The Photograph
Oshi lived in an old dilapidated stone building but her house was quite big which had a long stretched living room and a little kitchen adjoining the toilet- bathroom and a small bedroom connected to a balcony . She was getting ready to go out for which she had donned a black t -shirt and black trousers; had tied her hair up into a pony tail and as she was looking at herself in the mirror, her expressions had become cringed and disturbed. She was agitated because constantly her mother –in-law was banging the toilet door. She went out near the toilet and saw her furious mother-in-law who was still banging the toilet door and looking upwards. Oshi questioned her with no much concern in her voice, “ Mother , what’s the matter ,why are you doing this?”
Her mother-in-law looked at her disconcerted and answered ,” There is this lizard up there in the toilet…its bothering me …and there is also this monkey sitting on the toilet roof …you know these monkeys up there …they can recognize the smell of lizards…you know why …because they can jump high and reach up higher where usually lizards are.Do you understand that?”
Oshi just smirked at what her mother-in –law had just said. As she started leaving, her mother-in-law stopped and asked her
“ Where are you going?”
“ As usual mother …I don’t know.”
“ Ok fine ….but come soon. Till the time you come back ...i must have shooed away this lizard. By the way Oshi, have you taken that photograph.” Her mother –in-law asked pointing to the wooden table .
Oshi went near the table and tucked the photograph into her handbag.
“ Bye” she said and climbed down the old wooden stairs .
She had to go a long way because she didn’t know where she was going. Actually she was in quest of someone very very important , someone whom she could not live without.
Oshi had been searching this person since her childhood or may be when she was born , or may be when she first entered her mother’s womb or may be when her soul was created by God. She had been searching this person from a very long time , for which she had taken many efforts. She had traveled in different countries like Europe , America ,South Africa and even regions like Greenland and Antarctica, but her search was to no avail, but she had not given up. She kept her search continued and some one recently told her that the one whom she is searching is not very far away , but in her own area, and therefore, since that day, she was determined to search that person in her own locality and so she had set out today with the photograph of that person whom she was frantically trying to reach out.
Oshi was now walking on a long gray road in the scorching summer heat. She was sweating but her determination to search that person did not stop her, but she had to rest and she was famished so Oshi decided to take some refreshments from a nearby shop. She entered a shady lane and asked the shop keeper,
“ Can I get a caramel bar here?”
“ Yes , of course.” The shopkeeper opened the refrigerator and handed her the caramel bar.
“ How much?”
“ Just 10 rs” he answered.
Oshi produced a ten rupee note and gave it to the shopkeeper, but she was astounded when someone from behind called out her name and asked her,” Hey Oshi, what is the need to spend so much just for a caramel bar.Come home for food.”
Oshi turned back and again smirked. She saw it was her cousin who was sitting there near the shop with a basket full of vegetables.
“ O didi, I am in haste …not today, by the way …just wait.”
Oshi produced the photograph in front of her cousin and asked ,” See carefully didi …do you know this person?”
When the photograph was shown, her cousin was stupefied .
“ What are you asking Oshi?Are you sane?”
“ Of course I am sane didi, Do you this person?”
Her cousin kept on staring at Oshi blankly and then without saying a word and sensing the bizarreness of the situation , she hastily left for her house.
Oshi was disappointed as since afternoon whoever she had shown this photograph had become tongue tied and bamboozled in her presence. She did not understand why people were running away from her as if they had seen an apparition. Since she had set out in the afternon , she had met at least 50 people who were baffled and perplexed by her puzzling enquiry and dismayed by looking at her and the photograph.
Now it was the evening that was approaching and the sky was bathed in the orange twilight glow. The twitter of the birds were slowing down as they were heading home and the orange glow of the sky was darkening quite unhurriedly. It was almost dark now and the on the black canvas of the sky, were gradually appearing little twinkling stars. Oshi looked up with disappointment , but she was determined not to lose hope. She still had hopes that she will soon find the person she had been searching since ages.
