Gambling of Shades

Past

        I was not playful or mischievous. I did not smile much. I was not good to anyone. I wasn't rude, just plain boring.

        When I was eight I learnt to play the harmonica. It was dad's idea. They were worried of my alone company. They knew it was their fault but they couldn't do anything about it. 

        Safety comes first. My childhood came second.

        We lived in a mansion. The meadow ran forever. The forests were ours and they had no end. The river was ours, surrounding the landscape - the border. There were people. Mom, Dad and the most trusted workers. And me. 

   Alone.

       I found the harmonica interesting. Then I played it on the stairs, near the picket fence of mom's garden, on the gravel yard and in the glades. I was free and alone. When I got bored I put mascara on trees and rocks. Wore mom's stilettos and ran. It was boring.

     All was boring. 

      They were always busy. They got even further as I grew up. 

        The school was no exception. The children were told to keep away from me or either get close to me by their parents. I was rich and dangerous. I got sick of them. 

      All those poker faces just to annoy me. I used to run away from all of them through the cloisters in my little moccasins. 

       Far away from them.

 Then, That day came.

A person, NO... Something came. 

       It didn't speak of how my dad travel in a glider.  Didn't speak how mom's leisure time was spent in a liner. Didn't speak of our around the world skyscrapers.  

   Spoke only of how I should put mascara on the maidens not on trees. Spoke how I should try running in trainers and not in stilettos.

      It wasn't like anyone else. Sometimes it was roguish and sometimes it was so decent I thought it was another person. All the same I found something I thought I'd never have despite the money.

  A friend. 

  We enjoyed the childhood. My parents gradually seemed to notice how I have changed in our short encounters. They grew afraid. They were anxious. They searched who I was around with and they found. 

   I heard their whispers and voices down in the library. It was past 2.00 a.m. I just came downstairs for my once-a-week-night sky- exploring when all was asleep. I couldn't hear them but I knew they were worried. Next day was a big surprise. They came with me to school and they met it in our usual who-is-the-fastest-runner seeing spot. It behaved well and introduced itself. My parents must have been worried about the unknown new comer. They offered us a ride. We accepted. 

    Days passed, and my parents seemed to be around me always. They must have noticed it was fun to hang around it. Soon, we four grew very close. At the end of the year we were inseparable gang of kiddos. 

   It never mentioned its family. By slight glimpses I caught up, same boat, same situation, someone like me. Rich. My parents must have known. Even though it was always alone with us, we noticed the ever watching eyes of its butlers watching us from afar, just like ours. 

    Our ages went by. 

                                                 8

                                                 9

                                               10.

  For three years lot of things happened and changed. 

      I laughed a lot. I didn't play the harmonica alone. I didn't put mascara on things. I didn't ran with stilettos. I wasn't alone anymore. Mom and dad spent a lot of time with us. They must have felt free of all duties and responsibilities. Like little kids. They borrowed so much time. They hired assistants and was not busy anymore. 

   It changed from being polite to elders to have fun with elders. We all changed. We all became one person. A laughing , playing, happy child. All was idyll. Perfect. 

  The 3rd year was the happiest of all. 10 years old us. Till that day. That beautiful day which turned the rest of the days the darkest. And the rest of the days became a nightmare. 

   After that fateful day, the nightmare - became a reality.