The Midnight Bell

8/14/2019 The Midnight Bell

1/25

The Midnight Bell

-1-

Spandan had a troubled birth. They said his mother was in the Om Hospital

for about a month during the delivery.

But his birth was a welcome one, and the troubles of birth were very

soon overlooked. For, he had come after six sisters, and he was immediately

coroneted as the Raja of the family. I can still remember the grandeur of

his nuwaran; the prodigal feast, the singing and the nightlong festivity. The

priest, a short-built bahun from Nuwakot named him Spandan, and it meant

heartbeat. In fact, the newborn was everybodys heartbeat in the family.

My Raja smiled this morning, announced Ghanashyam, his father,

on the sixth day of the childs birth, talking to people who had gathered to

thrash rice in the field of Birjung. That was the first time they had heard

about the smile of a six-day old baby. He will say, he talked after a few

days, whispered Bhim in the ear of Prem, and they let out light giggles.

The village, for a few days, got no hearing of anything else.

Everywhere in the air were talks of Spandan, aired by his father, and six

sisters. There were details of everything, from saliva drooling from the right

corner or the left corner of the mouth, from length of the fingers and their

similarity with that of the father today and that of the mother tomorrow.

They did not even spare the color of the excreta to boast of the quality of

food they fed him. No one knew what food they were talking about, for

they had never heard of a just-born infant feeding on anything other than its

mothers milk.


2/25

God knows who suggested, Ghanashayam arranged one more puja

on the twelfth day of the infant's birth. He claimed that it would drive all

evil forces out of the baby. The bahun from Nuwakot appeared very early

in the morning, and the family scattered here and there to arrange the

materials required for the puja. Sangeeta, the eldest of the daughter took a

pail and headed towards the tube well. A group of girls had gathered there

to fill their pails.

We got makhmal from the Saturday Bazaar. You know, it cost us

more than three thousands, said Sangeeta, talking to her friends. That

makhmal, or the velvet was to make a soft bed for the new born.

And what more did you buy?

Suit a coat and a pair of trousers. Buwa bought them. Raja will

look smart in them.

The gathering at the tube-well engaged itself in silent laughter. There

was nothing for them to understand what sense a suit would make for an

infant. It was a little too much. It was a perfect madness.

Buwa says, Raja will study in a boarding school, added Sangeeta.

I think he has a bride fixed for him too, added Kamali and new

waves of giggles escaped every lip. The embarrassing grins were still

apparent on their lips as they scattered from the tube-well and went

towards their respective homes.

When Sangeeta reached home, she could hear the tolls of bells, and

hymns being chanted from various corners. She instantly made out that the

puja had started. In fact, thepuja was to chase all the evils out the childs life.


3/25

Else, they could harm him, and if that happened, the chances of Spandan

growing well to become a daacter would be bleak. They were not ready to

risk that.

There was a lot of hue and cry. Women from the village were busy

prescribing this soap or that soap, this powder or that powder. They were

omniscient about child rearing, and seemed to know a lot more about a boy

born after six girls. Do not have linen. That burns the child, advised

Lalkarni, pouring the expertise born out of rearing twelve children of her

own.

Yes, added Maanbirni in support. My Nabin had bruises all

around the thighs when Devi wrapped him in linen one day.

Thigh? Thank God, nothing else burned, added Kumari and

giggled. The girls looked on each others faces and turned their heads low to

allow a controlled laughter.

The puja that was in fact totally unnecessary ended late at night. The

bahun from Nuwakot was offered more than anything he had collected in a

single ceremony in one of the richest mens house in the village. There was a

new dhoti of the best Indian cotton, and a pair of brand new Bata shoes.

The red woolen shawl from Nagaland could cost more than a thousand, and

the mosquito net imported from Manipur was estimated to be of five

hundred rupees worth. Dakshina in cash summed up to around fifteen

hundred, and the smile on the face had no counter at all.

-2-


4/25

There was no one in the village that did not know Spandan. Few knew his

real name, as all called him Raja. He grew amidst social notice, and all

watched his gradual growth minutely.

