The room...

I don’t know what made me open the door..and go inside. It’s not everyday that I go visiting this place. The place was a room full of rooms...a maze in fact!
There was a time when I used to visit this place often..go through the stuff stored here..and gaze wistfully into the empty rooms…the view always breath taking...
Now as I opened the door...it creaked...unused for so many days; the door groaned almost as if it were surprised into life!
I had almost forgotten how nice it was…visiting this place. I opened and walked into one room...and something caught my eye....and I was surprised to see a small footprint...as I bent closer to observe, I realized with a shock that this was the imprint of the first ever step I took! Funny...I don’t remember that...and it’s imprint still so nicely preserved...
I was uneasy and joyous at the same time...I imagined a plump lil kid...trying to stand...and dropping on its bottom...a few times...before shakily moving forward and the surprise and joy of my mom who had witnessed it!
I saw multitude of boxes...and I realized that each of these boxes held something about me…some forgotten piece of memory...
I gingerly opened a small box...and found one half eaten lollipop...and I was drawn back to that place where I was but a child running to the corner "pille angadi" to buy Cadbury’s lollipop...I could feel the sugary sweet chocolate taste of that lollipop which had a chimp's face on its wrap!
The lollipop would leave my lips sticky and I hear my mom cajoling me to go wash my face...
I gently smile…close the lid on that cherished symbol of my childhood and look around...for something else to catch my eye! Then my eyes fell on a white skirt…and with a gasp I realized that it was my fav "juhi chawla" skirt. Above knee length, it would teasingly swirl every time I moved. I used to wear it everyday...and was so proud of it....I touched it..to make sure whether it was still as soft...it was! Funny...this childhood skirt…back in that room was perfect, untouched by the years...I touched the white material to my cheek to feel its softness! then I laid it back and opened a big wooden box with beautiful engravings on its lid...
It held in its bosom many paraphernalia of my childhood...the marbles I stole from my brother...the small kitchen set I used to play mommy with...the ugly earrings my dad had bought in Agra(which was so dear to me)...my green frock with umbrella cut...and so many others...

I reluctantly came out of this room...and opened the next door. There I was sitting under the shade of our old guava tree and parijaatha tree... on the weather worn bench...sitting and biting my pen ,trying to understand the complexity of algebra. Short boy cut hair held behind by a hair band, big teeth each growing in its own direction...and hero (my dog) at my feet, I had no enemy in the world but algebra.
I smiled at her, felt relieved that I didn’t have to do those algebra sums again.

In the next room...instead of opening the door...I just peered in thru the window.
I saw two gals sleeping in the tent…but with their heads out of the flap so that their heads were actually out of the tent.
They both were gazing into the ink blue sky…with a galaxy of stars staring back at them. They were not close…they didn’t even like each other..but for that perfect night which they shared..for that moment they were best friends.
They listened to the sounds of the nights..the crickets...the rustle of wind against the trees..and the sound of flowing water..which eerily sounded like someone chuckling!
The long silences were peppered with some conversations..on general topics..but they let the silence comfort them.one would hum a song and the other would join in...the gal playing with her hair..singing a romantic number..who wished that time would stay still..was me.

I kept passing from room to room...sometimes peering through the window..sometimes opening and going in...
In one room I saw myself weeping my heart out...when I had missed my SSLC rank by a few marks...I was inconsolable....I smiled at what seemed like childishness to me now...crying over some paltry marks. I wanted to go tell the sobbing gal
not to worry...but I decided against it and went towards the next door...and I saw myself sitting in the window..with
a mug of tea..looking outside at the rain...content with life.
In one room were my memories about my friends...gals lying beside each other giggling about some nonsensical thing....having breakfasts together..and sleeping with our legs on each other...and shopping for birthday presents
As if out of curiosity..I walked towards the other end...and saw the empty rooms...each wore an air of expectation..of anticipation..of hope; and I wondered that after some time..these rooms too would have stories to tell..smells,pictures...to remind me of my blessed existence.
And I realized that this is a place I would always love to visit...for I see my tomorrow..in these little snippets of my past.
I see the past and future merge....and somehow that gave me curious sense of well being...a feeling of completion.

I slowly walked out...locked those gates...and walked out of the maze that I call my mind...