Slytherin

The dark figure was flying in circles above forming a brownian motion of rings hovering around something. The orange sky on the western horizon was in stark contrast to the dull dark blue looming on the eastern horizon. One or two stars started twinkling in the south eastern grey stretch. His eyes, fixed upon the dark object, were following it in tandem with its flight. He had been debating with his sister about the identity of the dark object- eagle or crow. He was determined to determine the identity of the bird. For a moment, he took his eyes off the bird to look where he was standing. As he did so, his eyes stared at the hollow-block compound wall on the ground. For a moment, he felt dizzy as a result of his virtual chase of the dark bird hovering above. Then as blood rushed to his brain, he realized that he was staring deep beyond the leaning wall of the terrace of his house. Not very dangerous, but enough to scare him, for he was being a bit altophobic.

His sister and mother were listening to the radio, the only source of entertainment in the house. His mother was crooning an old tune in rhythm with the song played on the radio as his sister joined her to second her. As he returned his gaze to the sky, the bird had become too difficult to spot. Cursing the sun, he went around to settle himself near the radio in between both of them.
This was their routine, whenever his sister had finished his homework early and his mother had completed all her chores in the evening. As the radio jockey was broadcasting his signing off message, he looked into his new digital watch with an elephant face, gifted to him by his father on his birthday. It was 6:45.
"Time to go inside", announced his mother. He and his sister were reliving the lines of the last number played as his mother switched off the radio and took it by the handle. They were moving towards the stairs when his sister started telling about the very smooth surface on the floor that was unique on the rough terrace over which she was standing at that very moment. As far as his memories went, there was no such place here. She was going on about how velvety and soft it felt. He was struggling to see the floor as only the moon light assisted his vision. His mother switched on the long steel torch-light, which he very much suspected, could be put to use as a weapon. She focused the light on her feet and gave out a sharp scream and disappeared into the left where the staircase to the ground lay shouting "Snake!!!". His sister too, recognizing the horror, made a leap for the stairs. Now, he was the last. In front of him was the terror...

He had heard many tales of snakes. One of them being that, the snake took photos of its prey and in case its prey escaped, it uses its photo to haunt them again. Another, that snakes had powers to chase swiftly a person in full flight, frightened by it. Another, immediately after a snake strikes, the person would fall dead. His mind was flooding with all such memories, courtesy of the tales told by his friends, and his sister. Stunned, he was waiting for the flash. He was pondering about what it would do, if he tried running away. But he was not going to be able to stand there too. So much for the tales, he had not even seen the snake. Not yet. With his hopes to heaven, he blindly made two long jumps (with his small legs) to reach the stairs. He did not even know whether his legs brushed/stamped/crushed the snake or for that matter, touch the snake at all. The stairs had 15 steps and although many a times he had skipped a step while using the stairs previously, now it was different. With his four and half foot body, he launched himself into the dark realm of stairs not sure whether he would land on the firm platform or the blunt edges. Within four strides, he was at the ground just in time to catch a glimpse of his sister's leg disappear into the dark to reach for the main door. All this had happened in a few seconds and he never realized he had crossed the steps four at a time. When he reached inside, his sister turned back and bolted the main door. He had not even seen the snake. But the look on his sister's face told him that he was lucky not to.
Courtesy of his mother's scream, the neighbours helped the snake reach the heaven or hell or whatever it is that its afterlife is. Only then he and his sister had come out of the house to see the snake. His mother forbade him from seeing it. She ordered him into the house. But he went to the other side of the small crowd of neighbours to have a good view.

The snake was as long as his arms. Its smooth skin shined golden in the yellow torch lights of the crowd. The snake was still twitching its tail a little bit. As someone in the crowd suggested that the snake is still alive, a rod as thick as the snake fell on the snake with a sharp thud. With a last violent shake, the snake rested motionless, never to move again. The little crowd was discussing the procedure of disposing or more precisely, burning the snake. He moved away from the crowd, into the home, vowing never to go to the terrace after nightfall...

3 comments:

  Vishnu

September 21, 2009 at 4:26 PM

its nagini and not slytherin.. n it will come back to haunt u.. unga akka sema comedy dan po.. nice footprint..

  Soin

September 21, 2009 at 11:35 PM

snake came..and they killed..what a big abreviation..free

  SiMbA tAgO

September 25, 2009 at 7:37 AM

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