The Flying Bride

A shotgun wedding was set by a lakeside

Groom was ready, where was the bride?

Spring flowers were blooming, bridallers had arrived

Wait was not over, missing was the bride.

Pastor was restless, he could not chide

Waiting for him were another groom and bride

Pointing at his watch, he asked the groom

Wait was not over, missing was the bride.

Hands were shaking, butterflies were flying inside

Carrying his child, nuptial stress she had not survived

Thin air separated the groom and the maid of honor

Wait was not over, missing was the bride.

Bosom friends they were, what she could not confide

Maid of honor she was, her anger was amplified

Showing more outrage than her was the groom’s father

Wait was not over, missing was the bride.

Sympathetic to his son, he simply sighed

His actions or inertia, everyone will deride

Bridal party was shaken, all but bride’s mother

Wait was not over, missing was the bride.

A request of her daughter, she had complied

Bemused faces all around, she was satisfied

A noise broke the silence, she was not surprised

Wait was almost over, flying was the bride.

A tiny plane grew larger, everyone cried,

The groom smiled, a scare he had survived

The plane glided, door opened, the guests were mesmerized

Wait was over, the beautiful bride had arrived.

Sculpting Revenge: Excerpt

Chapter 1

“Happy New Year!”

Everyone else in the room shouted. But Dave just mumbled. Instinctively he looked to his right, half-expecting Arianna to show up just as she had the previous year. Then he turned back to his almost-empty glass of beer. His friends asked him to join in with them a few times, then accepted defeat and left Dave to his thoughts. Ever since his last, unceremonious, date with Arianna, Dave had been searching for ways to reach her. He‘d been rehearsing: apologies, flatteries, flirts, excuses, anything to keep Arianna with him. He’d neither asked for Arianna’s address or email, nor connected with her on social media. In the final analysis, though, any and all success felt empty without her.

Over the past few months, he’d been drafting an email to her. He’d also located her email address, but he still couldn’t work up enough courage to push the ‘Send’ button. Dave emptied the last few drops of beer from his glass and put the glass down beside his phone; touched his phone to stop it going to sleep. Maybe she was still angry with him or – worse – she’d totally forgotten about him. After all, Arianna had his number. If she called him now, he wouldn’t have to send that email. He could just say to her all those things he’d put into the email. On the other hand, she might not have forgotten him; she just might be waiting for him to apologize. His brain fought a yes-no battle over pressing ‘Send’. He swiped his finger over the screen once again, keeping the phone alive. His brain was getting tired. He couldn’t construct any more arguments, either in favor or against sending the email. He closed his eyes and pressed his hands together. He opened his eyes and touched the phone. It displayed 12:07 PM in a big font in the middle and January 1, 2018 in a smaller font below that. Dave typed in his password. Without any more thought, he pushed ‘Send’ and let out a sigh of relief. He chuckled looking at his phone. His mind was numb.

Against the wishes of his friends at the party, Dave left for home soon after. The D.C. streets were dark and empty. New Year’s partygoers were still at their parties and non-party goers were comfortably tucked in their beds. The cops were warming up to their first task of the New Year –catching miscreants and drunk drivers. Dave did not like driving inebriated, as he wanted to avoid cops. Although Dave did not usually drink much, tonight his alcohol level was above the legal limit. He droveI-66 towards Virginia.

"Hey Jude!..." was playing. Not the Beatles, but Elvis was singing. Dave’s thoughts had settled. He was relieved after months of anguish after sending the email. A car passed by on his right. Dave did not pay attention. He was singing with Elvis. He was Elvis. Ah, the New Year, he thought. It’s all in place. Any minute he’d be getting a reply from Arianna. And his work for the past six years was about to bear fruit–immense success. He’d already signed the deal. Unlike so many who had tried before, Dave was millimeters away from success, success without much risk. Many had failed. In those six years, Dave himself had been responsible for the failure of many. The world is full of cutthroat competition, he thought. In order for him to win, others had to lose. That was the way it worked. Lost in his thoughts and Elvis’s charisma, Dave wasn’t aware that a car had been following him for the last 10 minutes. He sang "Suspicious mind..." even louder.

