Talking with Perfumes

Fragrances have always been enthralling me. Incidents in my life, are governed by fact, time, people, relationship and fragrance ! I greatly believe that fragrances have with them, the unseen key to tamper the mystical winding's of our memory lanes.

It was a sunny afternoon and I was engrossed in repelling the lizards, cockroaches, spiders and cob webs while cleaning my room’s loft. The little creatures drifted away hastily due to the sudden interruption.  My hands went twitchy as they opened an old decorative wooden box, rather “Treasure Box”.

A small square shaped bit of news paper well preserved in a shiny plastic cover.  My memories went spiral. Tears dripped down my cheeks. I was hardly 6 years when my grandfather gave me peppermints wrapped in this news paper sheet. It made me so joyful to eat and smell the peppermints for the first time in my life. I felt the chillness of peppermint in my throat and the joy it brought on my grandpa’s face.

Hey!..the Lavender and White plastic pencil box! My cherished treasure since I was 7.  It had cuts and stains as its decoration.  Carved on its top were me and my friend’s name. I carefully slid opened it and found empty incense sticks and camphor covers - The most economical, no harm perfumes that were sure to be found in all household cupboards. It was then the first time, I started having the urge to make perfume as an identity of my personality. I remember us both sharing growing friendship in exchange to our parents shouting at the quickly emptying camphor and incense sticks at home J !

Few silverfishes escaped, as my hands went full with smooth pebbles. At 10, they were gold to me. I used to close my eyes and gently caress them against my tender cheeks. And I always looked down while walking, praying that I gather more pebbles that day.  It made me think that each day, the garden, the lawn and my school ground were all seen by me for the first time, afresh! I used to hold together couple of pebbles, chanting secret mantras, believing that it would bring new aroma every time, when separated. And we all friends involved in the pebbles search, agreed that they did bring a new smell only for those who are “truly“good among us! J . Surprisingly my collection also won the price under the category “Not so common hobbies” that time!!

I heard the jingling sound stop as my son 9 year old son grabbed a rounded iron coin with a hole in its middle that slipped off my palm, on to the floor. He was completely curious and climbed the steps to the loft. His eyes shone in eagerness with his grapes like eye balls.

“Amma, what is this and what are you doing here?”.

“ Yes dear, this is the first coin in my first piggy bank”.

“First coin?!!”, he laughed.

“Yes, this was coin in practice which my great grand parents used. And you know this is lucky treasure to me till today that if I smell it once, think something big and keep it safe, what I wished for happens!”

His eyes were wonder struck and asked me, “Amma, Can you share more ?”

I took him to a trip down my memory lane and told him how the newspaper preserved, reminds me that love is no costly and can transparently be expressed through simple gifts. While the Lavender box reinstates innocence and bonding that we lose over years. And how a simple hobby if done with passion could even win hearts and get awards.

I asked my son,” Dear, tell me what do you treasure most ? And what perfume would you like to preserve?”

“Amma, he called out as he hugged me. “I don’t know if I would have a box like you. But all that I can tell you is I like you so much and you always smell good; the perfume which is always with me and that requires no preservation….”.

I broke down in bliss. The one answer that made me discover a treasure that I would cherish across births!

In Silence

No, somehow I’m going to nail it now. How can something toss me up so casually?

It was the third consecutive cold hour in the winter Wednesday of November when I heard the voice of one crying, as if, it were happening next to me, though not really.

I pulled my over coat, wore a scarf, grabbed the torch and ensured my wife, Nancy was sleeping, and  stepped out in the lawn leading to my garden,  even as the cold wind was blowing.

I managed to become unnoticed in the eyes of security personnel and was on all ears to the voice fading high and low.

Thirty minutes of curious search led me to a bench underneath the snow clad Peach tree. I hesitantly sat at one end of the bench while my eyes caught the sight of an odd looking object, rather, a creature?!

Oh, My.. it is alive !. I was nervous but still tried to grab its attention.

It was radiating its deep pain into the air and all that surrounded it, including me.

After sometime it looked as if it had decided to console itself and started speaking to me.

“Hold me closer”, it pleaded like a child. I gently lifted it in my arms and placed it on my laps even as it was trembling.

“Do you need a coat?”, I had no choice but to ask this weird question to something really weird. 

“No”, it sobbed and started radiating slight calmness around.

“Can I know your history?”, I assured my tone did not make it break again.

With a sigh of relief it started narrating its story.

“Life was unfair to me and my kind of people (?!!!). I was born in a rich cage, which was nurtured and pampered with all care, affection, love and freedom until I was five years old. Yes, we can’t live without cages”.

I made it stop and asked, “Then how is that your are here now?”.

“I managed to escape at will and be alive”. The voice was firm and it really made my spine chill.

“Those were my golden days and there was no fear, anger, hatred, feeling of failures….All that happened was perfect as they were. I was jolted first time in my life when a disappointment blowed me down when I was 8. We are connected to the cage and whatever the cage encounters we do encounter”.

“Strange…”, I murmered. “What was the disappointment?”

“We are unlike you humans. We cannot perceive objects live or dead when inside cage. And don’t ask me how now. Yes again I’m managing at will. It was then a feeling of complete failure of expectation.  Sadness, emptiness, hurt all were thrown on me. I loved my cage and waited till it can give me happiness. Days and years passed by. Here and there, it did give me happiness and then I landed up in a complete turmoil at 25.”

The night felt more cold and chill due to my fear and weather. The narration continued and I was uncomfortable to make it comfortable on my laps.

“I was made to understand what love is not. All that I knew was there was a relationship, that was promised to be continued life time, but was not. One in the relation decided to part and start a new one with another promising more beautiful and a fulfilling relation. What was nurtured since 5 years came to a halt. There was complete misery and suffering. I started getting more and more pain and I worked endlessly to get it repaired. There were suggestions that gave me temporary relief. Prayers that lifted me many times. But that lost love could never be replaced. One bad day, there was a slow poisoning that made me run and gasp for breath.  I could no longer remain in the cage. I managed to escape. Escape the beautiful cage where I was born, nurtured and finally tortured.”

I really froze and wanted to get away from this peculiar creature. “Who is this? Why am I sitting and listening? God better I leave”

It read my thougts and made me change my decision with its cry again.

“You still want me to leave you James? Is Barbara more good and beautiful than me?”

“GOD…………………………………I Screamed”. Nancy…. Nancy……

“Yes I’m your sweet heart’s “HEART” James”……..

I took to my heals, opened our bedroom only to find Nancy lying still, at peace.

I broke down… yelled… beat myself……..but Nancy never returned.