Neeta walked out of the house. She did not know where she was going. It was just like an impulse from within. The sun has gone to his palace to take his kingly rest. Darkness has gulped the place. The cold breeze has started swiping the air. Neeta could feel her bones cling with chill. But she did not feel like walking back. She continued to walk. It was as if she is walking after a long time. She felt the place new and interesting. She noticed the newly painted pillar in the next house. The lime yellow has given it a fresh look. There is a new white car parked in front of it. Its presence raised the status of the house. She loved that house for the green lawn it had, for the trees surrounding it. Truly, it looked like a land of serenity. She had an urge to look back at her mansion. Something prevented her. She felt uneasy to twist her head. “No, I do not want to see my mansion!”
Neeta walked fast than ever. Her footsteps began running as if she wants to escape from something. The sea shore was nearing. She never wanted to run to the beach, but something dragged her there. Perhaps, the mind knows where we want to be than our brains. She felt colder, yet she felt some respite. She strolled through the shore. She could hear the loud talks of the fishermen families from the huts. She has always wondered how they live near to the deep monstrous sea. The sea was dark blue. It had a mystery in its calmness. She could sense its depth even in the darkness. She feared sea and that prevented her from walking close to the water.
A few boats rested on the shore. It looked as if they are tired after the long surfs in the sea. Neeta walked closer to them. She wanted to touch them and feel their wooden structure. She liked to smell that fish stink arousing from them. The yellow light from the streets was falling on the boats. They lit up the place a bit. The sand was shining like golden powder. Her footsteps were going inside the sand. It made her walk difficult.
Neeta reached closer to them. Suddenly, something tucked her feet. She was taken aback. She looked down with a panting heart. It was a maroon coloured blanket. She saw somebody was sleeping down the boat. She kept her steps backward and looked more vigilantly. It was a man. He was not alone. There were three children and a woman sleeping nearby. “It must be a family”, she thought. Neeta looked at their tired faces. All were fast asleep.
Neeta turned back and began walking. She walked pretty fast. She didn’t care to notice the surroundings. The breeze followed her. She clasped her hands to the body due to chillness. Nobody was coming opposite to her. Even if anybody came, they wouldn’t have noticed her. She was walking too close to the walls. She stepped onto the road. Lights were brighter there.
Neeta could see the yellow pillared house from distance. It still felt to be brighter. She crossed that house and walked to her mansion. She opened the gate. There was no mansion. There were only broken bricks which fell down the ground when ‘they’ demolished the mansion. She stepped on them and found few pieces of glass. It could be that of the glass bottle which her mother used to store sugar. She remembered stealing sugar from it when she was small. There were some white pieces of plastic next to it. She could not recollect what they used to be.
“Neeta, come home fast. Where have you been?” Her mother came out of the shed behind and asked loudly. Neeta left the whereabouts and walked to the shed behind. The picture of the family lying on the shore lingered in her mind. She was not the only one left homeless. She felt happy, but tears were rolling down her cheeks. Her mind was indeed remembering the beautiful mansion she possessed till yesterday.
