The Lost Son

The Lost Son

Story Idea by Jins Jose

A Short Story by G.S.Vasu Kumar

The first ray of the sun pierced through the early morning sky, and touched the huge banyan tree, which stood majestically in the midst of the village. The cock stood on top of a hut, and cried at the top of his voice ‘Cock-a-doodle-do!’, as a bullock cart raced through the street below that hut.

Raghu woke up from his sleep, rubbing his sleepy eyes with his fingers. He was studying in fifth standard in the village school. Relatives from all over had arrived at his house the previous evening for the feast after his grand mother’s death sometime back. He overheard the conversation between his uncle and his father, in the backyard of their house. 

‘Why don’t we cut the goat for the feast?’ His uncle suggested to his father.

‘Not a bad idea!’ His father said, scratching his head. He had a glance at the goat, which was tied to a post in the backyard. 

‘No, you can’t cut him!’ Raghu cried, rushing into the backyard, ‘He’s my pet!’

‘Raghu, I would get you another goat when I have enough money with me,’ His father said.

‘No, no!’ Raghu cried.

‘How dare you disobey me!’ His father cried on the top of his voice, giving a tight slap on his face. He hit him so hard that he almost fell to the ground. He started crying and walked away. 

‘Raghu, come back here!’ His mother cried, coming into the backyard.

‘Let him go! He would come back when he is hungry!’ His father said.

Raghu opened the backdoor, stepped out, and walked away with tears in his eyes.

 ***

The relatives enjoyed the feast to their heart’s content. It was when Raghu’s father sat down to have his food that one of the relatives came rushing into the house and said,

‘I couldn’t find Raghu! I searched for his everywhere!’

‘What?’ cried Raghu’s father, getting up, and washing his hands, ‘Did you search for him properly?’ 

‘Yes, I did!’ He replied.

‘He could be at his friend’s place,’ One of his uncles suggested.

‘He isn’t there! I looked for him there too!’ He replied.

‘Come on, let’s go and search for him!’ His other uncle said to others.

So they searched for him everywhere in the village. But they couldn’t find him anywhere. They went and reported it to the village chairman, who suggested them to go and file missing person report with the police in the nearby town.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, but there was no trace of missing Raghu. 

***

One day, Raghu’s father started digging a pit in the backyard of the house. Then he took the box which had belongings of his only son, Raghu, and walked towards the pit.

‘What are you doing?’ His wife asked, coming into the backyard.

‘I’m burying his things so that you could forget him and move on in your life.’ He replied.

‘No, I can never forget him…I can’t!’ She cried, snatching the box from him, ‘He would always be in my memories…you just can’t take them away…you can’t!’ 

‘Someday…he would come back to his mother…someday he would!’ She cried, before collapsing on the ground unconscious. 

Her husband rushed towards her.

***

 Swapna had tears in her eyes, remembering her best friend and classmate, Raghu. She missed him a lot. They had taken a picture together in the village fair sometime back.

‘I would keep the picture!’ Swapna told him.

‘No, I would!’ Raghu said, snatching it from her.

‘Well, let’s do one thing…let us tear the picture into two…I would take your picture and you mine..’She said.

‘Yeah, that’s a good idea!’ He said.

Swapa took out the picture which was torn into two in the middle…She glanced at the smiling boy in the picture, and wondered, where he had gone? She kissed his image in the picture…there was a thin line between friendship and love…she never knew when their friendship had crossed that line. A drop of tear landed from her eye on his picture. She wanted to tell him how much she loved and missed him.

***

         

That day, Raghu walked towards the railway tracks crying. He couldn’t imagine his best friend Ramu, the goat being butchered by his father and relatives. He had fond memories with Ramu. He found a stationery goods train on the tracks. He went and lied down in one of the open wagons of the goods train. He never knew when he fell asleep. The sudden jerk woke him up later. He woke up, rubbing his eyes, and to his bewilderment found that he was travelling in the goods train. The train had reached some city by then. 

He got down from the carriage and walked into the streets of this strange city. He was hungry and thirsty. He wanted to go back home to his mother, ask her for his food. He drank water in the nearby tab in one of the streets, and continued walking in the night. He was feeling tired, so he sat before a house; he never knew when he fell asleep. When he woke up, he found himself lying on a bed in a room.

‘I am glad that you are alright.’ The stranger said, smiling at him, ‘Nandini, please bring some food and milk for the boy.’

