Air.

I had to get out. Desperation was slowly creeping in. I need my freedom too, I thought. I cannot just sit here all my life. I need to get out, be free, and take in the world outside.  The only problem was that I was dependent on him. Unless and until he let me out, I was confined to the dark, shady place he had forced me to live in.

I realized that I could not have won my freedom without being a nuisance to him. It wasn't easy though. I was going to need to fight my way through whatever little openings I could find. I HAD to force myself out of this depressing place. I didn't know how to start. I had to think about everything and then I started putting things into place. To begin with, I needed to get my nerves on track. They were important in my battle for independence. Slowly yet steadily, I started making my moves.  This being my very first attempt, I was obviously an amateur and amateurs tend to falter at the first attempt. Believe me, I have experienced it. When I deployed my first attempt, the factors weren't ideal to lead me to victory. He gave me a glimmer of hope when he closed his eyes and I thought, “Yes! This is my moment! Now is the time to burst out of this dreary place.” ‘Never count your chickens before they hatch’ is one of the most basic and primary lesson we learn as children.  Words to live by, I say. I was disappointed when he opened his eyes just as quickly as he had closed them. I had lost my chance. Composure could have done me wonders if I could have tried and studied him, his routine and then made a decision when to deviously burst out of here. So, I waited.

One fine day, he was just lazing around when a large gust of wind blew right across his face. Dust, tiny particles of sand and millions of other unwelcome things flying around. I knew that this was the right moment. Somehow, it felt right. He was blinded already by the sand particles and the dust got into my room. I kid you not when I say that he is a very tidy man! He could not bear having dust inside the room. He had to clean it up. So, like a little child waking up he gently rubbed his eyes and then his hand came towards this murky place I was in. I let him inside, so that he could start scraping the dust away and I waited until he had done just that. I needed no second thought this time. The moment for my outburst had arrived. As he saw me dart out, he was helpless. He just closed his eyes, took a deep breath and I was out. He didn't open his eyes unless he was sure that what he had trapped for so long had finally surged out.

You might call him a manner less fellow. Why, you ask? Well, you would at least expect a guy as tidy as him to cover his mouth before he sneezed.