Black Swans
(Short Fiction)
Section- 8
Father ,mother –
Xavi-
You know, I cannot get back those old times. I can only give back a portion of the love that they gave me. In the district library Francis the librarian checks books. He knows a lot about books. Occasionally he peeps into the street corners as if there were something. Then he comes back and engages in laughter and merrymaking and work…
It was a winding climb and I was immersed in the beauty of the landscapes. I felt tired and hungry.
I stole some apples from the neighbouring field and ate it. A man came and asked- ‘Who are you?’
I asked back-
‘Who are you?’
‘I am the apple field owner’, he said.
‘I am –- from the South. I was hungry and stole a few apples from your field’.
‘No worries- When you are damn hungry, you can eat anywhere.That is not supposed to be a theft’.
‘What do you do?’,he asked.
I said something.
He said, ‘Come to my house.
My wife and daughter may welcome you. Moreover, my daughter studies your subject’.
I went and was the guest of them for two weeks.
Then, while departing, the man said.-
‘I like honest people more than smart people.I have many more apple gardens. You can look after one of them and stay with us.’
But I had other plans.
In the valley, it was snowing. The deodars were swinging in the wind. The sky was lambent.The winds carried the smell of bitumen.
SW 