She spent four years of her life with him. When she did not get the commitment that she was promised, it was time for her to move on. People looked at her with pity. Sad eyes. Apologetic words. But she was strong. She had made a choice. The relationship did not work. But that did not mean that the four years of her life were a waste. Contrary to what everyone else told her, these four years were still very important to her. It made her who she was today. She would always look back and smile. 

Sheila sat at her desk at work. Her morning ritual was savouring her hot cup of coffee and thumbing through the latest Issue of the National Geographic. She loved nature and it broke her heart to see the damages of global warming. The polar ice caps were melting and the ozone layer was disappearing and it grieved her that industrialization and deforestation were not being curbed at the rate at which they justifiably should be. With a sigh she closed the magazine , strode to the trash can and threw her paper cup in it.

Asif stood overlooking the land, his dripping wet towel barely a shield against the torrential rain. It was submerged yet again, for the second time this year. His rice crop lay floating like Inferi on the murky flood water. He could not grow rice on it anymore nor would anyone buy the land from him. It was a wasteland. He had a family to feed. But Asif was smiling now. Even for forlorn farmers like him, today there was hope – in the form of genetically modified seeds. He opened his palm to reveal grains of Scuba Rice.