Crossroads Blues
CHAPTER 3: THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION
As the glowing sun dipped below the horizon, the fleeting colours of the evening faded away as darkness descended.
After witnessing a striking sunset, I was on my way back to my hostel. That’s when I met him. I felt a bit hesitant. I wasn’t sure what to say. Does it always feel this way when you meet old friends? We had been pretty good friends back in middle school but had lost touch with each other after I moved to Bangalore. As I looked at him, I was flooded with memories from school. Ah…those good old days!!!
I remembered the first impression I had of him in school, the excellent poetry, and funny stories he used to write, how he always was the class topper and the teacher’s pet. Initially, I had found him too talkative and enthusiastic for my taste, considering the silent wallflower I was and still am. Later on, we had somehow gotten along really well with each other.
Now, I just found him to be a bit silent and sober. As we sat reminiscing, I spoke about my life in Bangalore. He spoke about how Mumbai had changed so much over the years. Then, in a low tone, he narrated the story of his life after his mom passed away and disclosed the fact that he had stopped writing after her death. That’s when I realised the reason behind the serious look on his face. Life had made him grow up too fast. I hadn’t expected this and felt bad about reminding him of his haunting past. We were silent for a few minutes, deeply lost in thought. Then, to cheer him up I mimicked a funny dialogue one of our teachers in school used to say all the time. He laughed out loud and all was well again. It was getting late. We exchanged numbers and went our separate ways.
The following day, I was given the task of coming up with a good article for the college magazine. The editor wanted a fascinating piece about an unexplored side of the college. After racking my brain for quite some time, inspiration still seemed elusive. I decided to go to the library and look up much older issues of the college magazine. As I worked my way through the dusty magazines, I found an interesting picture in an issue dated April 2013. The picture was of a group of students all dressed in white, holding up a poster with the words “Midnight Madness- Celebrating 20 years” written on it. I was quite intrigued by the picture. I showed it to the editor and asked him if he had any idea about it. What he said next sent a rush of excitement through my heart. Midnight Madness was the name of the only secret society that existed in college. Many people did not even have an inkling that it existed. The members of this society were so elusive that no one had ever gotten an inside scoop on the club. Over the years, the magazine had gotten a few leads, but nothing substantial. This rare picture was proof that this society existed, but no one knew where. No one knew when the members met each other or what they did.
There was this sudden urge inside me to do an exposé on this club but I didn’t know where to start. I kept looking at the picture and found one of the faces a bit familiar. That’s when I got a text from him. He had a picture of his family as his profile picture on WhatsApp. As I zoomed in closer, I realised that his brother had been one of the members of the club when he had been in college. There was a high chance that siblings of the club’s alumni were also part of the club. I felt like I had hit a jackpot.
When I asked him about it, he vehemently denied knowing anything about the society. I showed him the picture, but he still refused to talk about it. As a member, he had sworn the club to secrecy. After a lot of coercing and pleading, he agreed to help, but only if I agreed to a few conditions.
- Strictly no pictures shall be taken.
- None of the names or physical descriptions of the club’s members shall be mentioned in the article.
- The location shall not be revealed.
When I said “Yes”, he told me to be ready at 11:30 at night.
The club was started in 1993 by a bunch of friends who felt inspired by the secret societies that existed in universities abroad. They had a dress code for every meeting, which was an all-nighter. Prospective members were given invitations to join the club secretly. They had to pass a series of tests and rituals to finally be a part of this elite circle.
He told me that it had taken a bit of arm-twisting to get the others to let me come. They had agreed after he had told them that it was a one-off and also because his brother was one of the major sponsors of the club. Funding for the club was done by alumni. I was quite grateful for all the efforts he put in. We got into a cab and off we went.
I could feel the rush of the cold wind and looked out to see the neon street lights that lit up the dark streets. I observed that his face had a more relaxed expression now as if he was leaving behind a slight part of his burden as we moved forward. We spotted a statue on the road that looked just like the one we had at school. We looked at each other and cracked a laugh. As we travelled on, the road took a turn into a small street. We got down at the edge of the road and in front of us was a forest with a small trail. He led the way.
It was pitch black. Fear struck my heart and for a moment I felt that I had made a mistake. My heartbeat slowly started to rise. But then, I noticed a subtle ray of light emerging from a distance. We ran towards the light. There was a clearing in the middle of the forest. Two pillars stood tall with huge brick compounds erected on both sides of them.
We walked through the colossal swing gates and I was awestruck. My eyes glowed in the radiant light. The place was illuminated with lamps and flowers hung from the canopy. I spotted an artist beside a carved marble column. He was painting a picture of a group of dancers dancing under the moonlight. It was so aesthetic. People were dancing and singing with passion. There was music going on, while hors d’oeuvres and desserts were passed around. The place looked so alive.
As we walked around, we spotted a troupe near a campfire performing blues from the 70s. The fire brought the perfect balance to the cold weather. We stayed there for a while and moved to the other side where a game of “Capture the Flag” was about to begin. He looked at me and nodded a “yes” while I mouthed a “no”. The people around encouraged us to participate and hesitantly I did. The game brought out the inner child in me. As I ran around and played with my whole spirit, I felt lighter. Life felt wonderful.
After a tiring match, we went and sat down near the lake. Floating lanterns lit up the whole lake with a vibrant orange. The view was so pleasing and brought a feeling of calmness and warmth. After some time, there was an on-the-spot sketch-off contest and a stand-up comedy event. I had the best time of my life.
It was dawn already. We walked next to each other in silence. As we returned, a new perspective entered my soul. A new perspective on life. I discovered that there are many more aspects to life, which when experienced brought a feeling of completeness. I had always assumed that solitude and introspection were the most important things in life, but for the first time, I understood that meeting new people, creating beautiful memories, and partying hard were also super fun. It made me feel balanced. It made me love life more.
I turned to look at him. I felt like the light on his face, that had been missing for so long, was back. He looked like his heart was full.
I felt our lopsided perceptions about life finally begin to vanish. Sure, life is hard and a complete pain sometimes, but it is utterly magical at times. Life has many paths for us to walk on. Along each road, we will find happiness, sadness, love, hate, anger, compassion, and every other pair of opposites. They are what make life, the precious and exciting experience it is.
As the sunlight started gleaming through the canopy, the colours awakened a gentle passion in our hearts. A passion for life and for all the wonderful things it had to offer. He took out his phone to book a cab, but I just wanted to walk. He smiled at me and we just kept walking…
As the glowing sun rose above the horizon, the dark colour of the night faded away as light ascended.
This article has been written by Rohith samuel, Miraharibabu, Rashmi B N, Rohit Gunasekaran.
Chapter 1: Locked Open
Chapter 2: Deafening Silence
