Stories / Novel – The Halo Reams      
The Park
by TA Ramesh

The day dawned for the town. All the activities started functioning. In one of the main streets of the town in the South Boulevard, the traffic of the vehicles was too much at 8 o’ clock, as children were going to the school, students to the college, ladies and gentlemen to offices and various jobs.

The only Rice Mill of that area was as usual functioning with its characteristic noise. It was possible for the late night comer of the opposite house to sleep unaffected by the Mill noise even in that hour! The postman knocked the door of the house and delivered two letters to a small boy who opened the door. The boy ran inside the house and handed over the letters to Gopal, who was reading that day's newspaper in the hall.

Gopal took the letters and went to his room in the upstairs. He lit a cigarette, opened the covers and took out the letters. He read the letters for a few minutes and kept them on the table. He looked at the morning sky. It was yet to become bright. He coolly smoked the full cigarette in a thoughtful mood and threw it away at a distance. He looked at the mirror and slightly combed his hair. He stood near the shirt stand in order to choose a better dress to wear that day. He felt it was better to wear a casual dress. After a few minutes, he picked out a white shirt from the stand, wore it, went down the stairs and left the house in a brisk manner.

He walked towards the Central Park of the town. His eyes glowed with brilliance when he saw the green park! It was a wonderful creation of man’s mind, a mark of civilization giving joy to the suffering, peace to the confused, enthusiasm to the hopeless, stimulation to the desolate, satisfaction to the curious and so on. It was a wonderful park placed at the heart of the town, situated near the sea shore. It was one of the past relics of the French civilization left over to that spiritual town of India. The park reminded Gopal of the song of pleasure written by Kannan in the letter he read in the morning.

Pleasure

What a drowsy atmosphere prevails here,
When the lousy sphere is full of fear!
Plum green grass everywhere as far as eye can see!
In the heart there stands a dome,
Perhaps a souvenir of Xanadu’s Kubla Dome!

Four parts filled with green grasses,
And the trees of many branches,
The Park welcomes one and all!

Not only multi-colored butter flies fly there
But also mellifluous dream angels lie there!
Indeed it’s a place meant for pleasure!

Gopal engrossed himself in the green grass and the artistically designed dome in the middle of the park and soon conveniently lay on a shady place there. Immersed in a state of reverie he almost became a poet of Nature. He felt he were a piece lying on a velvet bed rather than a man on the green grass! His happiness knew no bound! He seemed to be enjoying a unique pleasure full of some boisterous thoughts!

Exactly at that moment a sweet musical laugh of a dame reached his ear. Though his eyes were wide open he was mentally unwilling to come to this world! It would take a little time. He longed for the transformation to come upon him of its own accord!

“Excuse me, gentleman,” said the sweet musical voice of the dame. “Please tell me where I can get drinking water in this park.”

It was enough for Gopal to come to this world. He got up from the grass and took her to the water tank situated near the dome. The water tank was nicely fenced by green plants and because of which it would be a futile adventure for anyone to find it out there. The tap was two feet below the ground level as the tank was dug in the ground.

The dame was not in a position to say anything to him. She was almost at the verge of becoming unconscious in that hot day. Her very eyes, face and delicate stature expressed about her state of fatigue to him. So, he quickly looked around and saw the gardener working with his implements near that dome. He approached him and came to her within a few seconds with an empty beer bottle. Then he simply got inside the water tank, opened the tap and filled the bottle with water.

The lady drank the water till she was satisfied as soon as she got the bottle from Gopal. Afterwards he too drank water and came out of the water tank. Then they walked out of the green fence without any conversation.

He opened the dialogue, “I presume you are studying in the college.”

“Yes, I am studying in the college in Cuddalore. I am doing second year B.A. literature. I have come here along with my class mates as tourists in a bus standing at the other end of the park. So, I thank you very much for your kind help. I am supposed to be the guide to that crew. I will take them also to this place so that they can see this dome and drink water here.”

With those words she flew away from that place. Gopal walked back to the place where he was immersed in a contemplative mood. His kind heart was gently heaving with some joy. Again he thought of another song on life written to him by Kannan on his first trip to a far away place in North India.

Life

Life is a happy journey
There is nothing so thorny
When thy heart is light
And thy mind is right.

Never doubt with a pout the love,
Which ye ought to worship with awe.
So, love, love and love
Thy Lord and thy lady love
And nothing will be bitter,
Everything will be sweeter.

Life may have many changes;
Blend with others if there be chances.
A lot ye need to know in this world
Sorrows there are in everyone’s life
Yet never lose thy precious heart
That is how life has to be lived.

Life’s destiny is the inevitable death
Time keeps all in suspended animation!
But all dreams come to an end
However sweet they may be!
Therefore ye wish for thy activities end
With a peaceful sleep one day.

Then he heard a hand clap sound near him. Gopal turned his face to see who it could be. There was no one behind him. So, he silently waited for the intruder to come to him of his own accord.

It was Selvam, who came to him and fell on the grass by his side.

“Hay! How are you Gopal?” asked Selvam as if he was seeing him after a long time.

“Wonderful! And what about you?”

“I was reading the news papers and magazines in the library. Then I came here to see the beauty of this park. All right, you have got a job in some newspaper publishing house here, Gopal. Is it true?”

“Yes, you are right. I have received an official appointment letter this morning. I am asked to go to The Bright Light Publishing House. It seems they are fascinated by the speed which I am typing out drafts! They have a lot of works there and so, I am going there tomorrow morning.”

“You are really a lucky guy, I say. You see, you have completed type writing course and you are getting a job in a private concern. There is a lot of scope for you. See our Balu. He has completed an Industrial Training Course within a very short period and now he is already in a job. He is getting appreciated for his wonderful activities in the White Steel Industries as an Assistant Production Manager.”

All right man, did you receive any letter from Kannan? He has dropped a letter for me. He wants to see me on the coming Saturday evening. It is a tragedy that he had lost his wife and his parents in a disastrous accident somewhere near Bombay. The things are not at all going on smoothly for him. Now it seems that his relatives are pressing him to think about his second marriage. But he feels that it has become a strange mess which could not have been experienced by anyone at his age. He is going to have a discussion about this issue with us and is going to take a decision about his future. That is why he is going to have a meeting with us in the coming Saturday. I am happy to see him. Today I have received a letter from him. That is why I am in a state of reverie remembering about his talks with us here in the past.”

“But I didn’t receive any letter. Since it is our duty to help him I will come for the meeting. He is a man to be praised and I am elated to call myself a friend of him.”
Okay Selvam, let us go and have a cup of coffee somewhere here. Then we can talk more about this matter.”

They left the park and walked to a near by hotel in that area.    

– Continued

September 9, 2007

The Halo Dreams : A Novel 
Writing a Novel | The Park | Philosophy | The Confusion | The Conversation
The Appointment | The Journey | The First Publication | The Change
The Secret | The Painted Veil | The Halo Magazine | The Debts | The Break
A Letter | A Surprise Letter | The Literary Muse | The Souvenir | The Questionnaire
The Reconciliation | The Lake | The Final Meets | The Surprise | The Settlements
The Result 

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