The Lost World

 

It must have been around 2 O' clock in the noon... All the people around me were enjoying their mid noon siesta... I was waiting with baited breath among the foliage... Soon, I could hear the voices...and the stealthy footsteps coming closer. I remain hidden behind my favourite mango tree. My heart was thumping... What would happen? Will the plan backfire? Will someone find fault with me? A thousand questions seem to crop up in my mind in a matter of seconds... With the heart beats sounding like drum beats, I waited for the right moment. As soon as the stealthy steps sounded near enough, I darted out from behind the tree and shouted at the top of my voice (believe me, I can be heard by the whole village when I shout!) "Who goes there?'' 

The shock and terror on the face of my unsuspected victims were inexplicable. They screamed to each other 'Rrruuunn...' and scampered here and there. Soon, most of them were not to be seen, except a small boy, who wasn't fast enough to escape my grasp... He looked baffled and ready to break down. Looking around for help from his partners in crime, he found himself all alone with me. I was happy that my plan worked out and soon began questioning the boy, who began to answer me, even before I finished my questions.

As I had suspected, he and his friends had come to pick (and pluck) mangoes from our compound. As all were taking their afternoon naps, no one would know about their rendezvous, or so they thought. Soon, I gave him a lecture on how he should not jump over the fence and steal the mangoes, but some straight through the gate, ask permission to pick the mangoes. I assured him that if they ask, no one at my home would say no. But if they try to steal them, next time the consequences would be real bad... I send him packing... Soon I could see him beaming up to his friends (who were watching my cross-examination of their friend from a safe distance) and showing the mangoes which I had allowed him to take with him...

Come mango season, this was a regular event at my ancestral home. The kids from the nearby school never lost an opportunity to jump the fence and to take off with the delicious mangoes. Many a times, we turned a blind eye... But sometimes, there were some mischievous fellows who throw stone at the tree and ends up breaking the roof tiles of our house or of the cattle shed. We were fed up with these and it was my plan to catch them unawares. Soon the word spread that we were permitting anyone who asks to pick mangoes  from our compound, the few condition were that they should ask one of us in the family for permission and that they should not throw stones on the tree. They could pick all the mangoes that fell from the tree, but felling them by throwing stones was absolute no- no. And peace prevailed...

I've spend many a summer lying at the shade of the mango tree (the one named 'Chakiriyen', my favorite) with nature as my soul mate. I often talked to the tree and each time I felt like eating a mango, it would drop one or two on the ground. I never bothered to wash it or cut it... All I had to do was to rub the end of the stem on a stone to get rid of it and lo! the fruit was ready to be eaten... Such delicious, fibrous, sweet ripe mangoes that even today when I think of it, my mouth starts watering! 

As the world around me was napping, I spent the hot summers under the canopy of the grandfather tree, sometimes writing my stupid thoughts in my diary or scribbling something in the name of a poem, or even trying to sketch the nature around me. I talked nonstop to the trees and plants; the birds often fell silent to listen to my ranting... the butterflies danced around me and teased me that I can never catch them. The squirrels sometimes tried to steal my mangoes from me and scampered hither-thither on my slightest movements...As I lay on my bed of dry leaves, the ants and mosquitoes made merry...

The family pond was another favorite hiding place of mine... Many happy days were spent on the steps of the pond watching the kingfishers in action. The frogs, tortoise and the fish were skeptical at first, but soon discovered that I meant no harm... Many birds like the Golden Oriole, Black Drango, Cuckoo, Owl, Seven sisters, Myna, Tree-pie, Common Coucal, Parrots, Crane and Magpie Robin came there to quench their thirst. I became an avid birdwatcher soon... 

Other times saw me wandering through the bushes and wild growths that surrounded the home (It was often called a mini-jungle). As the rains poured in, I smelled the unique fragrance of the earth and watched the muddy water gushing through the grounds like a river breaching its banks. I loved splashing in the muddy water and was chided many times for playing in them... As the drizzle turned into torrential, I used to go out in the open to feel the raindrops... as the cool drops hit the body, the mind danced of joy and a wonderful feeling of peace encompassed me... Oh! How I miss those good old days!!!

Evenings invariably saw me catapulting into the cool waters of the pond, and many a hours were spent swimming, diving and splashing in the pool often causing the inhabitants of the pond a headache (if they can have headaches..) 

As night sets in, certain calmness also sets in... Lying in the quadrangle of the house I had gazed at the stars, and often got lost in their twinkling beauty... On moonlit nights, the moon charmed me to no end... As the night progressed, I sat at my window and got lost in the sheer beauty and calmness of the night. An occasional hoot of an owl or song of a nightingale reminded me that I was not alone. If I was too depressed, even the crickets tried their best to give me company and cheer me up...

It was often the song of my favorite Robin that woke me up in the mornings... Soon, I could hear a hundred different chirps and songs. The sun was slowly coming up in the horizon and the dew drops glittered on the colorful flowers like diamonds!!! The peace and tranquility of the mornings are best enjoyed in the company of nature..... Soon, I found myself on the steps of the pond, gazing into the waters and lost in my own world with only nature as my company, until someone came in search of me and took me back to the daily routines.

And I awaited for noon to start all over again...to spend my time with nature (after getting rid of the kids in search of mangoes), on the lap of mother earth, in my own world with only birds, butterflies, squirrels and my dear old Chakiriyen for company!

 PS: This is an entry for the Kissan 100%  Real Blogger Contest, a contest by Indiblogger.