The
black umbrella swayed precariously as wind from the sea gathered strength with
every dash of wave breaking on the sand. Awed by the jugalbandi of rain and wind, Shrishti sped up. The sun was already half-masked
by the dark clouds. The last rays of sun whispered into her ears, “Fast! It’ll
be dark in no time”.
Far
way, sailors struggled in mid-sea as their dark outlines gave an eerie sensation
about an impending danger. Muttering prayers her mother had taught, she strode
with eyes half-open. As she was about to turn right to the path that led to the
cottage, Shrishti saw something moving behind one of the rocks that separated the
sand on the beach from the holiday cottages that faced the sea.
“Who’s
there?”
There
was no answer.
Half
a mile away, Shrishti’s father moved impatiently from one corner of the lawn to
the other, hands behind, all the while cursing his wife for having let Shrishti
go to the beach alone.
“How
many times have I told you not to let her go to the beach alone? Look at the
sky! You just don’t care…What kind of a…”
The
mother had not spoken all this while. Clearing her throat, she blurted out, “Why
don’t you go and see?”
Here
at the beach, Shrishti took tiny steps towards the object. She made an effort
to recognize it but the fading light played spoilsport. It moved again. Her
mind warned, “Don’t go there. There could be a dangerous man hiding behind the
rock.” The inquisitive heart refused to comply. After all, her father was an
army officer.
As
she approached the rock, she could hear a groaning sound. The crashing waves
didn’t let her make out clearly. Four steps later, everything was clear. Jimmy
was lying there, one leg stuck underneath the rock. Shrishti immediately folded
the wet umbrella and threw it on the sand. Then, with both hands, she tried to
lift the corner of the rock under which Jimmy’s legs had got stuck. Soon, she
was able to get Jimmy out without hurting him.
As
she picked the puppy in her arms, Jimmy caressed her in gratitude. The next
moment, Jimmy looked eastwards. He was trying to indicate something. Shrishti
looked in that direction. It took her a few seconds to realize what Jimmy was
trying to show. It was an ear-ring- the one that her mother had lost last
morning.
The
ear-ring was special. It was gifted to her mother by her father on their
anniversary, three days back. The vacation had turned somewhat sour when she
was not able to find the ear-ring after the bath the previous day. The father
had said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get you another one.” But mother wouldn’t
listen. She had walked miles down the shore looking for it. After a futile
effort, she had given up, but her mind was lost in the sorrow of having lost
the special thing. For the last two days.
Shrishti
picked up the ring and the umbrella and ran towards the cottage.
“Mamma,
see what Jimmy has found!” , shouted Shrishti excitedly as she held out her
right hand, while stooping to release Jimmy who ran through the lush green lawn
and then up into her father’s arms.
The
glistening ear-ring in Shrishti’s right hand was visible even in the dark.
The
whole family smiled. And Jimmy clearly was part of it.
