A Dismal Frame
The large rubicand sphere of the setting sun, held his attention set for a few minutes and he sat on the stone- bench looking at the panorama
with wide open eyes.
It was one of those lake-side evening scenery which attracted many people , especially the "keep fit" sort of people.
There were also others like Amar who went there seeking some relief from inner agony or discomfort .
The huge lake seemed to occupy a large part of the ambience.
On the one curved side there was profuse growth of wild weeds and reeds with broad and long leaves. There were also other water plants and a distant place were the lotuses stood peering out on their broad floating leaves.
The sun set as usual and darkness began to slouch and creep in . Within minutes again the stars began to peep out; and the lake reflected only angular light which added to the beauty of the spot .
Amar was constantly absorbed ; and he began to turn his eyes in the direction from where the orchestra of the frogs and the crickets began. With the passage of time the croaking and screeching grew intense and occupying.
The glimmerings of the glow- worms began and their movements grew rampant.
Amar still was reluctant to leave the place. There was something in the place at the moment which held him back.
As a school going boy ,and that was more than a decade ago -
he used to walk along the edge of the lake and chose to balance himself as he walked along the border of the deeper side of the lake, paved with solid hard stone slabs .
There were long evenings too which he used to spend there gazing the moon and the stars and enjoying the little enclosure with its resonant noises
forming a wild melody. Now as he sat there, he experienced a strange feeling of alienation.
A span of almost twelve years had taken away everything and everyone dear and near to him.
The hope and confidence ,the quintessence of existence had been drained away from him.
He was sapless and insipid , despite his healthy, physical looks.
Finally since he felt thirsty and hungry he got up and went near the edge of the pavement and bent down with his mouth dipped in water to drink.
There was a jerk, which caused imbalance , and he fell into the lake headlong.
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Amar had always believed in chance and luck as being decisive in life .
A slothful person that he was , he always cherished the comfortable idea that Fortune would forever favour him and he would become rich and live a long happy life .
He dreamt of possessing all, and every thing of his choice.
Being thus a dreamy person by nature, he had no taste for work. He lacked the patience which backs all hard working successful people.
He often consulted the fortune - tellers and mystical spiritualists who exploited him, besides misleading . To some extent this was responsible for the lacuna in him.
Ever since he gained his senses as a lad, his mother started influencing his mind with mystical thoughts and the unseen, unknown power of the deity, from time to time she would change believing in and worshiping.
She always believed that the deity would help her and save her despite lapses on her part.
Her husband had deserted her for her misgivings which affected his balanced, and rational way of life.
Every next day she visited a temple or a holy place seeking blessings and relief from imaginary problems .
In fact, she herself did not know what she wanted ; or even, what was her purpose in haunting or running after the holy places and mystics.
This long life of futility, anxiety and negligence, completely spoiled Amar and he developed strange complexes.
For everything , he wanted things to take their own initiative.
Ultimately this attitude made him not only unsuccessful in life but also a kind of invalid, despite his physical fitness.
With the death of his mother, he became an introvert and spent his days and nights wherever and however he was.
Perhaps he lacked the basic spirit of independent existence or self dependence. His father who had deserted him long ago, never cared to know his whereabouts or his predicament .
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When Amar opened his eyes and regained his senses he found that he was in a bed and was being looked over by a teenager boy and a doctor in white overcoat and stethoscope dangling around his neck .
The doctor suggested that the victim needed some rest ; and he went out.
The boy who introduced himself to Amar as Manu was about 14 or 15 years old, with a strong built body and neat gestures .
He placed his palm on the forehead of Amar and told him that he had been saved from drowning in the lake.
He wanted to know what Amar had been doing there in that position .
Amar took quite some time to reconstruct what he had done and what had happened to him.
He slowly uttered :
" I wanted to drink water......... I was feeling trusty and hungry.... "
The boy was somewhat perplexed. He was not sure whether the victim was physically fit or suffered from some aliment.
He sat by his side and tried his best to comfort him. He also briefed him about how his mother had worked hard for him and made him self-dependent , and how presently he worked for eight hours in a factory .
He also told him that for the most part of the day ,his work and responsibility kept him away from his mother and home.
Amar started sobbing , and in a few seconds ,broke down crying.
The boy was overcome with pity and compassion. He was perplexed and wanted to know more about Amar.
But he didn't know how to get at it. Somehow thinking that he needed some help, Manu offered to take him back to his house. The latter accepted it , and was happy.
As they reached Amar's house, Manu was surprised and shocked. A strong rancid smell was coming from inside the house which had being closed.
Manu saw that the hall was full of little clay - pots filled with ashes. There were several kinds of withered and dried flowers and leaves in some corners of the house. It was the house which was left by his father as a legacy for his wife and son before disappearing from their sickly life.
Manu didn't know what to do. He thought of leaving Amar to himself and go.
The latter held his hand and slowly said something which made Manu think that the former needed his presence and more help.
Then he began to reveal slowly about his sleeping mother and about some chosen things till at last he linked things with his luck which saved him that day in the form of the boy.
Manu thought it polite gratitude at first. But after a few minutes ,he realised that he had been talking to a person unreasonable and superstitious.
He also found that his beliefs and conviction were sickening and stupid.
He wondered about the possible contents of the closed room in the house.
When asked about it , he was told that his mother was sleeping inside. Manu was now completely shaken.
He ventured to go near the room. As he touched the handle , Amar made a silencing sound to hush and not make noise as he would
disturb her. Ignoring him Manu opened the door only to stagger with shock.
There was a decomposed corpse and the whole house was now filled with horrible, nauseating, stenchy smell .
Closing the door immediately Manu looked back at Amar and asked him what was that.
The latter said committedly :
"She is my mother who is sleeping...... I tried to wake her up.... She is still sleeping....
I am waiting for her to wake up to give me some food.... I am hungry..... But I will wait.... ".
Manu was astounded and he could now understand the whole situation.
He went out and soon returned with some packed food and water bottles . He told Amar that his mother had told him to get some food for him.
Manu left Amar eating the food.
Soon the house was crowded with authorities and the media people.
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Nearly four years elapsed . Amar is now restored to normalcy ; and is cleanly and neatly dressed.He looks at everything as it is and as it appears to be.
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