Two Crows

Two Crows

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This morning just as I had brushed my teeth I saw two black crows sitting on the branch of a mango tree in my backyard.The tree belongs to my neighbour who live as though they don't have anything to do for a living.They go about their daily work in clockwork precision unlike me and my small family who blabber all the while for no reason at all.So.. these two so-called ugly looking birds were happily sitting silently.They weren't even looking at each other leave alone cawing.Both appeared to be in deep meditation looking beyond the beyond.I wondered if crows had the power of thought like us humans.I kept musing if crows loved or hugged.I decided to go about my work and temporarily forgot the serene scene.


After a hearty breakfast of cornflakes,milk and bananna I trotted off to the bazaar whence I bought some fish,tomatoes,potatoes, jaggery, banannas, apples, oranges and some rice.On my way back I bought homeopathic medicine for my dog and a pencil battery for my chiming clock.


On returning home I had a ripe guava and gave five globules of medicine to my dog. It was a cool winter's afternoon and I decided to give my cold bones some sun. I climbed the stairs and sat in the warm sunlight on a reclining armchair with a paperback novel after puffing at a cigarette. The warm sun and the dreary words were like morphine to my blood. I dozed off in a few minutes oblivious of my surroundings.


I felt something hard and long poking me in the ribs.I woke up startled thinking of what misery had befallen. The first thought which came to my mind was that my ribs had again cracked after falling from the rickety armchair.. But no !! Two giant crows were perched on my bare mustard oil smeared chest and looking at me with blazing eyes."Can crows be so large?" I thought to myself. "Where is our today's lunch ?" spoke one in a crystal clear voice which sounded like the scraping of a metal bowl with a metal spoon.Strangely I could make out its words."I'm not supposed to serve you lunch.. am I?" "Caw.. caw.." cawed the other "Your sweeter half gives us fishy tidbits every afternoon.. what happened today?" .. "Am I supposed to know?" said I , a mite irritated and flabbergasted."Go and tell my wife.. why are you spoiling my nice nap!!?"


Then I asked "How is it that you are so big.The ones I saw in the morning looked the same but you are twice their size... " In the long years of my short life I was replied with a laughing cacophony which I cannot describe in words.. It was as though they were laughing and mocking at my human foolishness."We are the same birds but you have shrunk in the hot sun.." I found it totally unbelievable and went downstairs to my wife's dressing table mirror. I had indeed shrunk to less than four feet ... The two crows had fearlessly followed me as I inspected my size.The crows were the height of my knee.


I hobbled to the kitchen and found my wife absent. I picked up the fish bag and took out a handful of the stinky gills and entrails which I took to the rooftop." Here dear crows.. have these and leave me in peace" "Thank you thank you" The crows ate and flew away.An hour later I woke up.The first thing I did was to revisit the mirror.It showed me as a white haired wrinkled man with a "gamcha" "I must visit Dr. Lollypop today itself. I firmly believe that the crows had talked and I could really understand them.

Author's Notes/Comments: 

Austromate .......See if you can beat this ~Sincerest best wishes from Indimate~

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