THE BLACK POND

He always used to be surprised by almost everything he saw here and there. He surprised by the trees and used to think why all of the trees stood at the same place, why they don’t move, that teacher must be liar who said trees have life like us. He surprised why the leaves of the trees change their color and why they fall, don’t they feel pain? Flying birds and their warbling, ants and their movement in a straight line, was a matter of great curiosity for him. But the black pond always used to attract him more than anything else. He wanted to know what lies beneath under the black water of the pond. He sat for hours near the pond and used to watch the fish came up at the surface.  He always used to watch in the sky try to find the answers like those prayers his mother used to tell him that just closed your eyes and think about the sky because God lives there and if you pray with the true heart God will listen you definitely.

For him his mother was not just a mother but his father too. He never asked about his father who is he, where does he live, because he knew that these question would make her sad. How could she tell him that his father left her before his birth. His mother named Bharat after the brave son of King Dushyant and Queen Shakuntla. She used to tell him stories of Bharat, how brave he was, even in his childhood, the same age of you are now, he used to play with lions and count their teeth. His mother used to tell him that you are my Prince. He used to tell her mother when I will be young I will become like Prince Bharat and I will never let you work.

How many times I have told you that never go near to that pond but you don’t listen to me once. Every afternoon you go and sat there. What you do after going there? You don’t go to school but you go there. Do you know what I have to do every day to send you school, but you don’t care for anything. I am telling you last time if you will ever go that pond you are not going to see me again. I am already sick enough now don’t make me more.

 He was listening standing there but hiding his head behind the doors. He knew that after some time when she will be cool down she will love him as usual.  He decided that he will never go to that pond again. He loved his mother very much so he said sorry to her. She hugged him and sat him in her lap. Why you do such thing you know if anything happens to you how I would live, she said to him. He could see the tears in her eyes he wiped them and said I will never go there.

Raghu today I will not go to from that way maa would be angry. I also don’t go that way my brother told me that the black pond belong to dead people every dead people go there after the death. He told me the pond has claws under the water. The claws can catch the live person and takes him into the water to kill him. He said no one would like to have such a scary death. I am afraid now what if the claws catch us Bharat.

What Raghu said to him didn’t matter to because he said already about it to his mother, but the claws and the pond belongs to the dead. He was happy because now he had the answer what lies beneath the pond and the pond’s water is black because pond wanted to hide its claws. He was happy now.

Peoples were looking at him. The people gathered inside and around his house. They were just looking at him but saying nothing to each other. He never saw so many people before in his house. Why they are here? What are they doing in my home? Where is maa?

He rushed inside the house. He saw that his mother was there but lying unconsciously on the floor. Her eyes were closed. Her body was cold. What happened to her? Why is she sleeping till now? Wake up maa… wake up maa… I did not go to that bad pond today as I told you yesterday now wake up maa, I am hungry please give me the food. Chachi why is she doing this to me? I know sometime she used to tease me a little but today I have not done any mischievous act. Maa I promise you will not get any complain of me. He was crying and crying and crying, but his mother didn’t wake up from her sleep.

He looks everywhere but he couldn’t find her. He asks people but no one has the answer. He prays a lot to the god lives in the sky, to return his maa. His prayers were too unanswered. He was not hungry now he used to be hungry when his mother used to make him to eat the food with her own hand. Sometimes he used to bite her finger a little then maa used to scold him with love. He did not want to sleep now because there was no one to tell him the bed time stories. There was no one to wake him up and to make ready him for school.  Maa used to come where I used to play with my friend so he went there to see if she come today but she didn’t come.

 The pond must have taken her. The pond belongs to dead and pond might be angry because Maa did not want me to there. I have to get her back he was thinking. So in night he decided to go to pond to fight with the pond like prince Bharat used to fight with lion. You must to be afraid of him I am Bharat, I am Bharat. I have to get my maa back from that wicked pond.

She was there his mother to embrace him and he was there but he was angry at her, he had complained. He asked why you left him alone in this world. You knew I was hungry and also I did not come here while I found you here. Now promise me you will not leave me ever and take me to every where you will go. He was very happy. She took him with her, her own little Prince Bharat.

Two days later in the local news paper.

A body of seven or eight year old boy has been found near the area of black pond. Founder had told us he the reason of the death is drowning into the pond. Till now no one has registered of missing report in the local police station.