And today, I witnessed the most miraculous, most mysterious, most wonderful dream of my life.
Yes, it was dark…dark and night. I had lived the dream. I was living the dream. Very tired and very bored, irritated and frustrated with the scorching heat of this summer, I kept lying on my bed trying to sleep. Having enough dose of my daily gossips with ‘rjs’ and after listening enough music with them, my mind thought, a part of mine should go to the rest now. Or it should go for a journey. A journey to nowhere but a wonderland where anything and everything is possible. Possible with just a snap of fingers.
I was lying on my bed, still trying to sleep. My cellphone with radio fm playing on it and earphones plunged into my ears, I was lying on my bed. I had enough talk with a friend and rest all was very silent to make sound. I had to do nothing but to sleep. So, I kept lying, my radio still switched on.
I don’t remember exactly in which hour of night, I actually fell asleep, but it might be midnight after 1 or 2. I was sleeping, with music flowing through my ears. And a part of my mind slept. It was ready for the journey. The journey to the Wonderland.
Unless I have not seen the dream, unless the journey has not started, I had no idea that the wonderland begins at my home. My own home. And my own room, with the bed on which I was sleeping. Or trying to sleep with earphones plunged into my ears with music flowing through them. Yes, that was the time, when my mind partly slept. It is a bit tough to understand. As sleeping and dreaming is a complexly infinitely running process. As it is the imaging in two opposite mirrors. As it is the traveling through time stations. Yet, we go with it. As a journey has to be completed. A destiny must be reached.
When I was sleeping, or the part of my mind was sleeping, everything was still and calm as it is supposed to be. The only sound I knew that time was of my fm radio.
Everything was intact. We all siblings in one room. My mother in another. And father along with my grandfather in his room. All were sleeping and might be living their own dreams. Heat was tough and burning and irresistible to us. In spite of the fact that the air coolers were on, we pray, it would be better if it were winters. But we did not bother much. It rained a little in the evening and night will get more cooled with its darkness. So, we slept. Slept in the utmost silence. It was till then, that everything was intact.
And then the journey began. A journey I remember when I’m awake. A journey which I’ll remember throughout my life.
I was sleeping in my room. Everything was intact and then, suddenly, a roaring sound came. A sound I knew was from nowhere. But it was. That sound was bold and loud, very loud. With earphones plugged, in my ears, I tried to pretend myself that I did not hear anything but the words coming from earplugs. But the truth has a different path. And I had to take it to proceed the journey.
I kept lying pretending nothing happened, but everything was not intact. I saw my siblings sleeping. I don’t know if they too were just pretending like me. To me, they were sleeping. I might have not known, whether the people in other rooms were sleeping or are in same hole of mystery where I was, if my Papa had not got up and leave his bed in a moment.
Just after the moment, we heard the great roaring, my Papa ran into my room to make sue that everything is intact, everything is safe, everything is secure. He saw three children drowned in their sleep as if nothing happened. But don’t know how, he found that one eye was open. He found the plugs in my ear and my fingers on my cellphone. Afraid with the mysterious roaring and unwanting to accept that everything is not intact, I switched off the radio on my phone. And then he knew which eye it was. It was none but me. In mystery and surprise, he asked me without wasting a moment, if I heard something. I was confused, and as surprised as he was. But I had to make an answer.
Being afraid of my own thoughts, I told him It’s nothing to worry. I don’t know, to whom I was giving console, when I myself was afraid. But as I did not want to accept the roar, I tried to postpone the matter. I told Papa that the roar may just be of any animal. Things may make sound; even the doors and windows can make great noise when wind struck them, but if you think it’s suspicious, consider it the roar of any tiger or cat. Unconvinced with my answer, my father left the room. And unconvinced with my own answer, I kept lying on my bed. I just did not want to untie a knot. I did not want to solve any mystery. For me, wonders are most beautiful on earth.
But the journey cannot be halted unless the destiny is achieved. So, I kept lying on the bed and tried to sleep. At some moment of time, I knew, I had to get up. I suddenly opened my eyes again and leapt on my feet. I was excited and wanted to know if Papa had solved the mystery. I stepped out of my room. A sudden ‘shhhh…’ entered my ears from a distance and my steps froze. The dull, silent environment, as if some CBI officers had entered the home to arrest a criminal and they are taking their steps with utmost silence and precautions, so that the criminal may not get alert and ran wildly anywhere, spread across the rooms. My eyes were wide opened on my weary face. So as the face of Papa could be seen. He was standing at the inside gallery amidst all rooms. He was at a meter distance from me but could see something which no other eye could. He said it’s just a l’il creature and he’ll show him the way out. I was making my mind to step inside my room again when he again said something. He told me to move to the hall, so that I can have the company of my mother and can find relief from the hotness of the weather. I moved towards the hall. It was undoubtedly cooler than nay other room. When I walked through the other end of hall, I found some figure lying on the sofa, some on floor, all covered with sheets or blankets. I felt the room was chilling enough for it. But on moving closer, I found their eyes wide opened. Their face pale and their hands clenching an end of their white blanket sheets, they thought it would be better if they don’t tell me now. I was not in hurry. For me the wonders are most beautiful. I looked around the hall and found the front main door wide open. It was dark outside. And the breeze was colder. Rarely do we open that door when it’s dark. I found it romantic and wonderful and got out of the hall.
The journey had to show me more than I thought.
(to be continued...)
