The Dangerous Serenity

A stroll through the banks of the river made me enjoy the bump of a clean breeze over the face. It seemed a very pleasant experience and I could really enjoy my solitude on that leisurely walk as it was one of those rare occasions I got to talk to myself during the busy schedule of my life. Employment with a multinational corporate, demanded a normal person like me to invest a lot more under the pet names of commitment and smart work; nevertheless we never got rewarded adequately for our loyalty and awful distress. As my joy in the stroll was overwhelming, I couldn’t discern ‘whether I am watching a 3D movie or I am in a dream or I live the reality”. As if it wanted to make me confirm the existence of myself to be on earth, a dried up branch of a short plant crimped on my leg. If I was not in an extreme superficial world, I would never have noticed this misbehavior as I would have been in a very busy schedule to guide me ignore such minute sensations, but now, I could make it out with an extreme volatile realization because of my ultimate enjoyment that kept me detached from the realities on earth. 

Returning to the reality, opened a lot of undeniable facts and the most important among them was ”I am walking through the bank of a beautiful river for more than an hour and till now, I didn’t reach my destination where I am supposed to meet my customer whose wisdom will make me achieve my business target of the month”. As she told me over the phone while seeking an appointment, I was supposed to walk only for 20 minutes I walked beyond that for more than an hour. But, no scenic beauty that enticed my eyes for last one hour included a building as she told. As I was very sure of not seeing any buildings on the way through the bank of the river, I decided to ring her again. Though I wanted to reach her phone, I couldn't because my mobile service provider never understood the appealing beauty of this location. Though, I was standing in the calmest and the most charming place I ever saw, a strange fear launched into my heart. The feeling which I named as solitude, now appeared as loneliness and it invariably began to scare me. I raised my voice to see if somebody is around, but adding up my fear I couldn't find the presence of another living being there. Instead, I heard the roaring voices of dogs and foxes somewhere around. My heart suddenly became the port of fear and doubt. Do I need to proceed further or should I go back to office?

The sun was tired and was planning to reduce its heat to a certain level. I checked the time in my watch. It was 4 pm. The option of returning to the office required immediate attention as my boss called an urgent meeting at 5.30 pm to announce the top manager of the month. If I could get this business closed today, I will be that lucky one for the very first time in my career. Though, the intense desire for recognition and the draw of a handsome incentive seemed to be strong motivators, what exactly made me resume my walk was the serene nature that mesmerized me from head to toe. I continued walking without even thinking of my destination. On completion of 20 more minutes in the enchanting beauty of the greenish nature, I saw a small hut and an old man who was enjoying his local cigar. As I could see the first human being in   last two hours, I expected my mobile service provider could be alive here, but in vain. 

Noticing me trying to check the network, the old man smiled at me showing his dark set of teeth and sympathetically told that “Kunje, you will not get mobile network here. You need to walk for half an hour more to reach the village where you can get the mobile network.” I was shocked because I never expected such a place near the heart of the city”.

When I sought help from the old man to find the house of the lady who can rewrite the history of my day, the old man again smiled with empathy and told me “Kunje somebody must have cheated you as nobody lives in this place, it’s a reserved forest. Nobody goes inside the forest alone because poisonous snakes and wild dogs reign there”. I could not believe his words as it was the place in which I found myself. How could the place that gave me a lot of positive energy be the home for poisonous beings? I felt a bit bad of him calling the beings of that ravishing atmosphere poisonous, instead I preferred to call that dangerous name to the woman who cheated me and made me go to a forest alone. After drinking the water, offered by the old man, I planned to return to the place where I started my walk as my driver was waiting there with car.   The old man named my thought “unthoughtful” and guided me to walk towards the village from where I will get a bus to reach the city.

On returning, I saw my counterpart was crowned as the best performer of the month and I was given a lot of abuses for the irresponsible behavior I showed. My boss could not believe my story and it was named as yet another imaginative excuse of an inefficient employee. Even my close friends who do understand me didn't seem to believe my fascinating story. Those who believed me could not understand that how I could be alive even after passing that reserved forest alone. The reactions of all those who know about the place told me one thing evidently; I enjoyed my solitude with the bump of an aromatic breeze and heap of delighting nature in a very dangerous forest where hungry dogs and poisonous snakes await to kill human beings. Tough, I was subject to be scared I never was, on the other hand, I still cherish those moments of solitude and christened it as the most unattainable happiness yet again. All thanks to the lady who misguided me to that place alone. She must have thought of me dying alone inside it, but I am living: living with the memories of that marveling serenity forever.