She looked wistfully at the white blankness of her lap top . She remembered the days when from a very young age she had ventured into writing secretly in her torn notebook which she would take out from her school bag. Moreover, She hardly remembered having filled it with school work. Rather she had faint memories of ever being a regular student. And those were the days when the parents, in the joint families, had other cares than to worry about the school affairs of their children. Moreover it was the responsibility of the family elders to see that the grand children were tutored well. The schools were far away from home and the children had to walk down to reach them. In the way there were many distractions ,mainly they would linger on on the narrow bridge which they had to cross to reach their school. They often stood there looking at the river reflecting the silver rays of the morning Sun. The sight of the lush green weeds waving in the clear waters was riveting. She would forget about her school when the equally reluctant sibling would nudge her to move.
The school was an unimpressive building of brick and mortar. It faced the river which flowed close by. she had only a faint memory of her class room. The images of the children in their motley dresses mostly unkept , jumping and shouting at each other and some entangled in fights , pulling and pushing while the rest clapped in glee . She saw herself standing there least involved in their games . And she remembered the glint in her eyes which was up to some mischief. This moment was opportune for her to take flight. The teacher never noticed her, he was always poring over some long register in front of him. He was unperturbed by the din and noise around him yet he shouted at them now and then. She would dash straight to the river as if free from the shackles of confinement and from the noisy children. The glistening river flowed majestically and the undulating waves created the pattern of light and shade which mesmerised her. The daily activities happening there absorbed her fully. She looked at the ladies who came there regularly, chattering and cleaning their pots simultaneously. Both these activities created a sort of rhythm and gaiety. Along side ,were their children who turned playful in the gushing waters of the river. They bobbed up and down splashing water in all directions , chasing each other, swam against the currents like ducks take to water. She loved the deep sounds of the splashes they made while stroking with their limbs. She could remember them distinctly, their lean bodies streamlined by the regular strokes they made in the water. She remembered their naked bodies which glistened in the bright Sun . They were in their pre-teens. Their nude bodies never made her conscious of their sexuality. The memory was as fresh as pristine.
But where were the stalkers and the predators then ? Who could have mauled her ? Were there no males lurking and prowling ? Yes they were there but they were equally absorbed in their boyish explorations.The advanced technology and the internet has unleashed the demon which lied in abeyance. The Nature that cradled the man, he violated and ravished. The man is doomed by his cardinal sin.
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