sepia memories and absconding images...

the wall looked more dogged than yellow.years of rough weathering and corrosion had taken its toll and the structure bore a graphic testimony to the inclement times.the paint was peeling at some places.at others,cracks had devoloped and a trail of ants entered and exited them with impeccable synchronisation.
set against such deplorable background,the red spiral staircase offered a stark contrast.though the color had chipped occassionally, around the handrail,the stairway looked very bright amidst the peeling yellow wall and the daily din and bustle of the road overlooking it.
she did not live there.yet,te helixical stairway fascinated her much so that she kept coming back just to stare at it.once,she had even run her fingers along it but given the humdrum and activities on the road, never could muster enough courage to climb the steps.
she thought of it now.there was something in those stairs that intrigued her to no end.maybe the fact that she always wanted to know where it led.she knew that once she climbed it,the fantasy would be lost forever.and thus till this day,she nurtured her imagintaion simply gaping at it.it had been years since she first saw it and still the mystic red flight had a charming aura about it that captured her and took her to dizzy height everytime she pondered on it.
no one lived in that house.it stood there like an abandoned child.uncared.crumbling.and yet it clung to its uncanny familiarity.the wall had crumbled in a few places.naked brick showed through the dirty yellow parches.the cracks had widened with time.the red staircase had worn too.the paint had fallen in flakes and the rickety steps looked rustier than before.green creepers had adorned the rails and inspite of its wretched condition,in her eyes the spiral stairs still looked captivating.


the road was busier today.a motley crowd had thronged near the wall.and a deafening roar of machines and human voices rent the air.she squirmed through two burly men who stood there busy giving orders to the minions.
what she saw didnot astonish her much.the neighbourhood had been contemplating this for a long time now.the wall had been brought down and damp bricks and debris sat in mounds near their feet.the staircase still stood proud amidst the dusty rubble.
'so the staircase wouldnt be dismantled after all',she reasoned.
just then Burly gave sharp orders to one of the minions.his finger struck out pointedly at something.her eyes followed suit.a gleaming yellow bulldozer stood at a distance as if warming up before it pounced on its victim!
a nagging nostalgia wrenched her heart now.she just wanted to climb it once before it succumbed to the blows of the bulldozer and became a despicable mangle of iron.
convincing Burly hadnt been easy.Burly had been particularly irked by her repeated pleadings.surely,he couldnt make out what the big deal was.'they' never do.
the stairs were rickety and climbing them would only mean welcoming danger,Burly had grunted.but she pleaded on.
finally he had consented.the crowd had thickened.the whole place buzzed in delirium.
she took a deep breath before she started climbing 'it'.her limbs wobbled in excitement.the whole while she climbed,the crowd cheered on,but she heard or saw nothing.taking a step at a time,she ascended the steps quitely,her whole being shaking in trepidation.
she didnt know where it went.and you could see she wasnt prepared enough to come face to face with the reality.all the fantasies that she had woven around these stairs for so long could end in utter delusion.and she fretted she wouldnt be able to reckon with it.her random flights to neverland,her indulgent reveries and surreal trips were to end today and she hopelessly clung onto them.once she had reached the top,she stood there for a moment,closed her eyes and ran her fingers along the rail one last time and then descended with the same poise and dignity as before.

her fantasies behind her,she mingled with the frenzied mob and retracing her steps, walked away into oblivion...

of myriad hues and roadside blues...

she bit her lip and grimaced.the sudoku was taking longer time than usual to crack today.the road took a sharp bend prodding another bout of nausea to creep up her throat.it had been happenning since morning.ever since the car reached Haldwani.the bends and hair-pin turns had made her feel pukish,time after time.
she had tried finding comfort in the lush greenery outside-the pine,fern and deodar trees.in the cacophony of the twittering birds.in the derelict huts and cottages propped up against the hill.but nothing helped.another hair-pin curve and yet another bout of nausea came rushing back.
besides,it started drizzling halfway through the journey so that she had to shut the window.not because of the rain so much,but more because she couldn't endure the smell of wet earth.
the car combed through the hilly driveway.a truck came tearing from the otherside,honked twice and swerved past their car by dint of deft manoeuvring.
another stretch of insipid drive followed.
suddenly,darkness fell in the hillside.the pines and deodar silhouettes stood like soldiers on either side.the yellow headlight from the car investigated the road and apart from the occassional honking at every turn,silence hung in the dense night air.
she didnt even realise when the misty and smoky night fall had lulled her to sleep but when she woke up the sky was blushing a rosy pink and the red sun rose amidst the green hills.
there was about a mile of journey left.the bends turned steeper but somehow the sunny ambience could do nothing to perturb her spirits.when the journey ended they had reached the top of the hill.she got down form the car.inhaled a whiff of fresh air,closed her eyes and stretched out her arms as if embracing the valley that lay beneath her-thousands of miles below.
she then went back into the car,delicately plucked the deodar sapling from the seat unfurled the paper that held it and squatting on her haunches planted it in the wet earth.and after watering it with utmost dedications she got up,inspected it and retreated into the car without turning back once.
the engine gave a warm groan and started again.this time going downhill.
the same environ the same cacophony of twittering birds,the same pine ferns standing like alert soldiers...
the gusty morning breeze dishevelled her hair.and when she brushed them from her face,a weak smile adhered the corner of her lips.
her work done,she draped the shawl across her bosom and went off to sleep.

and up there on top of the hill
rukmini(thats what she had named teh sapling) swayed and glistened as the mellow sunlight bathed it in honey rays...