Gold Cage

2

Nobody suspected Eve. Even her parents were completely in darkness. Robin became a frequent visitor to the new world, but nobody in the project team suspected him either. Dr. Samuel Gregg, the project leader of EcoII, was so careful about every little detail of the work, but his own son, Robin deluded him and his team.
After six months of forbidden adventure, Eve was caught after a regular medical check up. She was carrying Robin’s child. Eve’s mother lost her reasons and punished Eve violently. All of a sudden, Eve, the beloved one of EcoII, the brightest kid of EcoII, became a horrible wrongdoer. She became outcaste overnight because she contaminated the isolated world. Her parents locked her inside her room without food and water. Nobody knew what would happen to her. The decision was to be made by the EcoII project-team.
After a short investigation, Robin was also spotted. In fact, Robin came forward to take all the responsibilities and said that it was totally his fault, Eve was innocent. He begged to set her free and punish only him. But everybody at the EcoII project team was so dumbfounded that nobody could think of a good solution. Dr. Gregg’s security officers locked Robin inside a windowless room. At that moment of time, nobody knew what would be the fate of Robin and Eve.
Eve was not scared at all. She had a little communication devise, a gift from Robin. Eve kept that inside the locket of her necklace. From her solitary room, Eve called Robin. Robin received that inside his prison. They exchanged their plans with coded words and went forward to execute that.

***

Gold Cage

1

It was Eve’s sixteenth birthday. That morning, she first met Robin on the sunflower valley near the blue River. Eve leaned to pluck the sunflower and then put it on her little hairdo. Then she approached the river casually, river was calm like a mirror, as Eve leaned to see the image of her own face in water, she saw the face of a stranger just behind her own. A complete stranger, an unknown young man was standing right behind her. Although he had a friendly smile, Eve was awestruck. She screamed and turned around.
Robin was in his blue jacket and blue trousers. He extended his hand and said, “ Hi, I’m Robin. You must be Eve. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Yes, I’m Eve. How do you know?” Eve’s voice was a little shaky when she asked.
“Well, I know.” Robin’s bright blue eyes sparkled.
“You’re not from Ecosphere II, I know everyone here. You must be from outside.”
“You’re right, Eve. I’m from the world outside” Robin smiled brightly.
“Then how did you manage to enter? I know Eco II is strictly prohibited for the people from outside world. This is protected by unbreakable code. How come you did enter? ” Eve’s voice was full of curiosity and anxiety.
“Unbreakable, ehh? They told you so. Well, I broke the code, it was difficult, but not impossible.” Robin’s voice was both proud and desperate.
“Robin, may I ask why did you enter? If it is prohibited, then why did you do it?” Eve was concerned just like a genuine friend.
“Well, I wanted to. Are you telling me to leave?” Robin’s face turned gloomy.
“No, no, I didn’t mean that. You must be very smart. Very brave, too. You broke an unbreakable code and you entered a new world! Welcome, Robin, welcome to EcoII .” Eve tried to cheer up her new friend.
Robin’s gloomy face slowly lit up. He said, “Eve, you’re great. Now let’s sit down and let me tell you about my adventure.”

Robin and Eve sat on the grass by the river and Robin told her how interested he was about this Ecosphere II. He was so eager to enter that he worked day and night to break the security code. He also had to make a bugging machine, which helped him to avoid the constant monitoring by the project team.
- “Do you know Eve, all of you, who live here, are always under constant vigilance of the project team? Their audio-visual network is so great that almost all of your moves they can monitor by that.”
- “ What about now? Are they seeing us? Could they catch you later?”
-“ Don’t worry, Eve. They can’t catch us. I’ve made a good remedy. Do you want to see that? ”
Eve nodded. Like a wizard, from his pocket Robin took out a little cubic box with a lot of twinkling violet, orange and green lights on it. He was smiling loftily when he kept that box in front of his face; all those lights were shining on his bright eyes. Eve felt a deep emotional inclination towards the stranger. She knew that was not desirable, but she just couldn’t resist. It was so natural!
Robin left after half an hour but he changed the life of the first born child of that closed world, named Ecosphere II. The name was given by the project leader Dr. Samuel Gregg. Dr. Gregg and his team live outside and the volunteers including Eve’s parents live inside.
Robin disappeared at the point where the road took a sharp hairpin bend on the golden mountains. Eve, still at the riverside, couldn’t suppress her streaming tears. She was wiping and wiping but more and more tears were streaming down from her eyes. She didn’t know why she was weeping. She didn’t feel any pain; it was something else, which she never tasted before. Nobody in that isolated world told her anything about love.

