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“When someone you love becomes a memory, then that memory becomes a treasure.”

12:30 pm … as recess bell rang; turmoil among students would get started. Students started rushing to the table where their beloved parents kept their lunch boxes waiting eagerly for children to arrive- having name and class slip attached to them.

BUT BETWEEN THESE LUNCH BOXES, there was a “Blue lunch box” that had never been taken by any kid; no one ever came to pick it up. In whole recess that lunch box remained on the table, and when the recess got over, someone would come to take it back.

***

“Good afternoon madam,“ guard, standing on the main gate of the school said in very gracious tone.

A lady in Indian dress gave perfunctory smile to him without saying anything, and kept a blue lunch box on the table as she did every working day of the school.

Guard stared at her in very curious way until that lady drove in the car. He had been observing this same thing for the past two months since he joined the duty of a guard in this school, and he knew very well that this lunch box would never be taken by any student. He never understood for whom this lady was keeping this lunch box every day? And ten minutes after the recess gets over, she would always take it back. Even she knew it very well that this box would remain in the same condition as she had left it. He tried many times to ask this lady about this strange behaviour of hers, but he never gathered the courage to do so.

BUT, after so many days of peculiarity- finally one day, he told one of the school teachers about the strange behaviour of that lady, and asked her about this happening. He also showed her the slip, which that lady used to put on the lunch box.

But when the teacher saw that slip, she got astonished by seeing the name on it; on slip “Nishant Mehta class 2” in beautiful handwriting was written.

“Does this student study in our school?” guard asked that teacher curiously. “He never comes to take his lunch box“

After a small respite; the teacher took out her spectacles and…..

****

Three months ago….

“Nishant, today I am goana give you something special,” Nishant’s mother said to him in a jumpy tone.

A felicity came in Nishant’s eyes “Is this my favourite pasta maa? “ He asked delightedly.

“Surprise surprise,” she responded in impish manner.

Nishant always loved surprises about what would be inside his lunch box.

Apart from the delicious food that his mother gave to him, he also loved his “Blue lunch box”, his favourite colour, very much. He would always be the first who collected his lunch box from the table, and considered himself as a bigwig in his group while eating food from it. He didn't love to share much with his friends.

Whenever he came back from the school; He gave his lunch box to his mother, and there would always a slip inside it, written:-

“My mom is world’s best cook”

Drawing was his favourite subject. He loved to play with colours, and always tried to make ‘magnum opuses’ from them.

His mother was a bank accountant, and his father had passed away when he was three years old, nor had he any sibling. He was the only child to his mother.

Fulfilling his desires had been the first priority of his mother. Every day she would take him to the park in their locality; where he would play with his friends and ride his bicycle, which was the best among the bicycles his friends had had.

In every 10 minutes, he would call his mother so that she could be able to see whether he was playing with his friends, cycling or anything.

Seems to be simple, but for him his life was full of fascination and excitement.

***

On one regular day:

“Can we go to park maa?“ Nishant said to his mother.

“No, not today, I am a little busy. We will go tomorrow, promise,” his mother said in very adoring voice.

After hearing disgruntled answer from his mother, he started obstinate, “Please mom, please,” knowing that this trick would never be crash.

After losing from her child’s stubbornness, finally his mother agreed to go to park with him as always.

Same day in the park:

It was a cloudy day, and a little rain had also got started.

“Now it’s time to go back to home, we are getting late,” she started calling her son Nishant.

When he didn't respond to her- she started seeking him. But even after a good search she only found that her son was not playing anywhere in the park. Agitation started stimulating in her mind now.

She started shouting hard, “Nishant, Nishant…it’s time to go home, where are you?”, so that her son can heed her voice.

AFTER A FEW MOMENTS- finally, she found that her son was riding a bicycle with his friends on nearby road, which she didn’t allow him to.

“Nishant… Nishant, come here. It’s time to go home. Rain has begun to start,” she said loudly.

But her son was busy in enjoying a good race with his friend.

As he always loved to win. He was riding his bicycle as fast he could.

But as he reached his finishing line at intersection- suddenly a WHITE CAR stroked his bicycle, and knocked him down on the road, few feet away - dragging his loving bicycle up to a little distance on the road, till the driver applied brakes.

“Nishaaaaaaant,“ his mother, who was watching her son riding bicycle a few seconds ago, bellowed horribly. She started running towards his son who was lying injured - bleeding on the road.

It was a cloudy day. Now rain had also started gushing.

People began to congregate.

When somehow that lady managed to reach near to her child; her dear son’s blood was flowing on the road with the water.

By witnessing such a dreadful incident, a Black out occurred before her eyes. She was on the verge of fainting.

She ran towards her son, lying insensately on the road, and put him on her lap. She started crying, howling; rain was getting stronger and stronger - carrying her tears along.

She was half dead at that moment.

People were shouting - Showing agony on the car driver but nobody was caring about that seven year “Benign kid”.

He had been taken to a hospital. Those were the gruesome hours of hope and fear.

BUT, she became completely dead- when the doctors gave up on her child.

***

We all know that whatever precious things we have, they are not going to remain with us forever. Whether they will leave us, or we have to leave them. This is a true and harsh reality of life.

But when we lose our “most paramount reason of being living”; then it becomes very difficult for us to regain our “life” again.