He was well built no doubt, and people expected that he would grow

into a tall, strong gentleman. There was no doubt in it, for, he was given the

nourishment that none of his sisters had an access to. Milk, meat, ghee and

fruit formed compulsory items in his meal, and sisters kept watching how

all these would enter his mouth and pass though the throat. They would

curse their pasts seeing it all, silently though.

When Ghanashyam admitted him to a boarding school, the

villagers had the eighth wonder on earth. He did not know the alphabets;

nor did he ever care to send any of his daughters to a school. But the son

had a boarding school to start with, and the speculations that he would be a

doctor became high in the neighborhood.

The way Spandan went to the school was a bigger topic of discussion

among farmers who gathered to weed their fields.

Ghanashyam carries him on his back right from home to his

school, said Mani Kumar, knuckling Kajimaan, who weeded next to him.

And he keeps the child on the teachers lap at school, and not on the

floor, added Ashok, and turned to look on the faces of his friends.

Is the teachers lap softer than the velvet? asked Bhim, and all burst

into wild laughter.


5/25

That I dont know, but I know one thing. The teacher feeds Spandan

with her own milk, and Ghanashayam pays her extra, informed Kajimaan.

Did you see her suckling him with your own eyes? asked Ashok,

who did not spare a singe opportunity to crack jokes.

One thing was certain however. Raja was cared for like a prince. A

mosquito did not dare to bite him, because the security around him was

too heavy for insects to transgress the boundaries. He was territorialized

every time, everywhere.

Ghanashyam would be seen standing at the school gate half an hour

before the final bell. He would quit his fieldwork in all circumstances to

receive his child. He would not even allow his wife to do that because he

doubted her strength. He believed that she would be tired, and would make

Raja walk. He could not bear that.

-3-

Spandan did not know what was happening around him till he

reached class three. By then, he had started relating him with his friends

around, and a marked difference in the treatment would embarrass him.

But he was forced to receive it all, because any other way bothered his

family, though not himself, and he did not want to disappoint his family,

particularly his father.

One day, some friends of his class saw Spandans father sprinkling

body powder on his sons back outside the school gate at lunchtime. He


6/25

explained that his son had blisters and doctor had prescribed powder to be

dusted three times a day. Since that day, they called him powder boy.

Someone even brought an advertisement of Johnsons baby powder and

pasted on his desk.

A few days later, Spandan caught diarrhea and the teacher suggested

his father not to send him to school. But he denied, as he thought that his

son would learn less, and that would prevent him form becoming a doctor.

Rather, he chose to stay with him at school throughout the day, helping him

with his toilet. He carried a plastic bowl, and the news spread like a

contagious epidemic.

The rumors in the village were even more endemic when his elder

sister Leela got married. Spandan was just eleven then. The bridegroom,

they said, was from a family of prestige, and that required a grand

ceremony. Big people need big show, that was what the elders in the village

used to say. Ghanashyam did have difficulties managing money and

resources, but he did it, because he did not want to prove himself weak in

front of his daughters in-laws.

The ceremony was big, though the bride was plain. She got an

ordinary sari of red color. Red was the brides color; that was the social

understanding. Till this day in Nepal, the brides are often seen in red saris.

Her sandals were plain too. They were one of the brand laymen

could buy along the streets in Asan. The rings were of the rolled gold.

Henna was not bought new, for Renu had some leftover from Teej, and they

thought that would be enough for a pair of small palms. The legs were not


7/25

fine enough for henna, because they had cracks everywhere, coming out of

the toil she had to endure through, in hot suns and torrential rains in their

field, down there in the bank of the Dangdunge river, that was infamous for

snakes. But Leela looked happy in all arrangements. She had never been so

privileged as that.