Bright lights in the rearview mirror snapped Dave awake from his trance. A cop car was flashing its lights behind him. Dave wasn’t too disturbed. He was in too much of a good mood to fear the cops. He slowed down, drove to the right shoulder and stopped. As he’d been trained, he kept his hands on the steering wheel. Waiting for the cop to get out of his car and approach him, Dave’s brain, in calculator mode, quickly started working out why he’d been pulled over. Perhaps, he had been driving 4 or 5 miles above the speed limit. Surely, the cops didn’t have time to stop people driving 5 miles over the limit. Could it be a random check for alcohol? If that was the case, Dave was confident. He’d drunk four beers total and the last one...more than an hour ago, except for those last few drops. Four beers would not affect his judgment or motor skills. He could easily walk in a straight line, if asked to. He saw a beam of light. It was getting closer in the rearview mirror. Elvis was still singing. To make a good impression, Dave switched off the music.

A knock on the window prompted him to lower it. The flashlight pointed at Dave’s face, into his eyes, blinding him. Dave could not see the cop.

“Hello officer, could you please lower the light a little? It hurts my eyes.”

The cop lowered the light. As his eyes adjusted, Dave saw the cop’s face. Dave’s eyes lit up, his back muscles relaxed, his feet stretched and he laughed.

“Oh! It’s you. Didn’t you recognize my car?” Dave took his left hand off the wheel, rested it on the driver’s side door, and looked up at the cop. “Just because you know me, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to say your disclosure. I know you’re recording me. I’m not drunk and I wasn’t speeding. I guess now you want to see my license, hmm?” A car zoomed past. Dave looked up at the cop, pointing ahead. “See, he’s speeding. Instead of wasting time with me, you should go after him.”

The cop stared at Dave with an inanimate face. While he was speaking, Dave had not followed the cop’s right hand. Before Dave could understand what was happening, the cop took out his gun. Its safety clasp was off. The cop pointed his gun at Dave and shot, right through Dave’s heart.

Mississippi Head Water: In Five Pics

Mississippi river: What is the best part of it? The culture, the serene beauty, the history, the music, the food, the water, the legends. Answer: All of them. The Great River Road runs from Mississippi head waters in northern Minnesota all the way to its mouth in Louisiana. The best part: You can drive through it. I know because I did it. I started from Louisianan and drove all the way up to Minnesota. An experience everyone should take. While, I am posting many posts about the great river, this post is mainly about serene calmness of its headwaters in Itasca State Park. The legends and search for Mississippi headwaters are known. Enjoy the humble start of the mighty river.

 



 

National Tom Sawyer Days: In Five Pics

The word Hannibal evokes mixed emotions: A brilliant psychological thriller movie based on the violent novel by Thomas Harris, a recent TV series (I have not seen is, but highly acclaimed), and Mark Twain's hometown on the banks of Mississippi river. During my recent trip on the Great River Road, a must-visit was Hannibal. Little did I know, my visit coincided with the National Tom Sawyer Days, two and a half weeks long festival celebrating the most famous work of Mark Twain. The day I visited had fence painting competition (Genius! Whoever thought of the idea!), a mud volleyball competition, carnival, happy hour (Where everyone was invited!), and arts and crafts. These all in addition to Mark Twain's museum, his boyhood home, and many other homes from his childhood. The museum has sections of his books, its narration, movie clips and his inspirations behind some of the characters: one of the most memorable museums I have ever visited. The town was a living legacy of Mark Twain. They have been celebrating National Tom Sawyer Days from June 20th to July 7th for sixty years. (Wow!) Below are some pics from the town and the festival. Do not miss the video of the fence painting competition. The kids in the competition were dressed as Tom Sawyer. Enjoy other highlights from the Great River Road. The life is not enough to explore the Mississippi.



