Monday, June 5, 2017

One more Letter ...

As the silence of the night was broken by the crickets there was one more sound matching it. The nib of the old Waterman pen on the paper. The writings were broken in between by pauses of thoughts. The late evening rain left a few drips which popped then and now. The air was filled with a strange fragrance, overpowering the smell of the disinfectant which wiped the floor. Was it the petrichor or Gods fragrance of compassion. The hospital wards were silent but for a few intermittent snores of the watchman, who were supposed to be the only ones awake at that time of the night. 

The bedside lamp on William's table was the only light other than the shy moonlight trickling to the earth through the fingers of the trees which tried to cut the light falling on its eyes. The white paper was shining like a bright full moon on the table with the dark blue table cover which just had a few sheets of paper and the table lamp. The nib touched the paper again letting the brain ooze out through the wedges of the pen's nib...which read...

Dear Dad...

The world seems to be envious of the few people who enjoy life to the fullest. The envy flows out through their eyes as tears. Is that compassion or is it something else. I have asked many times myself, why they do so. Today I saw a father and mother come with their only son who was successful in his exams. They were just worried and crying... They talked to Stephen for a while. He was trying to console them, with no success. Ha... ha ha... he should have called me. Why am I here, after winning the awards and accolades for nothing... hmm... Let it be. But the boy came up to me. I smiled at him. He was stressed with all the loads of things he had to study and the expectations everyone around him had. About the boy next door who got one mark more... All I did was not talk... but gave him a hug. He smiled. We became friends in no time. He is fast asleep ... He is safe. 

He is now more a son to me like Sunny, my only son till now, busy pursuing his studies abroad. Like Sunny, he also wants to become a doctor like me. Ann wants me to get back home... But then who will take care of my patients here. They need me more. I will call her tomorrow and tell her about the new found son, I have here, like Sunny. 

Its late, have an early morning rounds. Will have to check with Stephen about the new admission tomorrow. Will write to you tomorrow... till then ...

With love your son ...
Dr. William

The lights went out and William went to sleep as the night got more darker and was waiting to be brightened in a few hours by the sun. 

The hospital wards came to life as the morning shift staff signed in for the day and the started fresh from ward to ward, bed to bed. The Head Nurse walked to one of the beds and in a while was at Dr. Stephens room and said

"Doctor.... William has started writing again... here is yet another letter he has written to God"

Dr. Stephen smiled and took the letter from her and filed it in a special file he had in his table. He secured the file after putting the letter in place. He closed it and kept it back safe, and the cover had a red label "William Case number 423... Letters to God" 

As the head nurse was about to leave Stephen said:

"He would have been the best doctor the world has seen... sad... his life took a turn after he lost his son and his wife left him"

As he closed the cupboard Stephen thought:

"The thin line that divides fantasy and reality... the world of fantasy is so very soothing than the reality... Who is really mad... them or us, who try to find ways to make them do as we want to do ..."

2 comments:

  1. Very intriguing to read n re read the last few paragraphs... there's so much to visualize abt William and his past....im guessing he's not really a Dr...but only a patient who libes in his virtual world where he is a Dr n his son away studying n his wife waiting at home...tragic...n seems to b a part of a bigger story!! Reminded me of the Malayalam movie Mohanlal as Dr in Ooty or so..far off mental hospital...nice one.

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