The road wound thru the forest. The highway was smooth, the setting sun playing peek -a- boo from behind the tall trees on either side, added to the magic of the moment. The rest of my friends, lulled with the motion of the SUV, had nodded off, heads lolling against each others' shoulders. In love with the setting sun outside, seated next to the driver, i was wide awake, camera on the ready.
As the car took a steep turn, we could see faintly, in the fast gathering dusk, a few shapes in the middle of the road. Horn sounding persistingly, we neared the shapes. "Stop !" My voice rang out urgently, startling awake my friends. Sreeching to a halt, a little distance away, we all peered out. There she was. Literally caught in the glow of the headlights ! Hovering around the little one who lay on the road, was a Deer. We stopped a few feet before it. Cautiously, we tried honking a few times, which only seemed to add to her agitation. She circled her fawn, which lay on the road, but refused to budge. Lowering her head, hooves bent she made as if to charge at me, when I slowly alighted from the car. By now it was clear to us that the fawn was injured, probably, by a driver too callous to stop and help. Talking soothingly, in a low voice, i first held out my hand to the Deer. Sniffing cautiously, nostrils twitching anxiously, she must have sensed that i wanted to help, and so she allowed me to go to her fawn. What is it about a small fragile deer that pulls at the heart strings ? Her light brown, speckled coat, glistening when it caught the rays of the sun, her little heart thudding fast under my arms, no human baby could have been more precious to me at that moment. I was also fascinated and caught in deep admiration for the mother, who guarded her babe with her life, refusing to abandon it, as long as it lived.
My friend who was a medical intern, joined me in examining the small helpless little thing. Her leg was bleeding, and it was obvious to us, that it was a superficial injury, but the loss of blood had made the fawn weak, and so she had collapsed. With the mother standing close to us, we carefully tied a bandage and managed to stop the bleeding. After giving her a drink of water, I offered her some grass, which the driver managed to get. Picking it up tenderly, we walked a little distance away, inside the forest, carefully laying her down, in a grassy knoll. Loathe to leave her, but assured, by my friend that the fawn would be up and running by the next day, we returned to the car.
When we left, i could see the mother, snorting softly, preparing to settle down for the night, her fawn tucked carefully under her.
Civilization, after an idyllic holiday seemed even more cacaphonous. When the phone rang early in the morning, i was jolted awake. The voice on the other end informed me of the death of a beloved teacher's mother. My friends and I had always had a close bond with our library teacher in school, a spinster who lived alone with her mum, also a retired teacher. Ms. W had lived a life peopled with her precious books, and her extremely well read and articulate mother. The mother and daughter were inseparable. In her youth, the mother had been left to fend for herself after her husband had died. In the mid nineties, being a single parent was a herculean task. But she had lived alone with her child, braving the world and society around her as she educated her child, whilst teaching in a convent school.
When she was young, marriage had been on the cards, but her condition was that her mother, now afflicted with cancer would live with her after marriage. So they had continued to live as spinsters, having only each other to fall back upon. The years passed. Ms. W was now in her seventies. Her ninety plus mother had overcome the earlier bout of illness, but had been ailing for some time. Devotedly the daughter tended her. But as her health deteriorated further, the doctor requested an audience with Ms W.
"She needs to let go now. It's only her will power that is keeping her here, that and her concern for you." The old family physician advised her, " Speak to her ?"
They sat holding each other's hand. The deep love they shared reflected in her mother's eyes, she spoke, " Ma. I love You. I've booked myself into a home for the aged. It's a beautiful place in Kerala. I'll have good company there, and people to look after me so don't worry. Let go Ma. We'll meet again in a better place, ma. I love you."
Her mother died then peacefully in her sleep, the next day.
To attend the funeral, we passed through the same forest. The one where the deer had guarded her baby with her life. The mother and child bond. The only unshakable one on earth.
As the car took a steep turn, we could see faintly, in the fast gathering dusk, a few shapes in the middle of the road. Horn sounding persistingly, we neared the shapes. "Stop !" My voice rang out urgently, startling awake my friends. Sreeching to a halt, a little distance away, we all peered out. There she was. Literally caught in the glow of the headlights ! Hovering around the little one who lay on the road, was a Deer. We stopped a few feet before it. Cautiously, we tried honking a few times, which only seemed to add to her agitation. She circled her fawn, which lay on the road, but refused to budge. Lowering her head, hooves bent she made as if to charge at me, when I slowly alighted from the car. By now it was clear to us that the fawn was injured, probably, by a driver too callous to stop and help. Talking soothingly, in a low voice, i first held out my hand to the Deer. Sniffing cautiously, nostrils twitching anxiously, she must have sensed that i wanted to help, and so she allowed me to go to her fawn. What is it about a small fragile deer that pulls at the heart strings ? Her light brown, speckled coat, glistening when it caught the rays of the sun, her little heart thudding fast under my arms, no human baby could have been more precious to me at that moment. I was also fascinated and caught in deep admiration for the mother, who guarded her babe with her life, refusing to abandon it, as long as it lived.
My friend who was a medical intern, joined me in examining the small helpless little thing. Her leg was bleeding, and it was obvious to us, that it was a superficial injury, but the loss of blood had made the fawn weak, and so she had collapsed. With the mother standing close to us, we carefully tied a bandage and managed to stop the bleeding. After giving her a drink of water, I offered her some grass, which the driver managed to get. Picking it up tenderly, we walked a little distance away, inside the forest, carefully laying her down, in a grassy knoll. Loathe to leave her, but assured, by my friend that the fawn would be up and running by the next day, we returned to the car.
When we left, i could see the mother, snorting softly, preparing to settle down for the night, her fawn tucked carefully under her.
Civilization, after an idyllic holiday seemed even more cacaphonous. When the phone rang early in the morning, i was jolted awake. The voice on the other end informed me of the death of a beloved teacher's mother. My friends and I had always had a close bond with our library teacher in school, a spinster who lived alone with her mum, also a retired teacher. Ms. W had lived a life peopled with her precious books, and her extremely well read and articulate mother. The mother and daughter were inseparable. In her youth, the mother had been left to fend for herself after her husband had died. In the mid nineties, being a single parent was a herculean task. But she had lived alone with her child, braving the world and society around her as she educated her child, whilst teaching in a convent school.
When she was young, marriage had been on the cards, but her condition was that her mother, now afflicted with cancer would live with her after marriage. So they had continued to live as spinsters, having only each other to fall back upon. The years passed. Ms. W was now in her seventies. Her ninety plus mother had overcome the earlier bout of illness, but had been ailing for some time. Devotedly the daughter tended her. But as her health deteriorated further, the doctor requested an audience with Ms W.
"She needs to let go now. It's only her will power that is keeping her here, that and her concern for you." The old family physician advised her, " Speak to her ?"
They sat holding each other's hand. The deep love they shared reflected in her mother's eyes, she spoke, " Ma. I love You. I've booked myself into a home for the aged. It's a beautiful place in Kerala. I'll have good company there, and people to look after me so don't worry. Let go Ma. We'll meet again in a better place, ma. I love you."
Her mother died then peacefully in her sleep, the next day.
To attend the funeral, we passed through the same forest. The one where the deer had guarded her baby with her life. The mother and child bond. The only unshakable one on earth.
beautifully written..nicely put emotions..
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