But now she had to go home, after all her mother-in-law was waiting for her, so she decided to walk back on the long weary gray road.She was crestfallen and thirsty and there was still more half an hour to reach her home, but a ray of hope came when she saw a group of girls walking from her opposite side. She instantly recognized them .They were her childhood friends and they too recognized her. Oshi was thrilled and she went running towards them. She hugged each of them firmly and usual friendly greetings and banterings took place between them. One of her friends saw the photograph in Oshi’s hand and took it immediately to Oshi’s surprise. The friend said with a great appreciating tone,”Wow Oshi.” The other’s also said in unison a big “ WOW”.
Oshi smiled and asked them the same question which she had been asking everyone she met since afternoon.” So …do you know this person?I have been searching this person since many days.” As Oshi spoke , her friends gave her a bewildered look.Oshi’s voice was grave and strange.
One of her friend said , “ O Oshi …now stop kidding.”
“ I am not kidding .” Oshi snapped
Oshi’s expressions were a mixture of anger and turmoil and grief.She was almost on the verge of crying, but instead of consoling her, her friends were quite scared now of being near her. Her shabby appearance, her insane questioning made her look terrifyingly esoteric. They could not wait there and left her alone without giving her any answers. They all were stumped at her behaviour which they had found weird and all of them on their way had labeled her ‘mad’.
Oshi was now flabbergasted and continued walking on the gray long road.Now it was completely dark and it was the new moon day. Only the stars twinkled on the vast black firmament, but for Oshi’s assistance there were street lights helping her reach home, but Oshi was now quite dehydrated and she badly needed to quench her thirst. She had not even brought her own water bottle, so she decided to knock at someone’s door on the way , but as she walked, she could not see any house. The road looked deserted.She kept walking and walking as if her journey had no ending. It appeared as if she will never reach home .Oshi’s eyes had turned hopeless and numb, but she knew that again tomorrow she will linger here on the roads showing that photograph and asking whereabouts of that person, but as Oshi was treading wearily and to pump her hopes once again, she suddenly noticed a small glowing bulb in a shack located in the interiors of the groves lined next to the road. She immediately set her foot on the foot path from the concrete road to approach that shack. She observed it was even darker there and surrounded by neem trees that looked quite dense and sinister. The wind was still and the musical orchestra of the nocturnal beasts quite audible.It took her at least ten minutes to reach there , but when she finally arrived , she saw that this shack was actually a small cheap restaurant where she could see many men who looked like truck drivers and construction workers feasting on humble delicacies, but all of a sudden her eyes fell on someone whom she instinctively knew would take her to the person she was tirelessly searching. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him.His back was towards her, but from the big mirror hung on the opposite wall , he had seen her coming. He quickly turned back to see her and seeing his charismatic smile she was drawn to him profoundly. He looked like a poor savage hungrily gulping down his food.
She stood behind gazing at him as if he was some newly freed exotic, fascinating animal gobbling up his food in heavenly delight. Oshi’s happiness knew no bounds when she saw him.She said looking into his auburn eyes,
“ I had been searching you since eons…where were you.” This sentence made him blush and he replied.
“ Just wait …let me finish my food .”
He continued eating and Oshi began observing his slim brown body that was now donned in a white muddied vest. His equally muddied shirt was lying on the chair next to him. Oshi saw herself in the mirror and what she observed was her eyes too had turned auburn.
As he returned after washing his hands , he wore his shirt and came up to meet Oshi. Oshi’s eyes were in tears. She instantly embraced him.
He too passionately buried his face beside her neck and opened his mouth to give her a love bite. Oshi reacted with delight at his amorous touch and said teasing him,
“Wasn’t the food enough for you ?”
He giggled and looking into her eyes he asked ,” So …did you find that person whom you were searching?”
Smiling ,Oshi nodded and said “ Yes ….i just found her.”
