The dawn broke with the first rays of the Sun touching the yellow petals as She fluttered awake. The Night seemed too long at times for the Sunflower as she waited for a glimpse of the Sun again, to feel his warmth again. At times, she wished she was a bird and could travel with the Sun, East to West every day. That way she never would be missing him!
But sometimes she loved the feeling of longing, of waiting for daylight like her life depended on it. She was bound to her roots, she couldn’t set herself free from the Soil, her nurturing Mother. All she could do was raise her head and follow him, as he travelled clueless, about how long she had waited. The Sun had no idea that the Sunflower existed. He had a million others like her. But the Sunflower’s life and reason to live was the Sun. One day the rays took pity on her, as she yet again shed tears watching him leave behind a trace of red light on the western horizon. The Rays told the Sun about the Sunflower and her silent waiting. The Sun was amazed at how someone’s life is affected by him, and he was so clueless. One day as the Night put the Sunflower into a deep slumber, The Sun appeared in her dreams.
“Why O Beautiful Yellow Heart, Do You wait upon this Clueless Soul?” He asked as she appeared speechless in her dreams. “ Don’t you fear my blazing heat? Don’t you fear it will dry you someday?”
“ No My Love, I don’t!” She replied without a thought.
“But Why?” He asked amazed.
No one dared to look him in the eyes, let alone love him. No one was there to share his burdens or be a part of his journeys, he was always alone.
“ Because you are my reason to live. Because you travel the sky, and I follow you in my heart, maybe I am attached to my roots but I am always with you, in my soul and heart.”
The Sun smiled as his image faded in her dream. She woke to find a ray had reached her. Her wait was over for the day. She smiled.
The Sun now looked forward to visiting the yellow patch of the field every day unknowingly, there she was staring up with hope every day. He smiled as he made sure a special ray reached her every day. He could never meet her, she could never be his. But their hearts spoke in silence every day. She knew the warmth was special to her.
One day Ray had a message. From the Sun.
“ Why do you wait upon the Love that can never have a happy ending?” She smiled at the Sun’s question.
“Because Home is ... where You are!”
He smiled to himself as she stared up, looking at each other, and the warmth of their love spread across the earth.
“Reginald Dyer is yet to apologise for the incident which was criticised worldwide. Punjab is on high alert.” The transistor in the living room broke with the morning news. “On other news the League of Nations…” Meera wiped the already clean surface of the showcase for the second time while listening to it. One of the servants came around and switched the channel to a station where a Raga played. Meera tip-toed up to the transistor and looked around before lowering the volume. She was standing outside the door of the Magistrate’s home office, clad in a saree borrowed from Nimai’s mother, who worked at her Pishima’s house. “I need it for my maid back where I work.” Meera lied with a straight face. Nimai’s mother did not care; she was getting Didimoni’s beautiful blue Jamdani instead of her tattered clothes; she would not think twice about this unharming exchange. Meera tried to listen. The gardener sang outside, tending to the flowerbeds as his scissors snipped the bushes back to shape
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