Spandans case had a different story. It was Leelas wedding, but

Spandan was in the center of all attention. His father got a coat and a pair of

pants stitched for him at Fashionway, the best known tailors in the town

The suiting was that of Shiyaram, one of the best known brands of Indian

textile. That cost of him around five thousand rupees the salary of a good

schoolteacher in a boarding school in Kathmandu. His topi was that of the

pure Palpali Dhaka, ordered directly from Palpa, because Ghanashyam

thought that the shopkeepers at Bhrikuti Mandap sold spurious things.

The shoes Spandan got to wear that day were of pure Pakistani

leather. His father had procured them from a shop in New Road, the only

shop in the town that sold pure Pakistani leather. The stockings to fit those

grand shoes were of Puma Company that has a history of making the most

comfortable and the most enduring stockings.

That did not end the story. Ghanashyam phoned Kapil Bhandari, one

of his friends working in Dubai to get a fine watch for his son. Kapil was

back for vacation, and the watch he carried along, he said, was the best he

could buy in a duty-free shop in Dubai. Ghanashyam had to pay some four

thousands for it.


8/25

What made the villagers feel even more awkward was the fact that

all dishes in the feast were ordered according to Spandans interest. There

was no pumpkin or brinjal as he did not like them. There was Rohu fish

plainly fried in mustard oil, roasted chicken heart, mutton gravy, a fine

quality of Indian papad, palak paneer, and of course, lintels cooked to make

gravy.

Leela herself was a vegetarian; all those meat items would make no

sense for her. But the largest part of the kitchen budgeting went to them, for

they were Spandans prescription.

The marriage ended and Leela made an ordinary go. There were

many things for the villagers to see. But they had even more things to talk

about.


9/25

-4-

Spandan attended the L.K. English School, down there, across the Irang

River; some two kilometers walk from the village. The way was a downhill

trail passing through the terraced fields stretched along the slopes, from far

away in the east to the hill of Rijaltaar in the west, where the sun would

appear red as it set. Admitting him to L. K. English School was a crucial

decision Ghanashyam had taken, because that meant his acceptance to

allow his son walk such a long way alone. Schooling was not a days job.

He would have to endure through the torrents of summer and the chills of

winter, the scorching heat from above, and the slippery trail downhill,

below. The Dandunge would go wild in winter with a lot of water cutting

the sides of its narrow gorge, and stones rolling and hitting one another.

There was no end to danger.

The Dandunge had no bridge. Once the villagers had erected a

bamboo structure across the river, but within a week, Janagbo had pulled

the bamboos away to make a sty for his pig. The villagers had no power to

object because Janangbo had a gun, and spoke a strange language.

The Kami Khet, the terrace of the blacksmith beyond the tall, lonely

peepal was infamous for snakes. Poisonous snakes would be seen sleeping

across the road in hot summer days. There had been cases where some

people had died of snakebites. Snakebite had become a dangerous case in

the villager ever since Kamibudho, the old blacksmith, had died. He was

the only wise man in the village that could suck the venom and save the

victims of snakebites.


10/25

That was the path Spandan had to pass through everyday. Other

children too were there for that matter. Ramesh and Mahesh too attended

the same school. Prakash, Sumitra, Padma, Shankar, Karna, and Santosh too

were there to accompany him on the way to school and back home. But

Ghanshyam would trust no one.

So, the father and the son would be seen walking together every

morning and evening. Spandan would be seen sitting like a king on the

shoulders of his father walking uphill like a donkey. There was no grudge

apparent on the fathers face, however. He had a bright future to dream of.

This could not however continue for a long time. Ghanashyam was

an old man and he had his limitations. The daylong engagement with the

soil in the field, and ageing muscles could not help him any longer. Man

Bahadur Masterji suggested him to leave his child in the company of his

friends. With a heavy heart, Ghanshyam had to comply.

But every evening, he would be seen at the Great Banyan and the

Peepal hillock, down there in the frontier of the village, waiting for his son.

As soon as the son made his appearance near, he would rush to him and lift

up on his shoulders. Spandan would display a smile of satisfaction.

-5-

Spandan was in the seventh class. The school sent a notice that there was

an internal excursion in the planner and every child was to participate.

