Zahir Raihan
Translated by: Siddique Mahmudur Rahman
Still there is no end of indignation between the human being.
No end of death.
Still men kill men.
In the name of religion,
Of caste,
Of nationality,
And of culture.
This barbarism has endangered the peace of our
dear world right from the primitive age.
Venom of this malice brutally murdered millions of human lives.
Before they could know the life.
Before feeling it
And even before enjoying it.
This despicable fire has wiped out innumerable lives
But man does not want to dies.
They want to live
This urge of living has led the cave man to come out
Of caves
Swim the seas,
Cross the hills and mountains.
The cave man came out of darkness to light after passing through the long painful turmoil of history,
From barbarism to the path of civilization.
This is the eternal expedition of human beings.
For knowledge
for light
for happiness.
Still there is no light.
Still there is darkness.
A dead city is absorbed in darkness.
Lifeless
As if contused all over in a devastating war.
Long and spacious avenues resemble the emptiness of grave.
Broken pieces of glass brickbats and coupes.
Of dogs,
Of cats,
Of birds,
And of human beings.
One.
Two.
Three.
Countless.
Lifeless city is captivated by the frenzied dance of a ghastly sound.
As it countless deadly animals are shouting with ghastly threatening hunger.
As if a pack of mad dogs,
or blood thirsty lions, tigers,
or a herd of violent boars.
And in fear of that brutality, a group of human beings
are sitting in a dark, dank, filthy room, as if rats curl up in the holes.
Terror stricken faces.
They’re having trouble. even with their respiration.
A group of boys, girls and the old.
Youths and damsels.
And a parturient lady.
They’re trying their utmost to keep themselves concealed.
In the shelter of darkness.
A boy coughed huskily.
Instantly everybody turned and stared at him.
As if fire is ecrsting out of their eyes.
Beware, don’t make any sound.
If you can’t check,
Keep your mouth shut with both of your palms.
Otherwise, they’ll sense our existence.
Then we’ll not be spared.
The parturient lady lay on the dank floor. She is casting here pensive eyes on everybody.
Everybody is looking at her.
Don’t make sound.
Some cockroaches are roving idly on the walls.
Suddenly a footstep in heard.
Instantly all the faces turned pale, bloodless.
Everybody became breathless.
Lo! The death comes.
A knock is heard over the door.
Hallo; open the door, please. I’ve come to take you all.
The voice of the old mother of the next door is heard.
Believe me I’ve come to save you. Don’t be afraid.
Open the door, please.
A few soundless moments . . .
Nobody answered from inside. Somebody whispered.
No, No, don’t open the door. They’re not to be believed. Can’t you hear the sounds from outside?
Surely, they’ve sent the old woman. They’ll murder us.
The demon of sounds is nearing to them slowly and steadily.
Oh, listen, open the door, please, else you’ll ruin yourselves. For heavens sake, open the door.
Again, the voice of that old mother rang out.
As soon as a youth advanced, another caught hold of him.
Where are you going?
To open the door.
No, no, no.
Many voice protested, all at a time.
No, no, no.
Why?
They’ll kill us all.
If we are to die, we’ll believe and die.
The youth rushed towards the door and opened it.
A gush of light rushed in on the terror stricken faces with a faint shriek, they all tried to cover their faces at others back.
No, no, no, we don’t want light.
The old mother is standing at the door, with alighted candle in her hand. Her eyes are calm and pleasing.
You’re not to fear, it we are alive, none’ll be able to touch you. Come, come, with me.
Many terror stricken face and eyes oscillated between belief and disbelief.
Then, they preferred uncertain future to the proximate death. Slowly they all rose up.
They all followed the old mother and advanced.
Two of then took up the body of the parturient lady cautiously.
A few rats ran from this side to that, over the dust covered corridor. Everybody shivered.
The flame of the candle flickered for a few seconds and become steady again.
Don’t worry. Those are simply rats.
The old mother tried to encourage them.
There is a narrow staircase, where the corridor ends.
As the mother reached the staircase, she saw her three sons standing. When she neared them, they withdrew.
It seemed they couldn’t approve their mothers activity.
The mother proceeded farther. There is a small room, resembling a lane, that’s a kitchen.
