About Red II

They all feared the heat of the sun and hid behind the concrete walls to combat it. We, however lay right in the way of the strong golden beams which profusely penetrated through the circular glass window of the attic room. As we lay gaping at the teak panels on the ceiling, the sun soaked, raddled wooden floor comforted our backs. So wonderful they looked, rows and rows of teak forming parallel lines, criss-crossing at ends. They all told a story. A chocolate brown sky that stretched right above our eyes, held a treasure of fragrances in its bossom. I could breathe the faint fragrance of the forest, fragrance of earth, of summer and fragrances of time.

Ah so wonderful it looked! I rolled over and peeped into the old cardboard shoe box which lay open on his chest. Its frail rickety frame held a haphazard collection of old photographs. My hand dived into it and pulled out a photograph of us. A sepia brown print which was evidently altered by the forces of time.
"Is this really us?" I asked him.
He lay there with his hands rested behind his head, as if meditating with his eyes open. He turned his gaze away from the ceiling and looked closely into it.
"Yes."
"Why isn't it coloured? Where's the original print?"
He carefully scrutinized it and said, "I don't know. " He paused and held it between his fingers.
"Do you remember this day?" He asked. A transient smile spread across his face.
"Its so unclear, i don't know. When was this?"

I rolled back and lay beside him as he unravelled the mystery.
"Do you remember this one time when we were about thirteen or so and there was a terrible earthquake?"
"You were still sleeping when the tremors were felt. They were pretty strong and we could feel the house swinging. Panic stricken we all hurried down to the garden. Your mom ran up and pulled you out of the bed and dragged you down."

He looked at me that moment but i did not. He turned away his gaze and said, "When you reached the garden you were half asleep, absolutely dazed, and dressed in something which looked like your dad's t-shirt. It was so outrageously big for you!
The earthquake had pacified by then but we all stood staring at the house in utter stillness as if it'll crumble down with the slightest movement."


"The brooding silence was wrecked by your profound question, 'What's happening?'
Then someone laughed uncontrollably which spread like forest fire. And amidst the roaring laughter echoed a sense of victory, a realisation of a renewed life.
Then from nowhere your dad brought out this camera and hysterically attempted at preserving the evidence of man's resilience. That's when this picture was clicked."
Our gaze locked in a triumphant aura. And then he suddenly added; "Like a fresh breeze blowing over silenced graves your father arbitrarily declared," He paused, and our voices echoed in perfect unison, "At least the tempest couldn't scare our lives!"