Eros
As he made his way over the rocks of the much-traversed path
of the mountain, Madan thought over the events of the past few days.
One by one, his mind replayed the things that had gone terribly
wrong in the exact sequence, increasing his frustration. He tried consciously
to blot them out. He tried hard to concentrate on other happier memories. Like
the time when they celebrated the positive results at the lab or the evening at
the science expo where he had met Ragini for the first time. Their first kiss upon
the beach in the quaint seaside town.
But try as he might, he felt the dejection, the anger, the
rage, return. What hurt the most was how he had let down his loved ones. His
father’s words rang in his ears. ‘Son, of what use is my money, if it doesn’t
aid you now? Take everything and return it in installments so your mother and I
can live independantly, as we age.’ Madan had laughed and replied, ‘Baba, this
is the nonsurgical cure for arthritis that the world has been waiting for. I’ll
double the sum at the very least and return it to you!’ Ragini had pawned all
of her jewels, without a second thought to pay for the marketing.
But what has seemed so promising at the experimental stage had
tanked at the launch. His close friend and co-founder had ignored a crucial detail
which surfaced then. The scientific
community accused Madan of fabricating the results. Heroically he took the entire
blame upon himself but as he went down, he lost everything – his reputation as
a scientist and the company that he had labored so hard to build. Now there was
no turning back.
As he climbed jaggedly across the uneven rocks, he stubbed
his toe. It began to bleed. The pain was intense. He laughed hysterically which
echoed all around him. What would it feel like, when he took the actual plunge over
the edge, would he hear his bones break? Would his death be instantaneous, or
would he writhe in pain till he passed out? But the thought of physical pain
seemed less severe than a lifetime of shame and regret.
He looked around, he had reached the summit despite the
bleeding toe, which had gone numb from the pain. Poised at the brink with one
foot firmly planted on the ground he stared apprehensively at the deep gorge
below. He saw a tangled web of vines, dry brush and bramble amid the rocks and
pebbles of the hillside.
He took a deep breath and let himself fall; a shrill scream escaped
his lips. To his surprise, though, he
found his bruised hands clutching at a thick vine that was embedded in the vegetation.
He was surprised to find that his body was not willing to let go of life all
that easily. The vine dislodged bit by bit like a buried rope preventing his
fall and he found himself landing feet first, on a ledge. His heart was
pounding wildly, blood oozed onto his torn clothes from the many cuts in his
body.
He sat at the ledge, woefully out of breath, his hand still
held onto the vine. It looked brown and lifeless. Yet, surprisingly, it had
taken on his body weight and prevented his fall. He found its roots growing close
to the ledge. To his utter surprise, he found sections that were turning green.
Nature, it seemed, never gives up the fight. Never dies voluntarily. Dead
plants spring up after the slightest rain. Dormant seeds sprout life. As he
stared at the root he smiled for the first time and found the heaviness dissipate.
Fate had given him a second chance at living. Contrary to what people said, it did take
courage to take one’s life but what is even more courageous is to fight back. Death
would have been a quick end to his agony, but would have caused his parents,
his Ragini, a lifetime of misery.
He would live, he would fight and if he fought back hard enough,
his fortune too might give him a second chance.
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