Souls

Note: This is the first part (of hopefully more). I guarantee that any critique/suggestions will fall upon keen ears.

It was evening. The ritual of the day had begun. It had been a long time since I was outside on an evening. It was almost peaceful, reassuring to see them float up once again. I tried to trace one very closely, concentrating hard as it rose. I tracked its movement as it went up in the sky disappearing among the clouds. I tried to search for another. Didn’t take very long as my second attempt turned futile as it dissolved into nothingness. As I desperately looked for another I knew I wouldn’t find it. Darkness had already covered the sky and everything around me.

I distinctly remember when I had asked my mom. "Those are birds", she said. "Those don't look like birds" I replied after thinking about it for a while but her mind was already engrossed in a pressing task. She had not paid attention, I could tell. It was not until the passing of our neighbor, I called Dadu, had I the slightest idea of what I was seeing. I was up on the terrace, looking down on the road at two kids trying to fight their way as they raced to reach a tattered football when I had seen something rising from the adjacent house. I gasped. Never before had I seen it so up close. It looked at me. Dadu smiled. I smiled back. He waved his hand and continued his ascent as he turned towards the sky. I shouted "Dadu! Dadu! DADU!" until my mom came up and took me inside the house. "He is not dead", I shouted. “He was with me just now. He was flying mommy! He was flying like a bird mommy! Those aren’t birds, those are Dadu! A lot of Dadus! Dadu can fly mommy! Dadu can fly! Will he teach me how to fly? Please, please let me go up so that I can meet him. I want to meet him. Mommy! He will teach me how to fly!" She slapped me. I started crying, heartbroken. Why couldn’t she understand? I thought. Soon, I fell asleep, exhausted. I dreamt of him. We were both flying. We were happy. It was the first time I had seen him so content. Upon my asking why was he so happy today, he had said "Because there is nothing left for me to worry about. All is gone! and yet there is all to come." At that moment his speed of ascent had increased multi-fold and his face had turned towards the sky brimming with excitement. I had flapped my hands, hoping that would help me rise with Dadu but it had ended in vain. I had watched him in despair as he disappeared into oblivion. Then I had fallen down, straight to the ground, into my own body and woken up with a start.