Ghanashyam asked the principal whether he too would be allowed to go


11/25

with his son as a caretaker, but the principal denied. So he decided not to

send his son at all cost.

On the way back from Pokhara, one of the students asked the

principal why Spandan was not there in the team.

His father too wanted to join. But I did not allow that. So he did not

send Spandan, the principal said.

The children looked at the face of one another in amazement. They

could not understand why that should happen with Spandan. They too had

fathers, and no one demanded an inclusion in the trip. Why did Spandans

father have to go anywhere he goes: from play ground to the swimming

pool, from bathroom to the toilet, from home to school, and now from

school to Pokhara and back.

The principal was a person of plain demeanor. He could have told

anything to calm the childrens curiosity, but he chose to be truthful,

mindless of what the children would make out of the information.

The next day at school, Bikram asked Spandan, Dont you have a

granmother?

I dont, was a plain reply. Spandan believed that it was an innocent

inquiry.

You could bring her too. That would make a nice excursion. Ha ha

ha!

Spandan looked here and there He had nothing to understand.

And where was that flock of eight sisters? You could bring all of

them. That would make the trip even better, added Bijay.


12/25

And mother too. She could suckle you in the bus. We would cover

our faces with handkerchiefs. See we have handkerchiefs, added Prajwal

waving his white handkerchief in his hand.

And you would add your cat and dog, and all those flock of sheep

and goats, and that would make a caravan, said Britant. Caravan was a

new world Ekraj Sir has taught him in their social studies lesson.

Spandan could understand what they meant. He knew this would

come. He had even asked his father to let him go alone, but that plea had

not worked. He was old enough to understand the pain of mockery.

The boys in his class found an even interesting joke when the annual

sports came. The sports teacher placed the boys evenly in cricket, football,

basketball and table tennis teams. Spandans name figured in the football

team because he was tall and well built, and that would be an advantage in

the football field.

The teacher sent notices to the parents, and instructed them to

arrange their sports costumes. Ghanashyam plainly rejected that, and wrote

that his son could not play in the hot sun because that would burn his skin.

No daddy, I can play.

No honey. Those boys will push you and you will fall.

It happens in the field. There is pleasure in falling in a game.

How could you say that? I have brought you up with great

difficulties. If you break your hand or leg, you will never be a doctor.

Spandan kept quiet. He was not however happy.


13/25

At school, the sports teacher sought explanation from Spandan. He

had no option but to confess the truth.

Good. Have a fair complexion, handsome man. Girls will love you,

he said in jest and walked alone. He knew that Spandan would not be

allowed.

The hardest times came with the boys.

He is contesting Mr. Universe. Ha! giggled Suyog.

With those butter hands and butter legs? inquired Bikram.

Sh! Dont speak so loud. Your breath will heat the butter up, and he

will melt and see what his father does, added Imran.

True, said Pratik.

The games began with all hues and cries. The agile players rocked

the earth with their nimble feet that had learnt how to fall and how to wake

up. Every time you fall, you learn how to wake up, you know!

Spandan sat alone in the farthest corner of the stadium, biting his

nails. With every good shot in the field, his heart would elate, reminding

him that he too had that capacity, and could prove it if allowed. He could

see himself in every player.

His eyes closely followed the motion of the ball and the players. The

eyes were balls in themselves, with scores of promises, dreams and hopes.

With a grim, austere face, and no one to accompany around, he kept

looking straight at his friends in the field. The bend of their calves and the

projection of their sinews, the elated chests and the rapid breathes of

excitement and sportsmanship, the hopeful brows and the powerful blows,


14/25

all came rebounding to him, reminding that he could do it all himself. Only

that he was denied the opportunity.

The game ended. The victors jumped in the air and rolled over the

ground. The frenzy of victory made them blind, and they did not care about

the dust on the ground. Nothing is as refreshing as the feelings of having

won!

Bijay shot the ball high up in the air to mark the celebration. If fell on

the ground with a heavy thud, and rolled off the ground. Spandan was near

enough to catch it.