Oshi lived in an old dilapidated stone building but her house was quite big which had a long stretched living room and a little kitchen adjoining the toilet- bathroom and a small bedroom connected to a balcony . She was getting ready to go out for which she had donned a black t -shirt and black trousers; had tied her hair up into a pony tail and as she was looking at herself in the mirror, her expressions had become cringed and disturbed. She was agitated because constantly her mother –in-law was banging the toilet door. She went out near the toilet and saw her furious mother-in-law who was still banging the toilet door and looking upwards. Oshi questioned her with no much concern in her voice, “ Mother , what’s the matter ,why are you doing this?”
Her mother-in-law looked at her disconcerted and answered ,” There is this lizard up there in the toilet…its bothering me …and there is also this monkey sitting on the toilet roof …you know these monkeys up there …they can recognize the smell of lizards…you know why …because they can jump high and reach up higher where usually lizards are.Do you understand that?”
Oshi just smirked at what her mother-in –law had just said. As she started leaving, her mother-in-law stopped and asked her
“ Where are you going?”
“ As usual mother …I don’t know.”
“ Ok fine ….but come soon. Till the time you come back ...i must have shooed away this lizard. By the way Oshi, have you taken that photograph.” Her mother –in-law asked pointing to the wooden table .
Oshi went near the table and tucked the photograph into her handbag.
“ Bye” she said and climbed down the old wooden stairs .
She had to go a long way because she didn’t know where she was going. Actually she was in quest of someone very very important , someone whom she could not live without.
Oshi had been searching this person since her childhood or may be when she was born , or may be when she first entered her mother’s womb or may be when her soul was created by God. She had been searching this person from a very long time , for which she had taken many efforts. She had traveled in different countries like Europe , America ,South Africa and even regions like Greenland and Antarctica, but her search was to no avail, but she had not given up. She kept her search continued and some one recently told her that the one whom she is searching is not very far away , but in her own area, and therefore, since that day, she was determined to search that person in her own locality and so she had set out today with the photograph of that person whom she was frantically trying to reach out.
Oshi was now walking on a long gray road in the scorching summer heat. She was sweating but her determination to search that person did not stop her, but she had to rest and she was famished so Oshi decided to take some refreshments from a nearby shop. She entered a shady lane and asked the shop keeper,
“ Can I get a caramel bar here?”
“ Yes , of course.” The shopkeeper opened the refrigerator and handed her the caramel bar.
“ How much?”
“ Just 10 rs” he answered.
Oshi produced a ten rupee note and gave it to the shopkeeper, but she was astounded when someone from behind called out her name and asked her,” Hey Oshi, what is the need to spend so much just for a caramel bar.Come home for food.”
Oshi turned back and again smirked. She saw it was her cousin who was sitting there near the shop with a basket full of vegetables.
“ O didi, I am in haste …not today, by the way …just wait.”
Oshi produced the photograph in front of her cousin and asked ,” See carefully didi …do you know this person?”
When the photograph was shown, her cousin was stupefied .
“ What are you asking Oshi?Are you sane?”
“ Of course I am sane didi, Do you this person?”
Her cousin kept on staring at Oshi blankly and then without saying a word and sensing the bizarreness of the situation , she hastily left for her house.
Oshi was disappointed as since afternoon whoever she had shown this photograph had become tongue tied and bamboozled in her presence. She did not understand why people were running away from her as if they had seen an apparition. Since she had set out in the afternon , she had met at least 50 people who were baffled and perplexed by her puzzling enquiry and dismayed by looking at her and the photograph.
Now it was the evening that was approaching and the sky was bathed in the orange twilight glow. The twitter of the birds were slowing down as they were heading home and the orange glow of the sky was darkening quite unhurriedly. It was almost dark now and the on the black canvas of the sky, were gradually appearing little twinkling stars. Oshi looked up with disappointment , but she was determined not to lose hope. She still had hopes that she will soon find the person she had been searching since ages.