 



 



 

Hall of Mosses - The Most Colorful Trail in US: In Five Pics

Olympic National Park and entire Olympic Peninsula are hundreds of acres of heavenly natural beauty. Twilight series was based in that area. I was mesmerized by sheer colors in the region. It had more colors of plants and flowers and shrubs than I can find in MS word. The most colorful trail I have ever walked was the Hall of Mosses in Hoh Rain Forest. If someone asks what should be done before dying, I would say walk the hall of mosses. The green carpeted trees, shrubs and branches were otherworldly. Looking at them I could sense the depth of the green layer. I was there in early November - late fall season there. Red and brown leaves were scattered and they were falling graciously one by one like putting on a performance for us. Except for the trail where people have walked, every inch was taken by the dense vegetation. My eyes had seen neither the many colors before nor the many shades of green. Accommodating all colors in five pictures is impossible, but I hope the five pictures below are enough highlight to motivate everyone to visit this place. Enjoy bonus videos at the bottom.

 



 



 

 

Cahokia Mounds: A Mirror into Doomsday

Humankind since invent of the TV has dreamed up and glorified many ways to end the world: Aliens, Comet, Dinosaurs, Earthquakes, Virus, Zombies, Robots, and many more. Could it be simpler than that? A change in culture is enough to bring about the downfall, as might have been the case of the Mississippian civilization.
Past couple of years, I traveled to many small towns in the USA. I met with different native people, who are all classified under a bucket, Native Americans, formerly known as Indians. As I explored more history, I quickly realized that many different cultures and tribes existed and still exists in the USA. One common amongst all of them was the conflict with European settlers, which led to their downfall. However, Cahokia Mounds is an exception.

A map of Mississippian culture civilizations

Last labor day, I visited Effigy mounds in Iowa. Different native people living in on the banks of Mississippi river used to make mounds, in variety of shapes and sizes. Many theories exist of their purpose: each as likely as the other. When urban expansion hit Midwest, several thousands of the mounds were destroyed to make room for modern cities and towns. Some of them preserved and protected, like effigy mounds. I will probably write a separate account of effigy mounds.

My second visit to the Mississippian civilization in Cahokia, Illinois near St. Louis was more exciting. Cahokia had a central mound, 200 ft high, like a pyramid, probably for religious ceremonies. It had a solar calendar with known as Woodhenge, multiple wooden poles in three different size circles. It was a walled village with stockade. According to an estimate, Cahokia was larger than London in 1200 A.D. Archeologists have discovered 104 mounds at the 2000 square feet site, in addition to many artifacts of daily life.

Today, Cahokia mounds site has many well-marked trails. Most of the mounds are covered in vegetation. Turkeys, dears and other wildlife frequent the area. I visited during the coldest day of the winter, so visitors were limited in numbers. A museum inside the visitor center shed some light on the culture, weather, location and history of Cahokia as well as its relationship to other Mississippian civilizations at the time.

Archeologists could not find enough evidences to determine the possible reason for downfall of a prosperous civilization. The possibilities were war, natural disaster, failure of leadership, and cultural changes. War and natural disasters seemed unlikely as 104 mounds stood intact. Failure of leadership could have driven away people. Most likely reason was the cultural changes. What does that mean?

The land was very fertile where Cahokia was. The citizens mastered the art of farming. They soon were growing more food than they needed. As a result, some citizens diversified into tool making, performing, advising and other professions. Over the time, more and more people moved away from the basic task of growing food. Probably, they ran out of farmers and food leading to downfall of the city. The situation is quite similar. The world is full of non-farming people like me, who are wasting time in regulation, politics or laziness. Aliens and robots are far reality. Our doomsday is scripted by us by ignoring our basic needs.

A survey of possible downfall reasons of Cahokia

Visit Cahokia Mounds, largest archeological site in the USA: https://cahokiamounds.org

Lost and survived in North Carolina

I traveled to 45 states of USA, mostly not visiting major cities. Forests, small communities, villages, Indian reservations, Eskimo village, national parks, ghost towns, and some picturesque landscapes greeted me throughout the country. While I enjoyed every moment of my travels and experiences, not all of them were good. This story is about an experience in North Carolina, which almost ended badly for me except I was lucky.

