Micro Story || Quarantine

-Baba! Baba! How long I have to stay home?

-We have to wait until the pandemic recovery.

-I miss my school...I miss my friends, teachers, and our playground. I can’t tolerate more.

-Yes it’s really intolerable. But we’ve no other  way ….

-Now I feel like a jailbird of zoo. Isssh! How much pain they have! I wish I could release all the animals of zoo….

Poetry || Pray to the Almighty || Rainbow

Black or white, tall or short,

Whatever we’re thin & fat.

The sun shines us

The moon gives light,

Darkness runs away

We all similarly breathe.

The worst the pandemic

Our lives face fear,

Oh Almighty we’re waiting

When you grant our tear!

Our heart bits

We do believe,

Hope like rainbow

You’ll forgive.

Wish for the best,

Belief, inside our chest.

Short Story || Survival

-Sorry Mr. Sumon! We’re really disappointed as we didn’t have any other alternatives. Good luck.

This was the last speech of Mr. Jasim, the owner the company, where Mr. Sumon had spent his most golden time of life as a front desk executive. It was not a small period of time scale. Six years of a life should not be a matter of joke. Hmm….. It would not be. But reality made him the fun! The real joke! It was just a ten minutes meeting….not a meeting it could be titled as conversation. Then everything was over and Mr. Sumon has been OUT!

After sudden termination of job Sumon was too astonished to speak for a while. He kept standing before the exit door of office hanging on hand the last letter from HR. HR manager Mr. Zia tried to consulate him, Sorry Sumon. Actually our company is facing serious fund crisis. About 25% of existing manpower needs to be reduced. Sorry dear. Don’t be angry on me. I am just an employee as like you…….

Perhaps Mr. Zia wanted to say something more but Sumon did not let him to complete the sentence.

-No …. Zia Bhai. I have no anger on anybody. It’s all about written in my forehead! Frustrated Sumon said.

-Now …. What do you think about future? What will you do?

-Don’t know.     

It was very true that Sumon didn’t know what he would do. He felt that his brain became jammed like ice, where no thought could flow. He was walking as if he was a blind man. His poor memory was only portraying the needy face of his family members where his brain poked him the biggest question, how can we survive now! Actually it is really pathetic for low middle class family, who depend only job, has become undone due to sudden job cut as they could not get a chance to deposit any penny with their earning after expensing regular livelihood.          

It was 12 o’clock noon.

The weather was gloomy as flowing air stopped blowing suddenly. Black cloud was covering the sky where sun was losing his shine as like as the mind of Sumon also being lost the hope of life.

Sumon stood before office building for a while.

-I have sent six years here…. Six years! Sumon left a long breath. Lot of colleagues! Lots of smile! Lots of good memories! It’s very hard for me to believe that from tomorrow I will not come here. He was thinking haphazardly and brought the last letter from HR, what he received as sudden surprise thunder buzzes without cloud in the sky, just some moments ago from pocket. He had gone though the letter several times. The last line seemed to him very much interesting, “This Company will never forget your contribution”. Hahaha! He was laughing with an absent mind and hanging the letter on hand pushing it was like a flag! Suddenly a strong wind rushed the letter from his hand & big rain drops with dust warned him as nor’wester was beginning and he would go to a safe place instantly. But Sumon did nothing but standing as he was from earlier times and watched the letter flying like a kite to an unknown destination. The density of rain drops increased slowly along with the presence of whirlpool wind that made Sumon fully wet but he could not move a single step from his previous standing position.

-Hello … Sir! What happened? Why are you getting wet? You will be caught cold! Hello….Sir.

Hearing an unknown voice Mr. Sumon came to the sense of reality and wondered to discover him wet. He saw that a rickshaw puller was standing before him.

-Sir! Come to my rickshaw! Let’s go where you want.

Sumon didn’t reply anything but observing the young voice, a rickshaw puller who was almost 20 years old and most shocking part was, that puller was a lame man who paddled his earning vehicle by his only one existing leg. Sumon looked at the sky what was full of cats & dogs rain then that seemed to make a new heart of him after bathing by rain.

-Yes! I have to go far.

Sumon responded with a confident voice.

Short Story || Happy Tears

Marzan Begum had been feeling unwell since morning when she woke up from bed to do Fazar prayer. Every day she used to sleep for a while after Fazar prayer. Though today she tried to sleep but could not fall asleep as she was feeling unwell. She could not understand why she was feeling unwell. No! This was not her physical condition issue. Then, what was the reason of this discomfort! She could not find out actually any reason. Once she thought that he would call her husband Mr. Moti, a retired person, who was in deep sleep that time, to discuss. Suddenly the cell phone rang. Perhaps Mamun is calling. Marzan Begum thought that his only son called from abroad. Receiving the call she said, Hello! Who is there?

-Khalamma this is Pakhi. Pakhi was the only servant of her.

-Where are you? Have you arrived? Marzan Begum though that, Pakhi was waiting outside the door and she missed the sound of calling bell.

-There is a serious problem, Khalamma! I can’t come today.

-Why? What happened? Marzan Begum got serious tensed as without Pakhi how she, an about sixty year’s old woman, could manage all household works!

-Last night one corona patient was found beside our house. Police declared lock down total area. That’s why I can’t come.

Marzan Begum left a long breath and said to Pakhi, Ok. Take care.

