A fatal game

A fatal game

      “This is indeed a long drive.” Hissing out heavily Sunand reclined in his seat in the car. “But in this beautiful car it is indeed very comfortable journey.” But the main problem was from the moment he started the journey, there was a continuous uneasy feeling in him. He just could not understand why he was feeling in such a way.

      “You are right. But it is not only your father do this driving all the time. You also have to share this.” Sunand’s mother Anupama said while Sunand’s father Mukund maneuvering the car carefully on the rough surfaced road.

      “Sure I do that. Dad alone need not worry about this driving. I don’t let father labored himself all the time.” Sunand said observing the fast moving sceneries beside while trying to get rid of the uneasy feeling in him.

      “After fifteen years of long gap he is coming once again to my native village. That is enough. I can do this driving quite happily all alone.” The enthusiasm in Mukund’s voice surprised the mother and son.

      “Everytime you go to that village, you do feel this much happy dad, why?” turning his head towards his father, Sunand asked him.

      “Did not I ever tell you about this? That is my native village Sunand, there I took my birth, there I grew up and stayed upto my twentieth year. I cannot say why but I feel always so happy even just by thinking about that village.”

      “None of your relatives are there now. Still you are feeling like that about that place. Really very much surprising!” turning his head once again towards the fast moving sceneries beside, Sunand said.

      “The memories itself are my relatives. They are always so sweet to me.” Mukund was as much careful as he was before while driving the car.

      “The Gangu there. Your father is very much attached to him. He was with your father’s family from a very long time back. He has become quite old but is still looking all the affairs of your father in that village.”

      “Yes, that Gangu is more than any relative to me. I just cannot say how much supportive he was to me when I lost my both parents in an accident at one time.”

      “Yes, Gangu… he used to be so good to me also. And his son Tippu. We both played a lot together.”

      The uneasy feeling started in Sunand was troubling him in the same way. In fact Mukund did not ask Sunand to come to that village. Sunand himself wanted to go there with his parents. He went there many a time while he was a child and enjoyed a lot in that village along with that Tippu. Once he became an elder he lost all interest in that village. He preferred to stay at home itself whenever his parents wanted to go there. More than fifteen years have passed after he had gone to that village. Sometimes, his father asked Sunand to come to that village whenever they went there but Sunand did not agree to it. He did not know why he suddenly wanted to go that village.

      But why this uneasiness? Why he was feeling like this? It was just like he had forgotten something very important but what that was he could not understand.

      “What you are thinking Sunand? You became suddenly silent.” Anupama asked him.

      “Nothing.” Sunand nodded his head in negation.

      “You are appearing moody also. Is there anything wrong?”

      “Nothing wrong.” Sunand became irritated on being asked like that. “How long it would take us to go there?” he asked his father as if to change the subject.

      “Another three or four hours. You yourself said it is a long drive. Be bear with it.” Mukund said.

      “Its alright. No problem.” Sunand said. “May I take up the driving?”

      “Not necessary. I am enjoying this driving.” He was still in the same enthusiastic mood.

      Sunand once again closed his eyes and leaned back on the seat. Without his intention he started remembering his childhood memories there. There were three or four children used to play with him then. But it was with that Tippu he used to play a lot and he enjoyed playing with him a lot. Tippu was indeed a very good boy. Tippu liked him very much. While his mind was forcing those memories onto the surface, he became even more uneasy.

      “Dad…..” Sunand suddenly said.

      “What my son?”

      “That Gangu has a son, has not he?”

      “Gangu has three sons and three daughters, of which son you are asking?”

      “Tippu, do you know about him?”

      “Tippu…is one of his sons name is Tippu? I don’t think I have seen of him much. Why are you asking me about him particularly?” hissing out heavily Mukund said.

      “I used to play with him a lot while I was in that village. This journey like this reminding me about Tippu and the games I played with him.” Sunand said thoughtfully

      “Alright. You are going to remember more and more about your childhood in that village before we reach there.” Mukund said.

