Page 6 - Adazin

06 ENGLISH

Epiphany

My Father was the "kid" of the house.
From damp towels on the bed and
mum's favorite vase broken to snacks
missing from the fridge, a dusty room
and unorganized belongings,
everything that the house did not have under
control, could be summed up in one word- father.
Cracking lame jokes was his speciality. He once,
had drawn two eyes, a nose and a mouth on a
paper, taped it on the iron and named it 'Iron Man';
apparently discovered by my little brother who, in
his excitement had dropped it on his feet. Father
had to face mum's Hulk that day. Aratrik Basu, VIII E (DB)
Our home was tied together by a very thin but
strong thread which was my father. Laughing was what people want them to do. Neither should you.
his trademark; be it during an actual funny Fly, fly away. Let your heart take you wherever".
situation or a situation that required his two So, one day, we flew, high and far. Too busy to
hundred percent sincerity. It was almost as if he admire our wings, we were quick to forget the one
couldn't help the laughter that burst out of his who crafted them in the first place.
throat. Father's laugh lines turned into well defined
Father had made sure that my little brother and I wrinkles. His unsettled bed was replaced by
enjoyed our adolescent lives. Seldom allowing us unsettled thoughts and it wasn't just his room that
for night-outs, he never, even for once, checked remained messy. Occupied in our own mad
or asked for our phones. It was from him that I worlds, chasing growth, we failed to realise that
learned the difference between protectiveness there was someone waiting for us to get home
and possessiveness. too.
He always used to tell us, "You both might be He no longer cracked lame jokes, neither did we
caterpillars now, but remember, you'll be ask of him anymore. The stolen snacks were now
butterflies in no time. And butterflies don't care forgotten pills. He chased sleep instead of us.
Father accepted it as it came. Old age. He had
A Sleepy Day lived his life, loved his children and made the
most out of the time that was given to him. He had
Deep in my slumber nothing to be afraid of anymore. It was us. We
When came the plumber chased our dreams so far and so fast that we
With his boys never knew what we had until it was gone; and it
And all their noise was only then that the epiphany consumed us
To break into my heaven whole.
When it was only seven. Our home remains quiet now. Occasionally you
can hear the long coughing fits that either of our
On the window pane parents go through. The halls, if you listen closely,
The tapping rain echo with the remnants of a ten and a seven year
All through the night old running vigorously while their father chased
And amidst the daylight them down and their mother screamed behind.
Lullabied me right The walls still hold the mindless drawings of two
And I slept tight.
kindergartners and that of an adult's.
Each room of our four bedroom apartment bursts
To cover my dapper with a million what-ifs strewn together into an iron
From toe to my napper chain that will be tied to our ankles forever. And a
I pulled a wrapper haunting truth overshadowing us always- we had
Ignoring the clapper the time, but we let it go anyway. But father? Well,
It is a sleepy day like I said, he's the "kid" of the house. And kids do
Heh hehheh! make the most out of everything.
Aryaneel Majumder, V E (DB) Sreya Roy, XII Humanities