This is a tale, from long ago
When I was a child
With my Granny, near the foothills
Of the great Himalayas
In our village, one of many such hamlets
Was I
Days were special and nights spectacular
In the rural setting
Days filled with games, cows, buffaloes, hens
And aimless wanderings
Nights with the magical song of silence, except for crickets
And the shimmer of a thousand stars
What could be more magical than this?
For a child
Something truly extraordinary is going to happen
Said Granny one day
The little me didn’t think it was possible
But oh boy, was Granny right
That night was moon-less, stars seemed scared to come out
It was pitch black
Granny held my hand and led me to an open field
The whole village was there
Nothing wonderous about people standing in the dark
I thought
Till, one by one, each of them lit a lantern and held it aloft
Open-mouthed I stood
So, this is glow, glower, glow-est I thought as the lanterns lifted
Comparison I understood now
Slowly each lantern rose and it looked like a fairy land
Night was aglow
I tilted my head to keep up with their skyward journey
And fell on my rump
Granny laughed and I smiled but my eyes were on the lanterns
Slowly they disappeared
Granny sat beside me and wiped the tears I was unaware of
I sat on her lap
I had never in my little life seen something so transcendental
That night is still in my memory.
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Photo by mahe haroutinian from Pexels