A girl of twelve or thirteen years is tending the oven. She looked at them with curiosity on her face.
In the centre of this room, near the ceiling, there is a small room, made of wood.
Connected with a ladder.
The old mother said,
Don’t be afraid. You hide yourselves there. I’ll lock it from outside. Nobody’ll come to know.
The protégés oscillated between belief and disbelief.
I know, you’ll all feel inconvenience to stay inside it.
Still there is nothing dearer than one’s life.
They elevated the ladder slowly to enter the wooden box-room.
Nineteen persons.
The child, the old, the man, the woman, the youth, the damsel and the parturient lady.
The old mother locked the room from outside.
She displaced the ladder too.
Thousands of voices screamed brutally in the streets outside.
The beasts are kicking up a row.
This you haven’t done good, mother..
Her sons at the door encounter the old mother.
Why, what happened.
She looked up with a query in her eyes.
The first said.
If someone ever come to know, then.
The second uttered,
Then they’ll kill us all.
The third repeated,
You haven’t done right, mother.
The mother looked at those three and murmured,
Some innocent people will be killed before us and should we only stay looking on. Think about Tapu. Your brother Tapu anyone murders him.
Suddenly the old mother stopped. Her face filled with dejection. Then she asked timidly,
Couldn’t you get any news of Tapu.
No.
The beasts are kicking up a row outside.
The mother’s mind shivered with apprehension.
Here, too, is no existence of life.
Long and spacious avenues are all covered with broken pieces of glass, brickbats and corpses.
Dead bodies of dogs,
Of cats,
Of swains,
Birds,
And of human beings.
Tapu looked around once again.
The beasts of sound are chasing him,
From the right, left, front and back.
From all sides.
Tapu is running. Fleeing, staking his own life.
Suddenly he found an open door and entered inside.
That’s an entrance to a staircase. There is a lump of darkness at the starting point of the staircase to hide.
Tapu concealed himself there.
The demons of sound are searching him. He tried to cheek the throbbing of his heart under his control, while sitting breathless. He heard something broke.
They’re smashing down everything somewhere very near.
A scream is heard,
Oh, no, no.
Now Tapu took shelter in a room, where nothing is kept undamaged. Beds, furniture, books, clothing, glassware all were turned to pieces.
Tapu felt, as if his limbs were collapsing.
He lost all his energy to remain upright. Slowly he looked around.
As if, he’s looking for somebody.
He called out in an inarticulate sound,
Iva.
No response came.
A sound of water, flowing out from a tap in a nearby toilet, was heard.
The water is overflowing the basin.
A few dead bodies are dumped in the bathtub.
Dipped in blood and water.
Of Iva’s mother.
Father.
And of younger brother.
Tapu began to search for Iva frantically.
Some broken pieces of glass spatter all over the floor.
Iva, Iva.
Again the screaming of the beasts was heard.
While concealing himself beside a door, Tapu felt something soft on his back.
As soon as he fell back in terror, Iva’s senseless body crumpled down on the floor.
Iva !
Tapu startled.
He felt the pulse of Iva.
Placed his ear on the bosom to feel the heart beating.
She’s alive!
He brought water from the basin with both of his palms and splashed over her face.
Iva opened her eyes and instantly with a shriek, closed it again.
No, no, fort gods sake, please, don’t kill me. Don’t kill me.
Tapu called out,
Look here, Iva, I’m Tapu, hook, I’m Tapu.
The girl opened her bloodshot eyes. As if she couldn’t believe anything. Suddenly the girl thrust her face on the chest of Tapu and cried out like a little child.
Rain, rain and rain.
Thick heavy cloud, that blackened the sky, is pouring in over the land in the shape of rain, in inexhaustible currents.
And innumerable, countless human beings are walking away over the knee-deep water and mud, overlooking the violent shower.
Of many classes.
Of various ages.
Some are exhausted in crossing a long distance.
Some are afflicted with the infirmities of old age.
The claws of the ferocious demons wound some.
They were running away.
Where are we now?
In Indonesia? Or in Vietnam?
Or in Cyprus?
Where are we now?
Oh, we don’t know yet?
They have gutted our dwellings. They’ve captured the lands. God will not excuse them. Never.
