His name was Arpit…
“Was this how Narcissus felt, as he whiled away his beauty, admiring it, getting sucked into it?” he wondered, as he kept on looking at his unsteady reflection in the lake. What brought him there, he did not know. Why, in any situation, was he not with his fiancee, he could not understand. And most of all he could not understand, why he chose to lie down on his belly, looking up at his own reflection, on a lake he was seeing for the first time.
“This is not done!” Her voice echoed. He jerked up suddenly, to find Sheffy behind him, trying to balance herself on the unsteady rocks around the lake. He felt irritated by her presence.
“How did you find me?” he asked.
“I have been searching for you since last fifteen minutes!! Gosh! Fancy disappearing like that, leaving your fiancee alone with a bell boy!”
“Oh well, I was feeling a little dizzy. Thought if I might have a look around”
“That's convenient, isn't it?” She removed her sandals and sat down beside him, dipping her feet in the water. He also sat up, but did not touch the water.
“I have got it all worked out for the marriage." She said after a few minutes. "We can have the rites on the cliff I saw on the way. It was big enough to erect a safe shamiana for about hundred people. Orchid blue, lavender and whites. Only for family and close friends. And then we will throw a reception for all the relations and long lost friends back in the city. What do you think?”
He just grunted a non-committal yes in reply. His thoughts were strangely far away from marriage and romance.
He kept on staring at the rippling water. Suddenly her incessant chat seemed unimportant. And he used to love to listen to her talk! He wanted to somehow just get away from her.
“Sheffy lets go back to the hotel, shall we?” he asked her.
“Why? It’s so good out here… and lonely too…” she winked.
He looked at her. Her lips curved in a knowing smile. He remembered a time when he would die to see that smile on a girl's face when they looked at him. Today though was different. Today, that smile was ugly, grotesque. A distraction.
“Lets go Sheffy.” And he went away
She just sat at her place, too shocked to say anything. After a while, she dusted herself and followed him.
“Was this how Narcissus felt, as he whiled away his beauty, admiring it, getting sucked into it?” he wondered, as he kept on looking at his unsteady reflection in the lake. What brought him there, he did not know. Why, in any situation, was he not with his fiancee, he could not understand. And most of all he could not understand, why he chose to lie down on his belly, looking up at his own reflection, on a lake he was seeing for the first time.
“This is not done!” Her voice echoed. He jerked up suddenly, to find Sheffy behind him, trying to balance herself on the unsteady rocks around the lake. He felt irritated by her presence.
“How did you find me?” he asked.
“I have been searching for you since last fifteen minutes!! Gosh! Fancy disappearing like that, leaving your fiancee alone with a bell boy!”
“Oh well, I was feeling a little dizzy. Thought if I might have a look around”
“That's convenient, isn't it?” She removed her sandals and sat down beside him, dipping her feet in the water. He also sat up, but did not touch the water.
“I have got it all worked out for the marriage." She said after a few minutes. "We can have the rites on the cliff I saw on the way. It was big enough to erect a safe shamiana for about hundred people. Orchid blue, lavender and whites. Only for family and close friends. And then we will throw a reception for all the relations and long lost friends back in the city. What do you think?”
He just grunted a non-committal yes in reply. His thoughts were strangely far away from marriage and romance.
He kept on staring at the rippling water. Suddenly her incessant chat seemed unimportant. And he used to love to listen to her talk! He wanted to somehow just get away from her.
“Sheffy lets go back to the hotel, shall we?” he asked her.
“Why? It’s so good out here… and lonely too…” she winked.
He looked at her. Her lips curved in a knowing smile. He remembered a time when he would die to see that smile on a girl's face when they looked at him. Today though was different. Today, that smile was ugly, grotesque. A distraction.
“Lets go Sheffy.” And he went away
She just sat at her place, too shocked to say anything. After a while, she dusted herself and followed him.
*
The child moved slowly, with luxurious and agile stride only children can afford. The nettles kept pricking his bare skin, the part exposed below his knees by his half-pant. But he was too busy chasing butterflies to notice.
The colours of the surroundings were straight out of an old, yellowed photograph of long lost times; the kind of colors that make you feel happy and sad at the same time. Moving through such a dreamlike maze, he reached the lake.
Sunlight reflected off its silent ripples, ripples which were there even when the breeze was not. He looked up at the sky and felt the glare of burning sun blind him. He looked in the opposing direction, towards the valleys, where he saw a beautiful rainbow on the cliff ridge. Like a bouncing elf tail. Like a naughty genie. He smiled a little. Then laughed. Then laughed more. Then the world seemed to have joined in his laughter. Everything started to roar in hilarity. Hilarity, which wiped even the burning heat of sun out. And then brought huge shadows… he looked up again, and saw that the rainbow was transforming… like a wild beast, it was changing its nature. Like a werewolf. Like a predator. The colours shrank back. Grey hued jaws erupted. Wild long fangs of lightning flashed from it. Seeing all this, his heart started to beat fast. He had only one thought in his mind.
“Mummy!”
He saw his mother hiding amongst the trees. He ran to her.
