She opened the door to that small little inconspicuous room and heard that creak she was half expecting. As if the door was alarmed seeing her and the hinges were either greeting her or were loudly creaking.....making her aware of their discomfort for waking them up from their deep slumber.
It had been years since she revisited that room of hers and she felt a bit unsure. The room got lit by the opened door as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. She wasn't really sure what she came to look for!!
Everything looked cluttered and she didn't know where to start. The room smelled that familiar overwhelming moist smell of dust laden old things stacked up and untouched. She looked around as if in a hurry to find something and her eyes rested on a small torn house flag. Which house was it in school... Was she 7 years old or more... She couldn't recollect. She only could see that 7 yr old stealing that house flag after the practice of march past for sports day because the PT teacher had ridiculed her and said she can never learn how to hold the flag properly. She smiled looking at that little flag.
Her broken doll lay their abandoned but it's eyes still shone in that dim light wearing that maroon laced frock. It was wearing that silver chain of hers. She shook her head smiling at all those superstitions she had about that chain of hers and how much she loved that chain which her granny had gifted. Her half embroidered flowers with that wooden ring around them lay there. She couldn't remember why she never completed that embroidery!!
And there in a corner lied that English book. It reminded her of that class of 8th standard and that teacher's face who had made her read that entire session just because her English was broken and the teacher found it an entertainment to the class!!And she had read and kept reading!!
She sat on her rickety cycle and wondered where did all that strength go!! She wished she could repair the cycle and go for a ride on those very kachaa roads of that small town where she had first learnt how to ride it after many a fall and wounds that hurt.
She rummaged around for her diary in which she used to make an entry every single day as a kid. But she just couldn't find it anywhere. Maybe that is what she came to look for. Her diary. She opened that tin trunk of hers looking for her diary and marvelled at the falls that the trunk had withstood....the free falls along the stairs which it had to endure every single college year.... Before being tucked into the cloak room. She looked at the dent adorned trunk and wondered if she could ever lift it again the way she did end of college year!!
And just then suddenly the walls of the room seemed to be either collapsing or dissolving. Before the walls could collapse on her she opened her eyes and looked at the clock hanging on the opposite wall. It was already late and her morning daily chores were lined up. Her fingers in an impulse touched the silver chain round her neck..... And she got up to go!!
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