A Four-Leaf Clover: 2013

Short Story from My Life

November 27, 2013

“I love this place so much. I want to spend my remaining days of life in this beautiful place after retirement.” I declared to Memey gasping the beauty of Pharah.

“Why not now?” he asked.

“I have many things to do before retiring at this beautiful place, though I would love to but I can’t.” I teased grandpa.

“Moreover, I don’t have sons and daughters who promised to send a monthly ration and I don’t even have a granddaughter who would visit during vacation to spend with me; listening to my tales, washing my clothes, sharing the crazy jokes, cracking the hand instead of the walnut.” I listed the reasons pretending to sympathize myself.

He smiled with the distinct wrinkles and slowly he spoke “Tshering, remember one thing, you don’t have to wait to get old to practice Dharma. Neither 3 years old boy is too early to start nor 89 years old man is too late to practice Dharma.”

He continued “The earlier you start the better for you. You see, an old man like me can’t even prostrate properly due to back pain.” He laughed rubbing his back with left hand.

“Is it still paining there?” I asked with the concern.

“Ahh! It is ok. ” he shrugged off saying that it is part of life.

He continued ”Chant Baza Guru whenever you can. You won’t kill it by crumbling if you chant while sleeping. It won’t die getting under your feet if chant while walking.”

“Life is uncertain. You are saying that you will live here after retirement. But have you ever questioned yourself that exactly when will be your retirement time? Do you mean literally after service retirement or retirement from the attachment of the materialistic world? Are you certain that you will live long enough to see your grandchildren? “

With the rapid fire of questions, I was dumbstruck yet admiring the wisest and the real hero of my life. The person with the profound knowledge of life than any book could teach. The person who has opted to isolate himself from the domestic life and detached himself from the materialistic world for almost 8 years now. He wisely chose to spend the rest of his life on this serene place along with other elderly people from different villages. Pharah as I would describe as the epitome of peace and serene beauty with the wisest people living in it.

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Poem

The Voyage of a Sailor

October 20, 2013

7 Comments

Poem

"I Ain't Crying"

October 09, 2013

11 Comments

Poem

Whisper of My Heart

September 22, 2013

6 Comments

Experiences from real life :)

Battling the Night

September 16, 2013

On 16/9/2013

With the creepy feeling and suffocating with heat, I woke up and check the time and it was 2:09am. To get a better access of the slow-motion fan of maximum turned speed, I planned to sleep on the floor with the assistance of the thin bed sheet. I was about to sleep when roommate said “Tshering, toilet jo gay.” We went and came back.

I was about to sleep on the floor when she suggested that I can sleep on her bed and she will sleep on my bed with my friend (by the way I had a friend who came for a sleepover). Liking the idea of not having to sleep on the merciless hard floor, I lay on her bed.

I closed my eyes and felt little unusual sleeping on the other’s bed but without caring I tried to get sleep. Sleep seems miles away and my mind started wandering all around and finally got stagnated on the movie I watched on Saturday (The Conjuring (2013) -latest horror movie.) The movie wasn’t that scary but realistic and relatable with the daily happenings.

I crossed my fingers and scolded myself to think something pleasant. At some extent I succeeded but again the images from the movie started popping out. I tossed left and right with the hope that I will be able to fall sleep with the change of direction. I was about to drift into the little subconscious state when I heard a loud bang on the door. I got alert with the shudder.

Mastering the every ounce of my courage (I believe there wasn’t much left), I woke up to inspect what is happening. I switch on the light and found that we haven’t latched the door (we because I don’t remember who came last after going to the toilet). I latched it and made my bed on the floor and slept near them (even two meter distance seem very far).

I laid on the floor, saw cupboard at the diagonal edge of the room triggering the scene from the ‘The Conjuring’ where the ghost jump from the cupboard and attacked the victim. I held my breath, closed my eyes and tried to divert my thoughts. To despair, hallucinated the shadows moving and heard the clear crack of the door and heard clear footsteps in the corridor (I knew someone was going to the toilet at that moment but…..)

