Up in the space, he remembers the early days, there were issues of gravity, issues of cold. Bad transmissions – sometimes cargo would come in parts and sometimes the extraction machine would break down leading to the cargo staying with him for days, invading his privacy and mildly irritating him while they waited for machines to be fixed.
75 years, so many cargos – he found all of them unique and all of them similar at the same time. Some would talk about regrets, some about life lessons, some would softly cry and some would break into hysterical uncontrollable laughter.
Some would pretend to be dead even when healed and some would be too scared to even move an inch.
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Character Sketch Prahastha
It would be almost impossible to get into the mind of a man who for most part of his life has lived alone. But let's try.
Prahastha, was not like that - not living with the ghosts of real life or his past.
Prahastha grew up in a lower middle-class family where there were fights for money and there was a need to do well in life, to get out and make a better life for oneself.
Much before realizing all that - as a 8 year old kid he was the naughtiest of all doing silly pranks– like once he had rung the bell of school too early and later gone back to wipe his fingerprints worried that school would employ a detective to catch him or another time he sent a fake love letter to neighbouring uncle and created a stir in his dull domestic household. He was one of the kids to get his powers early – his was being able to raise objects up in the air and initially he would use it to help aunties on higher balconies when they would want to buy vegetables from the street vendor and had earned free laddoos and kisses from them in equal amount.
All this banter came to a premature end when Prahastha lost his father. His mother a science teacher (in those times, education wasn't stressed on too much and very few kids even cared to study till 10th) brought him up alone and he helped her run her makeshift classes, science fairs and developed a bent of mind for science.
However, given his powers, he was best suited for army and he enrolled for the airforce. This was a tough time in the Rakshas world that was divided in tribes and each tribe would be fighting with another. Almost tired of their own fightings and with intervention from other factions, they decided to sign the Rakshas Manushya Peace Treaty and some peace prevailed. As part of the peace treaty, initially there were older rakshas who enrolled in book keeping of human souls but their work was hacky, involved transportation of cargoes and they used complicated faulty machinery to get their job done. Most of the rakshas died of shocks from these machines. Inspite of lots of protests from the conservatives, the bookkeeping continued as it became the primary source of revenue for the cash starved government.
However at the same time Prahastha was recruited for an unknown secret mission. His training with airforce along with educated background (they said "a scientific bent of mind") was instrumental in that. He lost his mother somewhere here too and a new training would probably have given him a new lease of life so he agreed to the mission.
In the training center, he met Mandakini – a beautiful quirky psychic – she and her collleagues were also being trained for this unknown mission and it was the most beautiful part of Prahastha's life. Finding his anchor and finding the love of his life.
The psychics however in few months were removed from the training (seems like it was miscalculated that psychic would be needed for the given mission) and Mandakini along with her colleague joined a college. However, it was a moment of heart break for her, not just being away from Prahastha but also nomore a being a part of a mission that has now gathered national attention. For her – she went from being a potential national hero to a muted and restless college teacher.
As part of the training, Prahastha was then sent away for 6 months to the north pole. There conditions were simulated that were similar to space and he had to survive alone for 6 months. There were studies not only on his body but also on his mind tests to know - if he could survive the absolute isolation.
And so he did. And it was announced that he was one of the first 6 astronauts to go up in the space. When he came back with the announcement, Mandakini got caught in one of the examinations she needed to give for her job and didn't come to see him.
This and also 100 other confusing thoughts, ego, insecurity - made him not reachout to her later when he could.
We still remember the last meeting though (it was also the first after 8 months). He was in quarantine before the launch wearing a facemask that doctors wear during operations. And there she was ushered in and could only see him through a glass and he reached out to touch her but only managed to touch the glass.
And then he left – Prahastha was one of the few people who will define the boundaries of what a rakshas could do – a pioneer – a person who would be studied in textbooks for generations to come. And in 75 years, he would be granted a retirement. And he could spent the remaining 100-125 years of his life back in planet in complete bliss.
***
Up in the space, he remembers the early days, there were issues of gravity, issues of cold. Bad transmissions – sometimes cargo would come in parts and sometimes the extraction machine would break down leading to the cargo staying with him for days, invading his privacy and mildly irritating him while they waited for machines to be fixed.
75 years, so many cargos – he found all of them unique and all of them similar at the same time. Some would talk about regrets, some about life lessons, some would softly cry and some would break into hysterical uncontrollable laughter.
Some would pretend to be dead even when healed and some would be too scared to even move an inch.
Every new case helped him write his thesis – now multiple textbooks and he perfected the process. Sometimes he would get a big cheque from anonymous donors or silly requests from advertising agency to talk about their toothpaste.
He would get 1000s and 1000s of fan mails, people would dress like him in Halloween and discussion would be held speculating what he does.
All these years he lived alone, aware of his aura illuminating many lives, and yet had stopped caring about it – he turned into a loner, a man who developed OCD for his things, a fixed way of doing things , and today finally he will be having a companion.
thanks for this. gives so much perspective. there needs to be a series of Cargo. and JUST WRITE A BOOK ALREADY! nothing has had me interested in so long. thank you. :)
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