The Red Meereen

By Ana Watson

An ancient city who takes care of every people of its territory, who can talk to the trees and birds can take any form and live in every part of its place Because one very great soul is bound with this city. She watches very thing at every place, No one can hide from her. She gives all rewards and punishments to the entities. Everyone in this city believes in her and she never disappoints them. 
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arzoo Parihar
• Release date: Oct 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386480792

Ana Watson

Ana has been a blogger, Speaker, Web-designer and a government officer. She is also one very talented dancer. The Red Meereen is her fifth novel.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The First Rain

Yet another quiet night, and the sky is so clear that I can see my reflection in the far end of the impenetrable sky, which has grown by a year, just like me, longing for the clouds of rain. I can feel the wrinkles on my face — a proof of the patience that I have kept for the past ten years, for this year’s first rain. If it doesn’t rain this time then waiting another ten years would weaken my poor zeal.

My kids are thirsty and they cannot even be quenched by the nearby stream, only the sweet drops of rain can quench the dying thirst of my young ones. Maybe for teaching us of the importance of rain, the Gods are trying to test our patience. Every night I watch my kids go to sleep hoping that the air would bear some moisture the following day. But I can’t, I keep gazing at the sky hoping to catch sight of a cloud so that I can call it to shower upon us, or maybe a shooting star that could fulfill my wish. On the last hour of the night my sleepy eyes caught a twinkling object falling from the sky, and from the depths of my heart I spoke a prayer, which has engulfed my sub-conscious like a habit. And this longing and tiresome wait for the rain has also entrenched me in the kingdom of sleep.

Rain......Rain, Rain, Rain the shrill voice of Max woke me from sleep. Max was patiently waiting for the rain just like I was, and yes, now the wait has finally come to an end. Max was dancing to the rhythm of the falling rain, the sweet droplets of rain pouring over him and me; yes, I am feeling the tiny droplets of rain all over my body and trying to fathom the happiness derived from it. I know that the sweet droplets of this holy rain pouring over my face will remove the wrinkles and make me young and beautiful once again.

My sadness is fading now, the sky which was stinging me like a cut is now a pleasant sight to my eyes. Sight of the sunrays after a rainfall has increased my facial glow, I am shining now, my kids are delighted and nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids in pleasure. And now words seem to have been spreading that Meereen has become young again.

People have mounted red flags on their houses which signify the color of blood in my body. Every other person in the neighbourhood is in red coloured clothing and seeing them my face too is glittering red. The roads cleaned by the rain are shining like my fresh body. These blossoming flowers speak of blossoming Meereen. The forest is gushing like the braids of my hair. I have never felt more beautiful than I do today. Even young beautiful girls feel self-conscious seeing me in such a beauty.

London and Paris feel jealous on seeing me, Rome and Madrid want me in their neighbourhood, and Venice wants to be like me; and why not, because what Meereen poses, none of the other cities can ever do, the boon to stay young forever makes me exclusive and attracts these fellows towards me. A saying goes like, If you wish to stay young forever, visit Meereen every tenth year, she would never let you grow old.

I consider myself fortunate that I have the river Era which flows through me, the water of which turns holy after every first rain of the tenth year, the one which never lets me dry. A climate in which summer, winter and rainy seasons are in most appropriate proportions. I again feel fortunate for the fact that my landscape is as curvaceous and undulating like the figure of a matured woman. Or that on the highest peak of the mountain ranges lays a jungle that resembles the long and dense hair of a beautiful woman. All these qualities of mine make me feel like a woman of confidence and attitude.

Now my make-up has started and this time it is very special because this time some very interesting people have grown young in Meereen and are ready for the Competition of Kiss

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Rain........................Rain, Rain, Rain Max’s voice is so shrill that the whole of Meereen can hear it, dancing in the rain in his regular white shirt and brown pants, going through each and every street of my city, knocking on the door of every other house, waking up the sleepy ones. Max is cheering It’s time for a kiss on the Centre M which is a perfectly circular area of almost 100000 Sq. feet surrounded by huge and beautiful buildings.