I moved to my bedside and without trying to wake my friend I held her hand, being a light sleeper, she woke and asked “Hang awa ya?” (“What happened?”). “Menang ophu mala, young kheyna. Gadang gae” (I am scared and I can’t sleep, give me your hand.) I answered. She dozed off after giving hand. I held it tight as if promising to never let it go.

Holding a hand definitely helped me but sleep was far away. It was useless, so I stopped fighting and let my mind wander in the desired direction. I don’t know how long I stayed like that (seemed pretty long), my friend Sonam waked and asked “Oma bu ma yeb chin mo?” and I said no.

I thought of calling mother but I discarded the idea as I wasn’t a child anymore. My thought shifted to the similar incident when I was in class 10, I couldn’t sleep that night. I pinched my little sister who was sleeping with me to make her wake up, she flinched but it was futile relying on her. I called “Ama, Ama…oh Ama” who was sleeping in the adjacent room. “Hang ya?” she answered, “Menang ophu mala.” I said. “Baza guru drang ne yebcho.” I chanted holy mantra and tried to get sleep for a while but it was hopeless. After some time, I again called mother and this time she came to my room and slept next to me. She asked what happened and I said I am not able to sleep as someone had died in the locality. She asked me to think something pleasant and try to get some sleep. She hugged me, I believe it was magic of mother’s love as I slept shortly after that.

I missed mother and wished she was here with me at that moment, with a sigh I pretended that she was here hugging me tight and asking me to sleep. Assuring me that she is always there for me, I knew morning wasn’t that far but finally I dozed off. Shortly after, I felt it was that not more than 10 minutes or more, I again the heard constant knock on the door. Reluctantly I woke up and opened the door and saw my friend next door asking us to wake up. They woke up but I slept on my bed and my roommate said “Tshering wake up, we have morning assembly today.” To my rescue, my friend Sonam said “Let her sleep, she slept in the early morning only.” Thanking her mentally I slept again.

At 7:00 am sharp I woke up and sighed “Thank God” It’s over, the longest night with the shortest sleep and promised ‘No More Horror Movies’.

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Fiction

A Girl Who Ran Away From her Own Shadow

September 13, 2013

Not so long ago, there was this timid girl who always hated the light because the moment the lights empowers the world, her shadow followed her. She didn’t exactly hate the light but she blamed the light for the appearance of her shadow. As she would describe the ugly dark shadow of her, she hated the fact that shadow copied her every move, she detested the fact that it reflects everything she does, she despised shadow for a reason that it is an exact replica of her, she reviled the ugly truth that it will never leave her alone until she leaves the world. She refrained from doing anything with the fear that her shadow will copy. She punished the shadow by standing still; she would stay in one corner hiding from her own shadow.

When the sun waves goodbye to the day and submerged behind the farthest mountain, a girl’s smile beamed on her face. Though her happiness was temporary, she would enjoy the moment in the absence of her shadow. She loved her privacy, she loved her OWN time and she wished that shadow will vanish forever from her life.

One beautiful day, she saw a kitten chasing its own shadow, running and playing with it. Even with nobody around kitten looked very contended and happy with the simple assurance that its shadow is forever with it.

A girl looked at her own shadow and saw a dark and thin shadow standing still with shoulder hung as if it has been heavily loaded, as if it is carrying the whole world’s pain. “Oh my god!” with the utter shock she covered her mouth with her little hand and saw shadow doing the same. She became curious and moved right, the shadow moved right and when she stops it stops, then she raised her left hand up and waved and saw shadow doing the same. She jumped with the excitement and started dancing and saw her shadow doing exactly the same.

That day a girl realized that she wasn’t running away from her shadow but herself. Loved one might leave, friends might betray, others might hurt but shadow will do no harm and stay with you forever. Shadow plays when you play, laugh when you laugh, run when you run, fly when you fly, dance when you dance and cry when you cry but never leaves you even when it is dark, its just that you don’t see it. It stays with you forever. From that day onwards shadow became her best friend and she stopped running away from the shadow and herself.

And she lived happily ever after.

THE END J J J