The Room

Room: A four walled structure with one or countless windows.

Sudha just finished packing the last item of her luggage. She was graduating in one of those myriad directions. She at once recollected that, that would be the last day she belonged to the room 256. There were no rush feelings of parting for her. While her friends spent solemn moments within their rooms, Sudha hurried to get the luggage to the taxi. She thought such an effort of belonging is a waste of time.She wondered whether her friends really felt sad or was it just a custom.

All the graduating students bid farewell to the security guards and myriad other hostel staff. Sudha also bid them a hearty good bye. They reached the railway station. The taxi took unusually long time to reach. Each one was busy exchanging phone numbers and mail Ids. Sudha took the numbers and mail Ids of all her friends. Then the parting, as they call it began.

Sudha reached her home the next morning. There were some early monsoon showers the previous night. The windows in her room showed the residuals of the drops of rain or was it dew. She was too tired to go further.

She slept the whole day and at dusk she was busy sticking to the ceiling the stars,Sun and moon, made of radium. She used to gaze at them every night and sleep under their faint radiance. Dinner was ready as soon as she was finished with the ceiling. All her favorite dishes were on the table. She quickly finished dinner and slipped into her room. She wanted to gaze at the star system in her new room. Resting on the couch she started thinking how it all started and ended so quickly. There were things that are to be framed as past, Sudha thought. People always moved on according to her, as if nothing had happened. She observed such callousness in people’s behavior.

She spent about an hour gazing and thinking. Suddenly, she felt something was missing from the star system above. There was always a passenger from the sun to the earth and back, every night. It was the spider. Yes the spider !

She leapt up in a quick motion and frantically started searching her bags for the glass case where she housed the spider. It was no where to be found. She remembered packing everything into those bags. But now something was missing.

There was sudden rain on the window pane which cleared the mist. She looked through the window and to her surprise saw her own room !

There was an increased sputtering on the window panes, as she cried that night.