Angels and Demons - Part 4

I thought long that night about what she said about the angels and demons being present in one person. Then I started to join the links. It's funny how our brain starts to link things with each other to reach the place where it decided to be in the beginning. In conclusion, I felt that there was still a conscious side of her that knew what she was doing all along. The Angel side I could say. So I hatched a story to tell.

 The next day I went for the tuition. I saw her reading at the table. Quite a surprise event to witness. I sat silently for a while without disturbing her and watched her study. Then I asked her to get me one of her toys. She went inside with a puzzled face. Within no time she was back with a cute Barbie. I then made a circle on her notebook and softly began" A circle is a beautiful geometric shape if you think about it. It's essentially one continuous line with no beginning or end. If you somehow confined an ant in the center of this circle it will think that it's all the same no matter which direction it looks, indifferent. But we know that is not the case now, is it? Now then, we can relate the circle to our society and it's full of things which makes every person indifferent, somewhat like that ant. No matter where we look we find the same all kinds of rules, restrictions, and problems, relationships, worries, and whatnot." I could see her eagerness to know where I was going with all this (unlike when I teach Trigonometric or Gupta Empire). Then I picked up the barbie from the table and made it sat in that circle. I then continued, " The Barbie is similar to that ant. She sees the same thing and feels how indifferent everything is.

Because it is the same no matter where she goes, She is thinking that her place in the world is confined, much like this small circle. She is safe inside this small circle, protected and unhindered. Until one night. One night when she sleeps, she sees a dream of an angel who is going to every child of the world and making them smile in their dreams, giving them dreams full of wonder and magic. As Barbie sees the angel flying above her circle, she waves both her hands and screams to draw his attention. The angel comes down as he notices her and stretches his arms towards her. By holding his hands she flies in the air. The world from the above is so beautiful. For the first time in her life, Barbie comes to know how big the circle really is. She starts to feel the chilling breeze through her curly hair. She closes her eyes. Suddenly a thunder stroke out of nowhere. The Barbie opened her eyes fearfully. But she finds that the angel is nowhere to be seen and she is holding the hand of a demon. The demon is laughing and trying to take her into the dark world. The sky is dark and thunder is striking every now and then. The Barbie is scared.

And in those moments of the terrifying danger, she does something which she had never done before. She believes in herself. She decides to leave the demon and find the angel, who just left her hand. For the very first time in her life, she is so confident and absolute of something. So she slips her hand from the demon's claw." "Then she fell on the ground and died right?" Ankita said." No. When she slipped her hand, she started to fall at a rapid pace towards the ground. She starts to see the ground but she is unable to do anything. She realizes this is her final moment. She accepts her fate and closes her eyes.

Then she flies. She flew like a dandelion in the warm summer wind. When she touches the ground at last she is a different person altogether because she realized although it is all similar, it is not indifferent. She realized that staying inside her circle is good, but it was a choice. She now knew that she may stay safe inside her circle but that is not the choice she wants to make for her. Then she found what she was missing from the beginning of it all. She went too inside of her that she did not realize when she had drawn her own little circle inside one bigger circle. She was now smiling like she used to once. Enough study for the day. Join me for a walk." I got up and headed towards the main door by signaling Ankita to follow who was listening to me for the last fifteen minutes with her eyes wide opened. She realized that I had left and screamed at me to halt while wearing her flip-flops.

The sun was drowning behind faraway hills. The birds were returning to their nests. There was an unspeakable sweet fragrance in the atmosphere. We were strolling on the village road. She was wearing a white color salwar with pink color flowers all over it. I had no idea where we were heading. She was telling something about Maya. I saw Aniket coming at us whistling on his cycle. His jaws dropped when he passed us. After half an hour of walking, I smelled a delicious aroma that filled my mouth with water. I stopped walking abruptly. Without waiting for Ankita to say something I cheekily said, "Have you ever tried the Mung dal ke pakode of Ringtone Dhabba?" She literally had no idea what I was talking about as she was never allowed to step outside her doors after school. Without saying anything I went into the Dhabba and sat on a rustic wooden bench and signaled her to join me." Ramesh Bhai, two plates of pakoda with chutney" I ordered while pouring the water into a glass.

Ankita was sitting in front of me. Clearly, she was feeling very uncomfortable. There were two or three villagers sitting there, sipping their evening tea. They were surprised to see me with a girl or I should say the girl. It took another five minutes to receive our food. She picked one small piece and said," I don't know how they will taste like." Wait, Wait. Don't be in such a hurry. That's not the way to eat these beautiful creations of Ramesh Bhai," I screamed. I showed her how to take a piece of steaming hot pakoda, squeeze it in the middle with two fingers and deep it into the green pudina and mint chutney and put it in the mouth. She followed me. When she took the first bite her eyes remained closed for another thirty seconds or so. "Um...um...Wow!

These pakodas are really amazing. Ramesh Bhai, really these are the best thing I have ever tasted in my life. Why didn't I tried these before?" she screamed like a child with pure joy. "It's because you were like that Barbie, who thinks that her world is a tiny place. Well, you can be safe and nothing will happen to you but that leaves your life as a blank sheet as well, where nothing ever happens. Life is not in here Ankita, life is out there" I told by pointing into the far horizon. She was silent. I paid the bill and called her to leave while she was demolishing her third plate of pakoda. I dropped her at her doorsteps and took my cycle to leave. She called me from behind and said," Maybe I am that Barbie you were talking about. I see now how stupid I was to think that my life will end someday in this pity hole. I was wrong. I promise you that I will try my best. But you haven't met the demon yet sir. I am afraid that he is up in the sky. Lurking among the dark clouds to pounce." I sat on the seat with a smiling face and said," Remember the Barbie flew. The angel never fought with the demon. It's the Barbie who made a decision that she will leave the demon." I left without any further words. 

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