Scattered Aurora

So much has changed in so little time. As I sat on my pc tonight working on my research paper, something kept on tickling my conscious mind...but evaded my grasp and scurried back in the dimness of my subconscious whenever I reached out for it.

Then it suddenly struck me what was missing: cricket!!

Every Saturday night, a group of young boys play cricket on the road in front of my flat, till early in the morning. Although I've never harbored an interest in cricket or hardly any other sports for that matter, but somehow every Saturday night I was drawn to my window by their way of welcoming the weekend. The enthusiasm with which they played and their laughter and boisterous comments to each other would always add to my enjoyment. I can not put into words the feelings that I had when I saw them playing. The one emotion that stands out from all others in my mind was that of thankfulness and gratitude for a free nation where no matter what anyone says there is still a sense of security that allows these youngsters to come out and play the night away on the roads. Tonight the absence of those young players has brought the point home to me much more forcefully than those bomb blast could ever could: We are no longer a safe nation, We are no longer free, we are no longer clean. We have been sullied by our very own brethren. Our future has been taken away from the very people who claim to be our brothers by religion.

As I sit and try to think of what my future will hold, my mind plays a blank screen. Are we even going to have a future, my mind prods my intuition. Will those boys ever come back and play on these roads again? Will I even have a window to watch the road from? Or will we just end up in a grave or if we are unlucky, like the millions of other victims of war-ravaged countries?

The laughter has died away with the faceless bombers and we are left in a quagmire of trepidation, where every step we take is haunted by fear, every breath we take is overshadowed by hopelessness and in every smile there lingers pain. Confusion and hesitation dodges our every move and the carefree life we lived is gone forever.