Leaving the cozy rooms, the houses, the land, the people walked on, crossing the knee deep of water and mud.
The old mother is going among them.
Looking at all their faces. Inspecting their face intensely.
She’s looking after her son.
Have you seen him? While on your way, have you seen him? He had shaggy hair on the head, of dark complexion, of tall stature. Have you at all seen him?
The old mother is asking everybody.
Yes, yes, he has a scar ark on the left forehead. It happened when he fell from his crib at his tender months. Have you met him?
The mother became tired of asking the same question to everybody over and over again.
But none could answer correctly, distinctly.
Everybody is busy with his own thoughts and anxieties, busy with himself only. There’s no time to discuss about others.
Have you seen him? His name is Tapu. Yes, that’s the name of my son. Have you ever met anybody with this name?
Tapu? Is that so? Yes, methinks have met him somewhere. I mean, couldn’t recollect positively.
Is it possible to keep in mind such trifle incident?
They’ve burnt down villages after villages.
How many of us they killed?
Oh, there’s no number.. There was no flow in the river for over a year . Those were all blocked with heaps of corps. Vultures were tearing the bodies for long two years. Till now they’re eating.
The mother shivered in apprehension.
She stood under the endless shower, thinking the pitiful death of her son.
Tears, mixed with raindrops, came down the cheeks.
Why are you crying, dear? What’s good of lamenting? Look, at me. I never cry. They’ve killed my son at Hiroshima. They’ve murdered my mother at the streets of Jerusalem.. My sister was a slave to a white dogs residence. Her master raped and killed her in Africa. They killed my brother by hanging. Because he loved human souls greatly. Still I do not cry. Why are you crying?
The dejected mother gazed at that man dumb founded.
The man didn’t stop. He advanced further, trodding through knee deep of water and mud.
There is an endless procession of millions of refugees.
The riotous noise of the mad dogs is increasing by leaps and bounds.
Desperately they chased Tapu and Iva.
They’re running to their utmost.
The city avenues are full of brickbats, glittered in the bright streetlights.
And they’re looking for darkness.
They could conceal themselves, it they get a little darkness.
Suddenly Tapu picked up a broken piece of brick and aimed at a streetlight bulb.
The light gave way.
The piece of glass sprinkled down.
Iva passed hum another piece of brick.
Another bulb gave way.
As if they’re engaged in a new play.
Iva and Tapu.
Iva collected and passed the brickbats to Tapu. And Tapu went on breaking down the lights one after another.
Darkness came over the whole area bypassing the glittering light. And they could conceal themselves in the corner of the darkness.
Mad dogs searched for them desperately.
The swains are shouting over the rood.
Sweat came down from every part of Tapu’s body.
Iva’s bosom bellowed in quick succession.
Iva!
Tapu spoke out.
Yes!
Iva looked up at him.
Getting afraid?
No. I don’t get afraid, when you’re beside me.
Tapu spoke again,
Why have you loved me, Iva?
I don’t know.
Iva smiled pleasingly.
I liked you. I like you now and therefore I’m in love with you .
The church bell began to ring mildly.
The old priest came down from upstairs.
Somebody is knocking at the door.
The old priest thought something for a few moments.
Then advanced and opened the door.
The old priest startled as he saw their startled figure and crumpled dresses.
Could we get refuge here? Only for a night.
The priest stared at their faces for a few moments.
He heard the beastly sounds of the swains in s distance.
He beckoned them to enter, closed the door tightly.
There’s a calm silence inside the church.
Only the sounds of footsteps rebounded from the high walls and echoed in melancholy.
The old priest took them to a small room for refuge.
None could be able to find you out from here. You can be rest assured.
The old priest asked.
Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?
They assented his proposal.
Closing the door, the old priest was returning back.
Perhaps in search for some food. Suddenly, he heard a shouting of many voices from the prayer room. He became astonished, advanced and looked forward.
They prayer room has been filled up with white men.
They shouted out as they saw the old priest.
Get those Niggers out from there. Give them to us.
No. They’re not Negroes.
The old priest murmured.
You’re mistaken. They’re not Negroes.
Lies! The white men again began to shout.
We’ve seen them. You’ve given refuge to a Negro boy and a girl inside your Church. Bring them out.
The old priest became embarrassed.
