His boat is stationed always on one side of the river where the river meets the sea as if a lady meets her lover - this estuary is a place where he thinks he belongs to whenever he takes rest in his boat.Lonely boat with a man alone always, but talking to his lover. His lover is calm and gentle always flowing into the sea and the salty water takes her into his fold always , his memories fade into the emotional turbulence and calmness of the lover and the loved.
His lover is the river gentle and calm when he takes rest ,never demanding anything from him. But always blows gentle breeze in his direction making him comfortable. The coconut , neem and other trees are her friends besides many twiners,tendrils,shrubs,herbs and small insects are her children whose needs are taken care by her.And he is the lover .
The vast expanse of the sand and sand dunes are dear to him since he hardly sees humans as close as these creatures of God; does God visit them every day or He is always there whom he is not bale to feel and see.No although does not feel he talks to Him like the way he talks to his lover.
No interruptions in their talks.......... even while fishing he talks to her and she directs where to go and when to come back to shores. He is feeling so ....... may be so .
He comes to think of his friend, he alights from the boat starts walking looking at his lover , plunging his feet one by one into the sagging sand of this vast expanse.
Does this walking makes any strain to him............. no he never walks on streets or laid road..... no need he never goes into the town or the village . He does not have anyone to go and meet or talk to except his lover - the river which is here.
When walking he looks at the sky with the hot sun blazing down on earth but to him the sun is always cool .This is what one friend from abroad told him when he took him into the sea to show him how he works in the sea, his fishing.
The foreigner told him ' when you become a friend to the nature, nothing disturbs you since you in no way disturb the nature owing to your friendship'
The sun, the water,the sea, the sand dunes , the river the centipedes , millipedes,snakes....... nothing disturbs him , sometimes happen to see at him but walks away as if saying hello to a friend ,looks at him for sometime and says bye.
Now Peter, oh that is the name of the boatman, reaches near a hut; this is the hut of his friend for more than 50 or 60 yrs , he does not know exactly how many years. His friend name is Lawrance.
He is able to see Lawrance from a distance of ten feet , as a hunched figure sitting in front of his hut .
Lawrance waved his hand towards Peter.
Both are sitting before the hut and chatting something as if two speak the unknown language.Both understand each other by looks and gestures.
A voice from inside the hut said 'Lawrance, give him a cup of black tea' The voice belongs to Lawrance wife Margaret bedridden.
Both ignored as if hearing bird's sound from somewhere.This is routine and no one moves.Again calmness inside and outside the hut.
Peter stands up puts his left hand inside the worn- out coat and brings out a small cloth bundle contained coins and hands over to Lawrance. Peter saved this over a few days.
Lawrance is also equally old but not able to work. Totally a weak individual.
Friendliness continues ........ between Lawrance and Peter.
Peter waves his hand to the direction of Lawrance and starts walking looking at his lover flowing at a far off distance.
She is calm, gentle always flowing helping others always , she will live on but he....... is time bound.
She never dries up he knows........ well he is a friend of nature.......... he knows when he has to stop and where.
But he also follows her trait of helping without knowing the meaning of the word.
" Oh, she smiles at me " he says to himself and walks........................................
1 comment:
reading this one would start loving the nature, the great friend!
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