Childhood Memories

Home sweet home

We returned home from native after cheerfully spending the year's summer vacations, along with other cousins at grandma’s home. After long hours of travel, we were left with no energy to take any quick step to enter our home. With sleepy eyes, mother was digging her bag to find the gate keys---but, in vain. Alas! The keys were misplaced, may be in one of those small bags back with grandma. Those were the days when telephones were existing but in few homes. Mobiles devices were alien. It was nearly impractical to return to fetch the keys. Mother re-collected that a second set of keys were available. But in the cabinet draws of the living room of the sweet home that we were now stand out-of. To climb up the 6-ft-high gates of the compound wall was quite easy for a 8-year-old like me. But how could mother and sister cross over.

An idea striked to my little brain. I convinced the family and put on the right foot to climb the main-gate. Did not jump to the other-side, instead walked all along to the compound wall taking careful steps to reach the rear of the building which hosted the old-fashion high sealing tiled roof of the kitchen. Siting on the roof-top, I did some calculations and removed around four inter-locked roof tiles. The space was enough to let me in. But, my calculations went wrong, instead of the lintel, I landed near the wash-space deep down. Still, thanked my stars, for a-foot to the left, would have landed me on the pounding stone [the traditional mortar buried in the ground with the heavy club-shaped pestle leaning at one corner].

Moving in the dark, with stretched hands, I continued until could reach the switch on the outer wall of the kitchen. The light brighten the pathway along the corridor. Thus was able to reach the living room but with little difficulty. I succeeded to take a grasp of the keys after running my fingers in the drawer and confidently walked across the room to open the 'door-lock' of the 'Home-[indeed]-Sweet-Home' from inside. A sense of pride filled me. On stepping out, I could see the darkness of the night had swallowed the view of the main gate. I did not attempt to light the lawn, as i knew, the control switch was out-of-my control. I screamed “got the keys!” and rushed toward the sound that came as reply. I tripled over the lawn edging. It was as corner stone, that was holding the soil and water from entering the walk-way. At that time, it did not hurt much, or may be, my enthusiasm did not let me to bother much about it. I let open the gate and allowed the rest of the family in.

The adventure though lasted for no more than an hour, the memories are trailing all along, to this day. Especially each time I look at the mirror. As the scar very close to the right eye would have left me blinded by one eye during my little adventure.