He returned, opened the door and looked at Iva and Tapu.
He saw a Negro boy and a girl looking at his face with timorous eyes.
The old priest became perplexed for a moment.
He couldn’t believe.
He looked.
He stared.
Oh, no. Its not the Negro boy and girl. Its Iva and Tapu sitting there. looking at him in fear.
He gasped at last.
He advanced towards the prayer room to face the white men, but found the prayer room empty. There’s no presence of a single man among the empty chairs.
He shook his head in uneasiness.
He then took out a tiny Bible from his pocket and began to recite loudly.
Iva and Tapu listened to the Bible recitation of the old priest from inside the closed door.
Suddenly Tapu asked,
What are you anxious about. Iva?
Iva answered.
If we couldn’t reach?
Surely, we could.
Tapu assured her.
Iva again said,
But, if.
Even then She couldn’t complete the sentence, she just looked up at Tapu’s face. There’s no fear, Iva.
Tapu answered slowly,
I’ve my mother there and father, three brothers and a sister. They’ll be very happy to get you, Iva, You’ll see. They’ll all love you passionately.
I want to love you only you.
Iva came close to hem.
I want to love you for whole of my life. I want to be mother of your child. I want to build a beautiful abode. I want happiness. I want peace.
Her eyes filled with tears, while she spoke.
Tapu slowly lifted up her face wiped out the tears, with his fingers, from her cheeks, in tenderness, said,
Don’t weep, Iva. Why are you crying?
Iva slowly spoke out.
Recollecting my mother and father.
In total nineteen persons took refuge in that box room.
The child, the old, the man, the woman, the youth, the damsel and the parturient lady. They’re staying as the fowl pile up in a pen. A number of human beings. Between life and death. Bruised all over in the struggle of panic all the times. There’s not enough space to move. There’s no gap to keep the head straight. Because when they tried to raise their heads above their chest, they touched the ceiling.
The old mother climbed up the ladder and opened the box room. A flicker of light spread over their eyes and faces. A gush of wind swept over them and those people showed their movements, just like insects.
The old mother brought some food for them.
Nineteen pairs of hungry eyes rushed over the plates of food.
They began to devour the food.
The old mother stared at them affectionately for a few moments. Then said.
The outside turmoil has subsided a bit. You can come down and walk a while.
Nineteen pairs of eyes were filled with gratitude.
The old mother helped them descent by holding the ladder tightly. But as they came out of that box room, they found that they couldn’t use the limbs properly. when they began to raise their heads, they felt pain along their spines. They have turned into quadrupeds from bipeds after staying so long a period in confinement into such a small box room.
Still they tried hard to keep their limbs erect. Quadruped human beings.
Suddenly the same murderous sound was heard from outside.
The nineteen lives startled.
The crippled human beings twittered like birds and rushed towards the ladder.
The old mother locked the door and went to the next room.
The old father is turning his rosary, sitting on his bed.
The three children are listening to that murderous sound intensely.
Suddenly, the fourteen-year daughter spoke out.
The old father kept down his rosary in uneasiness.
Looking at his three sons, he spoke out in a very low voice,
Put off all the lights.
While saying, his voice trembled.
The old mother drew her fourteen-year-old daughter close and whispered.
Go and tell them to be dead quiet. So that they don’t make any sound at all, go. Saying so, she glanced at her husband.
The knocking at the door continued unrestrained.
The old father descended the staircase.
He’ll opens the door.
The old mother.
Her three sons.
And the fourteen-year-old daughter.
All waited with deep anxiety at the landing of the staircase.
The old father opened the door.
The fiendish ferociousness cried out from outside.
Clear them out of the house.
There’s no one here. Believe me. No one is here.
The old father spoke in one breath.
Lies.
Lies.
Lies.
Many voices cried out all at once.
We knew to whom you gave refuge. For your own sake hand them over to us.
You’re mistaken. None is there with us.
They didn’t believe. They rushed into the house pushing aside the old father.
They started searching the whole house.
There’s a grave-like silence inside the box room.
They became statues to hear the footsteps of death.
In dread.
In apprehension.
At the same moment the parturient lady felt travail.
She’s going to give birth to a child.
All the nineteen persons, with intense agony, tried their utmost to check the childbirth.
