I sat down at the table, she was at the other end. Her welcoming smile seemed to tell no lies and pulled me towards her like the opposite poles of a magnet. Her silky soft red hair was like that of a waterfall I had seen as a child. She was beautiful, enchanting and I couldn't look away, I didn't want to look away. I watched her mouth form the words,"Let's make a deal." I don't think I quite registered what she said till she snapped and thunder roared down on us. I look behind her as the lightning struck where a clear shadow of wings could be seen. She was an angel! An angel, I was being talked to by an angel! She cleared her threat and repeated, "Let's make a deal."

This time I responded, "What kind of deal?"

"I want something."

"What?"

"I want your soul."

"Why would I give your that?"

"For your father'ss life, I believe isss a fair exchange," she slithered.

"No one person's life is a fair exchange," I retorted, but in someways I didn't agree.

"Then what do you want?"

"I want—" what did I want? "—my family, everyone of them, to be sane and healthy."

"That's a lot to ask for."

"In exchange for my soul, I think not."

"Yes a soul is worth a lot, but I could get twice even quadruple this for way less."

"But I presume every soul is different and I bet mine is of pretty high cost."

"No, no it isn't, but I will accept your deal," as those words left her mouth a large contract appeared in front of me. Without a second thought I signed it. A sly smile spread her face when I rolled it back to her. "You don't know what you have done."

"And how would you know that... Lucy."

CHOOSING ONE OVER THE OTHER

Huzza! I’m out. I’ll be fine you zooterkins. Rejected by you, the ‘illuminati tribe’ of social media, I still walk proud though you make me feel like your latest fopdoodle. Thwack! You wallop me with your critique! You troll me. I’m deleting my account from your social online ‘friend-web.’ My cardinal sin is ‘resistance.’ I beg your forgiveness, dear armchair patriots.

Heroes are heroes anyway! You want me to join your league? I shall qualify as a nation loyalist only if I wear a ‘TEE SHIRT’ of my country’s martyr and withhold patronage to the ‘global insignia’ of another country’s revolutionary. They are neither apples nor oranges. Heroes anytime anywhere don’t need crutches. Dear ‘screen revolutionaries’ your mental hacks on skewed patriotism don’t work. Reject me! Reject Democracy!

I could never choose one over the other. If I had a photo gallery of heroes, I don’t know whose ivory photo frame would find more space, whose portrait would be garlanded with a fuller bunch of roses?

One’s visage had always held me captive. The other had a power packed ‘electric’ persona to become the second sun. Both sent me on an emotional drill. Both were like glow worms illuminating dark corners. Both gave me a reason to dream beyond my comforts and live for something bigger. I genuflect to the memory of both ‘revolutionary souls’ Ernesto Che Guevara and Shaheed(Martyr) Bhagat Singh. The former was a great figure of the Cuban Revolution and the latter executed at age 23 remains a ‘folk hero’ of Indian hearts ‘lionized’ in history, art and literature as a socialist revolutionary.

No moral compass could ever tell me who’s mine and who’s not. One from my land and the other executed by members of the Bolivian army on another side of the Atlas. It wasn’t in my geometry to pin one down with a compass needle while forming a halo or a ‘homage paying circle’ around the other. 

 Your media post was ludicrous. You were training me to be Swadeshi (for the country) on new lines. You wanted me to ‘LIKE’ and comment on the group update. It was a picture ‘FLASHING A RED TICK MARK AS APPROVAL’ on a tee shirt with Shaheed(Martyr) Bhagat Singh’s face and a ‘RUDE BIG BLACK CROSS’ on the second tee, a ‘NO NO’ on Guevara’s pixilated image. Poor Guevara! You make it sound like he’s been the worst abuser of your human rights. He lived for the man on the street.  Immeasurable is my chalice of respect  for Shaheed(Martyr) Bhagat Singh. I try to resist and there’s a string of comments against me (like disapproving grandparents rethinking their will). For a tee, seriously!

You ostracize me! I’m no longer a part of your ‘Smartphone’ community. They are heroes not terrorists! 

Guevara’s iconic photograph taken by Alberto Korda seems to smile at me. As for my homeland hero Shaheed(Martyr) Bhagat Singh, I hold him tight in an ancient sepia photograph pressed to my heart. 

Good Afternoon, Prosers,

We hope this challenge announcement finds you well and writing!

It’s week sixty-one of the Prose Challenge of the Week, but before we unveil the winner of last week’s challenge and this week’s newest prompt, we’d like to set you all another challenge. As most of you are aware, each month we set a Challenge of the Month prompt where the winning entries get put in a Prose Original Book with each entrant getting a set share of the lifetime royalties. Last month the prompt was to write about being the most intelligent human being on earth. We have picked the winners, and are almost ready to publish the book. However, we have decided to task you creative bunch with creating the cover. If you think your creative expertise can create a Prose Original Book cover, here’s what you need to do.

1) Create a book cover with copyright-free images, with the following copy on, in this order:

Intelligence.

A Prose Original Book

Designed by @YOURUSERNAME

2) Send it along with your username to info@theprose.com

3) We will look over the entries and the top-10 designs will be featured on our blog, with the top entry being our book cover.

You have one week. Entries close 26th March 12am PST. If you snooze, you lose, but next month's challenge will give you a fresh chance to make a gorgeous cover.

We can’t wait to see the design-candy.

Right, back to the Challenge of the Week.

For the last week, you guys have been writing about a new life form, and man, did you deliver. Before we check out who the deserving winner and recipient of $100 is, let’s take a look at this week’s prompt:

Challenge of the Week #61: Write a piece of flash fiction about rejection. The most masterfully written piece, as voted and determined by the Prose team, will be crowned winner and receive $100. Quality beats quantity, always, but numbers make things easier for our judges, so share, share, share with friends, family, and connections. #ProseChallenge #getlit #itslit

Now, back to the winner of week sixty.

We have read all of your entries, and have come to a decision. The winner of the lifeform challenge is @DrSemicolon with their piece, Native Martian Anatomy and Physiology.

Congratulations! You have just won $100. We’ll be in touch with you shortly.

In the meantime, you have one week to get your write on!

Until next time, Prosers,

Prose.