I am awake

It's the middle of the night. I wake up with a start from a nightmare. I remember the name of a few gods and ask them to dispel whatever bad i saw. Though i am an atheist at other times, or so i claim to be, I have the strong urge to pray to a few images that come to my mind. Because I'd do anything to cool myself down at these times, and dispel my nightmares of any consequences they might bring. And when I am more sane, I go back to the night and remember a saying. I think it was Dr. Radhakrishnan. He said, if there is no god, man(you) should create one. I always loved the saying. But at these times, I can actually feel it inside my head, as I create my own gods.

I remember quite a variety of them- Narasimha, Hanumana or Lord Krishna - as I am taught to do from my childhood whenever I have a nightmare. And so I do. But I still need a human voice or a human touch to solace me.

There is utter silence outside and a dog bark incessantly across my room. My senses become suddenly alert as I remember - Oh, man, there is a curfew outside. As I think this, a chopper flies quite low with a loud noise, hovers over a few points and flies south.

I then realize, I startled up from one nightmare to live in the next - which of the gods should I pray to now? I would do anything to dispel this one too.