Triumphant

5:23 pm
The sun was kissing the horizon, the clouds guided the birds to their homes and I was heading towards the topmost stand of the stadium after a two hours football practice. As these occurred simultaneously, I could see the fire crackers being lit up in the sky far away. When I reached my destination I saw a stray dog hiding under the seats in fear of something unknown to it.

In India, during this time of the year, people celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. Everywhere you look, you see light. Among all the many things people do during Diwali, bursting crackers is one of them. It does look beautiful in the night sky, but the ones which doesn’t go airborne usually produce a very loud noise and make the effort of piercing through your ear drums .

I sat on the topmost tier of the deserted stands. While my eyes enjoyed the ravishing view of the empty ground, a sudden loud noise produced by bursting of a series of crackers made my flesh creep. I noticed movement in my left at the same time. I saw the dog wriggling in terror of the unknown, earsplitting noise. It hurt me a little to watch the creature in pain . I hadn’t had much interaction with the members of the Canis genus in the 16 years of my life on this planet. I had it in my mind that if I stroked the back of their head I wouldn’t do it in the right way and endure a dog bite as the consequence. The sky was calming amidst the loud crackers. I approached the dog. The closer I got, the wearier it looked. I sat just beside it, him perhaps. I stared at the amazingly beautiful creation of the creator. The dog lifted his heavy head up, looked directly into my eyes and lay still for a moment, then he put his head right on my feet. For a moment, the world seemed beautiful and without an error.

For some unknown reason, I named him Elliot. I felt the urge to touch his weary looking fur and comfort him. I hesitantly placed my hand on the back of his head, gently stroked twice and waited for him to bite. He made himself more comfortable between my legs and on my lap. I felt at peace after a long time. I continued gently stroking his head. I talked with him about my world and its pain. His rough, brushy fur told nothing less. The sun had set, the birds had reached their homes and I had triumphed over my fear and did something good to someone. It was time I part with Elliot and leave for home. He followed me all the way to the exit and stood there with helplessness in his eyes. Maybe he will survive, maybe he’ll triumph over his fears, maybe he too will find home.