The Caravan

4. “Do you like looking at the night sky, kid?” I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry when I heard that question. I decided it won’t be any use doing either of those things. “I think the sky betrayed me. I went after it with all my heart and it took everything from me. If it were up to me, I would never look up towards it again. If only I could turn my face away right now. This is torture.” “What? I love the night sky! I wish I could look at it for a while before my time ends.” “Why don’t you, then?” “You see, I consider you very lucky right now.” “Because I think looking at this sky is torture?” “No.” “Why can’t you look at the sky?” “Because I’m in a situation similar to yours. The difference in our situations however is that while your gaze is stuck pointing towards the sky, mine is fixed towards a tree.” “Trees hate me more than I hate the sky.” I heard the man chuckle as if he knew what trees had done to me. “Hey Kid

3. A few days after I was on my way, I realized that among all the dangers to come about in this journey, to my surprise, loneliness affected me the most. I had never been left in silence for more than a few moments back in the village. There was always someone you had to take care of other than yourself and someone was always caring for you, whether you liked it or not. On one hand, it was a relief that there was no one I had to take care of but on the other hand, I had to take special care for myself as there was no one else around to do it for me. I started talking to people in my mind. I had arguments. I made confessions. I thanked. I apologized. People replied too. I know they weren’t real but I could hear them very clearly. My father instructing me while I was hunting. My mother teaching me cooking. My friends keeping me company while I ate. As for the search, I wasn’t sure if I was making any real progress. I firmly believe that if I want something properly eno

2. A few years later, I decided to go see the tree again. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to ask for any answers from it but I also believed that it was the only living thing that will not frown upon my questions. A part of me also started to doubt if the tree ever even existed. I wondered if the whole incident I remembered was just a dream or an illusion. There it was. It did exist. That night did happen. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw its canopy towering above the trees around it. As I got closer I realized that there was someone sitting under it. The man was old but not as old as the village elder. He also had a stick in his hand but it did not look like something he beats people who don’t listen to him with. He was singing. Upon closer inspection I found out that this man was totally blind. I asked him if I could sit down next to him. He stopped singing and asked what a young man like me was doing wandering in a place like this. As an owner of a voice deep enough

1. As my back touched the ground, I realized how tired my journey had already gotten me. My belly is shouting at me to feed it and my legs are vibrating from fatigue. However, lying down allows me to see the sky above me and marvel at how enchantingly beautiful it can be. This is a special night. There is no moon in the sky and only the shine of the stars light the world around me and the path to my destination. When I was a little boy no taller than his waist, my father ordered me to never stare at the night sky for too long. When I asked him why he told me with a stern voice, “Everything is not to be questioned or explained, Kalidasa.” The order would not have been so difficult to follow if he had not given me such incomplete reasoning. That very night, I ran out to the edge of the village and climbed the biggest tree I could find. When I reached the top, I immediately looked up and fixed my gaze towards the heavens. It’s just the sky, I thought, with stars, half a moon, an