      As if to prove whatever Mukund said was true, Sunand was flooded more and more with those memories. That Tippu knew more and more games. One of those games was, there used to be a big drench in the garden. He dug a drench in the garden particularly to play that game. He used to lie flat in that drench and after covering himself with a plastic sheet he used to ask Sunand cover the drench completely with earth.

      “I can stay under the earth for half an hour. But you have to take the earth off me after half an hour. Otherwise I would die.” When they were playing for the first time, Tippu said.

      “I am not much interested in this game. Why do we play it after all? There are so many other games that we can play together and enjoy.” Sunand said.

      “But I do like it a lot. I enjoy it a lot.” Tippu said.

      So, for Tippu’s enjoyment, Sunand has to play that with Tippu many a time. In those days, whenever Sunand went to that village, Tippu made him do that. How many times they played it like that Sunand did not remember now. Particularly to make Tippu happy, Sunand played that game with him.

      Sunand did not know when he fell asleep but he woke up only then when he heard commotion around. Their car reached their house in that village and Gangu and his family were around their car.

      “Come out of the car, my dear. We reached our home here.” Hearing that Sunand came out of the car.

      There were Gangu, his wife, his daughter, his two sons with his wives and their children present with smiles on their faces. Two of his daughters were married and settled elsewhere.

      “How do you do sir? You have come to our village after a very long time.” Looking affectionately into the face of Sunand, Gangu asked him.

      “Of course, fine.” Pulling a smile onto his lips, Sunand said.

      “It seems you all fatigued a lot because of the journey. We have made all the arrangements. Go and take rest.” Gangu’s wife said.

      “Alright” Mukund nodded his head and started walking. Anupama and Sunand began following him and then suddenly Sunand stopped and turned towards Gangu. “Where is your son Tippu?”

      “Tippu? Why you are asking particularly about Tippu?” looking surprisingly into the face of Sunand, Gangu asked him.

      “Your son and I used to play a lot together in the garden.” Sunand said.

      “Yes, I remember.” Gangu said. “But that Tippu is not with us now. He ran off.”

      “Ran off? What do you mean ran off?” Sunand asked him surprisingly.

      Gangu hissed out heavily and suddenly there was a painful expression on his face. “It happened a very long time ago, more than fifteen years or so back. He ran off. We could not find him anywhere. So ultimately we have forgotten about him.”

      Mukund along with Anupama proceeded into the house but Sunand came near to Gangu. “I cannot understand this ‘ran off’. Why he has to? Why you people cannot find him anywhere? At what age he ran off?” Gangu’s wife was just beside him while his other family members went off from that place.

      “Might be he was aged thirteen years or so. We have searched for him everywhere. If he is alive, he would have contacted us atleast once in all these fifteen years.” When she was saying the last sentence, Gangu’s wife’s voice trembled. After one year or so worried about him very much, that family has forgotten about him completely. But Sunand’s saying like this again brought back those memories.

      With difficulty she controlled herself, came near to him and looked into his eyes. “For more than fifteen years we have forgotten about him. It is only you are thinking and asking about him, why my son?”

      “We both were great friends. We used to play a lot together.” There was a change in his voice. Subconsciously he was feeling that there was more than that for his thinking about him like that.

      “We ourselves have forgotten about him completely. What would be the use now? Just try to enjoy your stay here. You have come here after a very long time.” After saying so she turned back.

      Listening it like that, Sunand also turned back and went into the direction in which his parents went.

&&&

      Sunand could not sleep peacefully in the night either as the uneasiness was still lingering in his heart like that. He woke up before the usual time and concentrated himself trying to know why he was feeling uneasy so. It was just like that his subconscious strongly trying to pull something on to the surface.

      The memories were mostly related to Tippu and the games he played with him. Among all the children of Gangu, Tippu was very active. He was very intelligent also but he was not going to any school.

