Dust

Bala was returning home from the market. He struggled walking because of the over-weighted rice bag he carried. Bala was light brown skinned, but everytime he visits the market, he would turn dark brown skinned because of the multiple layers of mud carried by wind storms. 

Bala entered the house. There were his mother and father and his little sister. His Mom was swiping the glass of the window which was filled with layers of sand, that didn't allow light to pass through the house.

His Father was helping Bala's sister to complete her Home work. 

The power went off because of the strong wind that broke up the power cables, the rooms which had windows had lightly bright because of the sun light that came through window. The other rooms were scary dark.

The strong wind carried denser sand particals that smashed on the windows and doors of the houses. Sand storms were very frequent. 

Bala and his sister had their rooms on the stairs, where there was not a window, but only a sun roof, which was covered in mud and the room was dark.

As it became late evening, and the power went off, his father insisted Bala to get the candles which were upstairs inside a cupboard. Bala wasn't afraid beacause of the dark. But because it was his first time going alone into a darker room after his old house. 

Bala's family lived a three roomed house previously. They shifted there when Bala was born. He had his whole lot of memories there, which he wouldn't forget ever. It was an adequate house for them to live. 

Sooner they shifted to this city nearer to a desert. Where they bought a house at a low cost and decided to live here. Bala who was attached to the old house, didn't feel that the this house belonged to him, and had no connection with it. 

From then, he began to change. He felt lonely because there were plenty of spaces to roam around but he didn't connect very well to the house like the older one. Even though he felt happy with a bigger house, he felt empty. The emptiness of where he truely belonged to. 

He went on upstairs, but he could barely see anything. It was totally dark. His father assisted Bala from the back. Bala forwarded step by step. Bala stepped over a nail and fell down calling his father. His father rushed to him, carrying him down to the hall, where there was a glimpse of light coming from the cars that were passing by the road. The street lights have gone dim over the mud. 

Bala sobbed like a child. He said, it would have been nice if we stayed in that old home. We don't belong here, I don't connect with this house anymore. His mom felt helpless of Bala. His sister was getting the medicines from the draw as instructed by her mom. 

His father sat on the sofa beside him. He said, "Yes, true. We were fooled to buy this house at a low rate. And we bought it. It is our fate to live with it. There is no choice for us now." 

And father asked, "Do you remember when you were sad lately.? ". Bala said, when he was sad, when he lost his bicycle on his way home, as the wind blew up to a height where he could barely see anything. And he rushed to his house. And the next day he couldn't find the cycle that he left behind. "

Father said, "okay, let's have dinner, we will discuss it tomorrow". Mom went to the kitchen where she had the dinner made early in the morning. She served the dinner. They went asleep.

The next day as the sun came high on the sky. Mom started to work on cleaning the mud on the rooms. Father was busy on the stairs. His sister had already left to school. 

Bala didn't go to school because of the injury on his leg. The injury seemed to have healed a bit. Bala went upstairs. His was cleaning bala's room and his sister's. The sun' light peeped in between the sand on the sun roof glass. His father asked to come near. 

He asked how was his pain. Bala said it was not hurting as yesterday. Father said, do you remember when you lost your bicycle. Was that pain more than this pain. Bala said, "no, it was not that hurtful as this". Father said, "Do you think why you remember the loss of your bicycle for a long time if it does not hurt you more?." Bala said he don't know. 

Father said, "Every pain in this world gets its healing now or some day ". Your injury will get cured in some days and you won't remember it. You still remember the loss of your cycle because you didn't heal from the injury that was made in your mind. The body heals, but the mind ponders over the past memories and doesn't want to heal.

You could heal by getting a new cycle. But if you are not prepared to heal your mind today. You may get injured badly some other day. 

Father asked, "Could you see anything other than me ? ". Bala said, no. Father opened the sun roof. The light came straight through the room. And the dust particles in the room shined on the light. 

Father said, "you now can see the dust particles which wasn't visible before." But it was present, but not visible. Bala replied yes. 

Likewise is your mind. It is dark all over with memories spread over. It is on what you wish to light upon, that glitters and remain in the memory. The dust particles move rapidly and it is possible that the memories in the dark enter the sun shine. So you must heal and create new memorable incidents that help you focus upon the light not the dark. 

Bala asked, if the light goes off in night, what would happen. Father said, the light which you create for yourself in your mind, never dims lifelong. It is with your mind and your body.

Life is unpredictable. We may be left with nothing. But the memories and lessons that you learned will guide you the future.

Bala asked why he could not forget his old house memories. Father said "Good memories are created with love and care, and they last life long." "It is not the house, it is actually the people in the house."

Father said, after moving to this new house we weren't that happy as in the old one, because of unpredictable life conditions. But it very important for us that we create memories of love, in whatever life conditions, because love and care gives good memories, which make up life a memorable one.

At last it is the light inside you that really matters, that helps you to come out from the darkest rooms of life.