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Hey all, I write when I have nothing to do, this is a story I am working on right now, would be glad if you can let me know how it is coming along, you may follow me


‘Grandpa! You are sleeping already?’

‘Ah! What? No, I am not, I was just….’

‘I told you he will be asleep, he always tries skips this’

Mr.Eagle, adjusted his glasses as he looked at the complaining faces of young ones standing around his chair. Some are in early teens and others middle aged.

‘Looks like you won’t let me sleep today’

‘Come on grandpa, no excuses today. I know you haven’t done this since my father died, is it because you forgot or because you don’t want to tell the story you created for your son to others?’ the oldest of the group, father of the youngest, hits bulls eye.

There is a moment of silence before he continued,

‘He always tried to narrate me this story, would practice all his free time and in the end, stops because he thought he was not as good as you’

‘My mother does not even talk of it, she says you never told it to her’ another young women says.

‘Please grandpa, I want to hear it from you, one time, I will not trouble you again. Please...’

‘Well, if you are so curious, I guess this old man can afford to tell you. Let’s settle under that Peepal tree’ he got up from his old chair carved out of a rock n walked towards the tree while his elder granddaughter helped him to keep himself up.

‘Grandpa, why are you called eagle? What kind of name is that?’ one of the kids inquired while picking up a grass flower.

‘Ah! that name! I Wonder how all came to know of it, no one ever should have known that name.’

‘You think these kids can appreciate my long story? It’s not as fascinating as you might have imagined it to be.’ he said looking at his granddaughter supporting him.

‘If they don’t, you can always narrate it to me’ her reply had a tint of childishness.

‘Aha, then you are also curious!’ her brother remarked.

‘Of Course, I am curious. It’s been a long time since I spent some time with him, I am eager to listen his best story.’

Mr.Eagle had the gift of storytelling. He never said no when asked for a story but he never said yes for this particular story all were looking forward to.

For some reason, he told it only once, just once. It was to his son and his friends, when he was 10 years old. It became his son’s favourite. He had another son and a daughter, they were very young at that time. His elder son would narrate them this story but always forgot some part of it. It was afteral, a long one to memorise instantly. It was his favourite of all he ever heard from his father.

‘I was young at that time like you’ he spoke as he sat down.

‘I can not still tell if it was a dream or a reality’ he added as he closed his eyes and started to narrate.

‘It’s about a young man, very young. In his early 20’s. Strange coincidence though, I came to know of this story when I was of the same age’

‘Some wise men say, everything in this world happens for a reason, even our own existence’

‘Some others say that all this existence is a mirage, ‘we’ are nothing but an illusion’

Our story begins with pleasant morning breeze, sounds made by the birds and cattle on their way to the field for grazing.

Our young man is following a herd of cattle. The morning breeze is making him even more drowsy.

‘Ah, aren’t we there yet?’ he asked the caretaker walking silently beside him along with his dog

.

‘A little bit more, we are near’

‘Why not make them walk faster? I want to sleep’

‘They are tied to a dead wooden log entire day, this is only time in the day where they can walk freely. Sometimes I feel as if they wait for the mornings and evenings’

‘That’s non-sense! As if they have feelings for freedom and you can understand them… All they want is food which we are giving them, in plenty’

‘I am not educated as you are, I am happy to think all things every living have feelings, maybe it’s just my thinking but I like to think so’

‘Oh yes, now next say that the cattle are being frightened daily by a ghost and my grand father is sending me along with u at this ‘midnight’ to catch it’

‘Don’t wish bad things at dawn, youngone. Wishes at this time come true’

‘Oh! is it so? then I wish to go around the world and have best time of my life’

‘Well, that wish might or might not come true but we have reached the garden and you can rest on that cot, I will wake you once my work is done and get you something to eat’

‘Yeah, thanks’

The young man slept on the cot, not the most cozy one he ever slept but his sleepy eyes had no brain to think of it. He woke up after sometime hearing unrest cattle.

He rubbed his eyes as he got up and looked around. The caretaker was not seen. Cattle are behaving abnormally.

'Where is the caretaker?' he asked himself as went around to find the cause of unrest.

He found no one around 'Why are these behaving like this now?' he thought looking at the cattle.

As turned back to return to his cot, he felt as if something was under the mango tree nearby. He walked slowly towards the tree. It was caretakers dog playing with a bone dropped by some birds.

He tried to snatch the bone and throw it away but the dog was in no mood to let him take his prize. He forgot one aspect, he knew he was the owner but the dog had little idea about it. He was in the village for a vacation from two days before he joined his new job, had little touch with the canine.

As he tried to snatch the bone, the dog started to defend it’s prize and sprang upon the young man. He lost his balance and fell backwards. The fall was long, as if he was falling into a deep canyon.

These are first three pages, will continue after seeing responses I receive.