The sun was gradually receding into the horizon. The sky, a blend of liquid red and metallic orange, didn’t seem the same it had the last time. With knees drawn to my chest, I had been sitting on the beach for almost an hour but the attraction around had failed to grab its frequent visitor’s attention today.
The sea, that reflected the colours of the sky, seemed liked a fireball and I felt that it intended to wrap me up, everything around me had an urge to swallow me up. Never had I felt so insecure, so lonely, so despondent.
If nothing, then solitude will kill me. I thought.
‘Careful Jay’ said mom as I rolled up my trousers to step into the water. I dragged myself and my younger sister Jiya against the waves, till we felt the water at our knees.
From there I could see dad waving to us and mom munching on her salted peanuts and talking to him. There were hardly times when dad and us were successful in getting mom into the water, hydrophobic, dad used to call her. Dad, who had much of his youthfulness alive, wished to join us, I guess, but this time, he preffered to stay back and accompany mom on the shore.
After a while, I and Jiya helped ourselves back and then ate the warm snacks that mom had bought from a nearby stall. We equally digged into it as mom and dad continued talking about things, things I didn’t understand, or rather I didn’t try to understand. I hurried to pick up the last piece and Jiya snapped ‘Bhaiyya……’. I liked it when she got angry as I irritated her.
Though not into chest-deep but we were successful in dragging mom into foot-deep water and there were we, a nuclear family, hands chained, feeling the world around us, the waves rushing in trying to steal our happiness but unsuccessful, feeling the winds’ thrust against our bodies, I closed my eyes and then opened. I found people capturing the sunset moments.
It happens daily but each day it looks differently beautiful. The beauty of things lies in the eyes of the observer. Every moment you look back, you can find the Knight of death nearing you. Life’s short, made of endless beautiful moments. Glorify each moment as you live it. Dad used to tell.
‘Bhaiyya…………’
I was jolted back to reality.
‘Could you please pass on the ball ?’ a boy aged around 5 shouted.
Back from the cremation ground, having witnessed the fire engulf my dear ones, I was no more alive. How destiny had played its role in killing my mom and the driver on the spot,leaving dad and my sister with injuries to which they had to ultimately succumb and me with not so severe bruises all over the body. I still could feel the jerk as the Scorpion collided with a truck on the highway on the way back from our hometown.
I threw the ball to the gang of young boys and watched them play. I wished, I was one among them with parents always present to look after.
I got up and walked towards the kids and then joined them. They were too happy to have a senior amongst them.
As we played, I asked ‘Where are your parents?’
The oldest among them, who hardly aged 10 replied, ‘We are orphans from the Daffodils Orphanage’ and there was silence all around.
I remembered the day when I had visited the Daffodils Orphanage with my family, right on the other side of the beach.
We are orphans.....
I felt a striking sense of similarity and bonding with the boys.
I left them playing and walked towards the water. The waves rushed harder this time. I closed my eyes, and heard dad saying…
We have the slightest notion about the next moment for every next moment is future. You can either choose to be a prisoner of the past or strive to become a pioneer of the future. All you need to do is cherish every moment of the present!
My feet sank into the sand beneath. I turned and walked back, the waves cleared off my footprints.
I had chosen the latter.
