Strolling alone down the Mahatma Gandhi Road at around ten p.m., I felt I was followed. I turned round and found none. Resuming towards my house, I thought of Shalini who had been the centre of attraction at the party I was returning from. Immediately, I heard someone saying, ‘Forget her’.
Again I twisted round and got nobody. It was just a fantasy I decided and continued to walk, after taking the narrow lane with the trees on either side of it.
A tree showed some movement. And I sensed that I was pursued. There I veered about, to spot there. I could not believe it. I saw a man vanishing behind a tree. He wore nothing more than the clothing that covered from waist to knee. And … And…. I concluded I saw two horns on his head.
Sensing some movement over my head, on the branches of the tree, I looked up to inquire and was successful in discovering what caused everything to draw my attention. It was only a monkey. Nodding my head in utter surprise that I could waste my valuable time in this trivial thing, I paced towards my sweet home, but heard: ‘Wait.’
Even though I felt it all nonsense, I waited I did not know why. There was my home, only a few meters away, but I stood there, waiting, waiting for…..
Once again I sighted a man with two horns. I was compelled to run, not into the house, but far away from it. I was successful in moving away from my house, but not away from the trees. I wanted to dash out of this narrow street to M.G.Road, but I could not get it.
‘You can’t run away like this,’ heard I and I came to a stand, only to spin about and locate that monkey watching me from a distant tree, and that the horned man was approaching me.
The only thing I could do was to distract his attention to the monkey, simply by pointing my index finger violently. I was convinced that it would be enough to save my life, and was stunned, when I fathomed that he was not at all paying attention to the animal and went on advancing towards me.
While endeavouring hard to hasten away, I stumbled to the ground.
‘You can’t run away,’ heard I, this time louder than before. It seemed to be my end, a very terrible end, reflected I and gave up any more effort to flee, and allowed him to draw near me.
‘Don’t be afraid of me,’ he said. ‘I intend no harm’.
‘Don’t be afraid of me,’ he said. ‘I intend no harm’.
‘So you have decided to eat the monkey.’
‘No, I eat no one and nothing.’
‘Then why are you after me? And this monkey?’ I received no answer.
‘Why are you both after me?’ I said, almost shouting.
‘Only I am after you, not it,’ he said, suddenly becoming solemn.
‘Only I am after you, not it,’ he said, suddenly becoming solemn.
‘Why?’ I shouted, abhorring every part of this suspense.
‘Because this monkey is only the beginning of you’, after a brief pause, he continued, ‘and you are the end of yourself. I am not a man, not a demon, but the god of death. I have only come to take you.’