No, no, not now, please.
Not now.
Even the dying lady, , biting her lips, in the intensity of pain tried utmost to control her sweating body.
She didn’t want her child to be born at this moment.
But to the despair of everybody and receiving the curse of the nineteen persons, the child was born.
And instantly, one of the nineteen grabbed the child’s neck with all his strength.
The footsteps of death were heard from beneath.
They’re now searching the protégés in this room.
The eyes of the new mother frowned once, as if she threw hatred towards the earth.
Then there remained no sign of life in her discoloured eyes and the new mother died together with the child.
The dead lady’s husband gazed at her lifeless body for a few moments, perplexed. Suddenly, on the verge of bursting into sob, he pressed his mouth with both of his palms.
No, no, not now. Not even sobbing.
At present, only witness both the deaths in silence and remember God, considering your own proximate probable death.
At last the noise of wild death is not longer heard.
They listened intense attention.
Tried to hear definitely.
Heard, the old mother is speaking from beneath.
Now, it’s nothing to fear, they’re gone.
As soon as the voice of the old mother was heard, the husband of the dead lady, cried out.
For his dead wife.
For his newly born dead child.
Iva and Tapu were still running.
They’re fleeing.
They’re tired of the long journey, pale and exhausted.
For the dear life.
To live.
To be happy.
They ran forward.
Suddenly they stopped.
Iva and Tapu.
Saw an endless ocean before them. And on the seashore, in the background of the ceaseless waves, a cross is lying diagonally.
They blood red sun is about to set behind the cross.
Who’s that?
Iva suddenly asked, looking at the crucified man.
Tapu didn’t reply for a long time. He only gazed on.
Then said.
Jesus.
Jesus?
Yes, Jesus Christ. Yesterday they crucified him.
Two pairs of eyes gazed at that direction.
As if, they’re lost in an endless ocean of time.
Suddenly the same old fiendish ferocious sound chased them again.
The mad dogs scented their trace.
The swains are rushing at them from behind , screaming .
Again Tapu started running by holding the hand of Iva.
They’re running to their utmost.
Unexpectedly they stumbled on something and fell down on the ground.
Countless corpses are strewn all over.
Youths, olds, girls and children.
Tapu and Iva shivered.
Saw, among those countless corpses, the bodies of their own, lay dead.
Iva gazed at the face of her own corpse.
Tapu gazed too.
Where are we?
In Buchanwald?
In Auswitz?
Or in Stalingrad? or in Viet Nam?
Iva startled with fear, concealed her face on the chest of Tapu.
All on a sudden Tapu felt the existence of life somewhere near.
A tender boy is crying.
They raised their head. Slowly they stood up.
Iva and Tapu advanced forward among the corpses.
After proceeding further they saw, a mother lay dead, embracing the ground. The earth is wet with blood and milk percolating from the nipple.
Beside her, a wounded boy of four or five years of age, gazing at them with a vacant look.
And
A baby was wailing, throwing his hands and legs high.
Iva covered the breasts of the dead lady with her cloth, covered the wet ground with loosened earth.
Tapu picked up the wounded boy.
Iva embraced the baby.
And then they started running again.
In front of them, there are countless human beings.
Endless processions of destitute.
Of different castes.
Of different creeds.
Exhausted with the long journey lean. Infirm.
Bruised figures.
Iva and Tapu became dumbfounded for a while, as if they are also among them.
Where are you coming from?
From Indonesia.
From Viet Nam.
From Greece.
From Cyprus.
From Jerusalem.
From Hiroshima.
Where are you going? Where will you go?
We want to go to light from darkness.
We want light.
Where are you going?
An old man asked them.
Tapu said hesitatingly.
To my father, mother, brothers and sister.
What’s your name? Your name, please?
Suddenly asked another.
My name’s Tapu.
Tapu?
The man came forward.
Oh yes! We met your mother on our way, she inquired about you. She was looking for you.
As the child started crying, Iva tried to make him stop.
The procession advanced forward.
The old mother is preparing food for the protégés. The fourteen year old daughter is helping her.
In his room, the old father is turning his rosary unmindfully sitting on a prayer cloth.
And the residents of the box room are brooding with curled up limbs like caterpillars.
