Brimmed Eyes

Hey… stop right there...Did not you hear? Grated a cop in a rancorous tone.

The little boy in a tattered shirt with pink-coloured buttons stuck on the front strip with numerous pores that paved the way for his tanned skin making its appearance turned to the officer with a flushed face that wore a pinafore of astonishment and fear and purported “Gi Saheb” (Yes Sir).

"What were you trying to pillage?" Interrogated the officer.

"No...Nothing sir" came an instant reply.

"What...Nothing...I spotted you trying to make pilferage in the restaurant. Spill the beans... Otherwise, I will fry your body with a stick and leave you black-and-blue.

The boy then started cursing his providence and enunciated, “Sir, please arrest me and throw in the prison so that I would be given with a loaf of bread there and the fire of starvation would never force me to do so. At least, I will be served time to time food there and would not have to bum around for a morsel and I will have a roof above my head.”

"What are you saying? Why I should incarcerate you, little soul?" Questioned the cop.

Tears brimmed in the eyes of the officer but he swiftly cleaned his face with a hanky citing he’s having difficulty due to the cold breeze. It was very easy for one to conjecture that the cop was really touched by the boy’s innocence. The story shared by the boy about being alone in this picturesque world seemed like being penetrated by a scimitar and thus he finally enquired:

 "Are you famished?"

This question ripped the boy apart as he has not consumed anything for the past two days and a little smile illuminated, his face being widened with the hope of getting some edibles from the cop. It became very luminous as the glistening pupils seemed to laugh with extreme joy and tremendous pleasure. The boy then lastly mustered the gut and just nodded as a sign that was quite enough for the cop to understand. His genuflection has exposed the pains and traumas his life was festooned with. The cop went near the boy and bowed down to his knees so that he could apparently face the boy eyeball to eyeball, taking his hands into his right hand and left falling on his back murmured:

“Don’t hesitate, I might not be able to look after you properly, but I will try my best to make you feel so fortunate and also to be the best father of the whole world. So, would you accept my invitation to my home?"

This interrogation somehow brought tears to my eyes and a few drops rolled down my cheeks and for the first time, he was treated so splendidly by a stranger (later,he accepted him as his own son). He couldn’t stop showering praises on the officer and embraced him tightly. 

“No more weeping boy,” said the cop as he separated himself from the boy’s lovely clutches and added, “It is time to leave, shall we head towards the home?”

‘Sure’, exclaimed the boy with a beaming face.

 “Would you like to have some cookies?”

“No, I am comfortable”, retorted the boy.

“You didn’t tell me your name, right?”

“Oh…yeah. I am Rahul from Assam.”

“What!!! Assam…" screamed the cop halting the car in the middle of the road with great puzzlement. "Yes….All that you listened is absolutely right."

“Then how do you come here”, bombarded the cop.

The moment he heard the question, a bitter memory of those despicable events that dismembered him a few days ago flashed in his mind. He tried to tell everything but it seemed that someone has placed a lump of sugar in his mouth and that is why he just can’t speak.

"Are you okay?" asked the officer holding his hands firmly and sprinkling some water on his face. Rahul hardly could see as he’s still addicted to those gruesome killings and brutalities he had just memorized. The cop then finally managed to make him feel comfortable and decided not to repeat further questions. To everyone's surprise, the boy coughed and said: “They all were covered with black apron holding swords in their right hands and guns in the left. It’s a very nice evening. Old people were awash in traditional duties, the children could be seen laughing and playing hide and seek, the fathers returning from their works and the vendors packing their goods in the bags and leaving for their homes. Suddenly, this peaceful and calm environment was pierced with boisterous sounds of guns and rain of dead bodies that drenched the whole village in a blood bath.

