The Party - A Sriks' Short Fiction

As I was getting ready to log off, I saw a red dot on my blackberry screen that announced the arrival of a mail in my mailbox. The blinking red dot has an almost hypnotic effect. You just cannot ignore it, no matter how hard you try to. So I gave up and opened it.

 “Dear Friend,

It’s a pleasure to announce that one of my works has been acknowledged by the Creative Academy as the Best in its category. I take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and encouragement directly or indirectly. These days “Sharing” & “Liking” on Facebook is quite a support that has given quite a few some commercial successes.

In addition to the Thanks, I would also like to throw a party on the forthcoming Saturday for all my well-wishers.

Venue: The Famous Town Park

Time: 05:00 am

Dress Code: Casuals with sports shoes.

Kindly RSVP

Yours truly

Humble achiever”

I checked the keyboard layout on my laptop and also on my blackberry to see if the alphabets “a” and “p” were close enough to miss. They were poles apart on both the devices.

I rubbed my eyes and checked the time again. It indeed read 05:00 am…. and not 05:00 pm.

I was curious to know what kind of a party is held in the morning. I called my friend to confirm. My various attempts to reach her failed. Her phone was either not reachable or was beyond coverage area.

On the said day and time, I hesitantly made it to the venue expecting to be mocked at. But there were signboards giving directions to the party place and a grand banner with something that looked like the Party Theme. 

As I crossed each signboard, I heard the heavy bass from the outdoor speakers. As I went close, the music was clearer. It was not the regular trance or dance numbers I’d heard in the evening parties. The music was foot tapping nevertheless.

So, there was a DJ.

Most of the guests were dressed in athletic attire. Some like me, who do not possess an athletic body, were in loose T-Shirts and track pants, promptly showing off the sports shoes.

I noticed a bar-counter at the other end of the earmarked area. Without my knowledge, my legs started to measure the ground towards the bar. Quite a few guests were queuing up for the drinks. I noticed, there were no refrigerators or coolers, only blenders and a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. This bar served fresh juices and mock-tails blended with a variety of herbs.

There were well-dressed waiters walking around serving “starters” to guests. As I picked up a plate, it was a well-decorated salad.

My eyes were looking for the host. She was happily talking to some of her other guests while her family was busy organizing activities. Like in any regular party, the crowd was split in smaller groups, but here they were either running or walking as they interacted instead of picking a corner for a formal discussion.

I saw a few of them sitting together and doing some basic yoga-äsanas. Some elderly people were engaged in laughter therapy, while the kids were busy running around getting their dose of morning exercise.

Then, as the music changed and as if that was a cue, all the guests gathered and broke into an aerobic jig that looked almost like a well-choreographed dance number.

I was absolutely stunned at what I was witnessing. What a healthy way to celebrate.

I had so many questions racing in my mind.

Why are all parties hosted in the evenings or nights? Why do all the parties serve drinks and foods that are actually detrimental to health? Why do we invite each other over a coffee OR lunch OR dinner and indulge in gluttony?

I was overwhelmed with what I was experiencing.

Will I see more of these in the future? Or even better, will I host my parties around similar themes? Is this a business opportunity in itself?

I finally managed to get hold of the host friend and inquired about her achievements.

She had written a book on “Alternate ways to celebrate a Healthy Life”. That book and the concepts had won her accolades in the literary as well as health conscious circles.

Before I could ask her, she mentioned that this theme party was one of her innovative concepts, coined as “Life of Healthy Interactions”.

That’s when I understood the inviting banner at the entrance that read:

Get high with the ‘Life of Hi’