Gandalf & the Magic Cigarettes
Read time: 6 mins
I wrote this story a few years ago on my Instagram. The era of micro-fiction was at its peak, and this was a 3-part series back then. Today I combined the three parts and felt like sharing it hereā¦
This didn't exist here till yesterday, or did it? Dev couldn't wrap his head around the small cigarette-selling cart which stood at the corner of the lane, right next to the one which led towards his room. An old man with white hair and a long white beard guarded the small cigarette-selling cart. If his clothes were grey and ragged, he would definitely look like Gandalf, Dev thought. But was this old man always here? Half of his mind was convinced that this old man had been selling cigarettes ever since he moved into the area, and the other half completely refuted this idea. Dev was trying to cut down his daily intake of cigarettes, so his mind was torn again. One more would definitely not cause any more harm than the infinite number he had smoked since his college days. But then all you needed was one bad cigarette to trigger the blood vomiting and life sucking cancer of his lungs. But then again, who knows it's already there and irreversible by all means. If you have noticed, whenever there is an argument with yourself, the devil always convinces you that the wrong option is always the right one. Dev was a mere mortal in front of the devil. His feet took him automatically towards Gandalf and his cigarette-selling cart.
Dev started walking towards Gandalf and his cigarette-selling cart. His mind was still not sure whether the old man had ever existed before, but sure about having another cigarette before he reached his room. As he approached Gandalf, he realized that his Lord of the Rings analogy for the man was totally justified. The man wore long grey overalls even though there was no sign of rain, his beard and long hair were exactly the same colour, and he stood with the support of a long wooden stick. Gandalf looked down at Dev and asked him, "Dear sir, what do you want?"
Dev asked for his usual brand, "One Marlboro, please?" Gandalf smiled and replied, "I'm afraid, sir, I do not have that brand, but may I tempt you with these?" He pointed at a box of six cigarettes, which were long, thin, and wrapped in sky blue paper. Dev had never seen anything like it. Dev enquired, "Which brand is this?" Gandalf smiled again and replied, "Why worry about the brand, sir? These cigarettes are not mass-produced, and I only have six of them left. Never has a person who has had these ever complained about it. I also have them whenever I can get my hands on them."
Dev was suspicious now. Gandalf sensed Dev's hesitancy and continued, "Sir, there are certain rules to be followed while having these cigarettes. You would think I'm crazy if I told you, but these cigarettes are magical. You take in the smoke and think about anything, and that something surely happens." Dev started laughing now, he was convinced he wasn't a cigarette seller but some crazy lunatic who was having fun with him. Gandalf was now ever more convinced to prove Dev wrong, "Here, sir, have a puff from mine, but here is the rule: inhale, think about what or where you want to be, exhale, and see the magic." By now, Dev just wanted to have some fun too, so he took the cigarette from Gandalf.
"Inhale, sir!"
Dev took in a puff.
"Think about the happiest moment of your life, sir!"
Dev paused to think.
"Exhale!"
Dev let out a huge cloud of smoke, which covered his face.
"Let the magic begin..."
"Inhale, sir!"
Dev took in a puff.
"Think about the happiest moment of your life, sir!"
Dev paused to think.
"Exhale!"
Dev let out a huge cloud of smoke, which covered his face.
"Let the magic begin..."
He was standing on the roof of a building, which seemed rather familiar. There was a building with glass windows opposite him, and he could see inside the fourth-floor apartment. I'm at my childhood home's roof, he thought to himself. How is that possible? He turned around and saw a bunch of children playing with colour and water, but everything was still. It was as if he were standing inside a 3D photograph. He moved towards the children, and a kid caught his eye. The kid was frozen in a running stance, his eyes gleaming with menace, and water shooting out, but frozen from his water pistol. He followed his line of sight and saw that the kid was looking at a girl. She was a couple of inches taller than the guy with long, curly hair that reached up to her waist. She was also frozen in a running stance, her water pistol serving as a makeshift shield. He gasped. Oh my god. How is this possible?
The cloud of smoke diffused into the open air. Dev stood in front of Gandalf, completely shocked by what he had seen. "Don't waste the cigarette, sir. Take another puff.", he said. "How is that? How did this happen? What is this?", Dev stammered. "I'll answer all your questions, sir. Don't waste the cigarette, take another puff and hold on to your memory." Gandalf smiled. Dev inhaled and exhaled a huge cloud of smoke. He was the kid now, still frozen. Wow, he said to himself. She's her. She's Yashika. I've not seen or thought about her in ages. How is this my happiest memory? I don't even remember what happens next. The whole scene unfroze in front of him. He was running and shooting at Yashika with all the menace he could. She was running away diagonally, holding up her pistol like a shield, and as the water from his pistol touched her face, he felt it. His heart skipped a beat. In that moment, he forgot about all the other kids around him, and he could only see her.
In that moment, all he wanted was the universe to stop so that he could keep firing at her with his water pistol for the rest of eternity. The cloud vanished again. Dev had tears in his eyes. "What did you see?" Gandalf asked. Dev looked at him and said, "I'll buy all six of them." Gandalf handed him all six and said, "These are the last six cigarettes I have, sir, and I don't know if I'll get my hands on more of them. You sort of understand what they do, so use them wisely. And I'll always be present at the end of each cigarette to ask you why you smoked it." Dev understood the potency of these magical cigarettes. He put them in a pocket and handed him all of the two hundred rupees he had on him. "No, I can't accept the money, sir. Just tell me what the happiest moment in your life was? What did you see, sir?" Dev inhaled again and said two words as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"True love."
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