A BOND ABOVE ALL

Somesh Nanda

October-2008

                                        A BOND ABOVE ALL

He limped down the terrain-A terrain cursed with rocks, gorges and ravines…ailing with mud and dirt. The gray sky here weighed down with dark rumbling clouds opposing the sun and casting a perpetual gloominess underneath. Noxious vapors sailed about in the air and settled down on his damp   clothing. The sky above looked down upon this man and mourned to sense any life in these parts. Yes, this place sheltered no life. No denizens, no dwellers –some wondered if long back in the days when Angels and Gods roamed our planet, this land had homed savages and demons. The trees around had lost their vitality and now stood lifeless without a sign of greenery amid this gray tinted world .No man in his senses would ever dare to walk into this place, for this landscape stood out to refuse even the presence of a man sprouting with health and vigor….and for a soldier seriously wounded like him, this journey would prove to be more than just an ordeal.

But this was a man who had left his wits and senses far behind in the battlefield where he was now planning to return. He limped only by his legs…not by his determination. His eyes had turned blind to the agony around him, for his mind was focused on matters of far greater importance. He had to recover soon and return to fight the raging battle. Besides, one thing that added to his comfort was the fact that….HE WAS NOT ALONE.

Beside him, following his every step was a Danish spaniel. The black fluffy animal loyally followed its master, panting in enervation. The soldier remembered…he recalled the day when the Lieutenant in his full regalia had walked down to his camp holding the little pup between his palms. He remembered how he had held out his hands to receive this precious gift. The soldier had cared for it more than he cared for himself, had taught it tricks he himself had not known and had loved it more than he would love his son. As the dog grew up, a strong link began binding it to its master. A link that surpassed any relationship that the power of conversation gifted the human soul. They didn’t need words to understand each other…Words would fall short anyway. Even now, at these times of hardship, the beast refused to leave the soldier’s back.

          Thus they walked on-not knowing how much further they could go. They had come much farther than their long exhausted legs would permit. Challenging their physical capacity beyond wonders, they still pushed…seeking a place of refuge. Their exhausted bodies fulfilling their purpose, they now came to a stop.

The soldier stared straight…as if not believing what his eyes saw. His heart now beat faster, the fatigued muscles tightened and his hopes rejuvenated. Right before him, ran a charismatic stream of water. His heart leapt with joy as his injured legs sprang into action. Limping down to it, he knelt down and let the water rush into a bottle. Even the sensation of the cool fluid running past his hands was reviving. ” The elixir of life” he thought; reminding himself how far their lives had drained away.

“The first few drops belong to someone else”, he heard his mind say.

He limped back towards his mate. But the beast had fallen down unconscious. The soldier knelt down beside it. But before he could do anything further,darkness began to envelope him. His vision blurred, his head whirled. His eyes became heavy….he shut them and now peace began descending over him and eventually there it was…….peace. He fell down too….unconscious.

                                      ***************

The soldier opened his eyes in response to a delightful sensation. His friend standing beside him on all fours, blooming with energy and vitality was licking him. Having regained his consciousness, he sat up. Miraculously, the soldier realized that his pain had vanished. He looked down at his leg and ran down his hands over it searching for the bullet that had been there only a little while ago. Feeling incredibly energetic, he stood up. He let his eyes venture around. Still the same gloomy world….But something was not the same. His eyes met another. The eyes he saw were those of another human being. He navigated the figure that stood before him-vibrant and captivating eyes, wrinkled face, long white and flowing beard, white ,white hair that came down to his back. This man was definitely old. But there was something about him that commanded attention. He held a staff, but it didn’t seem like he was using it to support his weight, for he stood erect. His  white and spotless robe hung down and flowed about in the wind.  The dog now sat beside this old man affectionately as if trying to introduce him to its master. It was as if the two had come to a tacit agreement.

The soldier stood in exhilaration.  “Who could this man be? He definitely is old…but vigor and youthfulness sprouts from his very presence…serenity and peace shoots out from his face….who is this man? An ascetic maybe. I have heard of mystic sages in these abandoned lands. Perhaps I meet one today. ”

“My Identity is immaterial to you” said the old man in a calm and unruffled voice as if reading the soldier’s mind. “What is important is your decision. I have come here to free you of your agony, your pains, your anguish. Come with me and I shall take you to a place where every man longs to go. No hatred, no pains, no darkness. Never again shall you ever experience torment or blight. All you shall find there is what your heart has ever longed for…Peace, happiness and bliss. But be warned...once you come with me there is no turning back. You shall never return to fight your battle. The decision shall be yours.”

The soldier’s mind raced. Happiness? Satisfaction? Bliss? Without my battle won? Beyond possibility. He did not hesitate. Turning to his dog, he gestured it to come along with him….back to the battlefield. But then something incredible happened. For the first time ever, the beast did not respond. It sat motionless, as if petrified by some charm, beside the stranger.  The old man turned away and walked towards the distant horizon, the dog accompanying him. The soldier stood there staring in disbelief as they moved on, beyond the limits of his vision.

Suddenly the soldier woke up with a start. He was still in the same place. But once again, his pains had returned. He could feel the bullet deep in his thigh. Once in his senses, he scanned around for his friend. The beast lay beside him….dead. The soldier now understood everything. He looked up at the frowning sky. From somewhere beyond that infinity his friend now looked down upon him-from a world where every man longs to go, which shelters no pains, sorrows , sufferings. “Someday I shall be there too…..someday we shall meet again, my friend”. Allowing a gulp of water inside, he tried to quench his thirst…but it hardly made any difference now. With difficulty, he helped himself up and resumed his quest. Now the bitterness around began to penetrate into him. What still added to his discomfort was the fact that…..HE WAS ALONE.