Coin of five

A pure heart when asks for miracle that he deserves, the universe indeed have something planned for it…

As he waddled down the market alley where business couldn't reach its accomplishment unless bargaining takes it toll. Wrapped in raggedy clothes, filth smeared across his face. Beady eyes peeking down his dark jet mop like hairs and broken flip flop stitched together wore his feet. Amidst the choir of market one can’t hear others summoning or a conversation cannot take place without a few glitches. A young boy of ten could only hear the grumbling of his empty stomach and feel his mouth salivating as he spotted delicious food kept decoratively at the stalls.

Being famished and penniless the poor boy could only stand out of the shop and devour the sweetness of gulab jamun (Indian desert) and drool over by imagining the salty sweetness of kachori through the glassy door. The boys of his age enjoying the delicacies inside the shop only made his entrails jump as if something clawed inside him. He saw a man inside the shop paying the shopkeeper by pulling out money from his pocket. So he too enacting shoved his hands inside the pocket and clawed inside hoping something would conjure up. But nothing as he had anticipated.

Disheartened by his desire and saddened by his vulnerability he only walked off the shop kicking the imaginable stone in his path. Hidden within the commuters he made his way through the walking limbs and rolling wheels. His world had dusty road and glimpses of shoes that were old, tattered, sewn, shiny or sometimes he get to  see the action of pick pocketing to which he always wondered how engaging a man could be? That he can’t even notice the theft. That surely enticed him but he barred the thought anyhow.

He never quite gazed higher above those shabby, tin roofed shops where those magnificent tall building's kissed sun. He never even cared to be in one of those. Albeit  those were nothing but just mountains to him which seemed beautiful enough to watch but can't wonder to actually live there.

His eyes were scanning only what he scarce and in desperate need. Those clinking shiny coins, rupee notes  transferring from hand to hand, pocket to pocket. Only if he had that kind a money he would've devour the entire shop of  those exquisite delicacies.

There was that same blind beggar like every day  in his ragged coat and tattered pant that couldn't hide his ankle. silver bushy beard that looked greasy, Old as if turned hundred, years ago. Sitting at his usual place quite and statue like, with a round hat that seemed bitten by rats over the years on the head hiding his eyes.

He was motionless as if counting each coin dropped in his bowl placed before him by their sound.

The clinking was audible to the boy as the coins dropped to that beggars bowl by each passerby.  His feet gained towards the bowl just to peek inside that bowl out of curiosity. Silvery round and glinting in sun were in pile. He could just swoop down and fist out a hand full of coins. That should suffice for a piece of gulab jamun. His stomach grumbled even more as the idea of opportunity conceived his mind. And then for  a fraction of second he heard that last coin bumping off the rim of bowl and landed right in front of his feet. It was a five rupee coin, enough to buy one piece or may be two.

As if  the universe heard roaring his stomach and spared him that opportunity. It wasn't hard for him to blame it on god for that miscalculated aim that didn't end up inside the bowl but landed at his feet. Now there is no theft in picking up the coin off the road.

He looked at the beggar still as rock, only his bushy beard seemed to sway by air. The boy was shivering now, tantalizing his next act. With a blink of an eye he stood facing the other way. Couldn't look at the beggar now, not after what he has done. He felt a stone dropped down his gut, sweating more than before. And a coin of five locked inside his fist.  Even though the beggar was blind the boy felt his eyes boring in his back. Beggar saw him picking up the coin that wasn't his, he thought. He felt terrible. It was a strange and ugly situation for him. His conscience never accused him before of what he was feeling now. He doesn't want that and all he could think of that theft he had committed. Grumbling wasn't audible  to him anymore.  He has to make it right. He spun around and Retrieve those steps and threw back that didn't belonged to him. To his wonderment the coin made an unusual noise as it dropped. It wasn't clanking, more like a pebble that dropped in  water. Whatever it was, That wouldn't help him with his food today. He has to find something for the beast that roared inside him.

Containing a strange amalgamation of pride and hunger the boy walked away in the discovery of food. May be he could wash a few dishes at that fast food stall that might get him a vada pav (Indian burger) or he could go to tea stall to clean off  a few cups. That will earn him a few cookies and a glass of tea. But it was already hot that day and he was starving. So restaurant will offer him good food.
On his way back to his usual restaurant, there in between lies that same shop of Indian delicacies where he stand against the glassy door outside the shop drooling over those sweets and deserts. He never failed to throw a quick glance inside. But this time he didn't just pass by peeking at those luscious gulab jamun, although his feet stopped in the middle of the road in front of the shop. His face had an expression of disbelief when he felt something enclosed in his hand. To his wonderment he had his hands inside the pocket. He may have picked up that habit of rummaging his pocket while gazing the shop over the months. But with no radicalism it went unnoticed each day. But today he felt his fingers wrapped around something metallic. Cars were honking behind him but that didn't waver his astonishment. He was certain of his pocket being empty but now whatever it was that conjured inside his pocket was miracle to him. A gasp of excitement slipped his lips as it glimmered his eyes. Silvery shining in his hand was a coin of five. 

