Vishwas's Corner Cradle

It was a bright sunny morning. A heavy wind blew, clinking the wind chimes, producing a sweet melodious resonance in his aged eardrums. Vishwanathan was slouched comfortably in his highly polished wooden armchair gifted to him by his dear daughter on his fiftieth birthday. The ticking of the clock could be heard and it was thirty past ten. He slowly got up from the chair and looked at himself in the mirror adjusting his Cashmere shawl and spectacles. He wished to look decent in front of his granddaughter Naina. The three-year-old kid was sunshine into his life. He went towards the bookshelf and took out Naina's favorite book of 'Panchatantra' which he had promised her to read. He kept it safely on the table aside, when he heard the oven beep. He sneaked into the kitchen and was happy to see the cake finally baked. With a huge grin, he said to himself, "Trishala and Naina would love this!" He put on the hand gloves. Carefully opening the glass oven door, he brought out a freshly baked brown chocolate sponge cake. Closing the door, he carefully switched off the oven and garnished the cake with whipped cream, strawberries, and cherries. He checked his wristwatch. It was already eleven-thirty and he wondered where his daughter and grandchild were. Suddenly the doorbell rang and his greyed eyebrows rose to form wrinkles on his forehead. He ran excitedly towards the door, like a child. He opened the large wooden door and greeted his daughter and granddaughter. Trishala looked heavenly in her white salwar suit and her favorite diamond earrings whereas Naina in her baby pink dress looked angelic. Naina with twinkling eyes was looking at her Grandpa. Vishwanathan lifting her within seconds kissed her rosy cheeks. Trishala jokingly said, "Pappa, no love for your daughter?" He immediately hugged her and took them inside the house. Overjoyed, he hurriedly went to the kitchen and brought them the cake which he had lovingly prepared for his little Naina's birthday. They cut it by singing the birthday song. Vishwanathan took a large piece of cake and fed it to his grandchild and daughter. He then took Naina into his room and sat on his armchair. Naina running towards the table grabbed her favorite book and instantly came back hopping on her Grandpa's lap. Trishala was happily looking at the Grandfather-Granddaughter duo standing beside the window when the doorbell rang again.

Vishwanathan lifted Naina down and handed her the book, promising to come back soon. He opened the door and saw Kanta, his housemaid waiting. He cheerfully welcomed her inside and told her about his daughter and granddaughter who had come to visit him today. Kanta gave him a strange look and saw the leftover cake lying on the table and crumbs of it fallen. Vishwanathan asked her to take it home after duty and rushed her into his room to acquaint his special guests. Kanta tired of his mundane behavior irritatingly went inside to see nothing but the book lying on the armchair with its cover reading "Panchatantra" in capital letters. A melancholy crept into his heart and he madly searched for them. Kanta without wasting much time injected him a drug dose of hallucination and resumed with her work. Lying on the chair, his partially open eyes burdened with sleep and the book clutched close to his chest, he could see the earthen lamp with a burning yellow-blue flame in front of a framed picture of Trishala and her daughter embellished with a garland of mogras.