At that very moment.
One of the three sons brought the death news of Tapu. He gathered everybody in a room. Then he said slowly.
He said.
Tapu is dead. They’ve killed Tapu.
Every body was startled at the same time.
The old mother, the father, the fourteen-year old daughter and the two brothers.
The old mother made a low shrieking sound and collapsed in the floor, clinching both of her hands. Her dry eyes filled up with tear. As if she is witnessing her child’s death.
Tapu is lying dead on the street, with his face downwards.
The dead-body of Tapu are hanging from a tree.
Tapu is lying supine inside a room and the blood is flowing all over.
They’ve hanged Tapu from the ceiling of a room.
They’ve cut the dead-body of Tapu into pieces.
Tapu is lying dead inside a drain.
In a moment’s time they witnessed different picture of the sad demise of Tapu.
The old mother, the father, the three sons and the fourteen-year-old daughter.
Instantly one of them rushed towards the corner of the room and took up a chopper. Another son took up a knife.
The third took a rod.
The three pairs of eyes glared with revenge.
They advanced towards the door.
The old father rushed from behind and blocked them.
No ,You can not kill them.
Why ?
Why ?
Why?
The three voices roared simultaneously.
They haven’t done any crime.
The old father answered.
They are your protégés. They are helpless. Why you’ll kill them.
‘Cause people of their religion killed our brother.
They races are the same.
Caste’s same.
Clan’s same.
Language’s same.
We shall take revenge by killing them.
No.
The old father roared like a lion.
May be their race, their religion, caste, clan and language are the same. They’re not the criminals. They themselves didn’t kill Tapu.
They didn’t, but their brethren did.
Suddenly, the old mother fell over her husband like a ferocious tigress,
Clear out from here, Out you go.
The beast-like human beings of that box room were then sleeping carefree.
The three brothers ascended the ladder and come up.
They opened the door slowly.
They have the thirst of blood all over their faces and eyes. It is presumed, as if the human faces are shifted from their position and the faces of some ferocious animals are hanging from there.
A child is playing with the nipples of his sleeping mother. Suddenly he laughed out.
At the sound of that laugh, the thieves startled.
The noise of falling of chopper and knife from the hands, made the inmates of the box room awake.
They’re surprised to see the three brothers at the open door and stared at them.
Those three brothers couldn’t bear those stare.
Slowly they lowered their eyes.
One said,
Oh! That’s nothing; we’ve come to observe how you are keeping on. Sleep now. Go to sleep.
They closed the door again.
Sand dunes stretched endlessly in all directions.
And the darkness is as dense as cool tar.
Intense fatigue engulfed eyes of Iva and Tapu were full of immense tension.
A life is going to bid farewell from the earth within a very few moments.
The wounded boy, picked up earlier, will die after a while.
His eyes are becoming paler; he is trying to speak out something, slightly moving his dry lips.
Could you fetch some water, please?
Iva’s requesting eyes fell on Tapu. Tapu stood up. Brushing off all his fatigue, he went out in search of water for the dying boy.
Tapu started running.
Dry sand stretched in all directions.
There’s no existence of a single drop of water.
After along search, when Tapu returned with fatigued body. and disappointed, he found the boy dead.
His thirsty lips are left parted a bit.
Iva is sitting beside him.
And the child, lying on the ground, is playing, throwing his hands and legs. Angelic smile glowed over his face,
Iva cried out, tears crept down from her cheeks.
Tapu said nothing. Hesitatingly placed his hand upon her head.
And then.
And after many more moments, both of them started digging a grave for that boy .
The earth felt hard, hard as stone.
They become worn out to dig out a small grave.
After moving out some earth, they’re astonished to find that the grave is filling up with flows of water from all side.
Tapu wanted to dry up the grave by bailing out the water with both of his hands , but all in vain.
Endless water rose up to the brim.
Slowly they laid down the corpse in that water.
Then they advanced in the dark embracing the body.
Iva murmured.
I can’t stand any longer.
Tapu said,
Only a short distance to cover. As soon as we cross it, we’ve nothing to fear, at all, We’ll then reach the safety zone.
Before them lay a lake of a notable length. Its banks are covered with soft green glass like velvet.
A few trees are strewn here and there.
