THE SCARLET WOMEN

Story 1 - The Prophecy of War

After having dinner I sat beside my father outside when he was trying to tune some news on the radio. May I help father? –I asked him and he handed me the radio. Oh, getting older is miserable, it almost makes you blind by worsening your eyesight. –Father said and took off his glasses to wipe its lens.

-May I ask you, something father? I turned the radio on some news channel but lowered the volume of it.

-Oh yes, son. What do you like to ask me? –he took the radio and put on his glass back again.

-Is there something you'd like me to tell about all those official visits? Is there something you are trying to hide from all of us? I felt something wrong and strange about those people in our school yesterday. And I also don’t feel the reason for staying many nights at school to be more convincing.

-There's nothing to worry about my son. And why should I hide something for you? A father never hides anything from his family and if he does so it's because he wants to protect them from every evil of this world. Here in this house, there's everything that I love and care about. And I'll never carry such lies with me which could jeopardize the peace of my family. I'm just worried about the prophecy of the war between justice and injustice. He kept unblinking for a while.

-What war father? What kind of war? –I asked him blatantly.

-Oh, my old mind. What I've told you now…Ah, it's nothing but some crap running all over my head since yesterday when I heard some news telling there's a war going to broke all over this country in the coming decade. Don’t take it seriously. It's just some news trying to fool all of us to increase the no. of their listeners. Get some rest son. I need to take some too as I've to wake up early for school. –He patted me on my back and left for his sleep. Although it does not sound like tripping off his tongue I could not deny his tractability. I felt like standing in front of an unassailable fortress behind which something uncanny is happening. Is a real war going to outbreak? I kept thinking about it all night.

The next day we were at the circus except for father. Emma was really having a whale of her time. Mac paid for all our tickets though I insisted to let me pay. Nat and Sumi were having a little chit-chat like women usually do.

-Now a lion and tiger would come to Emma and eat her,' Mac said to Emma making face of like them. He loved carrying her all the time. Aren't you afraid Emma?

-No, Uncle Mac. I'm unafraid of such lions and tigers if Father is with me. And also you are with me Uncle Mac, so how could I be afraid? I and Mac just looked at each other and smiled.

-That’s like my brave girl. –I pinched her cheeks.

It was full of entertainment when dwarf clowns and artists showed up juggling, balancing on tight ropes, ringmaster performing some daring acts with trained animals, making them jump through fire rings, making elephants and tigers sit on chairs, play with balls and stand on their one feet and at last some amazing acrobatic aerial skills. Everybody was enjoying and shouting and clapping including Emma too. But my mind was still obsessed with the words father told me yesterday night. While returning I wanted to talk to Mac about it, but all were pretty enjoying remembering the moments of the circus. And I don’t want to spoil it either.

Tomorrow I'll say all about it to my friends,' Emma just jumped into my arms saying it.

-Yes…Yes, baby. You can say all about the circus and how you were unafraid of all those lions and tigers. And also say how much you enjoyed it to grandfather too. I just embraced her and let her sleep.

-Thank you, Mac and Sumi for being with us. –she said.

-Oh don’t be, we really enjoyed it too,' –both Mac and Sumi just kissed Emma while she was sleeping on my shoulder. We just waved to each other and left for our home.

Still, the father was not at home. I could not stop thinking about the father and why he's been doing all these. I don’t understand if those words were some warnings or mere illusion of the father's mind. No doubt you may find some time in such a quandary from which you cannot escape. If you try too hard you may end up entangled in between fear and suffering. But as long as you notice you're on a way towards your trepidation and a mixed feeling of dread and reverence comes along the way, there is a likelihood of being apprehensive. Also, calmness and composure take place in the same mind if you practice compassion and such feeling of apprehension could be overcome.

I know why you're not being able to sleep. It's all about father, isn’t it? –she asked putting her head on my chest. He always has been like this even if you were not here. And I never dared to ask him anything about our school. It always kept me worried too.

-I know…I know…Nat. Since mother had left us he seemed a little messed up. But I know him. He's a strong guy who'll never throw in the towel. I believe he's standing up to something and I'll find it out.

-I believe you'll always watch over your family and do your best to safeguard us. But now I want to soothe the mind of my king as like his supportive and loving queen and take him away for a little while out from his kingdom. she started rubbing my chest.

