The Unexplained -1

In the epoch of robots and science, where we have conquered moon and galaxies, everything has got an explanation. Why the apple fell down on the ground? Why planets are moving in fixed orbits and why don’t the change their way in go as u like manner? Why don’t we fall down from the earth? Why the rain comes after summer and summer after winter? There are so many questions like these that answer the word ‘why’. And why not? Everything has got a reason of its being. Our quest is not satisfied until we get the proper reason. The world is ruled by reason and logic. ‘This is illogical’ and ‘that is unreasonable’ is often received when one fails to explain something what he believes to exist. But living in the same place we often experience some events that are far from reasons. Their existence is denied by scientific brains and we ordinary people who witness these cases, what they call fable. Some prefer to call it supernatural which means not existing in the nature or subject to explanation. I call it ‘The Unexplained’.

The Anklet

It was late in the evening I was returning from a friends place, back in my home town. Those who don’t know how a late winter evening looks like in a small place like Pali, 200 miles from Bhopal. Pali was a beautiful place with its local tribes and migrants who have come here for their livelihood. Most of them are turned into miners and the rest were running small shops of daily goods. There weren’t many people in the town. The place was surrounded by mountains, meadows and lakes. Most of the people finish their work in daylight. The place hardly functions after the dawn. There was no public transport either. To commute either you own your vehicle or trust your leg, that’s simple.

So it was 7.30 PM in the evening and I was returning home from a friend’s-place who lived in a different colony 2 kms away. Her name was Mala. We finished our graduation together. After that I went to city for further studies and she did her masters from the same college. Whenever I come home visiting her was a must. This time I brought her a leather purse from the city and she gifted me a pair of anklets. Anklet is a very important piece of ornament worn by ladies around the ankle, in her community. We bengali’s hardly wear it. I was always very fond of the same as my parents would never let me buy one. I was very happy to receive my gift. It was exactly like one of those I always wanted to have. It was made with silver surrounded with lots of nupur, that makes distinguished sound with every step. Without wasting time I had tied it around my ankle.

It was falling winter, month of November. Her father had a night shift so there was no one at her home who could drop me to my house. But I assured my Mala’s mother that I can manage alone and I started back home. I was walking slowly swinging my purse and singing a song in mind. All the way I was thinking about the gift I had received. I was thrilled. Also I liked walking alone as I rarely get the opportunity to walk in a winter evening like this. There were hardly any people on the street but there were trucks and jeeps plying on the road once in every 3-4 minutes. There wasn’t much light on the street either. I was murmuring this hindi song and my anklet was complimenting its tune. The roadside shops are closed now and there wasn’t anyone walking on the street. I saw my watch it was 15mins past 8. It was considerable late and I wasn’t near halfway. If my parents come to know about my idea of walking at this hour then probably this would be my last visit to Mala. So I started walking little faster. It was dark, but I have been living there for many years and I have seen those lanes well in daylight. So it wasn’t difficult for me to track down the way. I was accompanied by the screams of beetles and other insects in an otherwise silence night. Not to forget my anklets, which was breaking the silence of the chilled night. The faster I was walking the harder the sound was. All these weird mixture of noises buzzed in my ear and all I wanted to feel was complete silence. I wanted to take off my anklet but I didn’t find it wise to stop in the middle of the lane at this hour. The journey seemed to be a long and never ending one and there wasn’t a single man I could see on the street. I wasn’t feeling well. I was frightened too. I wanted to run and break-free the awful journey. I started taking quick steps and my ears went numb with the noise of my anklets. I wanted to get rid of the noise and finally I ran. I ran away from the noise. I ran for my home. I ran for my life. Finally I reached my house. The back of my dress was wet from sweating. I was exhausted and went to sleep without changing. I could hear a woman’s voice asking me to get up and have dinner but I was too frail to do so.

The next morning I got up 9 am. I was still tired. Suddenly someone rang the doorbell and I went to answer. I was taken by surprise to see Mala there with a small box in her hand. I called her inside and asked for tea. She replied “No, I was going this way. So I thought I should hand over this box to you”. I took the box from her hand and asked “what is it?”. She replied, “See it, you forgot to take it yesterday from my house” and left. I came inside and opened the box, it was the same anklet she gifted me last night.

Madhurima Acharya
26th Dec' 08