They sat on the grass.
Tapu and Iva.
The boy is sleeping.
Iva lay down with the boy in her arms.
Listen. I’m feeling worn out.
Tapu lay down too.
Above them is splendid, vast, endless blue sky.
Gazing at the sky Tapu said.
Now, we’re nothing to fear, Iva.
Iva glanced at him and smiled lovingly.
Guess. What I’ve in my mind?
What that?
How our life’ll look like, after our marriage. You shouldn’t leave my alone. You’ll take me wherever you will go. I’ll be beside you all the time. It will be great fun, isn’t it?
And what’s in my mind, guess?
What?
When I’ll return after the whole days toil. At the gate, I’ll call out your name in top of my voice. In wonder, neighbors around will cast their eyes at us. Opening the door you’ll embrace me by the neck and ask why are you late? I’ll say . . . Oh, tell me, what I’ll reply?
You’ll say, I had a lot to do.
No, no. I’ll tell you, I’ve written a nice poem amid my job, that’s why.
You’ll laugh out loudly and say where’s that, let me have a look.
No not now.
When?
Let the neighbours sleep. When none on this earth is awake. You and I’ll sit side-by-side gage at each other. Then I’ll recite it to you.
How graceful, isn’t it?
Iva uttered slowly.
The child is sleeping peacefully thrusting its face on Iva’s bosom.
Slumber covered the eyes of both Iva and Tapu after a while. They slept after a long period.
The city is still dead.
Bruised.
Still now, corpses scattered here and there.
Of dogs
Of cats.
Of human beings.
Iva and Tapu looked around. Surprised.
While passing through the lonely streets, the horror that subsided temporarily peeped into them.
Iva stared at Tapu.
I’m afraid.
No, no, nothing to fear, Iva. We’ve almost arrived.
They stopped before a house.
This is my home.
Tapu murmured.
Raising her face, Iva glanced at the house.
There’s no response from inside.
He knocked again.
And again.
Suddenly the door opened with a sound.
Tapu saw.
His old mother is standing before him.
In the rear steps, stood in a row is his father,
Three of his brothers,
And his fourteen-year-old sister.
Everybody became astonished to see Tapu.
Mother, father, brothers and sister
Mother rushed down and embraced Tapu.
Tapu! Tapu my darling! Are you alive!
Oh, no, no.
Iva screamed out violently in the next moment.
Tapu startled and stared.
Both the hands of the old mother were stained with blood. As if she has dipped both the hands in the ocean of blood.
A shining chopper is in the hand of his father. Blood dropped down from the edge of the chopper.
Iron bars are in the hands of his brothers. All covered with fresh blood.
No, no, Tapu tore himself out of his mothers embrace.
By then, Iva started running again embracing the baby boy on her bosom. Tapu ran too like a shot.
No, no, no.
The demons of sound chased them again from behind.
Not the mad dogs.
Not even the swains.
A few human beings.
Some very known faces,
Of his mother, father, brothers and sister.
Running after from behind. Chasing at to murder them.
Iva and Tapu ran to their utmost.
The baby started crying on the bosom. The bitter sound of his cry made the city tremble. Iva pressed him mote closely.
I can’t bear any longer. Oh, I can’t.
Iva wailed out in deepest agony.
Tapu caught hold of her arm.
They’re running.
The demon of sound chased them from behind.
They are running.
And then.
And the end of along dark alley.
Suddenly they found themselves amidst on endless procession.
Tapu and Iva.
The human beings are advancing through the seashore by the side of an endless ocean.
Boy and old, woman and damsel.
Tired of along journey. Exhausted.
Worn out, lean and thin and pale.
Bruised bodies and figures.
Where are we?
In Viet Nam or Indonesia.
In Jerusalem or Cyprus?
In India or Pakistan?
Where are we?
Listen. They’ve killed my son in Hiroshima.
They’ve killed my mother in the streets of Jerusalem.
They’ve raped and killed my sister in Africa.
They’ve shot my father to death in Buchenwald.
And my brother? They’ve hanged my brother to death.
‘Cause he loved people passionately.
While saying, tears, that filled the eyes of that old man, looked like twinkling pearls.
Tapu and Iva stood beside him.
Than they advanced farther through the seashore.