Hey, be careful. That is a football you know, said Prakriti, a girl of

his class sitting some ten yards away from him.

I know that.

`Dont touch. It is not kind of toys you can play with. It is for living

boys.

And what do you think I am?

You? Go home baby. Your mom must be ready with hot milk in the

bottle. She will lull you to sleep and you can dream of butter and ice-

cream.

In the mean time, Krishna reached out for the ball. Spandan rolled

the ball towards Krishna. He picked it up slowly and stared at Spandan

with dubious eyes, and said, O, you can roll the football, baby! There was

an extra stress on his pronunciation. Spandan did not speak a word.

Krishna walked out with Prakriti.


15/25

Spandan had never felt that much humiliated in the past. The

growing man inside him was revolting.

At home in the evening, he banged the door loud with a thud, and

bolted from inside. He decided to boycott the dinner.

Honey, the dinner is ready. What happened darling? Headache?

Come I will massage your head with mustard oil, said his mother

pounding the door. But no reply would come.

Spandan, the milk will get cold. I have boneless chicken fried for

you. Papa has picked the softest of the mangoes from the fruit sellers.

Milk, boneless chicken, softest of the mangoes Spandan did not

like the idea. Why milk at this age? Why boneless chicken? Why soft

mangoes? He decided not to open the door.

Will you come here once, Shyam? Raja doesnt open the door,

shouted his mother. Ghanashyam stood in front of the door in no time.

Yes Spandan, he began. See what I have brought for you?

So many things passed in from out, but to no avail. At last the

husband and the wife sat at the threshold and began to weep.

Ok Raja, do not let us in. We will not eat anything. We will keep

sleeping right here at the threshold throughout the night. Perhaps that will

make you happy, said Ghanashyam in a sunken, creaky voice.

And that was too much for young Spandan. His heart was moved to

the limits, and a profound overflow of emotion urged him to wake up. He

slowly unbolted the door. There were tears in his eyes, clear and round, and

in uncountable numbers, queuing in line to compete for falls.


16/25

I was humiliated at the playground today. They made me a

laughing-stock.

Who did that to my king? said Krishna with an instant indignation.

You! said the child and recoiled back to his bed.

A long debate followed. It ended with cracks, not one but many, in

their relation.

-6-

Soon the summer had its onset and the wind betumbled the mango flowers.

The entire maize cultivation of the Baniyas was destroyed by hailstone, and

the Acharyas lost their roofs in the wind. The Dandunge thundered like

hell, and a small streamlet appeared on the trail downhill. The way to L.K.

English school turned into a river.

And Spandan stopped going. Others walked with their shoes in their

satchels, and trousers folded to the knees. That was how a whole generation

of people had studied in that part of the world.

But Spandan and calamities could not go together. He was a born

king, and his father would never be ready to take any risk. He decided not

to send him to school in the rainy season.

Spandan was the first-position holder of his class and his long,

uninformed absence made the teachers worried. One rainy evening, his

class teacher Miss Jayanthi Nayar walked all the way long to call on him.

May I know who is at home?


17/25

Spandans mother opened the door. It was a queer site. An unknown

lady was at the threshold. She was almost totally drenched from top to toe.

The small umbrella had proven a puny joke. The slippers had sprinkled

mud right to her back. The eyeglasses showed beautiful patterns of tiny

water droplets, sliding down the fine surface, and committing mass suicide

like lemmings.

Namasate! I am Jayanthi, Spandans teacher. We have not seen him

at the school for a long time. I just walked in to see what is wrong with

him.

It rains so heavily, and his father just decided to teach him at home.

Will you walk in please? I will call his father.

Jayanthi walked in, and she was offered a seat in the living room.

Inside, she could see Spanan sitting on a soft cushion with his elbows

resting on a softer lump, working with mathematics. He rose with a start

when his mother informed about his teachers visit.

I will not see her, he declared.

You have to, honey, ruled his father. See, she has walked all the

way in the rain to see you.

I can walk in the rain too. I can run uphill and downhill. I can go to

school in showers and sun. But who allows me?