      “Why not you are going to school Tippu? Education is so much important.” On one day Sunand asked him.

      “Education is boring. I don’t want to study. I just want to play and enjoy.” With a sneer on his lips, Tippu said on that day.

      “I am not feeling like you. I am enjoying a lot in my school. Education is fun. We can play in the school also.” Sunand said.

      “Here in my school it is not like that. They don’t let me play.”

      “These types of games would not be allowed to play in any school.” Sunand said. “The games we play in the school also would be very much enjoyable.”

      Sunand tried a lot on that day to persuade Tippu to go to school. But he did not agree to that. The main problem was his parents themselves not liked Tippu going to a school. None of their children were going to school. In their opinion there would not be much use in studying.

      “There is not much to see in this village. There are two big temples Sivalayam and Ramalayam. We can go and see. Some villagers here are very much intimate with me. We are planning to go into the village to see the temples and those villagers, would you come with us?” Mukund asked Sunand.

      “What else is there to me to do here? I sure do come.” Sunand said.

      “It seems you are feeling bore here. I think that it was a mistake you came with us.” Mukund regretfully said.

      “In fact I have got bored with that town environment all these years. This village environment is a different experience to me.” Getting off from the chair Sunand said. “I want to go into the garden. That was the place where that Tippu and I played a lot together.”

      “As you please.” Mukund smiled. “I also do come into that later. It is a very interesting place to me also.”

      “To me too.” They both did not know when Anupama entered into that room. “It is really very good. These Gangu family is working hard to keep it good all the time. There are huge trees, beautiful flower plants. I am just coming from there and staying in it is really very much enjoyable.”

      “Alright. I go into that and see how much true what you have said.” Moving away from that place Sunand said.

      There was no exaggeration in what his mother has said. Even the garden was full of trees and flower plants, it kept neat. The flower plants there might be watered regularly, cut shapely, they were appearing shiny and lush. The air in that garden was so cool and Sunand started feeling happy.

      While that Tippu and he played in this garden, there were not this many number of trees. It seemed that Gangu planted some more trees in the meanwhile. It was becoming difficult to Sunand to remember where in this garden Tippu and he played. He was slowly walking in the garden trying to remember the places and games he played with Tippu.

      Suddenly Sunand stopped. Even everything in the garden was changed, that place was not changed. It remained the same. He could still see the big rock behind that place.

      In that very place, Tippu used to play that deadly game. There used to be big drench. After covering himself with the plastic sheet, he used to force Sunand to pour earth on him.

      “But just after half an hour you should take all the earth out and get me up. I cannot manage myself here more than half an hour.”

      The earth on him then would be that much he could not come out himself and Sunand must be there and take the earth out. He never failed to take the earth out within half an hour and pull his friend up from the drench. But how he could manage himself even half an hour in that drench like that? It would be quite difficult to live even half a minute without air.

      Sunand was now remembering the last time he came to this village. He stayed here with his parents three days at that time. On the last day of that time also they played this deadly game.

      “Oh, I have got bore with this game.” Before starting it, Sunand irritatingly said.

      “This is the last time. I would not compel you again.” Looking pleadingly into the eyes of Sunand, Tippu asked him.

      “Alright” as usual Sunand buried him in that hole. He had to unearth him within half an hour and he did that many a time before.

      He was walking in the garden looking at the trees, bushes at that time which were not this much and like this then.

      Then his mother came into the garden and said “I have just got the phone call. Your grandpa has become suddenly seriously ill. Doctors are saying he may not live long. We have to move away from here immediately. Come.”

      His mother’s father, his maternal grandfather was so much dear not only to his mother but to him also. He immediately went along with his mother and they left the village in their car on that day itself. But, his grandfather died by the time they reach him itself. After that time, he came to this village only now.

      “You have to unearth me just in half an hour. I cannot manage myself more than that time and I cannot come all by myself out.”

