HEAVEN AND HELL

I can change shape, age, species

MY NAME IS APOLLO. I used to be a god.

I have done many things. I inflicted a plague on the Greeks who besieged Troy...

But in all my immortal life I never before crash-landed in a dumpster.

I'm not even sure how it happened.

I simply woke up falling. I just kept falling. I plunged into a narrow canyon between two buildings and BAM!

Is anything sadder than the sound of a god hitting a pile of garbage bags?

I lay groaning and aching in the open dumpster. My ribs felt broken, though that shouldn't have been possible.

My mind stewed in confusion, but one memory floated to the surface -- the voice of my father, Zeus: YOUR FAULT. YOUR PUNISHMENT.

I realised what had happened to me. And I sobbed in despair.

Even for a god of poetry such as myself, it is difficult to describe how I felt. How could you -- a mere mortal -- possibly understand? Imagine being stripped of your clothes, then blasted with a fire hose in front of a laughing crowd. Imagine feeling helpless, ashamed, completely vulnerable -- publicly and brutally stripped of everything that makes you you. My humiliation was worse than that.

YOUR FAULT, Zeus's voice rang in my head.

'No!' I cried miserably. 'No, it wasn't! Please!'

Nobody answered.

I tried to remember the details of my sentencing. Had my father told me how long this punishment would last? What was I supposed to do to regain his favour?

My memory was too fuzzy. I could barely recall what Zeus looked like, much less why he'd decided to toss me to earth.

I inspected my new body. I appeared to be a teenaged Caucasian male, clad in sneakers, blue jeans and a green polo shirt. How utterly drab. I felt sick, weak and so, so human.

I will never understand how you mortals tolerate it. You live your entire life trapped in a sack of meat, unable to enjoy simple pleasures like changing into a hummingbird.

And now, heavens help me, I was one of you -- just another meat sack. The cruelty of Zeus knew no bounds!

I peered into the dumpster, hoping my bow, quiver and lyre might have fallen to earth with me. I would have settled for my harmonica. There was nothing.

I took a deep breath. Cheer up, I told myself. I must have retained some of my godly abilities. Matters could be worse. 

A raspy voice called, 'Hey, Cade, take a look at this loser.'

Blocking the alley's exit were two young men: one squat and platinum blond, the other tall and redheaded. Both wore oversize hoodies and baggy jeans. Serpentine signs covered their necks. All they were missing were the words I'M A THUG printed in large letters across their foreheads.

The redhead zeroed in on the wallet in my hand. 'Now, be nice, Mikey. This guy looks friendly enough.' He grinned and pulled a hunting knife from his belt. 'In fact, I bet he wants to give us all his money.'

              ----------

I blame my disorientation for what happened next.

I knew my immortality had been stipped away, but I still considered myself the mighty Apollo! One cannot change one's way of thinking as easily as one might, say, turn into a snow leopard...

I stood up straight, hoping Cade and Mikey would be intimidated by my regal bearing and divine beauty. (Surely those qualities could not be taken from me, no matter what my driver's licence photo looked like.) I ignored the warm dumpster juice trickling down my neck.

'I'm Apollo,' I announced. 'You mortals have three choices: offer me tribute, flee, or be destroyed.'

I wanted my words to echo through  the alley, shake the towers of New York and cause the skies to rain smoking ruin. None of that happened. On the word destroyed, my voice squeaked.

The redhead Cade grinned even wider. I thought how amusing it would be if I could make the snake tattoos around his neck come alive and strangle him to death.

'What do you think, Mikey?' he asked his friend. 'Should we give this guy tribute?'

Mikey scowled.

'Not feeling the tribute, Cade. What were the other options?'

'Fleeing?' said Cade.

'Nah,' said Mikey.

'Being destroyed?'

Mikey snorted. 'How about we destroy him instead?'

I slipped the wallet into my back pocket. I raised my fists. I did not like the idea of flattening mortals into flesh waffles, but I was sure I could do it. Even in my weakened state, I would be far stronger than any human.

'I warned you,' I said. 'My powers are far beyond your comprehension.'

Mikey cracked his knuckles. 'Uh-huh.'

He lumbered towards me.

As soon as he was in range, I struck. I put all my wrath into that punch. It should have been enough to vaporize Mikey and leave a thug-shaped impression on the tarmac.

Instead he ducked, which I found quite annoying.

I stumbled forward. I have to say that when Prometheus fashioned you humans out of clay he did a shoddy job. Mortal legs are clumsy. I tried to compensate, drawing upon my boundless reserves of agility, but Mikey kicked me in the back. I fell on my divine face.

'Mikey,' said Cade, 'are you comprehending this guy's power?'

