The Lake Who Loved Me

Quite often, Time takes me back to a few moments in my life, when it allowed me to sit back and watch it pass. Apropos, this is not an accomplishment of any great magnitude, and it amazes how Time manages to take us in the opposite direction, against its tremendous flow in which we manage to stay afloat.

Time seems to somehow apportion these moments throughout the span of one's life. One of my favorite pastimes, apart from playing, used to be talking to inanimate objects. As a child, my Ma used to tie me to the window, comfortably, and ask me to count the number of bikes, scooters, cars, trucks, vans, buses passing by. I had to report that to Dad when he used to be back from office, his scooter inclusive. Thus as a mode of remembering the exact numbers, i used to discuss it with the window. And as Time flew, the habit of talking to such inanimate objects continued....talking to the bathroom walls during baths, to my bicycle, with my books and recently my PC. But as days passed by & Age started playing its tricks, Priority took different routes and somehow the habit started fading away.

I lived in a place situated at the foot of a hill, facing a lake. The lake used to dry up in the summers & its rocky bed used to an ideal condition for rock biking. But in the monsoons, the place just metamorphosed into something different.....something surreal. The last winding turn of the road, leading to this place, used to be a fun event. Because, here you were, traveling through a normal road and suddenly a turn raised the curtains to a fascinating visual experience.....a picture postcard view. Two hills, a line of Ashoka & eucalyptus trees surrounding a lake, with ripples unlimited, a set of beautiful residential buildings facing it, the road running parallel to the lake and the complex.....many a stolid spirits came there to get sprightly. And this is the place where I got back the old habit...temporarily....but I retained a few beautiful experiences I would take to my grave... or pyre to be precise, without being racial.

The lake had a cemented boundary, which used a slightly overflow during monsoons. And my favorite pastime used to be lying down on the boundary with my head resting on my shoulders and just staring at the ripples and currents.....it was something unexplainable.....but again, surreal would be the closest expression of my feelings. And with me around, she seemed to get very exhilarated.....almost showing off her nubility, while others considered her to be noxious. Her small waves always kissed my feet; gently....I didn’t see her do that to other admirers....or was it just Murphy's Law! She seemed to beam the moment i came out of my colonies gate ....i could literally hear her tides dance in a state of extreme excitement.....there she was at her hyacinthine best.

She did her best to woo me. She changed herself to look as i wanted her to look....a phenomenon I still can’t deduce. I remember having watched a Pete Sampras tennis match on TV in '97.... held in Key Biscayne near Miami. The skyline during that match had a beautiful shade of purple, something i hadn’t seen before. Though the match got over, the skyline remained embedded in my minds eye. It was September, with the rains ceasing finally. A few days after the match, following my routine of sitting by the lake, I was intrigued by an occurrence. I sat there staring at the lake.....she was still that day, and thus forming a mirror for the Sky to see itself. Suddenly I saw precisely the same shade of purple i had seen during that tennis match, reflecting on her. I got a shock of my life & immediately turned to look up at the Sky.....it seemed liked she knew what I wanted to see and gave it to me.

And yet, I could never give her what she wanted....... How could I give her what she wanted....I was a mortal. I cheered her, played with her, talked to her, spent some beautiful evenings with her. I gave her company on the harsh summer days when she faded away into a small puddle of water....planted small flower plants beside her to cheer her up....but yet she stared at me, seeking something I never really understood. I guess she understood the futility of the relationship. But at least she had me for company.

But one day, I shifted my residence. And i could sense her grief....I couldn’t even embrace her before I left. As I bid her farewell, Time seemed to stop and take me back to those beautiful evenings spent with the Lake.

And the same Time changed my Priorities path and pushed me into a flow I could never come out of. For years I haven’t got the opportunity to see her. Friends tell me that the lake has lost her Charm.....only I know why!