A big stage open on all the sides is set in the middle of the Centre M. In Meereen the name of a place is decided based upon the utility or significance of the place with the addition of a postfix ‘M’ to it. A giant drum larger than the size of Max stands upright on the stage, and Max can easily hide behind it. Max is the first person who comes to this stage in this heavy rain. Some people are calling him, You dwarf, your hands won’t reach the top, one needs height and strength and you are devoid of both. But Max is all enthusiastic and unwilling to step down, all he can see is his aim and nothing beyond it. On the onset of the new day, marked by the first rays of the sun falling upon the stage, Max tries to play the drum, but fails. He can’t even manage to bring his hands to the surface of the drum let alone strike it. The crowd has already gathered for the launch of the Competition of Kiss and Max is a laughing stock for the crowd. The crowd is mocking him for his inability to play the drum and for not allowing anyone else to play it either.

Before anyone else can come and play the drum, Max gets upon the drum and begins jumping upon it, playing the drum with his hands and legs. Due to rain the surface of the drum is wet and Max is tripping repeatedly on it, but he again gets up and strikes at it with all his might and enthusiasm. This 3 feet 4 inches tall, Brown hair Max is the shortest man in all of Meereen but the height of his will power and hope is higher than any other soul on Meereen.

Not only Max, but people from the crowd too have joined the stage to play the drum. Teenagers, married men and women, couples and even the old generation of the city are now kissing in public, the couples are so passionate in their kissing business that they have no idea what is going on. The environment is filled with the air of love, even the ones who are single are enjoying the scene and some singles are lucky enough to get kissed by other people. Residents of Meereen are openly and aggressively expressing their feelings towards their significant half. On terraces, homes, streets, playgrounds, everywhere is Kiss and Love. This marks the onset of the Competition of Kiss.

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The sun is overhead and its afternoon, the wet streets due to the rain are now dry and on every home is mounted a red flag and every person in the city is wearing red — red pants, red shirts, red scarves, red jacket, or something of red color. A few people have extended it to laying red bed sheets, red curtains, and some have gone to the extent of painting their homes red. I too am red from tip to toe like a bride in her attire.

On the bank of the river new ferries and boats begin to dock, the first time visitors to Meereen cannot stop praising my beauty and I can do nothing but blush.

I am delighted to see my kids. Along with Max there are a few more kids whom I have set my eyes upon, whose pride and jealousy are going to be a tough competition for Max’s hope in COK.

On the highest floor of the tallest building surrounding Centre M, a couple appears to be making love and kissing passionately. To them the first rainfall of the decade is of small importance, what matters to them is the feeling of togetherness, the feeling of warmth oozing out from being with each other against the cool environment. This couple goes by the name of Jon and Sofia. Jon and Sofia are deeply and madly in love with each other. The bond between them and their height of romance shared makes every other guy in Meereen envy Jon and almost every girl feels jealous of Sofia. This is the most attractive and most sought after couple in the whole of Meereen and this probably justifies the envy of other men and women which Jon and Sofia face. Sofia looks no less than an angel, with long braided hair, fair complexioned round face, big black eyes, and last but not the least, is the tallest of all the girls in Meereen. It is because of this mouth-watering beauty of Sofia that the men are envious of Jon and many have become his enemies too. Whereas on the other hand, Jon is the army commander of the state and his bold, tall, and handsome personality is no wonder what actually makes him adorable and likable is his thick frizzly hair that are just long enough to reach his broad shoulders. With arms as strong as an iron hammer, and a will as strong as a concrete wall, these are all the ingredients to the celebrity-like figure of Jon. For me, Jon is right now the most eligible person to win the Competition of Kiss and it is an unbiased truth which almost every resident of Meereen and visitors from other states agree upon.

Marry me Jon, says Sofia while hugging Jon tightly in her arms and giving the most passionate kiss anyone has ever given on this planet.

Yes my darling, I am desperately waiting for the day, for the clock to strike the hour when we would marry saying this, Jon again kisses Sofia with all his might. In the midst of the kiss, Sofia moves back a little and says, There’s no day more auspicious than that day of the decade when rain first falls on Meereen; the couple who get married today tend to be forever with each other in heaven and hell let’s bring an end to this longing.

Hearing this, Jon releases Sofia from his arms and says, Exactly one month from now we will marry, I believe you know that no married man can participate in COK.

Is COK more important to you than I am? Sofia implores, sobbing.

