After The Flood

Everywhere, there were sounds and cries. Cries of agony. Sounds of pain. The sparkling tears twinkled on every face and trickled down the chins, showing the signs of loosing something very special. Some people were running, not knowing what to do in such a critical situation. Beds were full of people waiting to welcome the death. It seemed like doomsday has come in the disaster stricken tent. Everything seemed to be strange, but a boy sat outside the tent. For him, everywhere there was silence and darkness. Whenever, he thought to look deep into his feelings, he saw nothing but vagueness and blurriness. He was thinking what to do at the edge of life. He had nothing left. Not thinking of what he was doing, he stood up and headed straight to that answer which was the only one to reply to his unanswered question. He reached the river.

The breeze started to blow to welcome his arrival. The sand swished past his feet, but he stood where he was standing. After a little while, he looked at the freely flying birds. He listened their chirping. He observed their happiness. The happiness in the air full of aroma.

"You know we are the like these birds which can escape your anger," said the boy, still looking at the flying birds.

"And I am not like you who raises his voice against the conspiracy of nature," replied the jaunty waves of the river.

The boy looked at the river. He thought for a moment. He was wrong! He came here to ask a question, not to point out the nature's doings.

"Why did you do this?" The boy said; for the first time, tears started coming from his eyes. "We often visited you. I used your water to give strength to my sand castles which were then admired by my parents. We loved your happy waves. I thought you could only break those sand castles with your waves, but you destroyed everything."

"Dear, it wasn't my intention to give rise to a flood. It wasn't my thought to drown your parents," the river explained. " I just obeyed what the hand which wrote everything ordered me to do."

The boy was shocked. "Is this what this hand always orders you to do?"

"No! It is the hand of creator. He is the only one who ordered me to give place to fishes in me just because you wanted them. He is the only one who orders me to make the air fresh and colder for your refreshment." The river told the boy proudly to tell him the greatness of its master.

The boy understood. "I am very thankful to you," the boy smiled.

"For what?" The river asked.

"For inspiring me to stop blaming you for all this," the boy turned around and started walking back to the tent.

Suddenly, he stopped. He had something left to say. He looked back towards the lively river.

"There is always a reason. There is a reason for the hand of creator to give me loneliness," the boy smiled. "Afterall, he created my existence for some purpose."

The boy looked ahead happily and went away.