Published on May 26, 2026

The Echo of Our Choices

‘It is our choices, far more than our abilities, that show who we truly are’- Albus Dumbledore, ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. Countless times in life, we encounter people who may be very intelligent, very talented. However, sometimes no matter how talented they are, you just can’t seem to like them because of certain choices they made. Choices are an important part of life that determine what kind of person you are.

Indeed it has been proven time and again in history, and continues to be proven even today.

What better way than to prove it with examples?

One of the prominent figures from history that proves this quote is Hitler: the cruel, ruthless politician who was responsible for instigating World War II. Under him, Nazi Germany committed mass murder on an unparalleled level. The Jews were killed in several locations using several methods. It was a holocaust. It may be hard to believe, but Hitler had good intentions. He was a determined and encouraging individual. His ideologies caused him to put the whole world into a state of devastation while being under the misconception that he was making his nation better. Hitler had the ability to reshape the world in a positive way. He had the ability to paint well. However, it was his rapacious choice to dictate the whole nation- rather the whole world- into a frenzy. Despite his extraordinary abilities, to us, he is no more than a vile dictator.

Another notable figure, who further proves the quote is Socrates: “the founder of western philosophies”. Socrates had never been politically sound, nor did he have any military experience. In his time, such skills were conventional, and his disinterest caused his unpopularity and eventual condemnation. He lacked ability. Yet, just the mention of his name rings a bell today. Despite the absence of capability in times that valued everything but what

Socrates stood for, he managed to make his mark in history; a positive one too. Socrates chose to question the unjust authorities. It was his choice to dedicate his life towards knowledge and virtue. Despite the paucity of ability, to us, Socrates is a figure to look up to. He is a philosopher. Choices define what you do. Choices define how you do something. But most importantly, choices define YOU. Of course, ability is a vital aspect of who you are too; but it is worthy to note that it isn’t the ONLY aspect. Everyone has an ability. You could be born with it, or you could develop one over time. What is important is how you choose to use these abilities: whether you do it for the greater good, or you end up being the root of all evil. To conclude, I would like to say that good choices are made by good people. Yet, one bad choice doesn’t make someone evil; it makes them human. At the end of the day, what you do will always be more memorable than what you can do.

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Memory Loss

On March 27th, when I was driving home after work, I saw something strange; a man, looking like he was in his mid-20s, was being dragged into a van in front a house, and moreover, that man seemed sweaty and extremely pale. The men dragging him were wearing gloves and masks, I observed them silently. I felt dubious about the situation.

As I had memory loss I quickly noted all the details I could get in a notebook.

On March 28th, I made most of the moment and reported to the local station. The officer enquired me and I told him all about yesterday. The man however, seemed a bit distressed, so I kept my notebook to myself. “You are young, so why don’t you take my advise and take a not my monkey not my circus approach?”The officer asked in a pity. But that means he is hiding something, so, I gave him a submissive look as he expects me to, “Then I shall stay out of it. Then if I must.” i said as I stood up to leave.

On March 30th, I went back to Blue street, where the incident happened three days ago. I went and enquired every house in the street, asking them about it, but nobody showed any sign of knowledge about it, until I went to the last house in the street with no hopes. I went inside and asked him about that particular house. He didn’t wait a moment before asking, “What do you know?” He knew that there was something off with that place, so I told him everything that I knew. Dr. Vihaan, told me about his knowledge, “That man Aarvik, was infected with ’rabersiminon’. It’s caused by a plant that was believed to be extinct but it wasn’t.

Somebody got their hands on that plant and they’re dropping the poisonous plant in the water supply and unfortunately, rabersiminon doesn’t have a cure and it’s communicable.” I didn’t know how to reply, he also said that if one were ever infected with this, their mind will no longer be their own and that it’s better to kill themselves cause death will come when it’s time till then the person will suffer.

I gave him my notebook and told him that we will meet up tomorrow as I have to get home before it’s late. I believed him even though he felt strange, he didn’t have shadow.

