Monday, June 15, 2009

Mini

This short fiction was written very long time ago, as a teen. I dusted it out and have added it here among my other school entries. Its a narration of my experience in school as a new comer and how I sailed along.

The first sight that came to me, were the eaves of the stone buildings partly hidden in the dense evergreens. As I neared the bright, well-kept, placid property, my imagination anticipated new friends, a new world yet to unfold. However, my emotions were in an uncomfortable flutter to think of the embarrassment of being a stranger among old friends. A stranger in a color dress.

Unaccustomed to convent life, I became an easy prey on the first day of a new school. I felt awkward when a delighted giggle ran among the girls, as the class teacher a tall dark lady in a cotton sari, introduced me to them. I was an alien in their world.

I was too proud, too timid and too shy to talk to the neatly ironed uniformed little girl next to my chair. She had plump rosy cheeks and twinkling eyes." Hi, my name is Mini", she told and started talking to me. Soon we became friends. It was all happening as if predefined. I inclined towards Mini for all my needs. I ate lunch with her, played with her and did home work with her. I slowly realized that other girls in the class viewed Mini as a rude short tempered 'minding her business' girl. But to me she was the warmest, the most genuine and vital of all persons I ever knew.

Summer was the most memorable part of the year. And each year added a tougher adhesive between our friendship. We sat on the green banks of the small gushing stream, with a song of its own, down the hillside near Mini's farmhouse, talking about all things under our innocent world. The stream threw off sparkling diamonds of light as we used to wonder quietly what tomorrow would bring.

Our teen years were the sunniest days of our life. We journeyed with fantasies, surprises, shocks and mood swings as each day dawned differently. We enjoyed life together. Mini and I shared many likes and dislikes. We loved the Enid Blyton's, the Nancy Drew's, and the Readers Digest. We were mad of Anil Kumble. We painted, watched horror movies, roamed the dusty streets on our bicycles and hated boys who passed nasty comments!! We loved animals and started a little blue cross of our own. We wanted to be future Maneka Gandhis. We felt personally responsible for all the animals around our home.

Of course, we studied. Mini was a good student and would never miss the first rank of the class. And I would mange a rank from the seventh to the twelfth. I learnt a lot from her. Self-dependence was the foremost of all things I learnt from her. One fine day with so many hopes and dreams, needs and aspirations, we graduated from school. Her marks paved way for her to enter a prestigious medical college and I, to an engineering college. We couldn't hold back the tears, the painful thoughts of getting separated. We promised to write letters and keep in touch.

Soon my father got transferred and I was miles away from everything dear and familiar. A few months later, I got a letter from her, 'Dear, how are you? I am fine. Miss u much.. With love Mini'

The most poignant day of my life dawned with the sun shining brightly. Everything seemed unusual to me that day, the church bells, the twittering birds, the rustling leaves, the crowing cock, all these everyday activities caused a faraway sickness inside me. I knew not then why. Later that day the fateful news came.
'My little friend Mini died on spot struck by a speeding lorry.'

My family went to comfort Mini's.

I ran across the familiar lane,

The wind pulling my hair astray,

Sharp thoughts stinging my heart,

Time seemed to come to a halt,

When I saw the limp body of my friend.

I gathered Mini in my arms, and looked haplessly around. The picture of Mini and I, taken inside our school garden hung on the wall next to her bed. Our cheerful looks were lime lighted against the subdued colors of the evening shadows of the garden. The photo - a telling reminder of a wonderful friendship, of a shimmering person who had a great zest for life.

Before I left, I went to have a last look at the brimming stream where we shared our thoughts. I felt every contour of the surrounding hills personally weeping with me. I was grief stricken and numb. No one could ever comprehend this loss. I stood looking at the bright sun, shedding bitter tears, thinking,

" My Mini is dead".

I murmured a silent goodbye..............