Jon answers by holding and squeezing the Sofia’s tender arms, without an iota of a doubt it’s you, but you know that COK is important for my family’s reputation and goodwill in Meereen. I have to do it.

Kissing Sofia’s forehead Jon starts to leave the room. While leaving Jon pauses by the door for a brief moment, turns, and says, Write my words down on the wall of the room, we will marry exactly after 30 days, even if it is the last day of the planet; and yes, we will go out this evening together, the way we do, always together.

The angry Sofia runs and climbs the stairs to the terrace of the tallest building which overlooks Centre M. Sofia can clearly see the preparations going on for inaugurating the event of the Competition of Kiss on the stage of Centre M. Sofia sees it for a while and then holds the red flag of Meereen on her terrace. On the tallest building of Meereen in red attire, deeply bathed in the love of Jon, in deep, dark, untied and fluttering hair Sofia exudes heavenly beauty, as her beauty is representing as my beauty. Sofia stares at the flag for a while and in great astonishment she throws it down to the floor.

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Again, the sound of drum can be heard in which all of Meereen can be seen enjoying. An ant like gathering of all my people can be seen at Centre M. A huge fun-fair has been made up at the banks of my friend, river Era. The number of people gathered at Meereen is more than the population of Meereen itself. There’s little time left to dusk. Red flags are fluttering at Centre M, even carried by people who aren’t from Meereen; some of these people have come to participate in COK while others have just come to watch the competition.

Ten large cannons have been assembled and kept at the circumference of Centre M, all the buildings and establishments in and around Centre M are jam packed. Audiences have climbed up on trees, poles, and on any other place from where they can watch the inauguration ceremony for COK. Even with all the extra added population I do not feel suffocated.

For some important personalities of Meereen chairs have been set up on the periphery of the stage, which includes chairs for Jon and Sofia in the first row. Sofia is wearing the same clothes that she wore in the afternoon but with her hair well-made and tied up. The facial expressions of Sofia are implicitly indicating that she doesn’t want to be here and wants to set the whole stage on fire whereas Jon is sitting next to Sofia in his shining black armor and reflective sword. And our little Max seems so lost in the crowd that even I'm unable to find him.

The stage has been set to look like a piece of art. It has been kept open from all the sides. Chairs have been placed on the stage for the lord and the top officials of Meereen. On the bottom of the stage, in neat and bewildering beauty a map of Meereen has been mapped. The stage of Centre M smells like a flower due to lots of flowers kept and decorated on the stage. The quantity of flowers is so much that it makes me smell like a flower.

The lord of Meereen Mr. Adam Robinson has arrived on the stage and he begins to speak, silence please, silence, otherwise the crowd in the back will not be able to hear my voice. The lord requests the crowd to maintain silence and the soldiers of Meereen know well how to do this job effectively. The soldiers of Meereen fire ten balls each from all the ten cannons. The balls consist of flowers and not gunpowder. With the huge noise made by the cannons the crows at the Centre M fall silent. The magnitude of silence is such that even the drop of a pin can be heard through the many layers of crowd.

The Lord again begins to speak, I can see that the crowd gathered at Centre M is too damn high, I have never seen such a huge gathering of people in my past five Competition of Kiss. The narrow streets have never even been filled to their capacity, while I can now see them filled beyond their capacity. And the lines in these streets are starting with Start M. To all the people who have come here to Meereen first time let me tell you that Meereen is a very beautiful city, a warm city that welcomes people from all walks of life, here you will be catered to the best of our abilities and resources, we won’t let you miss your home, not if you remain under discipline and not break any laws of the city. Your accommodation has been arranged at opposite to Start M near army’s headquarters at Rock M. There the COK will mark its beginning and will continue for a month. Once again I greet you with a very warm welcome to Meereen, the most beautiful city on The Earth.

Centre M is bursting with the sound of applause. Mr. Adam Robinson pauses for a while and says, Competition of Kiss prolongs the youth of Meereen by the blessings of the lord of love. Fortunately, this Competition of Kiss is unlike those of the 3 decades when it didn’t rain in the first year of the decade, and because of drought the city of Meereen couldn’t stage the Competition of Kiss, therefore I thank the lord of love to shower his blessings on the city of Meereen.

