I plucked the Jasmine flower from the creeper that grew sturdily on the arch above me its sweet smell intoxicating in the early morning air and the dew on it made it glisten in my hand, as like a jewel to be gifted to one’s beloved on their wedding day. With care and attention I placed it gently in my bamboo basket trying as much as I could to not deform its already delicate shape. With great tenacity had I tried to deplume just those flowers which would retain their fragrance until the setting of the evening Sun. These were the best Jasmine flowers in the entire area and they were tended to by me.
After handing over the flowers to the garland maker, I headed off in the direction of the spa. As I walked along I was greeted by friendly faces with their warm smiles reminding me of the sweetness of this fine morning. The ladies moved gracefully in their long flowing tunics cajoling in me images of swans swimming silently on a still lake and the men went about purposefully in their loose overalls carrying out their designated tasks with a sense of gaiety and utmost ease. It was fine morning to be alive indeed.
The spa overlooked a great huge garden filled with every imaginable flora and fauna that we hold dear. Never before in the history of the world had such a garden ever been created in terms of its sheer vastness, beauty, comfort and breathtaking landscapes. It truly is a marvel of the modern world. On seeing this great expanse stretch out before me, my idiosyncrasies took over haling me to postpone my time in the Sauna and decided instead to wander around in the garden for a while. My mind was at ease for my next task was scheduled in a good four hours time.
Loitering around in that expansive garden is one of my favourite pastimes. The air was chilly and had just the right amount of moisture to magically transform the cold into a pleasant, comforting and one could say even romantic sense of warmth. The garden is always filled with people, all in sight of each other but with the right amount of distance to make one believe that they are really alone. There were the elderly who were reading or merrily talking away and the young, cuddling and frolicking in the corners, following their instincts just like Adam and Even in the legends of lore. We can all see the mountains in the distance from here, their snow covered peaks a favourite destination for the numerous trekking enthusiast over here.
I went over to a bench nearby and sat down slowly unpacking the sandwich that I had picked up earlier at the canteen near my home. It was large sandwich kept warm thanks to its wrapping. Unwrapping it, I took my first bite, letting the cheese ooze onto my tongue and tomato’s flavor mingling with it as my teeth sunk into them was a feeling of pure heaven.
But it was then that my eyes fell on the first transport ship that passed overhead and that was when all the hatred and self-loathing took over. I looked around and saw that the others were visibly disturbed as well. The old folks stared at their feet and the young looked away unable to focus on each other. But for me, it was like a stab in the heart each time I saw them. After having trained as a cadet all my life with the sole aim of making it as captain one day to be here doing nothing was akin to a river disallowed to finish its journey in the ocean. But one small error on my part had got me here, to this prison. Like a bird with wings clipped we are forced to stay here and look on at those ships, filled with men and women exploring new worlds undertaking wondrous journeys to the farthest reaches of what the human mind can conjure up. And it is in this hell of boredom and suffering that only perfection can create does the state imprison us never to know or acknowledge our greatness as a human being. We are put here with those petty details that our forefathers held dear under the allusion of luxury all the while when the true nature of the human spirit lay out there.
