FIRST POST

The setting- placid is the word. There's a lake. There's a pier- a wooden one. It's wooden and it's old. But it's also a picture you'll associate belongingness with. We are right at the back end of this pier and looking straight ahead. And it's dawn. The sun's rising, slightly displaced from the center line of our vision, just enough, so it isn't uncomfortable looking straight ahead, which we are doing right now. And it's slightly dark so that the scene is one of iminence.

"I have a Plan.", says our protagonist.

About our protagonist. Nothing extraordinary about the looks, really. Just that our protagonist is multihued- red, blue and grey; in that order. Also, our protagonist could be described (trying not to reveal too much) as a little eccentric, at the very least. That isn't a perfect description, but well, what description is.

There's a boy of 11 too. Dressed in clothes you would associate with a little kid who grew up a little too quickly and a little too suddenly than his parents would have expected- a skin-tight tee with white and black horizontal stripes (similar to the look of prison apparel. guess why.) and a pair of short shorts.

And well, the protagonist. By the way. Is a yo-yo in the hand of our enthusiastic (a little too uncomfortably so, for the world) boy.

The boy's sitting at the far end of the pier, the one that meets the still dark dawn's horizon. The boy's legs dangling and our protagonist bouncing up, and down, and up again, into the water and out.

We are standing right behind the boy, now.

Humor a little game, if you would, before we go further.Imagine yourself as this boy, standing right at the back end of the pier, looking out into the horizon. Now, run. Towards the far end. While shouting unabashedly. Looking up, arms outstretched and legs looking for foothold in thin air, jump into the lake leaving the pier's surface in boy-style. And by the way, I would like to say something here even though it might have nothing to do with the story. But, its almost irresistable for me and way too much of an etching in the wall to ignore. So, here goes- 'it's always better to try a swan dive and deliver a colossal belly flop, than to step timidly off the plank.'

Back now.

"you always do", says the boy.

"No, no. This time it's different. I am serious this time around.", says our protagonist.

There are two forces in play as our protagonist bounces up and down and up again, into the water and out. The first one is called Buoyancy- what goes down the surface, comes back up too. The second is called Enthusiasm- the kind one might associate with the picture of a yo-yo bouncing up and down.

"hmmm...what've you got to show to prove that mister?"

"This. Period.", says well you-know-who and hands out a piece of paper. "And you know what to do with it."

The boy smiles knowingly as he reads what is written on it in big, bold letters- "First Post". The boy now, gives this piece of paper a few expert folds and it's ready. And guess what? Now, he walks past us, without even noticing us, to the back end of the pier. Well, you know where this is going. Now, looking out into the dawn horizon, he runs. Towards this end. While shouting unabashedly. Past us. Looking up, arms outstretched and legs looking for foothold in thin air, jumps into the lake leaving the pier's surface in boy-style. And at the top point of his flight, he sets the First Post in flight towards the rising sun.

Lets Fly.