I saw him there, beneath the eaves
Standing with the dark
And although he made no move, nor sound
His presence there was stark

He was much like a wilting pane
His body cloaked in guile
I saw the turning of his face
The weeping in his smile

Entrenched there ‘low the jutting eaves
Ebbing with the wane
He then began towards the door
Jigging as he came

More a seize than jig, I’d say
Though it barely sought a word
A shuddering, a stuttering
But not a sound I heard

That fluxing smile stayed his face
As when he reached the door
And pondered for one awful breath
To motion with his claw

Gone inside and left my sight
I felt I too must go
If just to prove this vision false
To my senses dulled and slow

Inside I heard a shattering,
A shuddering, a blow
A muttering, a jittering
A shriek, but soft and low

I passed the door and by the hearth
Its embers bright and warm
And heard a sound pass in the ground
Like iron bees in swarm

Standing in the living room
He shuddered to and fro
As if the lights were flickering
And I too rapt to know

Upon the floor around the room
The bodies of some few
I shuddered as I took them in
He shuddered with me too

I could feel the cool damp air from outside
A gentle weight on the skin, a particular smell
The smell of a night stretched on too long

I tiptoed across the carpeted floor boards
The house was old and I knew it well
Every little area it would groan and creek

I was moving slowly but urged myself faster
This wasn't like other nights, half asleep
Wandering to the bathroom at the end of the hall

No, the house is empty, or should I dare say was
I felt a presence so strong, yet undefinable
As if something was nearly upon me, only breaths away

I avoided deftly the creaky areas of the floor beneath
I felt the give of the wood beneath me as I reached the stairs
This would prove far more difficult to be silent for

Standing at the top I contemplated running down
As fast as my legs could possibly carry me
Somehow though I knew it wasn't the right choice  

As I made my first step down there was silence
I breathed in a sharp silent breath of composure
Continuing to the second step, I winced as I heard a creek

But I stopped and lightly tested the step again
The sound hadn't been caused by me
Quickly my vision darted upwards towards my room

At the far end of the hallway where I had just left
I saw something, a blur like a thick vapor
The shadow black wall behind obscured it

I had no time to peer into the darkness
I sped up, step by step by step
31 steps in total all without a sound

Save for the floor I landed on in my haste
The old house groaned beneath my weight
My neck chilled as I gave in and ran


to be continued...

Like a bond song, rising from the depths
catching the theme, casting its charm,
holding the frame, teasing us
giving us just enough of what we’re waiting for
and keeping us all in the moment,
gun shot by shot, brass blast by blast,
until the action breaks across the screen,
drawing every gasp, taking every heart,
holding every gaze, clutching every throat,
- until the strings break in
and bring release and joy and disbelief
as the hero survives yet again
to bring the world its peace

I'm tired of being someone.
Instead, I want to be something.

I want to be the creak in your floorboards at night; the time it takes for you to convince yourself it's just the house settling. Nothing is wrong.

I want to be the dogs barking in the lot across the street. What are they barking at? I cant see anything.

I want to be the howls outside your window, knocking to come inside. It's just the wind, just a tree branch, no one is awake this time of night.

Did you remember to lock the door?

It was an exceedingly hot and sultry summer day in the bylanes of Kabul. Lt.Sameer Sharma had missed the chance of catching the prodigal engineer turned terrorist Abdul at the marketplace.But now he had an ace in his deck,the enigmatic Dr.Rizwan, a doctor by day and spy by night.

Here they were near a warehouse at a nondescript military base.Any second now,a glimpse of the adversary could be caught.

"Over there",shouted Rizwan,pointing his gun towards the massive box.As deftly as a cat ,Sameer slowly moved towards the box.It was a cat.

Another voice was heard in the floor above.It was Abdul.

He ran.

They ran.

It could all have been over in a minute.Years of espionage and intelligence work boiled downed to one chase.

They chased. A chance . The only chance.Four shots were fired.

They saw the corpse.They were jubilant."Finally" cried......


"Finally",cried Musa as he shared a smoke with Rizwan.

There laid the body of Lt.Sameer in a pool of blood.

Betrayal had never been more stylish.
                                                        ­                                                           The End.