The streets weren’t safe after dawn. I had no clue as to where I was standing. It was a narrow lane, with small hamlets that had shiny roofs. As it was nearing dawn in a couple of hours, I couldn’t decipher the exact location, without my google map, and, my specks, as usual, weren’t anywhere in the vicinity.
I was dumbfounded to see a pretty mermaid, smiling and beckoning me to follow her through the lane. She held my hand gently, and directed me, without force. I shrieked in shock, but the inquisitive version of me wanted to know desperately what she had in store for me!
I was a little anxious, but felt at ease, as she guided me. “Watch your step!” She warned. I noticed little wedges on the path, through which little shrubs of pink and white roses gave me a welcoming aroma.
I walked, or rather got pulled into the magnetic trance, of the stunningly captivating aura of the mermaid. There was something about her that didn’t allow me to stop following her!
There was a garden with fragrances better than all the perfumes, a waterfall that showered Rosemilk, a ball pool, where the balls were replaced by jalebis, Mysorepak, and Motichoor Ladoos! The trees had candy barks and branches, the leaves reminded me of peppermint, all the fruits were different in size, colour, and taste too, they weren’t like the store-bought packed ones, for sure! As I opened my mouth in astonishment, after biting into one, I found chocolate benches, ice-cream slides, and a caky walking track! (Maybe that’s what a cakewalk meant here, in this place!) She asked me if I liked the experience, while I was soaking myself in the kheer tub, and I nodded with twinkling eyes, not caring about how she would have graded me as the worst “foodie”.
The road got wider, and that’s when I noticed it was going to dawn!
The clock was ticking; I just had a few minutes of freedom and security! I needed to get back home before sunrise and turned around. To my horror, everything that I had rejoiced till that moment had vanished! The road had caved in, the garden had serpents all over, the trees looked like giants, and housed vampires that had red eyes of fire, and burning tongues, that leashed and unleashed scorpions generously on the slimy walking track, that was once just soft cake!!!!
I looked for the beautiful mermaid in despair; she wasn’t anywhere there!
My face, fingers and toes turned numb when I heard a chuckle from behind. I couldn’t think of any word to describe her/him/it. It laughed again, this time, there was smoke from the mouth area. By now, I was trembling and felt a sudden urge to visit the washroom too! But, my mind said, ” come on, deal with this first, and get back home, SOON”.
I kept a neutral face, and with the maximum courage I could muster, I asked, “could you please tell me how I can get back home? “my mouth was dry even before I finished the query. There was a moment of silence, which I felt like a decade got over, before I got an answer. “People who come here, stay here!” And that caused a low pressure, inside my body! The dress I was wearing stuck to my body as if it was slowly getting bonded with perspiration fevicol! Alas! I realised I have lost my way; there wasn’t any clue to how or from where I needed to move. The knowledge of geography I had was useless now! I tried to measure the distance I had walked around till now, mentally, but my weak mathematics surrendered and let me down! I decided this was not the time for hypothetical guesses, and I needed to be practical, and FAST too.
I asked again, ” please l need to go home, this place is scary!” This time my tone pleaded.
“Mm…so what, you don’t have a way out!” This time the reply came immediately, with sarcasm. “Stay here, or risk your life, trying to get back!”, the hands pointed to the awful scene behind me.
Now that I got over a percent of my scare, I decided to befriend “it” and get out of the mess I created myself.
“I am sure you can be kind to me, and show me the way, to reach home safely, please… And, before dawn.” I was begging now.
And that worked! “It”, or rather “she”, melted instantly. ” You think I am kind? Then let me BE kind!
She suddenly shook her body, I was amazed to see her golden wings, she looked very different…from AWFUL to AWESOME!
“Come on, we have only a minute more!” She instructed, “close your eyes, if this is unbearable”, she added.
I shut my eyes, but my mind’s eye opened automatically! Kindness doesn’t always have to look shiny and good. It may be under an ugly mask too, but our eyes and mind imagine with premonition always.
In just a wink, it felt like a “crash course” journey, atop the ugly serpent mountains, the thorny wedges and the acid volcanoes! The vampires gleamed in disappointment; they couldn’t reach me! And each turned beautiful again, as soon as my intuition, outlook and expectation took a different angle.
And there, I was in my bed again, drenched in sweat, in spite of the AC turned on high!
“I think she’s ok now, just continue the same pills for another day.” I opened my eyes, as I heard voices. My husband was standing with a thermometer in his hand and saw the doctor to the door. I gave him a questioning look.
“I told you not to read that spooky book while going to bed, and better chant “Hanuman Chalisa”, now see, you shouted, fainted and got us all alarming!”, he snapped.
It took a while for me, and some hot filter coffee, to come back to the moment and also recapture my dream!
Pushkasmom
