In The Muse

In The Muse

 

The day used to be rough, though pleasant the nights.  That day, though, was different as he was in the labyrinth of a puzzled world of past, present and future; feeling worried, lost, and helpless. That's the night he saw the ghost. A ghost from the past.

When it had already become unbearable, towards the late in the night, so he was restless, so couldn't help pacing around his big room like an impatient child, irritated by the little light coming by the window through the fog outside. Pacing he turned and turned once again, eventually he found him standing in front of the mirror screaming for no apparent reason - screaming just to listen how high he could scream without getting any answer or reaction, he even didn't know what he was expecting or whether he was expecting an answer at all. Just then the door in the wall - somewhere around - opened  hastily - because the haste was required in that case.

Like a little ghost, a child wafted out of the utter dark of corridor, quietly walking on the tiptop he came to the room. At first, he was shy and afraid to show him in the dim light, but he calmed down unexpectedly as he looked towards the window and the familiar world outside. Leaning over the wall on his right shoulder, the boy stood in front of the door, and let the light shine his tender right half - the ankles, his neck, cheek, temple and black of his hair.

The man looked at the boy briefly, he was a clumsy little boy wearing a plain white shirt - as plain as his expression. With a complete loss of words he started, “Hello,” but couldn’t make out further than that. Though, after taking his time and making something out of the coma of his thoughts the man said, "Hello. Welcome. I’m waiting for…" but before completing, his conscience came back, so he hurried around the room - his big room - in search of a possible piece of cloth to cover his naked body, failed he sank down into a darker corner. He remained open-mouthed for a while and allowed the agitation leave him by that route. This particular visit - he was expecting anyhow - was the last thing he needed.

The child was still standing at the same spot, attracted by the peeling green walls of the man's room - digging his nails deep into it and scrapping it pleasingly.

"Don't bother that much. After all, you will always be naked in front of me - clothes or no clothes." the boy said.

"It's not that." the man could come up with that much and then fall silent, the boy continued to pleasingly dig out the peeling walls.

Pulling of his snapped conscience the man asked, "Am I really the person you want? Isn't there some mistake? There's nothing easier than making mistake in that puzzled building we caught into. By the way, I am so-and-so." elevating the voice the man repeated, "So, Am I the person you want to visit?"

"Easy, easy." said the boy over his shoulder, "you know I am bright enough for that."

"Then, come further, let's sit down. I need to shut the door."

"I've just shut the door. Just calm down. Take it easy."

"It's not such a big deal. But there are so many people caught in that large building - like us - who could spot us. They all are my acquaintance like you. But you are the only one I want right now. Besides, you know that much as I do. That's why I'm saying to let me shut the door."

"What is it? What's the matter with you? It's me and you. This is a big enough room to pack a large number of people. And I repeat : I'd closed and even locked the door with the key."

"That's all right, then. You are my guest so welcome. But are you really sure you shut it that way?"

"Why are you so paranoid? Because I am child. I am way smarter than you," the child said, and added, "In everything."

"We are one; are you aware of that? Also, I am more logical than you - In Everything." the man said.

"I am aware of taht. But the way you are speaking through the darkness, in such a paranoid way. All of this is sickening me."

"What? I'm supposed to sick you, when there's no difference between us beside the time. Anyway, I'm so glad that you are here at last. I said "at last" because I have been expecting you here for a long time. Though, it was bothering me why you come so late. Oh, I am just saying things. Let's just not quarrel, for heaven's sake. But whatever - tell me why you are spoiling that little time you get with me? You are me; yet I have a feeling that a stranger might be more approachable than you."

"I don't think so. The fact of the matter is that we are as intimate to each other than any stranger to you in the world. You are paranoid, that's the reason you are thinking so? If you just want to play being like that, I'll go right this moment. I think why you had called me in the first place?" the boy shied  in a low disgusted voice, still busy in scrapping the peeled room wall.

"You're bold enough to say that to me. I admit, you are too daring of your age. But considering the fact that you are in my room. Scrapping your fingers in my wall like mad! My room! My wall! howsoever pathetic they are, they are mine. And why are you so rude to me, when I was so kind to you. Your nature is mine. If I am acting kindly, you shouldn't otherwise."

"Is this what you called kind?"

"I'm talking about earlier."

"Do you know what I will be later? Well, Of course you." the boy looked searchingly into the dark corner, and added, "The ‘nature’ thing passed through me by the way."

A long grim silence poured into the dark room, Piercing which the two pair of eyes were looking at each other - one into the future other at the past, while the present frozen between the two.

Eventually, the man could bear no longer and went trudging all the way to the bed feeling tired. He let his body relax, tried to switch off his autonomous, messed up mind, allowing things to flow through him. It was a good way to evade away form the trauma of the unknown. That's how he tried to sleep.

A time loop in labyrinth was completed.

 

The man reported the event like this -

Last night I met a ghost. A ghost from the past - a clumsy little boy. He came stealthily locking all the doors behind him. He peeled off the wall I had build with all other men in ages. He was stubborn and his memory and conscience was highly inaccurate, what else we could expect from a ghost - ghost, after all, have more doubts about them than we living do. For whatever he was, he was nice and sweet - a good ghost. But this is the thing, for howsoever good or bad a ghost is, they must be buried into the past or burnt down at the shore of Haridwar - if that is the right way to do it. 

Before long, I ran down and shut the door behind him, letting the past swallow him back into his grave.

Laying down flat on my bed, I closed my eyes. A sweet hallucinating sleep overtook me soon. Yes, a deep hallucinating sleep, not a blank faint siesta.

A Deep Hallucinating...Sleep.

But, I know, it is not a sleep -- it seemed unnatural, like drowning into the deep ocean.

It's actually a hibernation. 

Written/encoded By Mentor Yogi.