THE GIFTED ANALOGY, The Story Outline

‘There are some commitments beyond life itself, beyond body and heart. Those are the commitments of the soul……’

The novel is set up in the present days in the fictitious onsets of a small European town named Angelston situated near London, UK. Sophie is a simple 32 years old Indian woman who visits this place for the first time travelling alone all the way from India. She parts from her loving husband, Alec in the New Delhi airport with a heavy heart and leaves to meet her Aunt Anna who had urgently called on her to fly to the unknown land. She never imagined that her decision to visit her Aunt would change the course of her life forever.

She has always felt an unknown repulsion towards strangers, particularly men and travelling all by herself among such group kept her jumpy throughout. She confesses that the strength she gathers in such moments is always from an inner voice whom she believes to be her imaginary friend and calls him Dave. Aunt Anna greets her with motherly warmth but that was not enough to prevent her from feeling homesick and missing Alec and their daughter Tia.

Next day, Sophie almost met with an accident while exploring the neighbourhood but was saved in time by a man who led her to her aunt’s home. His heavenly looks and drop dead gorgeous smile swayed her from her feet for the first time in her life. She felt a strange pull in him and tried hard to fight her feelings that eloped from her heart every time she saw him. Strangely, more she tried to run away from the draw towards his attraction, more his presence was spotted around her.

He was as if following her like a shadow everywhere she went. She’s utterly shocked to realize that he knows her much more precisely than anyone else- not even Alec. On one such encounter, she develops her courage and directly questions his intentions behind the interest he shows in her. He confesses his immeasurable and unbounded love for her, although it’s strangely true for her to admit that she has not met him anytime earlier.

Sophie faces some unusual incidents in a row that somehow turn out to be life threatening. Every time she finds him beside her, ready to leap in to save her.

His constant wooing makes it impossible for her to withstand his deep magnetic passion and affection for her. But Sophie’s morals and trustiness towards her husband makes her internal fight fiercer. To top it up, he turns out to be Aunt Anna’s close acquaintance and finds a way to spend more time with Sophie. With the Aunt’s due permission, which she readily gives him, he takes Sophie to a celebration at his palatial house.

 There, Sophie is attacked by an unknown thing but is saved by him. During that moment, he turns anxious and starts pressing Sophie to accept his love and allow him to be closer. She tries hard to resist him but the pull is too strong for her to repel from. She finds herself victim in the hands of his attraction. Opportunistically, he grabs the moment and kisses her. The second his lips rest on hers, she realises that his touch is not humanly. It not only moves her body and mind, but her soul is stirred to the core. She falls unconscious……..

The moments spent with him start challenging Sophie’s entire existence on the whole. If there is anything that she could swear on, then it’s definitely her unbounded love for him. But the mystery still prevails that who this man is and what his intentions are.

 He stays with her for some unknown purpose, but what is it? How does he know her so precisely when they have never met before her arrival to Angelston? Why she feels danger hovering around her all the time? What is it that keeps on drawing her towards him? Will she be able to discover her deep desires back? Moreover, her guilt of cheating on her loving husband starts accusing her. Her dilemma takes on her sanity as she couldn't lose him now. Neither she wants to let Alec go away.

A meek virtuous girl like her who never thought could fall in love and married someone arranged by her parents; today is stuck between two shores. Her deep love for her husband and the love she felt with the other man, both weighed equally in her eyes. It was extremely painful for her to see either of one leaving her.

THE GIFTED ANALOGY takes us to spectacle an altogether different side of love, something out of the world….. Something supernatural!! It’s never easy to give your heart to someone, but it’s harder to let go of someone who’s connected to your soul. The novel ends up with a question that can anyone truly love two people at the same time?

(Maybe, we get the answer in the Book Two, THE EQUILIBRIUM.)

THE GIFTED ANALOGY, A horrifying revelation, Chapter Eight

Saying this, he grabbed her brutally by her hand and dragged her to a small room adjacent to the kitchen that looked more like a pantry or a store. He pushed her inside the tiny room and held her tightly. She started choking and tried to push him to free herself. He didn’t like her repulsiveness. He shouted,” I am your master.”  He raised his bulky hand and hit her hard on her face. She fell on the floor like a broken leaf, trembling in fear and pain.

He jumped over her body and tore her clothes like a ferocious bear. Her sprains and shrieks were not helping. The large stout man was too strong and heavy for her to break herself free from his assault. She begged and cried but there was no one to hear her pleas. His barbarian behavior made me hyperventilate. It was as if I was living in my scariest nightmare. I could feel the pain, the torture, and the scars my soul had to bear just because of a violated transaction.