***

Millennia

1

Catherine came to visit Michael as usual, it was her third visit. The night was cold, it was late winter. Catherine was as excited as her two other previous visits, one was in summer and the other one was in early fall.

She tried to cool off the frightened man standing in front of her. Michael was frightened and awestruck. Catherine’s voice was quite friendly when she said, “Michael, don’t worry. Why are you so afraid, man? Relax. I’m your friend. I came to help you and your people.” Catherine took his two cold hands on her warm palms and reassured him, “Let’s sit down and talk. Why are you so afraid of me? I won’t hurt you. Don’t you trust me?”

“No, I’m not afraid of you. You’re very nice. But you always remind me of my late wife. She was as nice as you are. A cursed disease snatched her away from me. Do you know young lady, what is the most painful grief of my life? I, myself, am a physician, but couldn’t save her life.” Michael broke down.

“Michael, don’t blame yourself . You tried your best, didn’t you? Then why are you always blaming yourself? Michael, death is an inevitable part of our lives. You can’t just avoid it. You have three children, you’ll have to take good care of them. So, stop blaming yourself and do what you should do. Now, let’s sit down and start our work. Ok?”

“ Ok. Come lady, sit down here.” Michael directed Catherine to a chair near his work-table. She seated and then Michael took a sit opposite to her.

One blue candle was burning, giving a yellowish white light, Catherine thought of the first visit, that day there was the same type of candle burning on the mantle piece. There was one little fly, flying around glowing flame, Catherine still could hear the "zzzzz" sound from that poor fly’s wings. The wings which turned to ashes..."From dust you come and to dust you return".... Death is a part of our life, yet we mourn.

Catherine wiped her eyes and cheeks to straighten her mind and balance her emotions. Then she said,"Yes Micheal, tell me about your experiences in your budding years as you promised me last time."

*****

Bird of Moonlight

Love is a little bird of moonlight color
Flying around with soft wings of silky feather-
If you extend your hands to catch her
She will immediately disappear into thin air.

Legend said that the river brought gold
And stored inside the sand on both sides-
We went there with the sieve to search
For the chunks of gold to change our lives.

We worked with high hope but all in vain
We didn't find any trace of gold there,
Now the ocean breeze is murmuring to my ears
“Gold was not there hidden inside the sand,
Gold is here, deep down in your heart-land.”

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

aakaashajaatak and sahasraabdee paar haye

ekhaane aakaashajaatak aar sahasraabadee paar haye thaak.
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aar taarapare
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The Blue Night of Prayer

Just before the evening worship
As the worshippers hold the lamps high-
The awakening stars look like those lamps
Gently twinkling across the darkening sky.

The touch of south breeze so soft!
This is the time to have a sip,
From the cup of a mourning heart-
Then to say good bye and fall asleep.

From the dark window of the stone-palace
The princess looks at the dark horizon,
She wears a blue feather on her hair-do
She waves a little lamp, a beacon.

Far, far away, out there-
Beyond the vast field of darkness,
There wakes up a little light
To assure the anxious princess.

With the pole star as her only witness
She prays softly towards the unknown,
She prays for light, she prays for hope
She prays for the return of love long gone.

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

Beyond The Memory

One day, when death will approach softly
If he keeps his hand on the feverish forehead of mine
If he murmurs my name like the call of boundless south wind
And says,"Let's go my dear, everybody is waiting."

Shall I offer my hand to him?
Shall I wipe out the dreams from my watery eyes?
Shall I get up from the bed and walk with him
Hand in hand, leaving behind every lows and highs?

Galaxy will glow high up there with billions of stars,
Under her soft white veil, there'll be the meadow,
If my friend asks me to aboard the ship of oblivion
Shall I go or shall I cry,"I can't go, no, no, no"?

Out there, where the unknown darkness
Plays the never-ending hide and seek,
The unknown sun shines bright on alien sky
The unknown people, both boastful and meek!

In that alien land, on the lap of an unknown mother
Shall I be born again and grow up under her affectionate eye?
Shall I be able to remember this life, these joy and sorrow?
These days and nights, these crimson dawns on ocean-blue sky?

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