"A short story"

soul of a pen- short story.

Prasad is a 12 year old boy who loves playing football and dedicates lot of time in school towards the game as he is the games captain. Prasad’s father works as a sales manager in pharmacy company and mother works as an architect in a leading company in the industry.

It was sep11 2001 7:46 pm ( IST) a short time before world witnessed something very unusual for the first time. Mom shouted from kitchen, Prasad stop playing your stupid game in backyard and go to your room and study!!!

Prasad disappointedly kicks the ball into the garage and goes to his room through the kitchen were he gives mom a squint.

Without any interest he picks out his social text and pretends to read and a few minutes, later the cracking sound of the door of his room makes him look behind his study table, surprised to see dad he yells out. Aah!!! its you pop’s i thought it was mom and hence was pretending to read the most boring text ever.

You naughty boy why do you pretend to read, cant you read with interest it will after all help you in exams.

Dad!! its school selection for football team next week and i need to practice but mom is dead against it.

Your mom does not know anything about sports does she?? I did hear the yelling of mom that’s why came to tell you to go and practice i will convince mom, after all that is what i am doing since i have married to her!!!

Dad you are great, your the best dad possible, thanks dad. While running out of the room, the loving father rolls his hand over his son’s head with warmth of affection. This was the last time father and son had talked with each other.

I don’t understand why do you allow him to play when he has to read for the fast approaching exams, Relax honey he will do that too but sports is also important . Its selection of football team next week in school so he is rightful in practicing for that. You are spoiling your son!!!

This was the last time prasad’s parents had talked with each other!!!

10:30pm

Prasad now stop that nonsense game and come for dinner and while coming call your dad too, he seems to be taking a nap he is not responding.

Okay mom i will do that.

Dad its time for dinner lets go, Dad!!!

Prasad enters his dad’s room only to see him lying asleep on his writing table with a pen in his hand, oh dad common mom is shouting in kitchen, if we don’t go in 2 minutes she will be angry on us.

Prasad goes near the chair where his dad has slept and gives him a jerk and to his surprise he falls down on the floor , he yells at the top of his voice DAD!! He pushes him to the side but still no response and not knowing what to do he shouts at top of his voice and calls mom.

Mom!! Mom!! Come fast dad is not waking up...

By the time she comes and checks the heartbeat of her husband its too late and she breaks down and falls on the floor unconscious.

Prasad doesn know what to do?? He rushes outside his home and goes to his neighbour’s house MR khanna.

11:04 pm

When hurriedly Prasad rings doorbell, MR khanna busy watching television news of some footage of planes crashing into two large buildings, disgusted with the doorbell he goes to the door half hearted and when he opens the door

Prasds says “ mom, dad both unconscious” help uncle!!!

Mr khanna rushes to his home and sees both husband and wife lying on the floor he checks the nerves of prasad’s mom and sighs a relief that she is only unconscious but when he checks out his neighbour’s nerve the most unexpected thing happens like the planes crashed into WTC, Khanna is shocked!!

When Prasad understands the reaction of uncle he does not know how to react his dad who had just a few hours back talked with him was no more.

Prasad suddenly falls onto the bed behind him.

11:47 pm

Prasad’s mom is contineuously weeping and Prasad is still not able to come with the terms with what has happened.

Most of the neighbours remain indoor except a few, witnessing an international tragedy but not bothered to even check out the personal tragedy of a nearby family!!

The doctor says the cause of the death is heart attack.

Paramedics while lifting the body to ambulance had to move around prasad’s mom who was not allowing them to take her husband with them.

Everyone around who had gathered were whispering about the “ world trade center crash” but Prasad couldn’t understand anything because a bigger tragedy had happened to him!!!

One week later

The entire family and relatives had thronged to the house and surprisingly to Prasad not many seemed to share the somber mood which he was in.

Prasad had not gone to school since a week and was sitting in a corner in the living room, then his mom came to him and told him “ Prasad you are going to school tomorrow and getting selected in that football team” your dad wanted that to happen it was his last wish.

Bewildered Prasad stares at his mom and sees a tear in her eye ready to explode.

All this while Prasad had a pen in his hands which he had taken from the body of his father while the medical staff where taking away the corpse.

Somehow he dint get a feeling to keep the pen aside and since 10 days he had it with him.

September 19

All classmates of Prasad had known what had happened and were surprised to see Prasad come to school that too on a day when football selection was scheduled, generally a good chance to bunk the school for those who are not interested.

The class teacher also baffled to see Prasad and asks him, is everything all right son, it is ok even if you don’t come to school for a few more days.

Prasad says, sir i have come to participate in selection for football team. The entire class and sir himself get surprised.

He then clarifies that his dad had wanted it to happen so i want to fulfil his last wish.

Its time for selection and Prasad still unknowingly has the pen in his hands, and when his name is read out he goes to the ground where his games teacher asks him what are you in a football game??

Attacker, defender or a goal keeper.

Prasad says attacker.

Not surprised the teacher asks him to get ready to kick the ball.

The major chunk of kids had opted for being attackers and almost all of them where not as good as they thought they were.

But Prasad was different, here was a boy who had seen his father die last week and was adamant in getting selected in the team.

The coach asks him why are you holding a pen in your hand, keep it aside.

Prasad says Sir please allow me to play along with the pen in my hand, Not knowing what to do coach allows him to do so.

In the 5 minutes of his stint he scores two goals swaying around 4 defenders, the coach impressed selects him in the team.

Prasad is elated but still somehow a big smile doesn’t seem to appear on his face.

In the evening he informs his mom that he has got selected, she says your dad would have been proud of you. ( would have is not something he wanted he wished if his father had seen him get selected)

Ten days since Prasad’s father died he still has this pen along with him in his left hand, his mom asks him why do you have that pen always along with you? He answers and mom cries.

One week later it is time for first match in a intra school competition and Prasad is in playing team. He enters the field with a pen in his left hand, the umpire baffled asks him to keep it aside and play, he makes the same request as he had done to the coach. Umpire undecided thinks for a while and tells him ok.

Prasad turns out to be a star, he scores more than 2 goals in every match and is instrumental in taking his team to finals single handedly.

Rumours were being circulated in the school about the strange way Prasad plays football with a pen in his hand.

A boy says the pen must have some power, someone else replies ya ya that is the reason he is playing so well, he is a cheat.

Rumours reach the coach as well and he dismisses them saying it is ridiculous and says Prasad can play without the pen in his hand!!

When coach insists to Prasad to play without the pen , Prasad is left with no option but to do that.

Half heartedly he enters the field for final match and surprisingly for the coach he does not score in the first half, something which never happened in the tournament.

In the break coach takes Prasad aside and asks him what happened??

Prasad replies he cannot play without the pen!!

Coach now angry asks him what the hell is there in the pen that you are so adamant in having it with you.

Prasad gives the same reply that he gave to mom when she had asked and coach agrees and tells him take the pen along with you in second half.

When second half starts all his classmates get surprised to see Prasad again along with a pen, something which they dint expect after the coach reaction.

Prasad scores three goals in a span of 4 minutes and his school wins and his declared as man of the match and tournament.

At the presentation the host asks him the question which was looming in everyone’s mind.

Why do have a pen in your hand when you play?

Prasad replies as he said to mom, coach and now to everyone.

“ If i have the pen in my hands i feel my dad is along with me.”

( The moral i woud say is, faith is very powerful if you have faith in god, i mean immense faith then you don’t need to worry, because you will know that he will take care of everything)