M. Faisal Amir King Edward Medical University, Lahore.

Word Count: approx. 1350 words.

Title:

KALASHANQAUFF

He was feeling very ill. days now.

He had been ill for three He was

But now everybody said he was better.

glad to be better. he hated it.

Being ill meant confinement to bed and

Then there was the discomfort of illness But even now he was And

itself when he felt weak and strange.

feeling sick, though he was much better than before. everybody said he was better. And he was glad for it.

He was feeling very drowsy too. He felt enervated and shorn of his strength. He just waned to lie down and

sleep, sleep for a long long time, sleep soundly. So he was very cross when he was told that his father would take him for a walk, A little stroll would do him good. All he needs now is some fresh air. He has been in

this closed room for three days, now he should go outside. Look at the congestion in this room. It is enough to make someone ill. This lad would

never get well if he stays here. He should definitely go outside. Otherwise he wont get well. This was what they said. He liked to go outside. He wanted to break his confinement. But not now. Now he just wanted to sleep. But all of them insisted on

He was feeling very sleepy. his going outside.

But he didnt want to go now, though he

knew hed repent it afterwards. So he protested and cried, and stamped, and jumped, and shouted. But to no avail. So he was leaving the house

shortly afterwards, not only sick and sleepy, but also sullen. Then they left the somewhat damp and cool environs of their muddy street on to the road. to the hot direct light of sun. There they were exposed

It fell on him directly,

it was reflected from the road, it glared from the glass, and it permeated into him. And it made him very sleepy.

His drowsiness returned, stronger than before. His head drooped, his legs failed and gave way, and he nearly fell. His father was saying something, something indistinct and muffled. But he didnt care. He wanted to lie there. Lie

there right on the welcome road and sleep soundly, sleep forever.

He didnt even look at the huge stores, billboards, shop-fronts and display windows. fascinated him. These displays always

Specially the displays behind glass,

especially those which rotated, especially those which were colorful. But not now. Now he didnt even notice them.

The entire world was indistinct and remote. All that didnt concern him. Everything went in and As his body refused

out of focus as he tried to walk on. to walk on.

As he was almost completely dragged forward by

the hand with which he clutched his fathers coarse hand. What do you want? ya what little kid. Itll do you good. Want anything to eat? Nah! Tell

Ill better buy ya something to drink. Yeah! But he

He seldom had anything from shops to drink. loved anything from shops. drink.

Specially those to eat and He didnt need

But now he wasnt interested.

anything but to lie down there and then. The drink from shop was bought and given to him. normally was an exotic luxury, much craved for. wasnt feeling any relish for it. nevertheless. It was tasteless. Every step added to his He wanted really He drank it It

But now he

They were walking on. drowsiness.

He felt being tortured.

badly to sleep.

He hated everything, specially his father,

though he didnt feel any hatred. that.

He was too sleepy for

How would he like to sleep on those steps in front

of that yonder shop, or there beneath the shed or anywhere? What ya want to buy? me, Ill buy straight-away. Ya little un! Any toy huh? What huh? Tell

That man with O that It

drums ya wanted, or that, O what the, what it was? monkey ov a man climbing those darned ladders. as funny though. It really was! That un. Funny it was. Haha.

Haha!

I think Ill

buy ya that un. Yeah!

Then

But you tell me what ya wants. you.

Ill buy that for

He had a dim realization of what was being said to him

Huh?

What?

Yeah!

Ill.

Just temme straightaway.

Ill

buy you that. His face now had a thoughtful look. Yeah think now. They say, they say thinkin now is betta than repentin later. Mind that you always. If you

buy a thing you dont want youll

He wasnt listening.

He was thinking now. How is it He tried to

that he could forget the name of that thing? remember. drowsiness. He strained his memory. His eye-lids closed.

His head ached from The world was a blur, a

thing of no relation with him, distant and indistinct. He strained his memory hard. word of all words. worshipped it. sleepy now. He cant forget THAT

He had adored that thing, pretty much

And he wouldnt have forgotten if he wasnt

He had watched it on T.V. always when he Hed watched it mesmerized.

visited his relatives house. Only big people had it.

Big and powerful and important.

He wanted to be like them, big and powerful and important. But how had he forgotten the name of that thing when it was only on this Eid that his neighbor had bought it from Uncle Ahmeds shop (or Uncle Ahmeds shop with a panda in the window). had it. But during Eid day, his neighbor was the only kid who had it. And he was so powerful and important then. Everyone And then within a week many other kids also

claimed his friendship and everyone wanted to hold It. But he had given it to him first. important he felt! forever. had it. How happy he was and how

It was so good he wanted to hold it

But it was taken from him almost as soon as he

And he had dreamed about it afterwards for long. many childish fantasies were weaved around it!

How

How hed

come to possess it, itd appear b his bedside one day or someone would give it to him. And hed dreamed what hed

do with it and hed be powerful and important. He thought hard. much frustrated. hed become. He felt angry with himself and very

More he tried to remember more frustrated

It always seemed that hed recall the word in It was so very

a moment and he always couldnt. frustrating.

And he felt so angry and sleepy. He

He had thought and dreamed about it for so long! also had other toys; a broken plastic rod which was his

scimitar, some plastic figures constituted his army, and such odds and ends all of which had a mythical significance in his fantasies. The toy which he loved the most was a hawk. It was

the only toy to escape being broken and charred by his hands. He cleaned it and kept it safe and loved it. Only

that morning, though he was very ill and weak, he had spent hours playing with it. He was totally absorbed into the

world of his imagination as the hawk soared through the air, dived and flipped. But now he was feeling more and more sleepy. The warm

sunlight was very soporific. He felt it impossible to go

on. He felt being tortured.

His head was aching The ground

intolerably from exhaustion and exertion. beneath his feet was melting.

His legs were not his His limits of

anymore; they were shaking and giving way.

endurance were being stretched and tried to their limit, rather beyond their limit. You decided what ya want, little un. As is this was the cue his mind had been waiting for, instantly the word came to his mind. Overcome by the sense

of torture, his exertions, bitterness and drowsiness; at last he spurted out: Why isnt you? ......... Why isnt you? From the Uncle Ahmeds shop, that one with panda in its window. From there, for yourself. Why isnt you buy a KALASHANQAUFF from there, so that you can kill me at once with it?