      Before letting him buried completely in that hole, Tippu said to him as usual. Sunand did not know but suddenly remembered that.

      Then with a lightning speed, with shock, he suddenly realized why he was feeling uneasy from the moment he started journey to this village. He suddenly started yelling hysterically “daddy….daddy….daddy….” In no time his yelling like that caught the attention of his parents and Gangu family also and they all came running there.

      “Why, why you are yelling like that?” clutching his shoulders and shaking them vigorously, Mukund asked him.

      “Dig there….just dig there.” Showing the place with his finger, Sunand said. He was shivering like he was suffering with high fever.

      “Why, why we have to dig there? What is in it?” with lot of confusion in his face, Mukund asked him.

      “No questions. Just ask Gangu to dig there… just dig.” Sunand yelled out again.

      “Gangu, go and dig there. I cannot understand why he is saying like that.” Still holding his sons shoulders with his hands, Mukund said.

      Gangu went away from there and in very little time came back with a crow bar. He dug carefully in the place Sunand shown to him. In two or so minutes a plastic sheet came into vision.

      “Remove that plastic sheet.” Sunand yelled again. He was shivering even more.

      Gangu carefully lifted out that plastic sheet.

      Under that plastic sheet, making all their eyes bulged with surprise, there was a little skeleton with some flesh around. The clothes he wore on that day remained only little on that skeleton.

      “That is…that is ….Tippu.” Sunand hysterically yelled once again and fell on the ground.

      Until then, until that moment, Gangu and his family were completely in confusion. Then, suddenly then, they realized what Sunand has said.

      “Tippu, my son.” Weeping loudly Gangu fell into the ditch.

      For some time, that whole place, echoed and reechoed with the weeping of Gangu’s family.

&&&

      “It is all my fault. Just my fault. If I had not forgotten like that, he should have been alive on this day.” Sunand was sobbing.

      “How it is your fault my son? You did not do anything intentionally. You said to him many a time not to play that game. We just did not know he was playing such a game.” Gangu said.

      Three days have passed after their finding Tippu like that. His skeleton was properly buried in the burial ground of the village.

      “A long time back a group of circus performers came into this village. My son used to go to them a lot. But I did not know he learnt techniques like these from those people” Gangu’s wife said. Her voice was dry and sorrow clouded on her face.

      There was silence immediately. None of them knew what to say. Tippu’s mother wept and wept and wept after finding her son like that. The whole grief she tucked deep in her heart poured out. Gangu’s family was suffering a lot without knowing what exactly happened to Tippu. Finding Tippu like that was indeed an odd relief to them all.

      “What my husband said is absolutely true.” Gangu’s wife once again started speaking. “There is no wrong in Sunand babu for this. He just forgot about that. There is no necessity to him to blame himself for that.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Your family helped us a lot and is quite helpful now also. I heart fully wish that Sunand babu forget all about this and concentrate on his studies.”

      “My wish also is the same, sir. Sunand babu must stop worrying about Tippu. There is no wrong in him for whatever happened to my son.” Hissing out heavily Gangu said.

      “Yes, Sunand. There is no use. Don’t blame yourself.” Putting her hand on the shoulder of Sunand, Anupama said.

      Sunand nodded his head in negation. “I never can excuse myself for what I did to that Tippu. If I had not forgotten like that, he would have been alive on this day. It is always on my conscience that I caused his death.”

      “If you think like that there shall be no peace to my son’s soul. You said you both are great friends. Tippu never likes that his friend worries like this.” Gangu said.

      “Yes, if you want my son’s soul to be happy just stop worrying about him. He always wants his friend to be happy, not worrying like this. If you continue worrying like this, you not only Tippu but make us also quite sad.” Tippu’s mother said.

      Sunand hugged her, kissed on her cheek and said. “For my friend’s sake and for your sake, I try to be my usual self again.”