Kanheilal Das
Translated from the Odia by
Supriya Prasanta
-Eh, are you asleep?
-Umm!
-Why the light gets dim?
-May be, there’s no oil.
-Go and bring me a glass of water.
-I’m sleepy, I can’t get up. Now, shut the book.
-Why? Please put a little oil in the hurricane lamp!
-There’s no oil at home.
-Whatever I ask is not available. There’s no rice, no lentil, no oil—what else is there?
-Why, I’m there.
-Are you kidding?
-How?
The two shadow images remained quiet for a long time inside the mosquito net. Outside, it was dark and raining. One could only hear the monotonous, irritating sound of frogs croaking.
Then—
-Eh, angry?
-Oh, no.
-Since I made fun of you.
-I said no!
-I told you to find a better job.
-I won’t get any better job.
-Tell me what my father would be doing now? Would he be missing me now?
-I don’t know.
-You know, my father must be whispering to his acquaintances when the I.A.S. results come out…
-Please.
-The day I eloped with you—that day my father was telling me I was born under a lucky star.
-That’s why a clerk like me made you elope with him and suffer in such poverty.
-Please, don’t tell me such things, I don’t like it.
-That’s the truth. Why does that make you upset?
Again, silence prevailed. It was dark and raining outside. As before the irritating sound of the croaking of frogs continued.
Then—
-Eh, why do you pinch me like this?
-Asleep?
-Hmmm.
-Turn this side!
-Tell me. Please, my sari may get torn.
-let it be.
-Would I remain naked?
-We’ll remain naked.
-Huh.
-I’ll hunt animals.
-Then?
-We’ll eat raw meat.
-Then?
-I won’t talk to you anymore. We’ll communicate through signs…
-Then?
There was quietness, it was dark and raining. The croaking of frogs was no longer heard.
-Eh, I can’t see anything.
- I can see.
-What?
-Darkness.
-I can also see the darkness.
-Do you see anything else?
- Yes.
-What?
-A glowworm!
-Really, that’s a glowworm!
-How beautifully it flickers!
-Let’s catch it!
-Yes!
Then the mosquito net was dropped. Glasses, plates, books, broomsticks all got stamped under the feet. Both groped in the dark to catch the glowworm. The clothes they wore fell off their bodies. That old scream emerged quietly again and again from within. Both of them caught the flying glowworm at the same time muttering an inexplicable sound. They saw their bodies in that light. They sent that blue flicker of a light inside and looked within themselves.
They forgot that there was no oil in the hurricane lamp, there’s no stock of rice, and it was dark and raining outside. The glowworm’s light had spread all over.
***
© Supriya Prasanta