But now she had to go home, after all her mother-in-law was waiting for her, so she decided to walk back on the long weary gray road.She was crestfallen and thirsty and there was still more half an hour to reach her home, but a ray of hope came when she saw a group of girls walking from her opposite side. She instantly recognized them .They were her childhood friends and they too recognized her. Oshi was thrilled and she went running towards them. She hugged each of them firmly and usual friendly greetings and banterings took place between them. One of her friends saw the photograph in Oshi’s hand and took it immediately to Oshi’s surprise. The friend said with a great appreciating tone,”Wow Oshi.” The other’s also said in unison a big “ WOW”.
Oshi smiled and asked them the same question which she had been asking everyone she met since afternoon.” So …do you know this person?I have been searching this person since many days.” As Oshi spoke , her friends gave her a bewildered look.Oshi’s voice was grave and strange.
One of her friend said , “ O Oshi …now stop kidding.”
“ I am not kidding .” Oshi snapped
Oshi’s expressions were a mixture of anger and turmoil and grief.She was almost on the verge of crying, but instead of consoling her, her friends were quite scared now of being near her. Her shabby appearance, her insane questioning made her look terrifyingly esoteric. They could not wait there and left her alone without giving her any answers. They all were stumped at her behaviour which they had found weird and all of them on their way had labeled her ‘mad’.
Oshi was now flabbergasted and continued walking on the gray long road.Now it was completely dark and it was the new moon day. Only the stars twinkled on the vast black firmament, but for Oshi’s assistance there were street lights helping her reach home, but Oshi was now quite dehydrated and she badly needed to quench her thirst. She had not even brought her own water bottle, so she decided to knock at someone’s door on the way , but as she walked, she could not see any house. The road looked deserted.She kept walking and walking as if her journey had no ending. It appeared as if she will never reach home .Oshi’s eyes had turned hopeless and numb, but she knew that again tomorrow she will linger here on the roads showing that photograph and asking whereabouts of that person, but as Oshi was treading wearily and to pump her hopes once again, she suddenly noticed a small glowing bulb in a shack located in the interiors of the groves lined next to the road. She immediately set her foot on the foot path from the concrete road to approach that shack. She observed it was even darker there and surrounded by neem trees that looked quite dense and sinister. The wind was still and the musical orchestra of the nocturnal beasts quite audible.It took her at least ten minutes to reach there , but when she finally arrived , she saw that this shack was actually a small cheap restaurant where she could see many men who looked like truck drivers and construction workers feasting on humble delicacies, but all of a sudden her eyes fell on someone whom she instinctively knew would take her to the person she was tirelessly searching. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him.His back was towards her, but from the big mirror hung on the opposite wall , he had seen her coming. He quickly turned back to see her and seeing his charismatic smile she was drawn to him profoundly. He looked like a poor savage hungrily gulping down his food.
She stood behind gazing at him as if he was some newly freed exotic, fascinating animal gobbling up his food in heavenly delight. Oshi’s happiness knew no bounds when she saw him.She said looking into his auburn eyes,
“ I had been searching you since eons…where were you.” This sentence made him blush and he replied.
“ Just wait …let me finish my food .”
He continued eating and Oshi began observing his slim brown body that was now donned in a white muddied vest. His equally muddied shirt was lying on the chair next to him. Oshi saw herself in the mirror and what she observed was her eyes too had turned auburn.
As he returned after washing his hands , he wore his shirt and came up to meet Oshi. Oshi’s eyes were in tears. She instantly embraced him.
He too passionately buried his face beside her neck and opened his mouth to give her a love bite. Oshi reacted with delight at his amorous touch and said teasing him,
“Wasn’t the food enough for you ?”
He giggled and looking into her eyes he asked ,” So …did you find that person whom you were searching?”
Smiling ,Oshi nodded and said “ Yes ….i just found her.”
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