And same thing happened to that lady on that cataclysmic day. She got completely shattered from inside, but no one was there to comprehend this, nor anyone to console her. She was left alone- totally devastated.

***

Present day:

IT WAS A SUNNY MONDAY - as 12:25 pm reached; the red car stopped at the front of the school main gate. The same lady stepped out of the car, and kept the lunch box on the table; on which a slip was attached - inscribed “Nishant Mehta class 2“. But this time the percipience of guard towards that lady had been changed. Now he knew the story of this “blue lunch box” very well. Today he didn't say good morning to her.

Two - three days passed like this - Same recess time - same lunch box, and no one to pick it up.

BUT SUDDENLY ONE DAY - when that lady came back to pick her lunch box after the recess, something unusual happened. When she grabbed the lunch box, it was not in the same condition as she had left it – It was empty. It was the first time that someone had emptied it, and when she opened it - not even a single food particle was present, as someone had swabbed it completely!!! She became cogitated for some time.

Guard was observing all this. But she didn't ask him anything about this unusual happening. She just moved back to her car with that empty lunch box.

One week passed; this thing started happening every day. Whenever she came back to take the lunch box, it was found to be empty. Now, this mystery of empty lunch box was making that lady overwrought.

***

IT WAS A CLOUDY TUESDAY:

Today, when that lady came- the guard standing there said good morning to her.

She felt very strange- that after so many days - why this guard wished her suddenly?

When she turned towards him - there was some other guard standing there.

“Earlier, some other had been servicing here?” She said softly to that guard.

“Yes madam, actually he resigned from the job,” guard said.

She didn't show any expressions and started moving. But before she could withdraw her feet, the guard began to complete his answer- “sadly his father passed away last Saturday, and now, there is no one to take care of his mother in the village, so he went,” guard said in-one breath.

She still said nothing - just gave him a mournful smile, and she moved.

As she was driving the car, something came in her mind, and she turned back to the school.

As she reached there, she found something strange; her child blue lunch box was “missing” from the table.

She had become aggravated about this mystery. She thought might be some other kid in the school who had just found that this lunch box had never been taken by any one was doing this, or perhaps some other secret was there. Because she knew this really well that her kid wouldn't come to take his lunch box.

She went to nearby park- where she used to come with her son every evening. Where - her son used to hit sixes while playing with his friends. She sat on the bench there- thinking about everything that she could think of about her son.

Suddenly clouds in the sky thundered. She looked up.

It was a cloudy day too - just like that devastating day.

She started thinking of her son again, but she didn't want to, because it hurt, it hurt her lot.

SUDDENLY, she conceived one method of solving this mystery- that was to reach the school before recess gets over, and she could nab that person, when he would come to put that empty lunch box back on the table.

But now, she didn't want to. She decided that she would not go back to collect the box. Now, the story of her son’s blue lunch box should be ended just like her son’s story.

WHEN she was plodding back to her car- suddenly she saw something behind the bushes - something known. But she didn't know- what exactly it was?

As she moved close to that bush; things started becoming clear. Yes, it was something blue- “A blue lunch box”. When she came closer, she found something strange. There was a miserable kid of same age that her child was, wearing old torn out clothes - barefoot - who was gobbling up the food from her son’s lunch box, such that it was the last food left in the world.

Now, the mystery of “This empty lunch box” had seemed to be solved.

She kept looking at that boy for a few minutes- until he gobbled out all the food - even the food sticking inside the box.

After some time she said slowly, “Have you liked the food?”

When the boy heard the voice of that lady, he got scared. He thought that she had come to nab him. He began to run, leaving the box there only. But she grabbed his hand promptly.

“Don’t be afraid. I am not here to catch you,” she said.

Boy started fibbing.

“Don’t panic,” she said politely, giving him a kind smile.

He was still frightened, but despite that, his eyes were still rolling on that lunch box. He wanted to put it back, because he didn't want to break his promise at any cost.

“Have you liked the food?” She asked again.

But he said nothing, just kept looking down.

“OK, just tell me that, when you take this lunch box, nobody stops you?” She said a little emotionally.

AFTER A WHILE, boy said, “The guard who sits there…..” His face got smeared with fear. “He used to give me this lunch box every day- but with a promise that I have to give it back to him before the recess gets over,” he said nervously.

She said nothing, just stood there, listening to the boy, like his voice was the only thing she wanted to hear now.

After he stayed silent for a while; “But today….,” he continued, “Somebody else was present there instead of him. So, I took this box furtively from the table.”

That day was cloudy; now little rain had also got started.

“But I have to go now. I should have kept this back until now. I got late today,” he said to her while picking the lunch box - having tears of abash and fear in his eyes.

She still said nothing. She got trapped in a web of emotions, empathy, and longing of her beautiful past- her memories with her child.

As she was thinking of all this- something started filling her eyes. She thought that she had never seen her child eating from this lunchbox but when he used to- did he eat in the same way as this boy was eating few moments ago?

Something had filled her eyes completely now.

As moments were passing, rain was getting stronger and stronger. The tiny droplets of water now became a heavy pouring.

The boy started plodding towards the school with the lunch box.

But she was still standing in the rain; thinking…

But after moving little- the boy turned back, and said with a smile:

“YOU ARE WORLD’S BEST COOK”

As she listened to this; whatever was filling her eyes, it started coming out.

But this time rain wasn't that strong to take them along with itself. 

By Divyanshu Sharma