‘Yes, dear,’ A feminine voice replied from inside.

‘Where am I?’ Raghu asked the stranger, who was almost his father’s age.

‘Well, we found you sleeping outside our house, so we took you inside.’ He replied, smiling at him.

Raghu told them what had happened to him. They listened to his story curiously.

‘What is the name of your village, my dear boy?’ He asked.

‘I don’t know…all I remember that my village has a huge banyan tree!’ Raghu replied.

‘Well, my boy, most of the villages have banyan tree…it would be difficult to identify your village with just a banyan tree…anyways, I have a deal for you…We both would bring you up as our own son. Our only son who was of your age had died in an accident. Every year during your school vacations, we would go in search of your village…if you find your village, you could go back to your parents, and does that sound fair enough to you?’ He said.

‘Fine.’ Raghu replied, having his food.

***

That night before going to sleep, Raghu remembered his parents, and his village. His eyes welled with tears and tears flowed down his cheeks. He took out the other part of the picture, which had Swapa smiling…He missed her badly. Now, he realized how much he loved her.  He held it to his chest, and went to sleep.

***

Days went by, every year; his new parents took him to a village. Raghu searched for the banyan tree, and other familiar things in that village. Finally, he would come to know that it was not his village. This went on for years; he grew up and completed his education. 

‘What would you like to be, my son?’ His father asked him, after his graduation.

‘I would like to join Army, dad!’ Raghu replied.

‘Son, please…we don’t want to lose you too..’ His mother said.

‘Don’t worry, mom, nothing would happen to your son.’ Raghu replied, smiling at her.

So, Raghu joined the army. Every year when he got his vacation, he used to visit his home and then go in search of his village. One year, during his vacation, when he reached one of the villages, he saw the village fair…it was quite familiar to him…as he had been to the fairs held in his village.

He remembered the fun rides he and Swapna had enjoyed together… fun rides like merry-go-round, the giant wheel, etc. Suddenly, he saw the camera man who had shot their picture long ago in his village during one of the fairs…now, he had aged..Raghu walked up to him..

‘Do you recognize me?’ Raghu asked him.

‘No, who are you?’ The old photographer asked surprised.

‘Do you remember this picture you had shot in my village when I was a kid?’ He asked, taking out the picture from his bag and showing it to him.

‘The other half has a girl…she was your friend, isn’t it?’ 

‘Yes...do you remember the name of the village…which has a huge banyan tree in the middle?’

‘The banyan tree has stood there for more than 500 years, villagers had told me. The name of the village is Chandanpur..’ 

‘Yes..yes!’ Raghu cried, hugging him in joy, ‘Thank you...thank you very much!’

‘Why? What happened?’ He asked rather puzzled.

‘I had lost my village and you have helped me to find it!’ Raghu said.

Raghu got into a bus which was leaving for his village. He was overjoyed…he called and informed his parents in the city about it. They too were pleased to know it. When the bus finally reached his village and halted under the huge banyan tree, he had tears in his eyes. 

He got down from the bus, stood before the banyan tree lost in thoughts. Then he started walking towards his house. There was no change…everything remained the same like the last time when he had seen it. Finally, he reached his home…

‘Maa, I am home!’ He cried, as he entered the house.

‘Who…who is it?’ His aged mother came and saw him. 

Immediately, she knew it was her son. Her eyes welled with tears…as she hugged him.. ‘My son, my son is back!’ She cried.

 ‘Raghu, I am very glad that you are back!’ His father said, patting on his back.

Raghu told them everything that had happened. While his mother served them both lunch. Raghu’s parents spoke with his foster parents in the city over phone and thanked them for bringing up their son. They told them that he would always be their son too.

Later, Raghu went to meet his childhood best friend, Swapna.

‘Can I see Swapna, please?’ He asked, a young and beautiful woman.

‘Who are you? Why do you want to see her?’ She asked, suspiciously.

‘I am…’ He said with a smile on his face, took out the picture of the little smiling girl, and showed it to her.

‘Raghu!’ She cried, leaping up in joy and hugging him. She then blushed and ran inside, after snatching the picture. He waited for her to come back. She came back with the complete picture. She had put a cello tape in the middle.

‘Now, the picture is complete!’ She said, smiling at him.

‘Yes, Swapna…I really missed you a lot all these years!’ He said.

‘Same here!’ She said, ‘Come inside, and tell me your story…’

 She held his hand and dragged him inside her house.