A sixty plus old couple is not capable of doing all types of work. We have lost our usual stamina both mentally and physically. Most of the days Mr. Moti told these speech to her only life partner Marzan Begum at home, especially when she asked her husband to do any work, house hold or not house hold, Mr. Moti expressed his feeling such similar way. Marzan Begum became confused she would tell her man to bring bread for breakfast or not, as Pakhi would not be available today. She thought sometimes. She had pain on both wrists, so making thin wheat bread at home by her, was not possible. As a result there was no alternative of waking her husband to go to any confectionary shop though he would be angry or not.

-Hey Moti shaheb! Get up. Get up. It’s already eight o’clock morning. Generally Marzan Begum used the word ‘shaheb’ to her man as salutation. Hello…

-What happened? Mr. Moti got up in a hurry.

-How long will you sleep! Pakhi will not come. Go outside and buy bread. Otherwise no breakfast today!

Mr. Moti went to washroom and after refreshment when he came to know the cause of leave of Pakhi felt sorry.

-Pakhi is a good girl. She is taking care of us very well. Alas! How ill fated we are as our own child does not take care of us. The idiot lives abroad enjoying with his family! And we are nothing to him now! Marzan, can you remember how struggle we did for that black sheep!  

-Ohho! Why are you starting rebuking Mamun very fast time of today morning! He is working there. Marzan Begum tried to control the anxiety of her man.

-Yes I know. Actually we did a great mistake. We would not let him too much educated. That’s our biggest wrong decision of our life. He is not a human being now …. Just, being careerist only.  

Marzan Begum didn’t tell anything but was hearing her man’s unease feelings. The old angry man was continuing rebuking his only son, I told that rascal several times! Baba … Baba reee… I and your mother are very much old now. Please come to us. We are sick. Anytime anything bad can be happened. We are helpless. How can you spend time abroad without us! We cannot think our life without you. Rebuking voice turned to crying voice. But Mr. Moti did not stop. We did struggle round the life for that only idiot. What did we get as reward! Nothing ….. Nothing!

-Why are you expecting from him? It was our duty to take care him. We feed him. We educated him. We made him got married! Our duty is over. Let’s him carry his life. Marzan Begum replied in a cool tone.

-Well said! But I am not so much generous as like you. It was my dream to spend quality time with grandchild at this last stage of life when my son will take care of us! But alas! Where is son! He was uploading his family trip photos in facebook and told us to like them! How nonsense!  And now at early morning an old hopeless old ill father will go to shop to buy bread otherwise …… no breakfast! On the other hand the rascal son is enjoying dinner with his child & wife at abroad! How pathetic!

-Ok. Please go now otherwise after sometimes you will not get any bread at shop.

-Yes …. Yes! I am going. A poor old father will arrange breakfast himself though he has strong young son!

Mr. Moti was walking to door scolding his son and when he opened the door he could not imagine that his today would be started with such a big surprise!  

-Hello dada bhai! How are you! We have arrived for you.

 Mamun with his full family was standing at the door.

Being statue for a while Mr. Moti came to reality with eyeful of happy tears.

-Mohon! Dadu bhai! Welcome! My heart!

Short Story || Light will come

- Listen, Moinar ma! If anybody comes at our house looking for me, you must tell them I’m out of home. Mr. Mazed, a primary teacher of a local person owned school, told hardly to her wife Aysha Begum and then went to bed at noon.

- Hey Allah! What are you saying? Aysha Begum astonished to his husband’s unexpected behavior as so far she knew that the person never tell a lie in life but now he forced her wife to do lie! I cannot tell a lie!

-Ok. Then I am going out. Mazid replied in angry voice.

-What happened? Why are talking as like a nonsense!

-Yes! Nonsense!  My every word is meaningless! I’m meaningless! I’m nonsense. Mazed started shouting. Hearing loud voice of father, Moina, a little kid of class three, came running to front room from inside of house. Seeing own loving daughter Mr. Mazed burst into tears. Ma, Ma…re…! How can we survive!  My school owner stopped to pay us salary! He said that due to lock down of corona, most of the students didn’t clear their school fees. That’s why …. I’m very poor man. I have no money. No deposit!  Mr. Mazed was crying. Grocer has claim to me. House owner has rental claim to me. How can I face them!!

Little Moina did not understand what to do in this unusual behavior of his father. She just said to her father, Baba! Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. May the Almighty bless us all!

Mr. Mazed hugged her daughter in a loving hand and kissed on her forehead.

-Yes! Moina! You’re right. Definitely Allah will save us all.

Everybody looked behind hearing a deep male voice at this time. Mr. Jamal, was standing at the door, who is the house owner of rental living house of Mr. Mazed. I have heard everything. Mazed bhai! Why are you so much tensed! We have been living together for more than one decade. Still now we are not thinking each other as family members! I’m very much shocked, bhai!

-I am undone bhai! Please give me some times! I will arrange your rent.

-Ohho bhai! What do you think! I am heartless! I am cruel! No…no.. bhai we all are human being. The Almighty has created us all. Forget about house rent.

-But…

-Don’t worry. I along with my family will be always beside you. We strongly hope to live together.

Speechless Mr. Mazed forgot to give thanks to his house owner for his generosity. He looked to blue sky through an open window and it seemed to him as blowing air whispering, darkness of corona will be vanished…. Light will come.