Short Story
Affection
Kumar Jinesh Shah
Trans: Harish Mahuvakar
The slanting sun rays glowed Abhesang eyes. Scarlet sun and the red sky deepened the vermillion glow of his eyes. The breeze shook his moustache gently. Ever smiling face never reflected any sort of fatigue but it did on the face of Ladhubha. He was now seventy so he felt some. Abhesang and Ladhubha had almost similar moustache. They were so lovely that anyone would like to touch it. Children showed courage and played with Ladhubha’s stick but didn’t dare to pick up Abhesang’s stick. O Lord, how frightening were his eyes! Glowing eyeballs aghast anybody but Ladhubha always liked them very much. He knew that because of them all’s well. Neither thieves nor devilish children dare to enter his farm. Nor even a sparrow.
The dark shadows sat over the farm trees. Since noon Ladhubha shared his time with Abhesang. He was eloquent but Abhesang? Hardly he spoke. Instead his tongue, his eyes, and the moustache spoke. There was nothing left in his mind to express. His heart felt light but the body felt some burden. A bit tired he was. Of course he had no boredom. It was the time for supper and he got up to go. He entered the farm house. Now the farm was left to Abhesang’s hands.
Ahesang wouldn’t waste words. Silence and solitariness accompanied him. Often he stood alone on the fields. He preferred his work only. As Ladhubha put, even a sparrow won’t dare to enter the farm when Abhesang’s there. And yet one entered. Look at her. What courage she found! Abhesna’s fear hung heavy on the children. Even Sturdy the dog was scared. No cat tried to take a chance. In such a situation this sparrow stood strong. Any cobra too didn’t prefer to cross when Abhesang’s there. And yet this sparrow stood strong. She entered the farm. She showed her courage. She dared. Not only she dared but chirped gaily for the full day. Chirped from morning to sunset. May make anyone mindless. But she never stopped chirping.
Once she asked, ‘Abhesang, how can you bear such a silence? Won’t your heart be rebellious to express itself? If you don’t speak your mouth will stink.’
Oh, what should I say to her? She ransacked the full village. All news she possessed. Round and around she moved and let her mind open to Abhesang. ‘You know that Sturdy dog? He’s a lazy fellow now. Slept all day along.’ ‘And that Browny. The bitch gave birth to five puppies. All rolly polly. Still eyes unopened. Rolls and fumbles and falls here and there.’ ‘Something’s bitten to Blacky - the cat’s left leg. The leg’s swollen like a melon.’ ‘Ladhubapa’s power gone. He’s a weak fellow now. Wept to one of his sons. The son was rude. Our Ladhubha was bent headed. Is this the way to deal? When his wife was alive she fed grain to all of us. How sweet were those days! She had a bonding to all his near ones. And that always brightened our Ladhubha. And yes, O Abhesang tell me didn’t she love you very much? I know she had a great affection for you even though you don’t say. I know what affection means. You also what it means. Isn’t it?’
‘What would he say to this sparrow?’ thought he. Instead of responding to her, fond memories leaked his eyes. Seeing this the bird turned sad and speechless. She scolded her own self: why, why did I say this to him? Couldn’t hold my feelings, such a creature am I. She said, ‘Abhesang should you weep? No, no. Better I fly away and leave you untroubled.’ And she took a round of him and flew away chirping. She pushed herself into the nest. She knew it pretty well that he had a big head but brain a little. She said, ‘No sooner he’d forget everything and I’ll be back to him.’
One day something strange happened. Ladhuba’s son fetched some butcher-like men. The sparrow couldn’t understand and she remained a witness only. The butchers began to strike axes on the trees one after another. She was shocked. Her tongue was gone. She flew speedily to Abhrsang. ‘O dear one, O Abhesang. My home. Look at my home. It would be destroyed. Do something. Be quick dear one, please.’ But he didn’t move at all. He was slave to the master. He saw things with wide open eyes. Couldn’t do anything. He too remained a witness. No word could he utter! No action he took. The sparrow was confused. She had no way except to go to Ladhubha and seek his help. She cried to him but the man remained bent headed, helpless. His eyes remained fixed on the land. He wished mother earth to take him into her lap forever. With a great difficulty he could explain that his son was to set up a resort there. The butchers had massacred the trees and shattered her nest. In the evening corpse bearer like men came and lifted the trunks and branches. The heap was carried away in a tractor. When the mother – Ladhbha’s wife passed away she too was carried away like this in an ambulance.
The sparrow was scared so much that she flew far away to an unknown place. Ladhubha got bedridden. His moustache remained firm but the body didn’t. He lost brightness of the face. Vigour too followed. But after some days he began to recover. Singing of the bird had gone. With it was also gone his endless talking. He was there now and his work was there. Loneliness returned to him. Abhesang too was different. For some days he stared at the sun. As if the sun understood him he laughed and laughed and twisted his moustache.