On March 31st, I went to Dr. Vihaan’s house as I had said. “How about we inform the public?” I asked, in a way of greeting. “No” he said, ”I’ve tried, that’s why they think I’m crazy. We’ll have to do this the hard way – find the bad guys and stop them.

From what you’ve written in your notebook, Rua, I think that they’ve taken Aarvik to the locked down hospital, down the street.” “Why would they do it?” I asked. “Instead of preventing the infection, they’re trying to find the cure for rabersiminon. It’d be painful for the patient” He said. This isn’t what I expected. “Let’s get him out of there, then.” I said. “Yes, but you must remain in the car while I go get him and if I don’t come back within thirty minutes, you have to go back.” He said. I didn’t object because it’d be pointless anyway. We took precautions so the virus doesn’t spread and then left.

We executed the mission as planned. Barely fifteen minutes passed before I saw Dr. Vihaan again. He rushed into the car and asked me to drive away immediately. He seemed to be petrified by fear. “Aarvik isn’t the only one there, he’s dead.” He said.

April 2nd, “Rua is in the active phase of schizophrenia, it’s the active stage where the person hallucinate, it’s dangerous she might hurt herself.” I hear my doctor say.

I’m again at the hospital.

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The Mirror Between Worlds

Yutika’s longing for her brother was over, he was coming over for the summer. The Rathores were going on a road trip to the ruins of Rajasthan tomorrow. The twins always stayed together. Yutika wakes up with a greeting from the sunlight. She sees her brother blushing while chatting with someone. “Such a jerk he is..” she wonders in a bitter-sweet way seeing his attention locked on someone else made her feel.

The Rathores arrived at their log house and called it a day. The next day ended beautifully, but Yutika was thinking of getting a little thrill.

Yutika could feel the warmth of the wooden floor on the balls of her feet. She knocks on her brother’s door, but he does not answer; hence she with all due respect to privacy lets herself in.

There he was sleeping, dumbass.

The twins sneak out of the log house at thirty-past-one. Yutika could feel the sand beneath her feet even though she was wearing her sneakers.

The twins were walking for an hour when Yutika felt a thump. And there he was, her brother lying unconscious. Her heart sank. But no. Adiksh must have been tired for all the plush softie that he was.

She picked him up, and kept walking; for stopping would mean laying another glance at her brother, to allow her mind to wander through all the possibilities.

Amid walking back to their log house, she feels a force attracting her. Something was pulling her toward it. And, what she might as well be hallucination. There stood hanging in the air yet within her reach a mirror. But something was odd: it didn’t reflect her back, it had a watery surface; as if you could pass your hand through it.

And no longer could she resist the pull of the mirror or whatever that thing for fuck’s sake was. You feel that you are being pulled through a thousand worlds at the same point of time from each bit of your body. And then, you see yourself standing in a tunnel; so red it was.

You feel a push and suddenly, you are in a memory of you and your family on a picnic when you were four; but something is missing —- where is your brother?

Something pulls you back, and you go into another with your brother missing, in a matter of few seconds you relive your entire life, but he wasn’t a part of it.

You get sucked again, but this time there he was with that blinding smile of his, or was he? Guess you may never know. And it did not matter, with him around smiling, nothing ever did.

Her heart beat is rising. Someone get the doctor! She is coming back!You hear voices, and they sound eerily familiar. Wait! Was that your father?

Yuti. Hear me, do you sissy?

Ohh heavens! And there he was, standing only a few feet away. You could feel his presence like it was an extraction of your own body. This Yuti, this is not real. None of this is. I am not real. I AM DEAD SISSY.

“Look Adi, this is not the time to play please. What is this place”

No Yuti, that day — I died that day out of hypothermia and it is not your fault so stop blaming yourself, you have been stuck in this cycle for a week now. You have a life sissy, go live it.

No. This can’t be it. How could you when he was stuck here? And here you could be with him forever, reliving those memories till dear eternity. After all, all you ever longed was to be with her brother.

“NO.”