Winner – 7th Position
(Judges’ Choice)
All India Literature Competition 2019-20
by The Creative Post
— by J. Robin Williams
–Reading Time – 10 min Approx
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity” – Proverbs 17:17
It was a sweet summer evening. Birds were chirping around the trees. An old man in his forties was sitting in a teashop under the tree. He was watching the sun set between the mountains in that beautiful village. His name is Luke. He was born and brought up in that very own village. But it was a long time ago. He is now living with his wife and his son in the nearby city. He has come to this village again after thirty years to see his childhood friend, Paul.
Luke asked the teashop owner about Paul and what he was doing now. He replied, “Paul is now a married man and has two daughters.”
“Will he come by this side?”
“Yes, of course he will come to have tea every evening around this time, he’ll come now!”
Luke waited for his friend to arrive, meanwhile he thought about his childhood in this village with his best friend. Luke and Paul were so close to each other. They were always seen together in the village. But Paul’s parents hated Paul being friends with Luke. Because, Luke is an outcast. He is from a lower caste. Paul being an upper caste is not allowed to play with Luke. But Paul always finds away to be with Luke. Paul would bring Luke his used clothes without being noticed by his parents.
Luke’s house was located in the border of the village. Where lower caste people are forced to live and not allowed to enter the village. Paul would come, visit him and play with Luke and his friends, near Luke’s home. One day, Paul asked Luke, “Why don’t you come to the village to play with me?”
Luke replied, “Paul, my mom said that, there is a border line between the village and us, and I should not cross that.”
“But I don’t need any border line between you and me”, said Paul.
“I wish too Paul, I wish too”, cried Luke. They both hugged each other.
He came to senses when teashop owner called him, “Hello, Brother.”
Yes, Anna! Brother.
“That girl over there, playing with the ball is Paul’s Daughter”, said teashop owner.
Luke looked in amazement, and said to himself in a low tone, “Pretty girl!”
Watching her play, Luke was taken back again to his childhood days, where he played with Paul. Paul loves to play football with Luke. One day, they were playing football with friends in the school ground in the village. Luke was not supposed to be there, but Paul wanted him to be there. So, he decided to come and play in the village. While they were playing, a bunch of people came to Luke and pulled him down. Paul shouted at them, but he was silenced by a guy and taken to his home. Luke was thrashed by those goons and was thrown out of the village like a trash. The goons were ordered to do so by Paul’s Parents. One of the goons went to Luke’s Parents and said, “If you want your son to be alive, never let him enter the village.”
“We won’t and this will not happen again”, cried Luke’s mother.
They left.
Luke’s mother carried him inside the home and wiped the blood in his face with her saree. She cried to him not to go to the village again.
Luke replied in muffled tone, “I won’t!”
The next day, Paul ran crying to him and hugged. “I am sorry for what happened yesterday”, said Paul. Luke remained silent.
“I don’t know why they did it, but it won’t happen again”, I promise. Luke didn’t utter a single word to him.
Paul cried to Luke, “Speak to me.”
(Silence)
Paul wished him, “Advance Happy Christmas” and Invited him to church dinner the next day. I will be waiting for you.
Paul left.
Next day, it was Christmas. Everyone was happily wearing new dress and sharing delicious sweets with each other. Luke was sad and worried. His mom came to him and said, “Don’t worry, everything will be alright.”
“Now wake up and wear your new dress,” said his mom.
Luke wore his new dress. He really wanted to go to the Christmas dinner in the church. His mom won’t let him to the village because of the recent incidents. So, he lied to his mom and went to the dinner. When he reached the church, everyone was praying in the mass. Backside of the church is where the dinner was going on.
He went there and found out, Paul was eating dinner with his family. He was eating the food sitting on the table. Beside him, there were a bunch of people in torn dress and having food on the floor. This is how oppressed caste were treated in the village by the upper caste animals. They are not allowed to dine with them equally. Ten-year-old Luke cannot understand this difference. Because it’s nonsense to him. Paul heard Luke calling to him. Paul asked him to join with him in the table.
This is where Luke should’ve understood the border line. He didn’t. He went to the table and joined the dinner with Paul’s family. Paul’s mother’s face turned red in anger but didn’t show it out. After the dinner was over, Luke went to his home, happily.
Around midnight, there was a knock at the door. Luke and his family woke up. They tried to open the door but, it was locked outside. Then suddenly the house was on fire. They cried out loud for help. People around the house started to throw and in house to put out the fire. Somehow, they put out the fire and rescued the whole family outside. Everyone in the village knew why this happened. Except for poor Luke. After the fire, the whole family left the village and went to the nearby city to live. Luke started to adapt the city life and thirty years passed. He was married and had a son who is ten years old. He named him Paul, for the love of his friend.
After thirty years, he’s back to his village to see his best friend.
Teashop owner called him again, “Anna!”
“Yes!”
“Look there, Paul is coming.”
Luke’s face filled with joy. After thirty years, he’s going to see his best friend.
He shouted, “Paul! Paul!”
Paul stopped and came to him.
“Who are you?”, asked Paul to Luke.
“It’s me LUKE! We were best friends when we were ten. Remember?”
Paul remembered him and said, “Yes, I remember you!”
Luke went to give a hug to Paul.
Paul stopped him, and said, “You swine! Talk without touching me!”
Luke went speechless.
Paul slapped him and said, “And don’t call out my name in public, Call me Ayya! Master”, and left the place.
His tears fell to the ground when he stood speechless. He cannot believe what had just happened to him.The sun had already set between the mountains and it was dark.
— by J. Robin Williams
