast stretch of sky above, River water ripples at feet, Mountains guard little homes, Local goods at sale on streets. Apple trees line the road, Plums and peaches follow by, Deciduous forests in the background, Their trees all tall and high. Men handsome women cute, Faces laced with natural glow, The trout fish healthy and tasty, Carrying them fresh streams flow. One look at the horizon, Snow peaks smile from there, 'The Land Of Gods' the name justified, By its beauty in a single stare.  - Disha

  Anika has never felt this before. All that she can do, sitting outside the miserable ICU of the best hospital in her locality, is think about why hadn't she noticed the symptoms earlier. She begins to rub her palms and cheeks as a futile attempt at distraction from her own disturbing thoughts. The warmth that they produce is what Anika thinks will calm her down. But her trembling hands, incessant salty tears and the constant feeling of throwing up only add to her anxiety. Had she noticed her grandfather's rough coughing, impaired speech, insignificant memory loss and failure to balance himself on his feet a little earlier, she thinks, she could have saved him from the severity of the meningitis he is suffering from. Post dinner Anika gets ready to leave for home after helping her mother with the adjustments in the waiting room. With all the strength left in her shaky legs, she walks towards the lift. On any other usual day, she would have preferred stairs over the lift. But t...

It rained again. An unseasonal warm spell wettened the black roads at the sunny time of the day, for the fourth time in two weeks. These unexpected rains annoyed her. They brought an uncomfortable uncertainty to the weather; neither the sun exercised its might nor the drizzles brought any relief. She had never liked such uncertainty, not in the weather, not in her life. But today's rain, she noticed, was different. Something about this drizzle was different, unusual. The energy absorbed her within minutes. She felt devoid of her actual strength. She started sensing the presence of someone other than herself in the house. No doubt her paranoia had returned, or maybe it had become worse.  The rain made its presence felt in every room of her lavish apartment. This time she wanted to feel it, she wanted that presence to hover still in the air. She rose from her seat and walked towards the window. The afternoon sun planted soft kisses on her cheek. She suddenly felt strong, like a kid r...