The night was all quiet except for the occasional bleating of the sheeps and the chirping of crickets. In the little light i could see the dark clouds hanging low ready to burst. It resembled the bulged bellies of giants.
"Lord Indra spare us a few days of sunshine!"
I heard my mother approach from behind. I stood at the edge of the courtyard facing the pond. The frogs were quiet tonight. Maybe they had taken early shelter from the impending rain. I walked back to my room absorbing the stillness of the night and water the misty wind brought, just equally. A smile dawned on my face as i pulled the blanket. I knew this scent , it was my mother's. Then dreamt away embracing her love.
It had been long since i woke up to the crowing of roosters.
"cock-a-doodle-doo"
"cock-a-doodle-doo"
In the darkness , i could just make out the white rooster. I walked out into the courtyard to the scented incense and freshly plucked flowers. My mother had just completed her morning prayers and was feeding the birds. I put on my shoes and went passed the chickens and pigeons fluttering away only to be back for the grains. Sherlock followed me as i climbed the narrow path leading to the main road. The road was still damp and the trees showered droplets from the night's rain.
"Don't wander too far..........." my mother's voice trailed away.
By the time the horizon turned crimson i had ran past the village school and the shopkeepers. The sun's rays started breaking through the clouds as i turned back to the chirping of birds. The farmers , ploughs on their back and the day's meal packed drove the oxens towards the green fields. I faced the sunrise, clouds wandering at my feet. On the hilltop i could see the Buddhist gumba, so white , that coupled with the sunrise after a rain it almost blinded my eyes.The temple flags fluttered high and low. Below the lush green fields seemed to end nowhere. The trees looked as if cut into two as the silvery rays forced thier way through. Surrounding grass bent heavy and low, each blade swaying to drop the dew; regret, it appeared. A random thought came to me , an instance from the Mahabharata where Dhritarastra answers to the yaksha that regret is the heaviest thing on the earth. A conch shell blew in the nearby temple and disturbed my thoughts. I smiled and started my way downhill through the forest.
The entrance leading to my house reminds me of the shire of the hobbits from tolkein's Lord of the rings. The flowering bamboos , the cactuses and ofcourse my favourite the Bougainvillea plant. The sheeps were now roaming the meadows and their bleating replaced by mooing cows. A fine day had just begun.
I was impatient as i had my breakfast. The child in me had awaken and memories started playing as if it was real and i was living in a dream. Couldn't wait more to revisit my childhood days. I could hear the trees calling out to me. I put out the food for Sherlock(my dog) to complete and raced out of the house into the meadow. As i ran along i could see that I was jumping every now and then, leap of joy. I felt that i knew them all even the stones. It was as if i could feel them and they could understand me. I followed the steam all the way smiling at the trees , waving at them till i reached my favourite one , the one i perched on as a child , hands on my flute playing tunes only i would appreciate. I hugged the tree and sat beneath it. It had a scent too , could be the bark or the decaying leaves but it made me think that all things you love and hold dear have a different odour, sometimes bad but you love it nonetheless. It would be wrong to say that i was happy , i was ecstatic. I looked up; sparrows, dove, bulbul, myna, the bee-eater , Kingfisher- the dazzling variety , the colours, thier playfulness, it was just breathtaking. A squirrel hurrying towards its burrow with a nut gazed at me for some time , left it behind and disappeared. It is not everyday that you see a 23 year old child.
Once again i got carried away by my thoughts as i sat observing the bees humming on the flowers. I thought of how poets and writers are inspired by trees and flowers and not tall buildings and if everyone appreciates nature as much as i do. And i thought of why i feel uneasy in cities and malls and bars. Because i belong here among the trees.
By now the cows had had thier full and were lazying around in the sun. The shepherd had gathered to share thier meals. The sun shone brighter and yellow. Birds were quieter and the only noise was the jingling of cow bells and the brook babbling. I lied facing the sky gazing at the vastness then closed my eyes at peace with myself.
And i thought," I could call it a day!"
"Hell!! i could call it a lifetime!"
