It was a sunny, lazy afternoon. She stood leaning against the pink shutter like door of her neighbor’s car porch, always aware of the Ambassador that proudly stood behind the door. The door was dusty and had alphabets, numbers and drawings all over it, made by little fingers that were amused by the working of this pink board, trying to imitate their teacher at school who unfortunately had only the black boring board. She was staring at her house, trying to figure out something. Why did the sales men, beggars, rag pickers, those people in white clothes who came as a group and all those random strangers who visited home for something as random always get fooled by her house? What made them think that the two entrances that the house had were of two different houses? It was funny and also annoying because she was always made to run to the other door when those people like fools rang the door bell thinking that it was a different house. She got bored of staring after a moment so she turned around and began drawing on the pink board. Trying her best to match her drawing to a sunflower, she couldn’t ever manage to get all petals to be in a shape and size. Upset by it she left the flower and started on a hut. She was engrossed in the drawing when she heard somebody walking down the road. She turned around hoping to see her brother but found some other man, a sales man. He stepped in through the small front gate and rang the calling bell. Her mother opens the door and tells him that she needs nothing that he sells, he steps out disheartened. A moment later she hears the second calling bell of her house ringing and her mother again opening the door. She stood laughing as the sales man walked away embarrassed…
…
Half awake from the sleep she took in the sound of rain pelting on the asbestos. She liked the asbestos, which her father made the workers fix to not let the rain water fall onto the verandah, for this same reason, it magnified the sound of rain; it added an extra life and power to it. She opened her eyes when her grandmother who was sleeping beside her shifted in her sleep, and was puzzled for a moment. Then she realized that she had slept here with her grandmother instead of the room upstairs that she shared with her brother. This was the better room, she finally decided. It was cool, dark, neat. She thought of the other room, her room. Then she altered her decision and labeled that one the best. It was spacious enough for them to roller skate. She thought about the last time they did roller skating there and suddenly wanted to get off the bed. It was then that the horrifying truth doomed on her. It was a Monday; she had to go to school. She was deeply hurt by the latest realization and was almost in tears. She heard her mother walking in and acted asleep but to no avail. She moved to the next step that is wail out loud. As she did that her grandmother woke up perplexed. A while later the situation worsened as everybody in the household joined in and was obviously against her. She finally gave up and cursed her fate as she got readied by her mother. After a tormenting breakfast along with a glass of milk she, with a heavy heart, awaited the school van to take her away, to that terrible room named LKG- A…
…
All kind of emotions were boiling inside her as she intensely watched the guy, the hero, getting beaten up by the goondas. He was broken and bleeding, she couldn’t imagine the pain that he must be going through. She was hoping him to regain strength and hit the goondas back and win over them but to her dismay it never happened. The guy could do nothing against the goondas. She looked around and saw everybody else watching the film too except for her father who was peacefully sleeping on his easy chair. She was shocked to see him sleeping, how could he sleep when something so terrible was happening? Didn’t any of this affect him at all? She was brought back to the film when the hero screamed out in pain. He was about to die now and still the goondas did not stop beating him. His face was bloodied and looked scary. She couldn’t anymore hold back her emotions and so she let them free. She wept hard, too grieved. It was then that she heard her brother laughing and teasing her for crying, she looked at him through the teary blur. She was so sure that he would be scolded for being so insensitive but to her shock everybody joined in the laughter. They laughed so hard and she felt so embarrassed that she wailed harder. A moment later when the laughter subsided, she wiped her tears away and sheepishly grinned at them…
…
She was hiding behind the shabby shed in her neighbor’s garden. She was panting after the long swift run that she made in order to hide before he, the police, counted up to 50. She was one among the 5 robbers, all boys except her. She hoped none of them would hide anywhere near her secret place. Once they find this out she would lose the best secret place that she has. Nobody has ever found this spot and she is never caught. She was feeling proud of herself as she hid there, panting. She heard two boys laughing and recognized them by their voice, realized two robbers were down, already. That is when one of the other robbers pounced behind her. She was shocked and let out a gasp. He smiled at her but did not stop to hide there; he jumped over her neighbor’s wall and disappeared. A moment later she was caught by the police…
…
Memories are always there. You just have to summon them when you need them.