Honey?

And I mean it.

Before the father had uttered a word, and took to his heels like a

frightened cat, and slipped out of the back door and ran into the attic.


18/25

He feels shy, Miss Jayanthi, said Ghanashyam, entering the living

room. On hearing about you, he ran away. In our days in Gurukul, we

used to pray for our teachers darshan. But children these days are different.

Television has spoilt them, you know.

Jayanthi kept smiling. Her head moved up and down, while the eyes

looked straight at Ghanashyam.

Spandanss mother entered with two glasses of lemon squash, and

gave one to miss Jayanthi. It was a cold, raining evening, and she though

the squash to be out of place. She asked why they were serving a cold drink.

We always have cold drinks. His father says, the hot things will

spoil Rajas brain. Cold things make his brain cool, and he will be a doctor

for sure, said Meena without even knowing what explanations she was

putting forward.

Yes, that is what Maharajji in the ashram says. He always drinks

cold water, be it summer or winter. And see his gyan and his memory. Can

you compare?

Jayanthis science proved too weak in front of them. She chose to

keep quiet.

Raja catches cold very soon. When the rains started, I decided not to

send him school for good.

I see.

See the slippery road. If he falls on the way and break his elbow or

knee, they will not admit him in the medicines.

Who said that?


19/25

That is that, miss Jayanthi. Doctors should have proper hands for

operation. Else they will kill people. Dont you remember what happen in

Dharan last summer?

O I do, she said with a nod.

Jayanthi knew that it would be better for her not to speak.

Ghanashyam said so many more things, and she accepted all with her

gentle nods. At around eight, she woke up to go.

We have the terminal exams from the fifteenth. He must sit for it, or

he will lose his grades. Please make sure of that.

A dubious vexation appeared on Ghanashyams face. But he knew

that he had no option. So he said, Yes, teacher!

It is so dark out and it is raining. How can you walk out alone, miss

Jayanthi? he asked in a somber voice.

O, its just an hour walk. And I know where the puddles are. I can

walk, because I am a lady.

After she had walked out, he gently closed the door.

Soon the terminal examination came with its usual sensation.

Spandan appeared for it, and ended with four backs. The father had the

hardest times in his life.

As he walked out of the school with a grim face, some school

children threw dry tuft at him and said, There walks the old sheep. Old

sheep, old sheep, where is your lamb?


20/25

He looked back at them, thinking that they were reciting their

rhymes. He stood and paid them his ear with interest.

Give your lamb the softest grass,

And save him from water; dont give a wash

His butter hands, and his butter legs

Can not the hot, summer sun stand.

As he walked away from there, he had an earnest smile on his lips.

He was happy at the children. Their English was great for him.

As soon as he reached home, his smiles went away. He dragged

himself in, and threw heavily on the mat.

You fool. Why could not you make it up? he roared, entering his

small mansion with a tigers anger. The green report card in his hand with

apparent red circles widely scattered all around, fluttered freely in the air.

What is this? Tell me, what is this?

Spandan kept quiet.

I gave you the softest bed to sleep in.

Spandan raised his head up, and stared once at his father.

And bought you the shoes with the softest soles.

We gave you the softest meat, when we gobbled at the dry bones.

No reply would come.

And your mom always has cheese prepared for you.


21/25

A long silence ensued. There were tears in Ghanashyams eyes. The

door creaked, and Ghanashyam wiped out his tears with a remarkable

quickness. Spandan kept staring at him with wide eyes.

Do you remember what I brought for you from Biratnagar for your

last birthday? A teddy bear with a soft fur. I thought that would not harm

your hands.

A moth flew around them, and fell in between. Ghanashyam picked

it up with utmost care, and placed it at his back. Spandan lifted one of his

slippers up, and smashed the moth into a mere, white impression on the

ground.

And that teddy bear Do you know how much it cost? It cost six

hundred rupees.

The church bell rang far away in the Christian village. It struck

eleven mighty hours at the dead of the night. A dead silence prevailed once

again.

