Life

The sun was way par its prime and was now fighting a losing battle. With less than a semi crescent visible over the seemingly unending expanse of water, its end was inevitable, darkness would eventually preside over. With the waters becoming ever more turbulent, the ocean had to bear the brunt of this ever impending clash. The Sun never went down meekly, putting up a brave fight whenever its reign was under threat and it was this determination and courage that empowered it to reconquer the lost land unfailingly.
“The curse is as bad for both of them. Both are destined for a complimentary life forever, for one can only survive at the expense of the other.”
The little boy looked up into his father’s gleaming eyes, he could barely sense the sadness and the pain through which those words were spoken, he was more intrigued by this impending battle. He picked up a small twig and carefully drew out a circle on the slightly wet sand. He stopped for a moment midway, his tongue hanging out at one end, his face tilted slightly to the left and seemed to ponder over his progress. Pretty satisfied with his effort he carried on. The little boy had brought down the sun right down to his feet, but this was only half the job done. He was now puzzled more than ever before for he wanted to en-capture darkness like the sun. He had a strange feeling that he could bring this battle to an end, that he could unite the sun and the darkness.
He looked up at his father who was watching him while with a mild expression of surprise. For a moment his father too had forgotten everything and had got mesmerized by the boy’s escapades. With a serious face, that had innocence written all over it, the little boy asked his father as to how to depict darkness for he had no clue. Thinking he hadn’t been able to convey his question to his father, who just gave a shrug and smiled, the boy stood up, went up to his father, and gently nudged him on his arm with the twig.
“Dad, I want to draw darkness.”
The father looked into his son’s determined eyes, who was slowly beginning to get impatient for he couldn’t understand why his father was unable to grasp the urgency. He let out a small clicking noise as if to proclaim that he was getting impatient. The father, sensing the increasing level of anxiety in his child, held the boy with his hands and helped him onto his lap.
“I’ll tell you how to draw darkness. But you will first have to listen to what I have to say.”
The boy looked up into his father’s eyes and a sense of calm swept across him. He realised that his quest would soon be fulfilled. He failed to notice the quiver in his father’s voice but the glint in his eyes told him that his father had something important to tell him. He made himself comfortable on his father’s lap, ready to catch on to everything that his father had to tell.
“There will come a time in your life when you will have to make a decision that will affect not only your life but also will be as important for those close to you. Whenever that time comes, remember that there will be a lot of people who’s lives will depend on that one decision. The sun and the darkness have both had to face such a situation and it is for the betterment of everyone that they have chosen this kind of life for themselves. It was a decision that has made life possible on this planet and it would be a really bad idea to alter their course of action. The pact has been made, and it must be let as it is for normalcy to remain forever. I will not be here for you forever. In fact forgive me for you have a very tough life ahead of you. Your mother died the day you were born. It was only her wish and sacrifice that has given me the courage to move on and live a normal life. But God hasn’t been kind on you, my son, and I will not lie about it. Its only a matter of days now before I will have to pay for my bad behaviour. Yes, my son, your dad is not the best dad in the world, in fact he barely considers himself to be one. I know, you are too small now to understand all this but please remember that in your future you will have to face hardships, obstacles far worse than what a normal child of your age will ever go through. And it is all because of my decision that I took a few years ago. Always remember my son; your decision will influence a lot of people. Always remember the Sun and the darkness, and remember that however tough a life they have to live they have taken that decision for the benefit for the entire world. This is a very small world where a lot of things are intertwined and your every decision somehow or the other plays a role in determining your destiny as well as those near you. Please remember this. And as for how to draw the darkness just cover the sun that you have drawn with a piece of black cloth. And you will have your darkness. But do you still want to go against the wishes of the Sun and the darkness?”
The boy was fast asleep in his father’s comforting lap. His father looked at his son, fast asleep and a tear fell a lump develop in his throat, a tear trickled down his cheek. He looked into the distant sea, now hardly able to make a silhouette of a fishing boat making its way back. The battle was over he thought. Darkness had once more thwarted the Sun. A smile spread across his face as another tear went down rolling on to the beach. His son shifted a little in his sleep.