I smiled ^_^

a short story by Roop k Nath 3/09/2010

Suddenly something stroked and I could feel a little creature falling down .it was so instant like within a blink of an eye everything happened. It was a sparrow a tiny one, flung to a corner to floor flipping out it plumage of shallow brown color in pain. I rushed down from my study table and I hold the bird by my hand. It was so fragile.. The thumbing heart beat was quite vigilant. His hooded eye’s were so involuntary in action and time consuming. Seemed like that the tiny creature was about to die .I had no clue what to do. I placed the bird on the computer table. Maybe feeding some water will be an ease for the bird, I thought. I hurriedly ran to the room next and open the refrigerator and picked out a water bottle, it was chilled. I opened the cap of bottle and got stagnant, for a while thinking how to feed the bird. Again I looked for some tiny object where I can pour like 20-25 ml of water. After paltry try, I thought of an idea. I took an empty skin packaged tablet. I could think of anything else as it was 1am and late enough to search for a perfect small type crucible. The thermoformed cavity on plastics sheet seemed pefect,though the volume was much lesser.I didn’t feed the water in that cap of the bottle as I thought it won’t be hygienic for later use.. I filled the cavity with the cold water and while doing that I spilled water on the floor. I had no door mate or spare cloth to wipe the slippage in my room. The door mate was in the other room but I hardly took any pain to bring it and wipe the floor. As the ceiling fan was on and the air circulation was a pretty assurance that the floor will be dried by morning time.i brought the thermoformed cavity filled with few ml of water near to that sparrow. The sparrow was stagnant, so I made an effort and dipped the beck in to that thermoformed cavity, swigs of water it consumed. I tried two three more times but I guess he was content.
I hold him again after sometime; I refill the thermoformed cavity and fed the water to him. He drank and this time I could feel the liquid squished into his throat. The steady tick tick of his untamed heart could be felt. But still the eyes were half closed. I didn’t know whether it will be alive by tomorrow morning or not. He stroked the ceiling fan blade running at a speed of max. With such an impact that it made a sound. This little fragile thing could have got killed that night. Thankfully only a deep scar was indented on his head. It was not bleeding at all. Only some plucked plumage. If he would have made a slight difference in his trajectory. he could have got killed by himself or I guess I would have killed him.I had no knowledge that he had made a nest among my old cassettes and books stored in a paper cartoon placed over the integrated cement slab .that night I just happened to touch it to keep some of new book which I finished reading , so for the same I got up over my study table( as it was quite heighted and beyond my reach)by that turbulent it got frightened and tried to elope.I had an element of fear, I didn’t want to be the reason behind the killing . all these things I felt as his heart hammered as I hold it by hands. I just placed it again back on the computer table, his legs were not hobbling. Literally no movement at all.
I was kind of sure that it will be dead by dawn. So I left it untouched and headed towards the bed. The impact with which it hit the blades of the fan was enough to kill such as vulnerable thing like him. I tried to sleep; I don’t know when I went to slumber. As I was too tired that night as I had I rough day and moreover I had a flight the next day. So I had to be ready by the next morning.
Morning time, I woke up like 7 Am to the sound of the pouring rain and the wind whispering by the ventilation windows. It was a heavy rain. For the last three day it was raining. so making the climate and ambient temperature quite soothing. I garb the water bottle placed next to my bed and headed towards the computer table. He was still there sitting like a baby in such a peace and calm. I came more closer and tried to hold it, but it flew. I was happy that it was alive. Though it was not flying proficiently, the wings fluttering feebly as he tried to balance his quivering body. Still I was happy. He flew and fixed his claws on the mosquito net, he used it as a perch .I caught him back. Now he could open his hooded eyes to an extent . I thought of again feeding him some water. I took the thermoformed cavity of that empty capsule of skin packaged plastics. I saw him preen himself this time as we human gurgle everyday to start a new day with new vibe. He drank few ml of water, everything seemed normal to me. I don’t know whether it was very true for that small vulnerable creature because the impact was really severe. I placed him back in that cartoon box where I kept my old stuffs’. I didn’t want my Maa to see him as she will clean up everything and destroying his nest. Today I was supposed to leave again to Maharashtra for how long I didn’t know. So I had to pack my hand bags and got ready. But during those activities I wondered will I be able to see him when I come next to my room. I left home at 11 am and smiling while thinking about him ^_^