I was on my way to Florida to witness a Space X launch from NASA at Cape Canaveral. It was a spontaneous trip, but straightforward drive down I-95. Google map showed fourteen-hour’s drive to Daytona, where I booked a motel to stay, as Orlando was expensive. I started from Silver Spring, Maryland at 6:30 in the morning to beat the rush hour traffic. Nonetheless, merciless I-95 had more than usual traffic on that day. By the time I crossed Virginia and entered North Carolina, it was already past noon. I was speeding to make up lost time in the traffic.

Notorious I-95 hit me with a construction around 3:30 somewhere in North Carolina. The traffic was at the standstill and Google maps showed a long red line on my way. I decided to take a small detour through some local roads. In driving over 40,000 miles, I had taken these types of detour numerous times successfully. More than 10 times around forest city in Arkansas while traveling between Little Rock and Memphis. Google map did not show any better alternate way, though. I used to defy technology, so I did not think twice.

One mile after I exited I-95 a series of events led to an unusual situation. A sixteen-wheeler truck had attempted to take a u-turn and was stuck on the road blocking all lanes on both sides. Instead of waiting it to clear, I turned left to a narrow road after few cars. My assumption was, at some point GPS would pick up where I was and show me the way back to I95 towards Florida. A half-mile on the narrow road, the road was closed, again due to construction. The road after the barrier was unpaved. Three blockades in two miles was a sign I should abandon looking for detour and wait it out on the freeway, but I decided otherwise.

I took the lead and turned right before the barrier. Three cars followed me and the rest turned around. The road was narrow with no divider, had no junctions to go out. After driving five minutes, the road entered woods, not dense but could be classified as forest. A junction was few feet ahead of me and I looked at the map in my phone to give me directions. My phone had no GPS or mobile network. I took left turn, direction I would expect I95 south to be. I restarted my phone.

Out of three cars, one car followed me. I have been delaying update on my phone for few days. I forgot that detail. When I restarted my phone, it started update and did not restart. At that moment, I decided to take next couple of left turns assuming directions to I95. The car behind me is following me uncomfortably close. If I stop, he would not have enough time to put his brakes and collide with me. I looked at my phone still updating. It was almost five and being February the Sun was about to set. I looked in my mirror, I saw guy in the car behind me had a shotgun in his right hand. If I stopped then, I would be robbed at least.

I slowed down and took a left turn. My stalker followed me. Fortunately, he was a good driver. Even though tailgating closely, he did not collide with me. I looked at my still updating phone. Then I scanned the gas levels. I had 88 miles to escape. I took one more left turn. The road was curvy, so lost my sense of directions and started making random turns at every junction. My follower as expected kept making all the turns behind me. No other car entered the road. With darkness settling in, no other sign of life was evident. After half an hour of rat race, my phone finished updating itself. I opened the map. I took one more left turn with my stalked behind me. After a minute, he drove off the road. GPS and network were back. It suggested I take the next right.

My stalker was well aware of the area. As soon as I approached the highway, he let me go. I made the right turn and I was facing the same sixteen-wheeler, which was stuck on the way. With the help of cops, it was finishing making the u-turn. The road was open in ten more minutes. I was back at the same exit I left I95 after driving for a mile more. What an adventure!

This week I read an article from a fellow traveler to share some bad travel experiences with all the good ones. That inspired me to share this one of the two bad experiences I had during my travels in USA. Over 25000 miles, 150 days and 45 states of traveling, I only had two bad experiences.

That incident in North Carolina was first where I saw a gun in use, the use of intimidating. I lived for three and a half years in Arkansas, where shotguns were offered free with diamond purchases. I visited Missouri where I toured a gun shop like a grocery shop, without being asked any questions. However, facing the prospect of gun violence was uncomfortable. I noted this experience as an adventure, but it was traumatic for a while. I did not make any detours for next four months or so. Looking back at it, I could only imagine how traumatic all shooting incidents be to the pupils in the school where they faced them. I wish no more children will have to go through that trauma, be it any solution.