Once again Ladhubha was bedridden. The sparrow wasn’t there. The Blacky too died of poison. Browny’s puppies had grown. As grown up sons forsake their parents, these puppies too went away from her. The cobra was attacked by a peacock and the peacock was gone with the trees. On a desolate farm Abhesang stood without soul. Loneliness began to devour his heart. None to speak to and none to give him a smile. Loneliness made its nest into his eyes as well. Smile that always stayed on the lips below his moustache waned now. Desert into his eyes began to spread in the body. The sun too sucked his spirit. Abhesang who was strong, wept all alone on the darker nights. He felt that everything had gone wrong and he too was responsible. But what fruit this repentance can bring now? What can he do? Not in his power.
But again on an early morning he heard that familiar voice. It was the sparrow chirping. He woke up with a start. ‘Oye dear one, where had you been to? Should you go like this? Didn’t think of me?’
‘Had no way Abhesang. All’s lost and you stuck to silence. A lone struggler I was. Who will give me shelter? Who will protect me? You never liked my singing. Tell me what can I do?’
‘Well, gone so gone. Now you’ve returned. Won’t you stay? Anyway you have grown fat. Days were good for you perhaps. I didn’t feed you. But now you can have as much as you want. Live happily here. I also want you talk freely to me. Won’t you do?’
‘O my dear Abhesang, you are very simple. You don’t understand me. It’s not that I have grown fat. I carry babies. I need to make a good nest for the newcomers. The monsoon’s approaching closer.’
‘Oh, is it so? Well, well my dear. It’s yours everything. Make a nest and be happy. Without any fear pick up blades and straws. Come to me when you are tired. Okay?’
Fresh vermilion colour was found in to his eyeballs. The nest was being built. Often they rested and often they talked. Fine friendship took shape. Dry Abhesang went green. For some days he didn’t listen to the sparrow’s chirping so he gave a call, ‘O dear one, where are you? Why don’t you come?’ The response came immediately. ‘O Abhesang you are really so simple. I hatch my eggs. Will come after three or four days later.’
Abhesang realised things. After a week the bird came. ‘O Abhesang, look at my younger ones. Aren’t they pretty?’
Abhesang grew very happy. The bird whispered a lot. The bird sang a lot. The bird opened her heart to him. And the younger ones? They moved around him. They walked and jumped a little. They played near him. They sat on his shoulder. And now they were stretching friendship boundary. They began to pull his hair and one day they parched on his moustache! Abhesang and the sparrow laughed a lot on this. He had no habit of laughter but now the laughter came often and when it came it brought water into his eyes.
On a noon things changed. The sky began to be heavy. It turned dark. Within no time it was deep dark. The darkness spread across the farm. The evening descended before its time. Wind started blowing. It turned wild. It shook solid Abhesang too. These were no good signs. He shouted for the sparrow. ‘O dear bird, take care of your babies. Take them under your wings. Run to me in your emergency.’ ‘Well, my friend, thank you. I will. You too take care.’
Then the storm arrived. Wild wind, storm, and rain lashed the land. Lots of trees fell to the ground. Full night the death dance continued. The bird had her babies under her wings and she took care of them. She saw all the time her nest and checked protection. Terrible storm had passed over by the morning.
As the sun came out of his home, first thing he did was to search Abhesang. ‘Where is he? Where is the bird’s friend of big lovely eyes?’ and he found him. He informed her, ‘Look there on the farm. Your friend is lying almost dead. His head’s broken. Grass-blade like his hands seem lifeless. He’s gone. Come and see it yourself.’
‘O Good Lord.’ She flew quickly to the spot. He was still breathing with a great effort. Abhesang saw that his darling bird had come. He said, ‘O dear, tell me how are the babies? Is your nest intact? I don’t think so. When all’s spoilt how can your nest be safe? You liked my wire like hair, no? Now pick up my hair and build your new home.’
The sparrow knew these were to be his last words. She began to shake him. She sat on his chest. She sat on his head. She sat on his hands. She tried to move him. She pulled his moustache. She pulled eyes to open. Everything went in vain. She said, ‘O Abhesang say something. I ask you to say something otherwise your mouth will stink. O dear, get up. Please get up. Other birds will leave nothing on your farm. They’ll eat up everything. Oh come on dear and raise your hands up. Abhesang frighten them with your big red eyes. O Abhesang come on.’
There was no any movement at all. The bird stared at Abhesang - the scarecrow and it seemed that he too was looking at the bird.