The fortune teller
The fortune teller
That evening I was sitting in the dimply lit bar next to the Saket metro station, kind of a run down place near Khirki extension where people with less money like me frequent, look at the glitter of Select city walk in front and long cars. I was never into cars and suits, I used to sit there, eating my free peanuts, seeping a cheap kingfisher looking at people and thinking about their lives. I still do that sometime, wondering about random people in the streets and imagining their lives. That day, I saw a man sitting next to me in a table, drinking his kingfisher alone. A young man, sharply trimmed beards wearing a clean light green shirt, not a formal office going kind of a shirt. A shirt with two pockets and shoulder straps. A tiny number of people I have met wear shirt with shoulder straps, I always find such people interesting. I have always wondered why do they wear shirts with shoulder straps. Do they seek such shirts to buy or stumble upon them, I wonder. Anyway, this young person sitting next to me in the dimply lit bar was sipping a kingfisher and looking at the void. The void which we all seek in our mundane existence, looking at the nothingness. He reminded me of a person I met a long time ago in a small town of rural Assam. This person told me a story about a fortune teller. “He can tell fortune of animals” you know, he murmered.
“Animals? Tell fortune of animals? What do you even mean?” I asked looking at the lonely cloud floating in the chilly Assamese sky of December. Sitting next to a lake I met this man and we happen to sit in the same bench drinking tea.
“Yes, fortune of animals. An old guy, white hairs and sharp nose. He wears white and bicycles around. He can tell fortune of animals.” He repeated. I smiled. Not a big smile; just a whisk of my lips. He caught my attention.
“Really? How? Can I meet him?” I responded. I was sure this is some kind of a scam this person runs to get some money out of me. I was young, sure, but not so stupid.
“No, you cannot meet him. He can meet you if you loose an animal. He prefers to tell fortune of cows.” Did you loose a cow recently?”
“A what?” I said. I was unable to comprehend what was he saying. The cold winds from the Patkai ranges were blowing and the golden sunlight was shining bright on the dried rice fields. I looked towards the horizon, the sun won’t be here for long, I thought. The sky was pale and smoke from kitchens started to rise from the houses. “A what?” I said again looking towards the smoke.
“A cow sir, a cow. Do you have one right now?”
“ No, of course no, how can I have a cow with me right now?” I think he sensed my irritation. I instantly felt bad.
“Not even a mental picture of a cow?” He repeated. “Can you draw a mental picture of a cow? That too will do. Think about a cow and loose him in your mind. The animal astrologer will help you find it.”
Now this was confusing. I was unsure of drawing a mental cow, I mean I have to draw a mental picture of a cow and loose it too? How can I loose a mental picture of a cow, I wondered. I looked up to the sky and the lonely cloud is still floating in the faint evening light. I often wonder why lonely clouds exist? They can meet a group of clouds and be together? My wondering thoughts took me to the 52 hertz. The lonely cloud on the sky above me is like the 52 Hertz whale, maybe the cloud like to be alone.
“Yes, I imagine a cow in my mind and I lost it”. Now, how can i meet this animal astrologer of yours?” I said looking at his red eyes. Even today I remember his eyes; wide and watery.
“Look above, it’s gone” he said.
“Look where? What is gone? I repeated.
“Look at the sky, the cow you were imagining is gone for real, the lonely cloud is no more there. See” He insisted.
The lonely cloud was gone, the late evening sky was clear as if the lonely cloud never existed. My thoughts pulled me back and I searched the whole sky, not a single lonely cloud. “But, it was right there!” I said, loudly.
I looked at the person sitting next to me, he was gone. I looked the other side, no one except the tea seller inside his dimly lit shop, vapour rising up from his kettle.
It was a strange feeling, I felt as if i was the only person alone in this world. Deep down I feel we are all alone in this world and that evening sitting on that bench, I felt the loneliness of a lonely cloud.