“My dear son, run away from this place as soon as possible” was the last sentence that came from my mother which I never thought to be the last one. She insisted to leave and a veiled man barged his way through the hut and shot my mother. He could not see me as she had already covered me under her apron. I clasped my mother’s hands and started sobbing knowing the fact that she has migrated to another world. I then covered my whole body with the green foliages so that those cruel murderers cannot shoot me. Later, I made my way through the dark forest and met with another fiasco; A large beast that seemed to have been starved for more than a week. On my abrupt arrival, it screamed with delight and enjoyed a sigh of relief, thinking his luscious morsel had been arranged for noon. My body parts went numb for a while and I thought death was near. But, just then a beautiful face of my mother having brimmed eyes appeared before me and whispered: 

“Run for your life or climb the tree”. I was moved by her kind gestures and tears rolled down my cheeks. I hastened to the nearby tree and did my best to the core of my existence. I then plucked some oval-shaped fruits and took some bites just for tasting whether they’re edibles or not. To my absolute shock, I found them too juicy and tasty. The crimson sun was about to set and then I decided to come down and get out of the forest. That day, I was so lucky as I got a huge tent too. When I reached there, they all welcomed me with folded hands and arranged all the facilities even gave me some coins as assistance. I heard the train signalling and managed to book a berth for myself in the overcrowded coach. When I alighted from the train, I was so ravenous that I had to do whatever I had done and you know what happened next;

The officer again gave me a bear hug and consoled saying,

‘Hey, this is my apartment’ pointing at a gorgeous bungalow that was furnished with red marbles and equipped with all the luxuries. The officer rang the doorbell instructing me "Don’t slouch and keep the hesitation at bay. This is your possession". Before he could add something, the door sounded and there stood a beautiful lady with curly hair wearing a pink frock with her kohl-lined eyes and glossed lips. We entered the house and had some cookies where I was commanded to sleep with Ahmed, their son. Ahmed was over nine clouds to see me and talked to a great length.

It was in the middle of the night that proved to be a death blow for my subsistence. There was a harsh spat between the couple over my adoption for I belonged to a different religion. The cop thought that I should live with them but her wife was so vociferous and rejected the idea telling it’s stupid to bring a deserted individual and then give the shelter. This crushed Rahul a lot. He just wept and wept till the shafts of the sun greeted them in the early morning. Rahul planned to leave the house but failed as the cop never left him alone. Rahul did whatever he could to please the mistress of the house but she even didn’t want to have a glance at me.

One fine evening, Ahmed hadn’t returned to his home. This made the couple very lugubrious and shattered. The lady and the cop lodged an FIR but in vain. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The cop hurried and opened the door and there’s Ahmed with his eyes swollen and most parts of his body were bruised. It seemed that someone had beaten him till blue and black. The cop cuddled Ahmed, inquired what had unfolded. Ahmed just barged his way that led to his room. The couple was worried and nervous about his demeanours and attitudes and this made them feel that he wasn’t the very Ahmed they had spent times for the past few years.

Rahul greeted Ahmed and he never asked him to sit. Rahul then insisted to tell them what he was hiding from them. Ahmed then finally disclosed saying:

"One of my friends' mother promised me to bring his son back on the right track as he was associated with illegal organizations and was enjoying the accompaniment of a few of the ruffians. Days passed, but she couldn't notice any improvement rather he was more attracted to those ruffians and this slew her mother and from that day onwards, they think that the major cause for her death is my presence. They mercilessly beat me and fried my body with a whip. I resisted but failed". listening to his long story, Rahul decided to solve the enigma. He went to his friend's home without anyone's knowledge. He explained everything and asked them to forget what had transpired. It was not Ahmed's fault as you consider. After listening to his words, one member of the family stood and delivered:

 "He has to die come what may."

 Rahul pleaded with them to dispel this barbarous move as it will plague Ahmed's family. They all refused to obey him and finally, Rahul suggested: 

"Will your ego get pacified if you kill me instead"

 "Absolutely", the man grunted.

 "Then take my life and let Ahmed and his family live peacefully"

 Rahul jotted down a letter dedicated to his stepmother and asked them to convey it to Ahmed's family.

 The next day, Rahul was brutally dismembered and they visited Ahmed's family.

They said 'today, the vengeance is complete and from now onwards there will be no issues between us. The cop and his wife couldn't make out what they meant. But, it was very clear that Ahmed has rightly understood what they had conveyed. They all left giving an envelope to the cop.

The cop tore the envelope and his wife opened the folded page that read:

"Dear mom, I know you hate me very much but this is for you. I am bidding farewell to this world so if you could, please forgive me. I was just lurking for the opportunities to make you please, expecting once you embrace me, But I was wrong. Ahmed has told me everything in detail and I ensured this is the time to rock with the only hope so that you would be happy and say "My Son". I know I won't be able to hear those words from you but I am sure you will love me more than Ahmed and miss me every second. The cop fell to his knees and the lady's face shimmered with brimmed eyes.