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Saturday, February 27, 2010

Seen through innocent eyes


I am a six year old girl.My name is Shilpa and I am scared.......
My family possesses a television which shows scary images nowadays....burning
buildings,crying people.......and men with backpacks.These men visit me in my dreams every night.They are like the ghosts of my grandmother's stories.Every afternoon,while having lunch she tells me her stories.When i feel afraid she assures me that its just a story and ghosts dont actually exist.But my mother says that the men on tv are real...I dont know how......how could they get inside the tv??But nobody pays any attention to my questions anymore.I see their faces and I think they feel frightened too....but they still don't let me watch my favourite tom and jerry show on cartoon network.
I told my best friend,Rusha Ali few days back that even our parents are afraid of ghosts and she agreed.She also told me that they remain afraid for a long time......though we just go off to sleep after hearing ghost stories.
I had known this fact before she told me but I didn't tell her,in case she thought that my mom and dad are cowards.
Anyway I learnt a new term "terrorist".In case you don't know thats what the men on tv are called.Funny word.Why couldn't they be just called ghosts I don't know.
I have a friend at school who has a black bag exactly identical to the men on tv.I teased him about that and he complained to his mother.His mother complained to my mother and ma scolded me.She said that I shouldn't hurt anyone like that and she'l lock me up in my room if I did so again.I cried and cried and vomited out my dinner.I couldn't understand.All I had done was tease someone about his bag and so much fuss about that!
That night I decided to eavesdrop on my parents' conversation.It is bad manners to listen at doors but I was angry.I was surprised to hear that they were concerned about my safety at school and they felt that I'l have to be taught how to behave in sensitive times.
I have good friends and I play with them everyday.So I did not understand why they were talking like this and I also don't know what is so sensitive about time.But I felt afraid....not because of what they were saying but because of their tone.I know even they were afraid.A chill ran inside me.....and I started crying.

I thought I was the bravest person in my house.........but now I am not so sure anymore.

4 comments:

Apratim Mukherjee said...

really good...you have really been able to illuminate the modern day meaning of the term "Fear"...

Anonymous said...

real gud work!

pritha said...

Thanks!

Rudranil Ghosh said...

nice....i like your lucid style of writing...

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