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It's my world!!!

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Nasim

Nasim

India

August 21, 2008

Shadow, Darkness and Light

 

Part-I

Shadow

 

Several years ago I happened to find myself sitting on a rock on a hill in Darjeeling. It was a late December evening and I had nothing on me besides my jeans and casual shirt. My body was shuddering a little with the chilling cold.

 

The place where I sat was half a kilometers away from the nearest town. There were several trees here and there-all bare and standing just like poles. The bright light of the full moon was falling upon these trees and they seemed to chatter their teeth in cold. The sky was almost clear. Queer as it is, there was no fog.

 

I was gazing at the moon and was engrossed in deep thought when my attention was broken by the warm touch of a hand on my shoulder and a voice saying

 

"Hullo young man! What are you doing here?"

 

I turned to find a middle aged man of 40-45 years of age, wearing a full sleeved sweater. The moonlight clearly revealed his physical features. He seemed to be a strongly built man with a height of around 6'. He had no muffler or cap and his bare head showed short hairs that were turning grey gradually. He had a stick that resembled a baton, used perhaps for keeping the stray dogs away.

 

"I was comparing this moon light with success and happiness of life of which I have so little. I am sitting here to gather some of this light to light my dark life and bring back the lost happiness."

 

"I see Mr. Philosopher, you are one of those young escapists and pessimists who think life to be sorrowful but never search for happiness because they are confused what happiness is. Anyway young man, you should not sit here at such a late hour. Besides the cold there are many factors that should allure you to remain at home rather than to venture out. Come; let us walk to the town. If we give company to each other we won't feel alone."

 

I smiled, stood up and giving the moon a look I started walking with him. His steps were quite straight and firm.

 

"So my boy, what is the reason of your pessimistic attitude towards life?"

 

"Oh, it is a long story."

 

"Oho! So you have got a story! Nice. And I'm sure some of the characters of your story are a pretty damsel, unconsenting parents and brute policemen. Doesn't it go like that?

 

"Perhaps yes, perhaps not." I answered with an air of recklessness.

 

He laughed loud at these words. Then coughing a bit he continued-

 

"You are certainly not from here. I know each and every person of this part of the country by face. It is off-season and a tourist won't come to a hill station in winter. So my man, what are you up to?"

 

"Just searching...searching for the lost time and perhaps.....the lost characters of my story to weave the story once again.

 

"I now see through it man...ha ha ha...well and where are you staying? Hotel or some relative's of friend's down here?

 

"None of them. I would have stayed where you found me unless you had...” I halted midway the sentence and looked at him. He in return gave me a glance full of shock and curiosity alike.

 

"What’d a ya mean by that/"

 

After a moment's pause and hesitation I replied

"It is like that while taking a nap in the train somebody got off with my bag and I am left with only these clothes, my ticket and a ten rupee note. I suppose there aren't any dhabas (inns) here that would let me in for a night for a paltry ten rupee. Are there any?

 

Now both of us fell silent for about three minutes. I know what he must have been thinking - Is this another of those cheats that fool people to get money by extracting sympathy.

 

By this time we had reached the town proper and walking through the main street. There wasn't a sign of life anywhere around save a police van that just passed by us.

 

The man halted near a four way crossing and looked at me. I had also stopped. I turned to him and he said

 

"Look young man, I usually don't offer strangers this option but...I think you are a good person. Come and stay in our house for tonight and we will see what we can do for you tomorrow."

 

"Thanks a lot dear sir. I will be really obliged to you.

 

At this he murmured something inaudible and then turned towards the street on right. I silently followed him. After some sixty or seventy paces he took a narrow lane on the right and after two minutes walk he stopped besides a big, old looking bungalow and turned to look at me. Convinced, he opened the gate and went to a huge looking wooden door and knocked.

 

This was perhaps the main entrance. Clouds had covered the moon, but enough light perforated through them to give me a rough impression of the background. Surely this was the house, nay mansion of some rich family of olden time that still housed a joint family, a rarity now a days. The compound wall was high standing at about 9 feet. There were some big trees about the boundary but there were no other plants in the middle section. The building itself looked very archaic reflecting a style of the British age.

 

The door opened within a minute. The tall lady who opened the door looked at me with curiosity and suspicion in her eyes. He recognized it perhaps and turning back he said

"This young man had all his belongings stolen. He was going to spend the whole night out there in the cold. So I brought him in. Arrange some food for him and a bed in the guest room."

 

(To be Continued...)

More entries: No praise be to thee, O' Lord! (1), Quacks, A World Terror Free, Shadow, Darkness and Light - Part1 (1), Why all this conservatism? Why Why Why?, Valentine's day, To all my friends, Is it LOVE or just INFATUATION !!! (2), 2 All my friends (2), A memoir

View all entries from It's my world!!! >

12:45 PM Aug 22 2008

lizard1982
Germany

Good job! Smile