'Nah,' said Mikey. 'I'm not comprehending it.'

'Fools!' I croaked. 'I will destroy you!'

'Yeah, sure.' Cade tossed away his knife. 'But first I think we'll stomp you.'

Cade raised his boot over my face, and the world went black.

***

If I want to change shape, or age, or gender, or species, I simply wish it to happen.

(From RICK RIORDAN: "THE TRIALS OF APOLLO: THE HIDDEN ORACLE", PUFFIN BOOKS/Penguin Random House.)

Kishalay Sinha কিশলয় সিনহা किशलय सिन्हा जी [G]

কি বাজে গান -- very mediocre "time pass" গান by very mediocre "time pass" singer. No impact. সব গানের একই একঘেয়ে সুর - যেমন আজকালকার অসমীয়া গানগুলোর একই montonous একঘেয়ে "বিহু" সুর - ভূপেন হাজরিকার মত একটাও নেই - অপদার্থগুলো ভূপেন হাজরিকার এক কণাও হবে না ।

Switch off করছি - অনেক important কাজ আছে ।

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MY MOTHER TONGUE

A few years ago, in a helpful mood I told My consort aka "ধর্মপত্নী" who is practically illiterate and uneducated (to Me): "I can help you improve your (terrible) English."

SHE RETORTED: "WHY SHOULD I LEARN ENGLISH? Let others learn OUR MOTHER TONGUE Bishnupriya Manipuri!"

What stupid chauvinism! Proves that she is an illiterate মূর্খ -

এসাদে মূর্খর ডেকি মনোভাবর কা মূর্খগাছি মূর্খ অয়াই থাইতারা ৷

এচাদে মূর্খৰ ডেকি মনোভাবৰ কা মূর্খগাচি মূর্খ অয়াই থাইতাৰা ৷

एसादे मूर्खर डेकि मनोभाबर का मूर्खगासि मूर्ख अयाइ थाइतारा ৷

Esaade moorkhor deki monovaabor kaa moorkhogaasi moorkho oyaai thaaitaara.

A beautiful YouTube song video in My "mother tongue" Bishnupriya Manipuri is FALGUNER LIRI LIRI BOWE (4:59) - dance by a graceful adult female Bishnupriya Manipuri dancer - not the same YouTube song video by a kid (4:57)

I have seen no other song video in any language as beautiful and as graceful as this very sweet YouTube song video FALGUNER LIRI LIRI BOWE (4:59) in My mother tongue Bishnupriya Manipuri.

Kishalay Sinha কিশলয় সিনহা किशलय सिन्हा जी [G]

"ঘরানা" My foot... showing off -- ছোট মুখে বড় বড় কথা -- আমি সহ্য করতে পারি না

Worthless. Voice এত নীরস কেন? বোধ হয় 420 দের সঙ্গে ফালতু প্রেমটেম আর প্রচুর s. করেছে, নিষ্ফল গভীর প্রেমের অভিজ্ঞতা নেই । অর্থাৎ বে. ? কে বে. না ?

সবাই যেন তাঁর বে. হতে, তাঁকে তাদের v. offer করতে প্রস্তুত ।

ইনিয়ে বিনিয়ে বে.দের একই কথা - "I want to have s. with You please."

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Bollywood 100% Nazis on the verge of extinction.

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অপদার্থকে advertise করা অপদার্থটার ঢুলু ঢুলু চোখ দুটো দেখলে মনে হয় লোকটা drug addict, প্রচুর drugs সেবন করে ।

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HEAVEN AND HELL

Ranjan Gogoi, Chief Justice of India

Ranjan Daimari

Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen - William Conrad Roentgen

Joseph Conrad: LORD JIM, THE SECRET AGENT

Joseph, Virgin Mary, Gabriel, "God"

William Crookes

William Harvey

William James

William Conrad - American fighter pilot bomber in World War II, actor, producer, director, born Louisville, USA

William "Shakespeare"

William Bentinck

William -- Bill - Bill Clinton

Salman Rushdie [mnemonic: Rush to die]: JOSEPH ANTON: A Memoir

Joseph Conrad: LORD JIM, THE SECRET AGENT

Anton Chekhov: ...

Napoleon Hill: INTERVIEW WITH THE DEVIL (YouTube)

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew -- Indra

Isaac Asimov: THE END OF ETERNITY (Andrew Harlan etc.)

Features of human-looking male and female aliens/Nazis: can revive the dead, can make clones, can cure all diseases, secret Nazi headquarters for billions of years where protesting male and female humans have been brutally raped and tortured endlessly -- HELL -- IS INSIDE EARTH. The Nazi "HEAVEN" for the pleasure of fucking Nazis is ALSO inside Earth.

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