Author: Reena Saxena

Reena’s exploration challenge #160.

You go down in a lift that doesn’t stop for hours. When it finally opens, what do you see?

As a kid, the land of fairies and goblins, witches and demons, knights and palaces always fascinated me. I looked up in awe at the mythical characters with their super powers. Their gift to fly in the open sky or dive to the bottom of the ocean, save the princess in distress… ah the world of fantasy always enchanted me. Well, real life is poles apart from this utopian world. Growing up, this fascination got buried somewhere deep in my heart. Life and routine happened.

Exhausted after another long day at work, I headed towards the elevator to get home, praying that I would be spared by the serpentine weekend traffic. I pressed the parking level button and was catching up on the messages on…

Never in my wildest dreams, had I ever thought that a day that would start off like any other day, would transpire into THE day that I would never forget in my life.

I swiped out my identity card marking the end of a long day’s work, stepped inside the office lift to go home. Usually it would take just a minute for the lift to halt at the parking basement, even if it stops at every floor and loads in people.

But, neither the lift stopped at any floor to pick up people nor it halted in the basement. Even after three minutes, it didn’t stop and I couldn’t make it to.

I panicked when the alarm/call button didn’t work and my phone didn’t pick up any signal. When all my efforts to open the lift turned futile and my plight to get out went unnoticed even after two…

Donald Downer

What deeper descent than this lift?

Falling
Falling
Falling

Our attendant
Lips pursed
Beneath brim of red hat

Offers no excuses
Only promises
Of a living hell

The doors open to reveal
A hell no different than
The last four years trapped with him

A swift kick out the door
A simple X on a ballot
And we leave him behind

What sweeter ascent than this lift?

Reena’s Exploration Challenge #160 offers this scenario:

You go down in a lift that doesn’t stop for hours.
When it finally opens, what do you see?

Reena is offering us a situation this week where, “You go down in a lift that doesn’t stop for hours. When it finally opens, what do you see?”  This made me think about ‘Hell in a Bucket’ the Grateful Dead song from their 1987 In the Dark twelfth studio album that is sung by Weir and was written by Bob Weir, John Barlow and Brent Mydland.  The album reached #6 on The Billboard 200 due to the popularity of ‘Touch of Grey’ which peaked at # 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually this album went Platinum.  ‘Touch of Grey’ was the first Grateful Dead song to have an accompanying music video.  The song ‘Hell in a Bucket’ got to #3 on Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and it also reached #3 on the Hot 100.  The video was directed by the longtime Dead Family videographer Len Dell’amico who…

going deep within
we will see ourselves clearly
monsters and angels

If you’ve not seen the movie above, I highly recommend it. I will tell you it’s disturbing but hits on so many points of humanity. Well-worth watching.

Reena’s Exploration challenge, this week is a situation:

You go down in a lift that doesn’t stop for hours. When it finally opens, what do you see?

This is my ideal go-to place when I need a break. The room is quiet and spacious with fresh air circulating and is naturally lit. The wide Picture windows shows the beauty of my lush green backyard! There’s a well cushioned cot by the side, cozy enough for a comfortable nap.

Elegant n high oak bookshelves add to the aesthetics of my room and the shelves have all my TBR books neatly arranged. Some splash of green here and there too. A few antheriums, palm plants and not to miss a succulent on my desk. My journal and laptop is neatly placed on this desk. My pen (it’s a vintage) is tucked on the cover of my journal. I can hear songs…

***

All the while facing front as most do in an elevator, Joe was starting to shift his weight from one foot to the other. It was crowded and he was starting to feel claustrophobic. People on every side seemed too close. He could hear them breathing and some were whispering to each other. He heard a chuckle from someone ahead of him, wondered if they were laughing at him. He had always been larger than any of his classmates and as an adult, his weight continued to increase. He was never comfortable in small spaces because of his bulk.

As Joe tried to calm himself, the thought preyed on his mind he was taking up too much space in this box. He was sure they were all thinking, this guy’s too big, he should have waited for a less crowded lift. In reality, Joe had recently lost about two…

Reena is the host of Reena’s Exploration Challenge

Welcome back!

PROMPT #160

I give you a situation this week.

You go down in a lift that doesn’t stop for hours. When it finally opens, what do you see?

The piece you generate can be fiction, poetry, essay, art, photographs or anything else that your creativity brings forth.

Write a post on your blog, and copy-paste the link in Comments. In case you are using a pingback, do check back to see if it has worked.

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Down and down it went

The numbers decreased

And then the light went out

Suddenly it stopped and landed with a loud thud

I felt as if every bone in my body was jarred

The door opened with a whoosh

.

.

.

.

I expected pitch darkness but was instead

Greeted with blinding light and loud music

Where was I, I wondered aloud…