A SLICE OF CAKE (standard:other, 833 words)
Author: Mehul	Added: Jan 25 2002	Views/Reads: 3537/3	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Rimbo, Rahul and a slice of cake....a story set in India.

A SLICE OF CAKE 

Rimbo died yesterday, when I turned ten. I had been sitting comfortably
in the car, looking at the orange and yellow traffic lights go by. We 
had been on our way back from Priya Cinema, and having just watched 101 
Dalmatians, I was jumping with excitment to meet my favourite 
companion. Papa brought the Maruti slowly to a halt near our house. 
Instead of the usual "Rahul, go and open the gate", my mother lovingly 
stepped out of the car to go and open the gate. As always, Dadi was 
waiting for us, standing near the door. I saw my mother speak to her 
for a second, then look back at the car, and then back to her, as if 
she couldn't decide something. She walked back out of the verandah and 
slowly shut the gate. Papa, surprised at was she was doing, opened the 
car door and walked to her. They talked grimly for a few moments. I was 
getting excited at the thought of what present they had in store for 
me. So I just sat there, fists clenched, waiting for the "Happy 
Birthday!". 

Mama and papa opened the door and sat in the car. "What is it?", I
eagerly asked. After a moment of silence, my mother managed to whisper 
a few words to me. "Rahul, Rimbo died a few hours back". I just stared 
at her, my feeble mind not being able to comprehend the reality which 
loomed in front of me. What did she mean by 'Rimbo died'? Rimbo 
couldn't die, he was a dog. Dogs don't die, they lick people. Rimbo 
licked my face. A knot the size of a huge stone crept into my throat. 

The first few tears came out when I ran past dadi, who just stared into
the silent verandah, the gate left swinging open and the car still 
standing there, the back door open. I ran to the back of the house, 
where I saw the his wooden house, the empty bowl lying outside. I 
frantically looked around in disbelief, searching for any signs of him. 
Then I saw the old blanket. It was lying in a corner, like the dirty 
clothes pile which the washer woman picks up everyday. I stared at the 
pile for a second, dreading what I was about to see, and suddenly I ran 
to the bundled blanket and threw it open. His golden brown legs were 
stiff, as if they had been stuffed, and his grey eyes were wide open. 
He was alive, my mind told me. They had made a mistake, he was probably 
asleep. "Wake up, Rimbo", I shouted,  shaking his heavy body. But he 
didn't wake up. The knot became bigger as I realised that he was 
actually not there anymore. The tears flowed out and I cried, holding 
on to him tightly, not wanting to let go. Papa came from behind and 
picked me up. I couldn't see anything, I just cried and held on to 
Rimbo. Gently, he freed the golden brown fur from my clutches and set 
it back onto the blanket. 

I had lost all control. I just cried and bawled, and buried my face in
his arms, the tears flowing uncontrollably. Mama was standing behind 
him, looking at me helplessly, wondering if there was anyway she could 
change the situation, and at the same time knowing there was none. Papa 
carried me all the way to my room, and put me gently on my bed. Mama 
came and lay down beside me and I held on to her and cried. I think I 
just cried myself to sleep. 

The birds were chirping when I drifted into the morning. My face was
smeared with dried tears and I was comfortably tucked in. Sunshine 
streamed in through the window and I could hear the distant cries of 
the vegetable seller outside. Suddenly, amidst the morning sounds, I 
heard a sharp yapping bark. I shot up from my bed and looked all around 
the room. Bending over the side of my bed, I saw him. He was a cute 
little puppy, the same golden brown colour. Joyously, I picked him up 
in my hands and pulled him onto my bed. He looked at me through his 
brown eyes and started licking my face. I laughed, and he barked in 
excitement. The door burst open and in came mama and papa, followed by 
dadi with a cake in her hands. "Happy Birthday!".  I smiled, though a 
weak smile. The knot was still there, but slowly diminishing. The pup 
was fooling around in my bedsheet, rolling all over. I sat at the edge 
of my bed, and mama got the cake near me. It was black forest, my 
favourite kind, and something was written on it with light blue icing. 
I smiled again, a much stronger smile, as I read. 'All dogs go to 
heaven.' The puppy licked my foot as I cut the first slice of cake. 

_________________________ 


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