“Mummy…” he cried. Tears were streaming down his cheeks.
When he reached the tree his mother was nowhere. He heard a laugh in opposite direction… he ran towards it… then he stopped. Removed the thorn from his palm. Again he ran. But after reaching he again stopped. Confused. There was nobody to be seen. Only heard. What was it? A moan? A cry? A whimper? A tinkle? A wail? A laughter? Who was making it? Why did he not come in front?
He moved a little ahead and reached a clear patch of grass. And beyond that, hidden among the huge boulders, a glimpse of an waterfall. He moved towards it, suddenly excited. Forgetting everything. Even mummy.
Water cascaded down in heavy measures, bringing along everything, soil stones fishes. He moved aside the huge palm-frond leaf which swung on his face. Thats when a spider stuck to his hand. When it had stuck to him and how, he did not know. But when it bit him, there was nothing in the world but pain. And…
“Mummy!”
Suddenly a fissure appeared on the wall of the cliff. Slowly it widened like a monster’s stretching jaws… then when it was big enough for ten of him to be swallowed inside, there echoed the same cry again… or a laugh? Or a wail?
Finding energy enough for it, he shouted,
“Mummy!”
He woke up suddenly from the nightmare. Sheffy did not move beside him. She just lay there asleep, her long, slender body arced and supple. He kissed her lightly on the forehead. She seemed to have smiled. Or was it the moon-light falling on her face?
He got up and paced around the room. The cold floor burned his feet. Flashes of the nightmare were still reeling on his mind though. Somehow, in some way, he felt deja vu about it, as if it was he himself in that dream. Was it even possible? And the lake. Was it not the same lake? He was very curious now.
He quickly reached the lake and followed the footsteps of the child in his dream. He saw, to his amazement, the same place, and the same palm frond waiting at the entrance of the great waterfall.In one brisk movement, he moved it away from his face, and just like before again a fissure appeared which slowly widened, to open a gaping mouth of the giant, in which ten like him could have fit in. And then issued the low wail….
The colours of the surroundings were straight out of an old, yellowed photograph of long lost times; the kind of colors that make you feel happy and sad at the same time. Moving through such a dreamlike maze, he reached the lake.
Sunlight reflected off its silent ripples, ripples which were there even when the breeze was not. He looked up at the sky and felt the glare of burning sun blind him. He looked in the opposing direction, towards the valleys, where he saw a beautiful rainbow on the cliff ridge. Like a bouncing elf tail. Like a naughty genie. He smiled a little. Then laughed. Then laughed more. Then the world seemed to have joined in his laughter. Everything started to roar in hilarity. Hilarity, which wiped even the burning heat of sun out. And then brought huge shadows… he looked up again, and saw that the rainbow was transforming… like a wild beast, it was changing its nature. Like a werewolf. Like a predator. The colours shrank back. Grey hued jaws erupted. Wild long fangs of lightning flashed from it. Seeing all this, his heart started to beat fast. He had only one thought in his mind.
“Mummy!”
He saw his mother hiding amongst the trees. He ran to her.
“Mummy…” he cried. Tears were streaming down his cheeks.
When he reached the tree his mother was nowhere. He heard a laugh in opposite direction… he ran towards it… then he stopped. Removed the thorn from his palm. Again he ran. But after reaching he again stopped. Confused. There was nobody to be seen. Only heard. What was it? A moan? A cry? A whimper? A tinkle? A wail? A laughter? Who was making it? Why did he not come in front?
He moved a little ahead and reached a clear patch of grass. And beyond that, hidden among the huge boulders, a glimpse of an waterfall. He moved towards it, suddenly excited. Forgetting everything. Even mummy.
Water cascaded down in heavy measures, bringing along everything, soil stones fishes. He moved aside the huge palm-frond leaf which swung on his face. Thats when a spider stuck to his hand. When it had stuck to him and how, he did not know. But when it bit him, there was nothing in the world but pain. And…
“Mummy!”
Suddenly a fissure appeared on the wall of the cliff. Slowly it widened like a monster’s stretching jaws… then when it was big enough for ten of him to be swallowed inside, there echoed the same cry again… or a laugh? Or a wail?
Finding energy enough for it, he shouted,
“Mummy!”
He woke up suddenly from the nightmare. Sheffy did not move beside him. She just lay there asleep, her long, slender body arced and supple. He kissed her lightly on the forehead. She seemed to have smiled. Or was it the moon-light falling on her face?
He got up and paced around the room. The cold floor burned his feet. Flashes of the nightmare were still reeling on his mind though. Somehow, in some way, he felt deja vu about it, as if it was he himself in that dream. Was it even possible? And the lake. Was it not the same lake? He was very curious now.
He quickly reached the lake and followed the footsteps of the child in his dream. He saw, to his amazement, the same place, and the same palm frond waiting at the entrance of the great waterfall.In one brisk movement, he moved it away from his face, and just like before again a fissure appeared which slowly widened, to open a gaping mouth of the giant, in which ten like him could have fit in. And then issued the low wail….
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