The years that were

It was sometime in the mid eighties. We lived in a rented house which had 5 rooms in a line like the 5 bogies of a train. The first, facing the main road, was given to a person to be used as a cement godown. We lived in 4 rooms. Ours was the first house in street coming from the main road.

The street on one side had the compound wall of a huge building which hosted the State Bank of India. On the other side of the street were houses of all sizes and shapes. My house had a cement slab. Further into the street, were houses with slant roofs covered with palm leaves. The street had two more narrow lanes giving access to more homes. Only one of the buildings in the entire was two storied. The street ended at a point where it opened into vast fields. These fields still remain in the heart of the City.

There were about 20 household that this street had a access to. Most of them had a kid or two. So by the evening, the street was filled with children screaming, running or playing on the street. In the middle of street was Municipal tap where all the women got together to fill their pots in the evening. Next to the that tap was a thick bush with colorful flowers. We made a hideout among the bushes. It is like a miniature jungle. Mostly the boys territory.

One of my favorite toys is a cycle tyre. yes.. the life-size, slim Altas or Hero rubber tyre. It was a race, keeping the tyre rolling (like it does when fit to a bicycle) with a stick and running behind the tyre. After the dawn, is the time for "ice spies"(what we used to call it). Games went on till about 8pm, which is dinner time. I would slip into a dream world by the time it is 9pm. So my mother had just an hr before she fed me and get my homework done.

There was hut at centre of the street. This was an empty hut and was used by a lecturer to take tuitions for college going students. After 7:30 it was another place used for hiding during our hide and seek games. One evening there was huge vehicle that came to the street. The noise it made was frightening. I could hear it from distance. The sound wasn't from its engine. The Vehicle had another exhaust which was emitting dense smoke. The smell was unmistakable. The smoke had poisonous gases. Someone out there is planning to invade our world. I quickly rush into the hut and close the door.

The sound of smoke emitting monster is getting bigger. It is moving very slowly. As if it is looking for victims. My mom is safe in my house. My little brother is safe with her. My sister has gone for tuitions. And my father hasn’t come back from office. If only I can hide myself from this monster, I can see them again. The sound becomes bigger as if the monster was near the hut and is trying to peep into the hut for me. The smoke is leaking from the slits of the door. The odor is pungent. I just hope other friends are mine have found similar hideout.

Then the monster moves further. I guess it was convinced that there is no one in the hut. Or perhaps it has found some other. But the smoke it has left will remain for a while. I waited patiently till I was sure that the monster has left the street. I made a double check that the smoke has also subsided. Then I open the door and rush to my mother to narrate the story of my survival.

I was 5 years old then. A few year later when I came to know the truth about the monster, I could only pity those student who probably were cursing the municipal corporation for its failure to control the mosquito population. Thanks to me, who unknowingly saved the day for a zillion mosquitoes secretly hiding along with me in the hut.