I want to be invisible!

 

                                                                                                                Pic Credit: Google Images

“Roshan….get ready soon boy, we are going to be late for sure….”

She warned him repeatedly but in vain. Roshan was trying to figure out the reason for the ants’ disciplined movement, marching in a line…he never saw such discipline back in his school. His mother’s repeated warning didn’t seem to bother him at all. A miscreant ant deviated a bit and bit his leg rapidly and scooted back to the line, bringing him back to his senses.

“Yes, mom…but I don’t want to school anymore.” He whispered drooping his head.

“You better be quick, I got to make it on time at least today, and don’t forget to take your goggles, put them on.” She reminded him in haste.

Roshan came near her in his tantrum and reiterated, “I don’t want to go to school mom, all are laughing at me, I can’t stand them anymore…please mom, I would rather go with you than face those bullies.”

She knelt before Roshan, her eyes brimmed over in grief, but wore a smile on her sullen face while dissimulating well before her little one, “but you know….you look great in those shades.” She adjusted the dark goggles onto his little nose and kissed him close. She was already late to work….Roshan had to be dropped at school and only then could she get to work. At the yard, the second shift must have already begun.

The bullies had already lined up, “Roshan…how many have you got, one or two”? He pretended as if he was not deterred by such questions. Adjusting his dark goggles, he sat on his place. He neither had any friends to talk with nor did he attempt to make one. He often found solace in solitude and mumbled discreetly like a curse. The intimidating and browbeating words of the bullies often put him down, making him further droop before all.  

The same array of ants was also found here on the rugged floor of his shabby classroom. He was excited at this sight. He concentrated on their movement as if trailing something in hurry. Every time an ant combed and brushed its antenna and touched each other, Roshan smiled at it with a spurt of happiness and curiosity. He was almost lost, snooping into the row of ants, he found a strange joy in closely watching them using his dark shades.

Thud… there was a loud bang on the desk….but Roshan was lost in the world of disciplined ants. Not being aware of the arrival of the teacher, he was seen seated snooping about something interesting. The teacher was new to the class, she was inquisitive about Roshan wearing sunglasses.

Boys in the class turned naughty a bit, “he is a single-eyed creature teacher!” Laughter echoed all around….Roshan stared at the bullies….

“Remove your glass”…teacher shouted aloud. He reluctantly removed his sunglasses. She was stunned to see him with a single eye…

The dark clouds on the horizon seemed to swell up for a thunderstorm. Amidst hilarious laughter and bullying, Roshan felt like being torn apart. He picked up his shabby bag and ran out of the class. As soon as he left the classroom the raindrops began hitting the ground vigorously, drenching him completely. He kept on running until he hid behind a bush near the abandoned railway track. He sat under those bushes panting and weeping. There was no one to give heed to his lamentations. He raised his voice in a complaint to his creator….. “Why did you do this to me? Why didn’t you give me two eyes like any of my classmates?” Except for the pattering sound of the raindrops and intermittent thunder, he couldn’t hear anything nothing else. There was no answer for his frantic queries. He felt as though his words were also drenched in the rain.

The rain refused to subside…he walked towards his hut. His mother was anxiously waiting for his arrival. “What is this Roshan, I have always warned you not to get wet in the rain, but you don’t seem to understand me.” Roshan didn’t bother about his mother’s caution. He threw his little bag and sat at the corner of the shed. The hurt also was leaking profusely, and the rainwater found its way through the holes. “Stupid rains…..” he muttered in anger.

“Rohan…come here, here take this…” She extended a plateful of hot porridge… “This will definitely keep you warm” She sighed. But Rohan was not interested in any. He was lost in the thought…seeing him immersed in thought she asked, “what is bothering you, my son?” He replied nothing.  

Roshan held his plate a bit high and tried to hold the drops falling from the dilapidated roof. The rain seemed to have subsided a bit, but the sky was still dark….the clouds above continued to brood over something. Rohan began digging into his plate with a curved spoon.

Roshan’s mother was now ready for her routine drawing task…..she used to draw an eye for Roshan without any fail. He was born with only one eye and in place of the other eye, he had only some flesh accumulated. But she always affirmed that he was normal, just like anyone out there, except that he was special among all.

 Raising his head he asked his mother out of the blue, “Amma you always said God would grant us whatever we ask for, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes dear definitely!” She caressed his plumpy cheeks and answered.

“If so ask God to make me invisible mom…!” suddenly there was a bolt of ominous lightning which lit up her pale face. Roshan could see her mother’s livid face in the pale light of the lightning that lit up the hut.

She was bewildered by his demand, “but why do you want to be invisible son?”

“If I am invisible, no one can see me nah…and I won’t be bullied anymore”.

She managed to bring up a smile on her pale face and said, “you know, when you are grown up like me you will have one more eye.”

But Roshan was not satisfied with these lame excuses, he kept on requesting his mother, “I want to be invisible.” The thunder began rumbling louder and louder.

Days crawled by….Rohan had lately developed symptoms of agoraphobia, he hated the crowd…he found solace in remaining at his small hut. Even a small noise made him insecure. He completely stopped going to school….the world was going away from him. His mother was troubled by her child’s behaviour. She had to wait on him all day long. Rohan held the image of his dearest god and kept praying to make him invisible. Seasons gone by, but Rohan was adamant, for he wanted to be invisible. No matter what his mother said, he refused to calm down….he prayed for the boon and waited. He even refused to let his mother go out of the house, for he was afraid of her being tarnished by the people. After all, she was the mother of a single-eyed boy.

She was cooking, the firebrands resembled her aching heart, and she wept for her son in silence.  But Rohan wanted her to pray for the boon, he held the god’s image to his bosom and prayed…. ‘God make me invisible, please’. He sounded desperate today, “God, where are you? Mom why are you not praying for me…you don’t seem to care for me or bother about my distress.”

Those words were like a sword that pierced her heart……she lived only for her son and never wanted to see him suffer…..

“Dear, go and lie on that mat…make sure that you pray earnestly to God to grant you the boon, I am sure you will be granted your heart’s desires soon.”

She quickly fanned into the fire and the firebrands began glowing, the flames began engulfing the brands quickly.

Roshan was praying earnestly……she picked up a glowing firebrand from the oven and approached him with shivering hands. She said, “Son you will be made invisible now, the god to whom you were praying all these days is here, do not open your eye.” Roshan was excited and waited for god to work on him and make him invisible.

Trembling had already ceased her, but she brought down the glowing firebrand close to his eye….Rohan could feel the heat of the fire…but he was ready to be liberated to a new world. She placed the firebrand in his eye….the lightning struck with a tumultuous thunder that followed…. there was darkness….

She was heard wailing aloud…….He wanted to be invisible….the god ran out of the image…