THE QUAGMIRE

How could he ever forget that day of days or rather that night, to be precise.Here he was lying on that Kurlon bed quite unarmed except for the blanket, innocent as a baby in sleep dreaming about the angels, when the silent but deadly attack was launched precisely at 12 midnight .They came in camouflages, night vision googles armed with all the latest armaments laser tipped. They seemed to appear from all directions simultaneously and ruthlessly and professionally engaged in that meticulously planned savage yet silken cunning attack , the hallmark of a woman betrayed.The commandos moved with the pin point precision and stealth born of years of practice.Instantaneously they forced their way in through all his body pores and hastened their way and struck with military precision first at the telecommunication centres at the frontal lobe with Brahmos and another group silenced the vital radars of the visual and auditory cortex of the brain with silos and lasers,the third brigade paralysed the locomotor systems with the Prithvies.Once these pivotals were secured the main army marched on capturing the bridge heads of the synapses and now relaxed; via the circulatory systems they took over all the vital organs. The now victorious assassins danced their way to the heart, the seat of parliament and the white flag on which the emblem of the torn heart with an an arrow in the center was hoisted . The BUDDHY and MANAS was safe and secure in the hands of the new Queen who ordered “ surrender”. The whole operation lasted less than 30 minutes and he was forced to surrender unconditionally without firing a single shot in retaliation .
He woke up totally unaware of the attack itself . The sun lighted up a new hither to unknown yet beautiful and mystic wonder world before him .Every thing took up on a new hue and he felt a strange bliss ,he knew not why . The roses looked like roses and the bark of the dog were music to his ears .For the first time the coffee tasted really good and the morning bath was invigorating. Even the Krishna seemed to smile at his foolhardiness .He went to his office with gay abandon and even bestowed his favourite smile to all his colleagues to their utter surprise .The red taped files welcomed him and he duly signed all files without any queries, that his clerks could not comprehend . Every thing seemed fit and fare and he was in a different zone altogether .
As the sun began its downward loop his mood also started waning .An untold melancholy descended over him and his heart grew heavy as if some one was departing and a strange sweet loneliness began over powering him and his gaze took a vacant tone .The bitter agony , he tried to shake off with a few pegs of gin never loostened its grip . Only Mukesh could ease his pain with his” “ chal re sajni ab kya hote “,later “dil jalta hai tho jalne do”took him to the depths of unchartered grief and Saigals “so ja rajakumari so ja “ made him weep for no reason altogether .
What has happened to him . what was it that blinded and deafened him leave alone the utter coolness and stony heartedness which has deserted him and left him naked to the ridicule of the society and isolated him to the bones . Who was ruling him and who was ruining him. Was he at fault or was it the society at large .?Was he going mad or is it that others are branding him for a perfectly normal human emotion that anybody can acquire at any time . He turned and twisted in his bed till the wee hours and sleep took its turn .
.He began running frantically away and away from the humanity baying for his life .He felt weary but couldn’t stop his flight to doom .He stopped suddenly in anguish and cried aloud to the world “I AM IN LOVE AND IS THAT A CRIME ?
Suddenly he fell in to a quagmire and slowly inch by inch he was drowning . He panicked and began to go down faster .He yelled to his sons to save him,but they kept mum bowing their heads in shame. He looked up to his wife in despire .,but in vain .His panic ceased and he felt a n easing peace and he resigned to his fate calmly .
As the mud reached his mouth he took a last look at the sky and lo he could see a chopper coming down in a fast scoop and the LADY in it was having the last laugh and a rope whirled its way downwards at him from her golden hands.and he clutched it at the last moment ,the chopper easing him upwards .He felt liberated and with a thud he was violently pulled out of the quagmire and he fell on firmer ground weary and thankful .As he raised his gaze around he looked at the astonishment of his kith and kin staring at him .
He never hesitated a bit and dived back in to the mud which embraced him and drew him in to its bosom full of LOVE .