The task was to pick of one or all of these quotes from Hemingway and weave it/t

hem into a story, a piece of non-fiction or a poem even.

There s no one thing that s true. It s all true.
(For Whom the Bell Tolls)
Never to go on trips with anyone you do not love.
(A Moveable Feast)
You can t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.
(The Sun Also
Rises)
When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to s
erve.
(A Farewell to Arms)
When you start to live outside yourself, it s all dangerous.
(The Garden of Eden)
The following is my attempt: a fiction on the given prompt(s).
Srikanth was advised to go to some place far, away from where he lived now. His
nerves were not in their best form. He needed to get away from memories. Dr. Nai
du, his psychiatrist had recommended him Kasoli- a hill station far away from ci
ty life. Amidst the sea of green trees with various flora, Dr. Naidu thought Sri
would be just alright. Dr. Naidu was wrong. You can t get away from yourself by m
oving one place to another.
***
Wearing his favorite sky blue shirt and blue denim jeans, Sri was driving past t
he lush green orchids drinking the serene beauty with his eyes. The giant mounta
ins flaunting their crown of snow; the tall pine trees trying to grasp the blue
sky; and the sound of the divine silence. It was like a paradise. Sri passed by
a deer and a doe and saw a small wooden cottage by the side of a brook. Dr. Naid
u has booked the place for his stay. It was beautiful. A short, bald man in his
fifties came to Sri and greeted him.
Namaste Saahib. My name is Krishna Nath. Tourists here call me Kris. I am your co
ok cum guard cum caretaker. He said with a smile.
Sri nodded.
Let me take your luggage. Kris took his luggage out of the car and went in the cot
tage. A black raven was staring at him with its eyes blood red. It cawed continu
ously.
Something is not right. Sri thought and went inside the cottage.
***
After a hot water bath at the cottage, Sri took out his car and went on to explo
re the surrounding sceneries. Just as his car passed a small stream of river, he
heard a sound. A whisper: Never go on trips with anyone you do not love. With the
sound of screeching tyres the car came to a stop. Sri was terrified. He looked
around and saw nothing. Then his eyes met a scene which made his stomach churn i
nside out. It was the same doe and the deer pair he saw when he entered the vill
age. But the scene he was seeing now was unbelievable. The doe was eating the de
er s flesh. Its face all covered with red blood of its partner. Sri felt like puki
ng. He wanted to go away as soon as possible. He turned on the ignition; put the
1st gear pushed the accelerator. The car wasn t moving. He applied full force on
the accelerator. NOTHING. He left the car and dashed his way out into the woods.
***
He ran and ran till he could. When he was all out of breath he found himself nea
r the cottage he was residing in. He went in and found Kris sharpening a knife o
n a stone and mumbling something to himself. Sri listened carefully and was terr
ified.
I will kill him. I will kill him for you. When you love you wish to do things for.
You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve. I will serve you. I will sacrific
e him for you. For our love.
Sri saw a small picture placed before Kris with a candle lighting. It was his wi
fe s photograph. Without saying a word he moved out of the cottage quickly. As he
turned, blood drained down his face. He was sure he was dreaming. This can t be t
rue. He thought. What he saw was a man with sky blue shirt and blue denim jeans.
He saw himself. It was like the image from the mirror jumped out into the real

world.
Ww..who are you? a terrified Sri asked.
I am Srikanth. Came a chilling whisper that made the hair on his back stand.
It It cccan t be. I I I am Srikanth. Sri noticed he was crying.
I know. I am you and you are me. It s dangerous, you know? replied a whispering shri
ek.
Sri managed all his courage to ask, What What is dangerous?
When you start to live outside yourself, it s all dangerous.
That was the last sentence Sri heard before everything got dark and silent.
***
A week after the incident, Sri opened his eyes and stared at the white ceiling f
an. He looked around and saw beds with white sheets and tubes and bottles attach
ed to men. He knew he was in hospital. He remembered what had happened to him bu
t shrugged it off as a dream. Whatever it was, his conscience told him, it just
can t be true. It was a mere dream.
Dr. Naidu entered the room with another doctor by his side. He looked familiar.
The entire incident came crashing back before his eyes. The man resembled Kris,
the caretaker at the cottage. Krishna Nath. Sri was sweating, his eyes rolled up
and he fainted again. Dr. Naidu showed no surprise. He knew it was normal. The
report in his hand read:
Name: Srikanth Rao
Age : 29 Yrs.
Sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for murder of his wife.
Suffering from: Schizophrenia and Hallucination.
***
Sri was standing beside Dr. Naidu. He can see himself deep in sleep. His body la
y on the bed. He saw the black raven with bloodshot eyes staring at him and cawi
ng continuously. He heard Dr. Naidu say :
He told me about some caretaker named Kris Nath. You know, when you jumble up the
words it becomes Srikanth. He told me he was hearing voices and that everyone w
as trying to kill him. Again, a common symptom of schizophrenia. Poor Sri, he th
inks it is something supernatural. He is wrong. The truth is so simple. It s all i
n his mind.
Sri smiled standing beside Dr. Naidu. He can see his unconscious body still lyin
g on the bed. The raven cawed for one last time and flew off the tree. Dr. Naidu
froze with fear as he heard a whisper.
The truth is never simple doctor. You know why? Because there s no one thing that s t
rue. It s all true.