Dipak's Story

There was mildew upon the flower plants in his garden. He was a small child and loved to read about morays and walruses in his science books. Sometimes, he thought what if the universe be atomized some day. He wondered about the provenance of all of us - the nature, the human, all the animals, everything. This house seemed often a cloister to him, where he remained confined due to the lockdown. His uncle was a trombonist, who went under depression as he could not hold any public show for months. Doctor diagnosed him and informed parents that he had catarrh in his nose and throat. Dipak could not get what the doctor meant as he was small. He had seen grandpa using denture on lunch and dinner table. The set of white teeth was a piece of mystery and attraction to Dipak. He didn't know what catarrh was, but he at least knew one thing for certain - it was severely painful, because uncle Kush used to roar and flinch at night when catarrh did not let him sleep. Dipak's grandma cooked tapioca for uncle, as it was his favourite, or one of the most favourite food items. There was a manila cot in grandpa's room. It was a sort of sacrosanct piece of furniture that he allowed nobody to perch upon. On his way to school, Dipak had seen a grey stella beside the graveyard. Upon that obelisk stone pillar was engraved the names of those who contributed a large sum to build that yard. Grandpa's father was also named there. It made Dipak's heart swell with pride. He usually kept his hair tousled and frequently doubled back to the mirror to disarray his hair.