Just like every other decade changes in rules and regulations have been made this time as well. Some new rules have also been added in observance of the changing scenarios and scrutinizing the conventional practices. For Mutual respect among people and to keep the wig of enthusiasm burning among the audience for COK, it is imperative to introduce changes in the competition’s rules and regulations. I will speak out about the newly introduced rules from Rule Number one in a step wise manner. All the participants should listen and comprehend the rules thoroughly," says Lord Robinson.

The first and foremost rule of the competition – The man who garners kisses from the maximum women will be the undisputed winner of the Competition of Kiss and the next Man of Meereen."

The second rule – ‘Only men can participate in the competition and only women can kiss the men’.

The third one – ‘A woman can kiss only one man and that too only for one time’.

The fourth – No woman can kiss a man to whom she is related by blood, like blood kin, brother, father, maternal or paternal uncle and half or step brothers.

The fifth rule states that A participant is given the right to marry one of the women and only one of them whom he kisses. Therefore, I advise the women sorority to give a second thought to who you kiss, that man may end up marrying you.

The sixth rule goes by the statement – ‘No Lords or their assistants can participate in the Competition of Kiss’.

The seventh – ‘The competition is strictly for bachelors only; any man or woman who has married at least once in his life cannot participate in the competition nor any such woman can kiss any person’.

Hearing this rule, Jon looks towards Sofia with a gaze that hints that she has understood it.

The eighth rule states– ‘A previous winner of COK held in any year cannot participate in this competition’.

The ninth rule – ‘any such person who is involved in any case against atrocities of woman cannot participate in this holy Competition of Kiss’.

The age of participants of both men and women should be or above 17 years and or below 35 years. This is the tenth rule of the competition.

The eleventh rule – ‘It is mandatory for the entire fraternity of participants to be in proper outfit, reporting with bare clothes or naked is strictly prohibited.’

The twelfth rule – ‘it is not allowed to bribe any woman for a kiss in the competition or scoring a kiss from a woman forcefully and without her consent or wish’.

The thirteenth rule – ‘If two or more than two participants score an equal number of kisses then the Man of Meereen will be chosen by Meereen herself’.

Lastly, the newly added rule, rule number fourteen, the need of which was felt direly in the last Competition of kiss, due to lack of which the COK was held for three long days is that – A man needs to have consent of at least ten women to participate in the Competition of Kiss by obtaining their attestation on a paper which should be submitted to the management committee of COK in 10 days from now without fail. It is imperative that the women listed on the document should kiss the man on the day of competition and if the women fail to kiss the participant in the competition, the participant will be expelled out of the COK. These women will be addressed by the name ‘fairies of the man’," says Lord Robinson.

What did he just say, ten women? exclaimed Max who was hiding behind the curtains under the stage amongst the crowd and it is then I found out that Max had been hiding here behind the curtains underneath the stage which is totally occupied by the crowd.

What kind of rule is this, I didn’t prepare for a rule like this, blabbers Max.

Then Lord Robinson says, Any participant who fails to follow the rules of the competition will be disqualified from the COK and in some cases, can be exiled from the city of Meereen forever. In case of a dispute the decision of management committee of COK would be final.

Along with this all the participants will get a chance to woo women, just the night before the COK day all the participants can show off their beauty and manly traits to woo women of Meereen and the women who have come from distant places to watch COK, says Lord Robinson.

And there you go Max, now you’re sure to lose, again Max blabbers.

The charmed participant who wins the Competition of Kiss will be declared ‘Man of Meereen’ for the next ten years and will be treated like a king in Meereen.

I, Adam Robinson, the eighty-eighth Lord of Meereen gracefully mark the official beginning of the 100th ‘Competition of Kiss’. Now I request the winner of the last ‘Competition of Kiss’, Mr. Ethan Clarke along with his wife Mrs. Anna Clarke to come up on the stage and do the inaugurating auspicious kiss. With this kiss Meereen is again a bachelor until the next Man of Meereen is declared.

Mr. Ethan Clarke is also the current head of the management committee of COK. As per the invitation of Lord Robinson, Mr. Ethan Clarke and his wife Mrs. Anna Clarke come up on stage and kiss each other marking the auspicious beginning of the Competition of Kiss and turn me into a bachelor again. Lord Robinson moves over to the other side where the drums are kept and begins