He left her shaking in pain and fear and went stumbling to his room. Eventually, it became a routine of torture, pain and humiliation till she had no strength to bear more. He kept her locked in that small filthy room where she lied as a broken piece of furniture thrown on the floor. She was fed less just once a day and that with stale bread and half a glass of water. He visited the room often whenever he felt malicious and used her as a rugged bag to fulfill his virulent desires by torturing her physically, hitting her, assaulting her and making her do all the nasty things.

 For a couple of days, the house echoed with her screams and pleas, but slowly that too turned silent. Eventually, her body lost every bit of energy and her throat forgot how to produce any sound, even her ears could only hear the intelligible groans made by that monster and several insults he blew from his mouth to her all the time. Her soul was shattered completely, numbing her senses at a point where she was not able to distinguish what kind of touch was safe. She was imprisoned there for an unaccountable period of time waiting every moment for her suffering to end. But her broken soul still bore hope, the moment she would be saved, the moment when her love would come for her rescue. If her breaths and heart beat had not given way, which was only because somewhere she knew he would find her. So, her suffering continued endlessly till her body started rebelling against her soul to let her free.

WHAT REALLY INSPIRES A WRITER!!!

This question is often asked that what a writer’s inspiration is. Some courteously reply that it was their mother, wife, father, friend or child. Some even prefer giving the credit to their pets! But the initial inspiration is not what a human could actually carry the credit for.

In my experience, an inspiration to a writer or any creative worker is what can be considered as a sudden flash of a thought or a picture or a sound that enters your mind, one fine day. But again what actually is the source of the thought? It comes in when a person lies in a thoughtful state of mind and the inspiration enters your brilliance with the guidance from some music, story, incident, or another piece of art.

Strange but true, a sudden thoughtful glimpse to anything is what gives birth to great ideas!

 I feel music plays a brilliant role in inspiring minds. If you ever try to get engross into your favourite music, you would experience a state when your mind takes you on a virtual tour to an altogether different world. It is there when you feel you could relate yourself to this world and find an acquaintance with it.

We often render this state to meditate and give ourselves a chance to relax into a stress free moment. This is where thinkers and creators are born with great ideas!! 

THE GIFTED ANALOGY, A Sensual Glimpse into Chapter Six

I’m fine.” I could feel his gaze still holding my face. He stepped closer and I retreated automatically.

“Please stay where you are. Don’t come near me.” I warned him. His gaze grew intense. I could feel myself hyperventilating. He was so beautiful and I was finding it too difficult to keep myself away from him. I recalled the promise I made to myself just a few minutes ago. I had to check my feelings and seize myself from falling into this temptation.

“Why?” he asked and his warm aromatic breath brushed my face.

Now what should be the appropriate answer to his question, I really couldn’t make out. He continued to step forward and I responded in reverse steps. My heart was beating faster and my legs were fussily moving. But he kept approaching with determination. I shook in fear.

“Sophie, please trust me. I will never try to harm you.” His eyes were in pain. My legs automatically froze to where they were. He came closer and held my hands. “I love you, Sophie, more than anything in the whole universe. Please trust me. I need you to do it, just once.” As he whispered on my lips, his breath numbed my senses.

Then he pressed his lips on mine. I felt my whole body tremble in response. His lips moved slowly and rhythmically on mine, and then softly opened my mouth. His kiss was so intense and deep that it made something in my chest move. My legs shook and I held his arms for support. My mind got numb, feelings froze and my thoughts blurred. I felt my body floating. My head was light and my body seemed weightless. I felt like flying with numbness. All I could feel was the warmth of his lips on me. It was so persistent that it shook me from inside completely. Slowly I started feeling lighter and lost the touch of gravity under my feet. My eyes couldn’t open. It was dark, much darker, deeper, and then from somewhere I felt a flash of light, strong light, getting stronger and brighter, so bright that it burnt my eyes. My head spun with extreme luminosity.

I followed the light to a huge garden, no, a clearing with a lake on one side. Then I saw myself standing and laughing. I looked extremely happy and younger, maybe sixteen. I saw myself turn and kiss him. He too, turned to adore my face. He had those same beautiful gray eyes, lovely dimples and silky light brown hair. He stroked my face and we both laughed together. He held my hand and we walked beside the lake. A few times, he turned to kiss my forehead, or pucker my cheek. I giggled in response. He too was looking much younger, a boy of around eighteen, but very perpetual.

Then suddenly, I started feeling the weight rising, from my feet and spreading all over my body, to reach my head. The ground started moving in great speed that blurred into the light and then the light faded to deep darkness. My body floated like a feather and then, abruptly, dwindled on a soft silken base. I gasped for air.