And see your results. You will never be a doctor.

And I never want to be one.

Ha? What did you say? Will you repeat that once more?

Yes. I never want to be a doctor.

What else did you ever want to be? Only fools can think of anything

else.

I want to be a wrestler. I want to be a sportsman. I want to be in the

army and be in the war. And you made me butter and ice-cream.

Why dont you mention doctor?


22/25

Papa, do you know they call me a sheep at school? A sheep is afraid

of water.

How dare they say that to my Raja?

They say that I am afraid of rain, and so I was absent during the

rainy season. The sheep do the same too. You made me a sheep.

I am making you a doctor, Raja.

A sheep-doctor. A doctor-sheep. Hell with that!

Both the mouths remained shut for a long time. Spandan let out hot,

round tears in torrents. They fell in succession, and gathered into a small

pool on the floor, right at the place where the moth had been flattened to

death. The wings of the moth floated lightly on the surface of the tear-pond.

Raja!

Yes!

You will be a doctor Raja. I will buy a soft chair for you.

And?

And a velvet cushion. That will cost high, but I will have it for you.

Go on, dad. I want to hear more.

And, those representative with big leather bags will give you cold

cream and sun cream free of cost.

And what will I do with that?

You will smear on your skin. That will keep you protected from the

sun.


23/25

But I need wooden bats. I need iron chains to push and pull every

morning. I need rough walls to climb on, and heavy wheels to lift on the

shoulders.

You should not do that Raja. Bad boys do that. Doctors are good

people.

And I need swimming costumes.

And run into the river?

Yes.

And die?

No. Swim, play and win. Not every swimmer dies. He needs

technique.

Ghanashyam showed real worry on his face this time.

You should not run into the river, honey. It is dangerous.

And I know that it is.

It has rough stones. They can hurt you. You know, Dangdunge is a

bad river.

All rivers are bad for you.

It was a cold night. A chilly breeze would gush at times, and fan the

warring son and father.

And that will not make you a doctor.

And what will make me one?

Love and care. I have always loved you.

Thank you.

I loved you more than myself.


24/25

Thanks. You are the best fathers on earth.

Ghanashyam looked happy. A smile came flying in the air and rested

gently on his lips. That was the first smile in the past two hours.

But I dont want that. I want something else.

What do you want Raja? May I get that?

Spandan woke up with a fury, and tightened his fist. A sudden fear

besieged Ghanashayam, and he pushed himself backward. The fourteen-

year-old boy looked like Agamemnon, ready to attack his enemies.

I want this! said he and discharged a heavy blow on the hard brick

wall. The blow had a great power, indeed.

Raja!

And this and this and this! I want to be a tiger, not a sheep. I want

to rock the field there. I dont want your soft velvet bed here.

Three successive punches befell the wall. Ghanashyam saw real fury

in his sons eyes.

Raja, you are going to be a doctor.

I want to be a man first.

And then a doctor?

I dont know. I dont want to be a sheep.

Ghanashayam could see red blood oozing out of Spandans fist. The

cut was deep; he was sure of that. He woke and rushed towards the kitchen,

and came back with a tin kit.


25/25

Come honey. You need medication. I have cotton here. This is the

softest cotton on earth. I got it from the Bharosa Medical when you had a

running ear last summer.

Say hell to your soft cotton. I dont want it any more.

And he pushed his father aside with a deadly push. Ghanashyam fell

on the ground. But by the time he woke up, Spandan was at the threshold of

the door.

Spandan! The voice creaked. Tears spoke the rest.

I am leaving you. I will make myself what I have to be. See you!

And one leaf of the door slowly latched from within. Far away, the

church bell struck twelve. That was the faintest sound Ghanashyam had

ever heard from any bell. He dragged himself to the half open door, and

looked out into the darkness. The rain was beating the maize leaves heavily.

The mighty Dangdunge was roaring like hell. Inside, a tiny lizard had

swallowed the beaten moth, and the floor looked clean.

The End

Documents

The Midnight Bell