I just looked into her eyes and smiled. Well, let's see how much amorousness my queen has been preserving and carrying all this time inside her? I just kissed her and dimmed the light.

The days were passing by without many changes in our lives. Father still kept himself away in many nights. I tried to talk to some of my old teachers but they too were less knowledgeable about the exactitude of those visits from those people in our school. Mac too was unable to discover what's going out there and what kind of meetings were those who kept father almost away every night from home.

Emma was growing fast too. She's been good with her grades and extra-curricular activities.  I believe she's a quick learner and will outperform every other classmate in the coming days too. She'd grown eyes like her mother which are always lively no matter how exhausted the day seems to be. And it has got such absorbing power that it took away all of our tiredness and rejuvenates us every time we see into her. Now Nat does not have to do her hair before leaving for school. Also sometimes when she's in need of some extra hands while working at home, she always has found Emma there for her. Even sometimes she has been helping me in my clinic with the patients. I wanted her to be a doctor and serve humanity.

-Father, how does it feel to cure the wounded ones? –Emma asked me when I was free from my last patient that day.

-Oh my love, it really feels wonderful. Sometimes it even helps you to forget your pains when you help people to cure theirs. It's something that makes you feel more proud of yourself.

-But why people get wounded more often, Father? -she asked me innocently without even realizing how deep that question is.

-Because God wants us to be stronger and therefore he keeps us testing with the pain of wounds. And therefore people get wounded more often because God doesn’t like to be forgotten. –she hardly could understand the meaning of it now but I know someday she'll do.

-But you don’t have to worry about any wounds in your life my angel because your father will always be there to cure you. How about going for some ice-cream? –I asked her quickly and wanted to let her not think more about it. I just stood up and start packing my bag.

-Yes…Father. I'd love to have an orange one this time.

-Okay, my lovely daughter. As you wish –and then we left for the market where I also have to buy some groceries for home.

Nat was there waiting for us all the time. Also, the father was early at home today. As soon as Emma saw her grandfather she ran to him. He just lifted her up and starts laughing to see her. So where's my chocolate grandfather? –she asked him like whispering in his ear so that Nat may not hear her. Nat does not like her having more chocolates and ice-creams as she thinks it'll spoil her teeth.

-Oh, how could I forget it? It's there in my pocket. –he took out a bar of chocolate from his pocket and gave it to her. But don’t let your mother know about it. Okay, grandfather. Nat was there standing behind them and was smiling looking at me. She pretended like she doesn’t know about the chocolate. I felt like we were having dinner together after a long time.

I just sat beside him in the same place. He was listening to his radio as he does regularly.

-So how's your work going on? –he broke the silence after realizing I wanted to talk to him.

-It's all right, Father. More people are coming to visit my clinic and I believe they all are satisfied with my work. But you know how much people are in need of a good hospital here in our village. If only I could wish to help them more so that they would not have to travel such long to the town for such expensive treatment.

-Yeah, I know. I know everything about out there my son. I know what these people have gone through and what they are going through now. I too just only could not wish to help them, I really have to. Do you remember how your mother died? –he asked me without expecting my answer.

-Do you remember why she had to leave us? It's just because there was not a single hospital in our village. It's just because of our poverty and not enough money for her treatment in the hospital of the town. She just left me for no good reason which I could hold onto and die in peace. I never could see in her eyes while she was dying. I never could forgive myself for letting her go so easily. –Father just looked me with tears in his eyes. I saw both grief and aggression in them.

-Though mother left me at an early age, I still could remember every day of her pain suffering from pneumonia. How I and father were standing beside her helplessly and how we had to let her die. Since that day father raised me like being both my father and mother. Also that day I promised myself to be a doctor and help people. So I left both Nat and father and went to town to try my luck. But soon there I realized that it's not possible for the poor like us to be a doctor. Though luckily I got a chance to work with Dr. Anderson in his clinic and learned a good deal of treating people with their wounds and normal diseases.

-I remember everything father. –I said in a modest way. I remember everything. I even could hardly imagine what you've been through. But it doesn’t mean you're alone. Here's your family who cares about you and worries about your absence. You just cannot abandon us and leave us alone like this. I already have lost my mother but I don’t want to lose her love.