– a Talesmith Short by Rajesh Muthuraj
Every December, four childhood friends, Ravi, Karthik, Sushant, and Parv, performed a ritual.
No, not yoga.
Not chanting.
Not even self-improvement.
They met at their lakeside spot for something far more powerful: The Annual Bonfire of Burdens.
The goal?
Eat, gossip, over-dramatize life problems, and go home feeling like superheroes who had saved the world.
This year, everyone arrived carrying enough emotional weight to sink a Titanic.
Round 1: Karthik vs. His Boss
Karthik flung his burden-stick into the fire.
“My boss thinks deadlines are like hot samosas. He hands them over and shouts,
‘Take! Take! Immediately!’”
Everyone nodded. Everyone understood.
Ravi said, “Your boss needs therapy.”
Parv said, “Your boss IS therapy; for therapists.”
Even the bonfire crackled in sympathy.
Round 2: Ravi’s Meltdown
Ravi threw his stick in so dramatically that even the fire hesitated.
“I made mistakes at work. My confidence collapsed. I feel like a badly assembled IKEA table; shaky and confused.”
Sushant clapped.
“Ravi, that is the most relatable thing you’ve ever said.”
Karthik added,
“At least you are a table. I feel like an instruction manual; nobody reads me.”
Everyone laughed for 47 seconds straight. Ravi’s heart felt lighter.
Round 3: Sushant’s Loneliness
When Sushant threw in his stick, everyone stopped joking.
“I feel lonely. Even in a room full of people.”
A hush fell.
Then all three immediately scooted closer until Sushant was sandwiched between them like the emotional stuffing inside friendship.
Karthik patted his shoulder.
Parv said softly, “Sushant, remember: crowded rooms aren’t the same as warm company. You belong here.”
Sushant smiled; the real kind, not the “office meeting smile” he’d practiced all year.
Round 4: Parv’s Big Truth
Parv tossed his stick so gently that it looked more like a polite request to the universe.
“I’m tired of pretending I’m okay. I want to be real, even if real me cries, laughs loudly, snorts, panics, or overthinks everything.”
The flames leapt tall, like they were cheering for authenticity.
Ravi raised his mug dramatically.
“To being REAL!”
Karthik raised his torchlight.
“To being HONEST!”
Sushant raised a roasted corn.
“To choosing friends who don’t run away when we cry on their T-shirts!”
They all clinked their very mismatched objects together.
Sudden Spark of Genius
Somewhere between the third cup of chai and Karthik’s eighth complaint about life, Ravi shouted: “Guys, why are we doing this only once a year? We emotionally decay every two weeks!”
Everyone froze.
Everyone realized…
This was wisdom.
Pure, unfiltered, emotionally dehydrated wisdom.
Parv stood up theatrically.
“I hereby declare BIMONTHLY BONFIRE MEET-UPS!”
Karthik added,
“With snacks!”
Sushant added,
“And no pretending!”
Ravi added,
“And please someone remind me to bring the wood. I forgot last year, and we roasted corn over a candle.”
They all nodded.
They Walked Back Lighter
Not because their problems vanished.
But because their problems finally had company.
Ravi’s shoulders no longer looked like they carried a piano.
Sushant hummed while walking, which was rare.
Parv looked like his inner battery was finally charging.
Karthik, while still chaotic, was now cheerfully chaotic.
The moon followed them, the air felt gentler, and even the crickets chirped like motivational speakers.
MORAL
1. Meet your friends often. Not once a year like a solar eclipse.
Life becomes heavy when we wait too long to laugh, cry, complain, and overshare.
2. Talking doesn’t magically solve problems,
but it shrinks them to a size your heart can carry without filing a complaint.
3. A bonfire doesn’t burn burdens.
But good company roasts them nicely.
4. The world says, “be strong.”
Friends say, “Be whatever you are, we’ll handle the rest.”
5. Your feelings are not a disturbance.
They’re invitations for real connection.
Say them. Share them. Burn the burdens — TOGETHER.
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