Nightmare

She walked out of her bed, puffy by her sleep. Crossing the hallway she meant to drink water from the kitchen. But to her astonishment. Her mother was already there who seems to peeling off the potatoes. And then it struck her that it was a day. Deep afternoon to her wonderment. Hey mom it’s a day. Why didn’t you wake me up? She pulled out the bottle from the fridge and took a few gulps and replaced the bottle back inside the fridge. Hmm she exhaled. So what’s cooking today? She said noticing the vessel upon the gas fuming. She slid the topping from the vessel to snatch a glimpse. Something fleshy seemed to be boiling. She let the steam cleared a little and took a peek back. There were human hands were scalding to the deep red water peeled off by the skin. She couldn’t voice her horror and jerked back. Now she recognized the ring on those hands. That belonged to her father. Mom! she screamed what is that? What have you done to father. Mom didn’t moved a bit during her horror but on asking she turned tossing her hairs back revealing her face. Eyes red, face pale and seems to lack emotion. But she was abrupt and spoke inhumanly almost as if about six women were speaking at a time. You bitch how dare you to look more beautiful than me, your mother was a whore who slept with my husband and left you on our responsibility. I had to agree to take you in because I was barren and kailash wanted a child. But now I ‘ve had enough of your father and you. Come here you slut. She dragged divyani by hairs and dug the same peeler which she had been using on potatoes. And with a quick pull divyani’s skin rolled like wet paper oozing blood splattering down the floor. And she slashed the peeler across her face which bleed. But mom divyani urged I’ve always thought of you as a mother. Oh you cunning slut she said. It rather was convenient for you wasn’t it? You had no option but to live on our money. She gave another pull by the peeler and skin came out from cheek slacking off the chunk of her beautiful face. “arrrghh” she was grunting to her unimaginable pain. Pain that seared in her like a lava. She could have fainted on seeing her own blood bath but her mother wasn’t done with her yet.
She dragged divyani by her hair across the pale white tiled floor leaving the blood trail behind. Divyani couldn’t do anything as she still couldn’t sink the horror of her own mother. Even though she wasn’t her real mother but she never made divyani felt over the years. And now she couldn’t find strength to oppose her mother. As she had been dragged out of the kitchen to the backyard down the muddy floor now, all she could feel herself to be torn between the perplexed mixture of physical and mental pain and a sense of submission to that savagery.
The multi vocal, gargled like voice spoke again “I would never let you come between us. I will never let you outsmart me as your mother did”. If you think kailash loves you better than me as he did your mother, than you’ve mistaken girl. I will never let you do this. No, not this time…No…No…No, no no…She kept incanting shaking her head sideways. Until she threw divyani in the hole dug in a backyard itself like grave. Divyani was screaming and urging at the same time. But all her pleas were futile and were answered by even the worst of the scenario. She found herself showered upon by snakes, earthworms, scorpions and even leech which were sucking blood out of her thigh, earthworm sliding down her nose and snakes slithering on her body circling her neck and now hissing to her ears. She wanted to unleash herself out of those insects and run out of that hole but somehow she felt the gravity down her stronger to which she couldn’t move and was now sensing to be sucked by the earth. And her mother was shoveling the soil on her burial. As the last remaining of her eye opened to the world lasted. All she saw was the wicked face of her mother and heard the maddening laugh that echoed in her soul.
The breath implode and her eyes awakened to the reality. Exasperated and still heavy in her head. Eyes adjusted to the blurry figure that gather to make her mother. She was worried and seemed to be crying a little on her daughter’s state. What happened beta? Are you okay? Tell me sweet heart was that a bad dream? Her mother enquired.
Divyani still sickened by the horror hunched back from her mother and as she threw her eyes around the room. She spotted her father to which she jumped off the bed and in a moment embraced him. Sobbing and shuddering. Her voice trembling and a few words swallowed as she hiccupped “thank ..od..you okay…Please don’t ever ….eeve me”. What are you saying darling? I am always here beta! Don’t you know? You are the pearl of my eyes. He said.
She calmed a little and smiling to the wickedness of her dream and her immaturity. She looked up to her father. Who had no eyes but the hollow bloody casing that once stored his brown eyes.