Monday, August 20, 2012

Eviction


We have always faced the threat of eviction from our land. Why this should have been so we still do not know though the threat has been in existence for nearly thirty years. The land was unpromising, prone to frequent inundations and earthquakes. Yet, there was someone who wanted us out of this place.
We are a very tenacious tribe. Other tribes had periodically settled adjacent to us but had been unable to stay rooted. Our tribe has proudly withstood every attempt at uprooting us and has managed to retain hold of the land that we had claimed long ago.
There were some among us who said that the inundations and the seismic activity were also part of the attempts to evict us. There are always such madcap conspiracy theorists in any tribe. If we were to believe them, we would have to believe that the Cosmic All was against us, for who else has the ability to flood and convulse the land?
Yet, it is true that the attempts at evicting us were always made when the seismic activity was strongest and the land was practically submerged under water. It only goes to show how evil the beings were that acted for their gain against beings in distress.
There were some who said that our sins were increasing and, thus, the Cosmic All was angry with us, though how beings rooted to their land could sin beats me. It is true that the seismic activity had increased radically in the recent past so much so the weaker members of our tribe had been evicted. The scientifically minded among us said that the world was passing through a tunnel periodically and that was causing the increased seismic activity. Maybe the latter were correct since it grew very dark at these times but, if so, I prefer to believe that the Cosmic All was testing us.
The historically-minded among us also said that the water that inundated us was cleaner earlier and that it was getting more and more poisoned. They were probably right since I could myself remember the times when my roots were unshaken in the periods of inundation. Nowadays, I find my hold terribly weakened and it takes all my strength of will to hold on to my land.
Soak no more”, said the Cosmic voice and I rejoiced. We had been tested and we had come through it all. I had periodically heard the cosmic voice say “Soak” just before the land was inundated. So, now the Cosmic All had relented and we would enter His Paradise.
When the two giant beings with five tentacles each came towards me, as they usually did, the land had not been inundated and the beings let go without even a single attempt at evicting me. The land became dark. What was this? The land was getting inundated! Oh! Cosmic All! Was that declaration a lie?
Small colorful beings settled in on me. The seismic activity started. Why was I vibrating like this? My hold is getting too weak and I am losing consciousness. It IS true, then that the Cosmic All had no liking for us.
You cannot evict me! I have my tenancy rights! No! No! Noooooooooo!
* * * * * *
“Thank God all the grease stains are gone thanks to this new detergent! Though I will never understand why your Dad still wears these old Khakhi trousers!”
“He wooed Mom when he was wearing these. So, he has a sentimental attachment to these trousers. Let us hope that he had no sentimental attachment to the grease stains as well. Otherwise, we will never hear the end of it!”

40 comments:

  1. beautifully crafted story once again.

    ReplyDelete
  2. By the 3rd para I got that the story is written from the pov of stain particles. That is just brilliant, shades of lakme contest post in this one. Loved reading it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks DS! Shades of Dove too. I am using the same technique - personification of the inanimate :)

      Delete
  3. Wow ! I did not guess till the end what u were talking about Suresh . Superb :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gosh, how do you manage multiple entries. Hats off..!
    I bow to you :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One entry only in this, Ghazala!! In fact one entry only in each of the recent competitions!

      Delete
  5. A marketing specialist, then a narrator, then agony aunt, sorry uncle, and now stains. What next, Suresh? :-)

    All the best for the contest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am supposed to be going to Melbourne, NOW, Sudha :) :) Do not know if I can manage a decent job of that :)

      Delete
    2. How interesting is that! I also want to go to Melbourne NOW :-)

      Delete
  6. Wow! That was a very cleverly written piece on the topic! Covers everything it needs to cover in the most interesting manner. Excellent work, CS! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I was going to say this is very like your Lakme post when I noticed DS has already said it. You won at Lakme. Maybe you will win here as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do this personification style of writing quite often! As I pointed out to DS, I did it for Dove as well!

      Delete
  8. Good point of view from the eyes of the stains.. LOL. Loved this post

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Farida! Loved that LOL for this non-humorously written 'humor' post :)

      Delete
  9. all that i want to say is YOU R YOU ...BRILLIANTLY CRAFTED STORY , all d bst suresh !

    ReplyDelete
  10. that's a brilliant post!! you are infinitely creative!! all the best for the contest!!

    anyway, you have written enough contest posts. Now write one super duper humor post for us.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi! I've nominated you for the Kreative Blogger award! Check out the link http://justanotherwakeupcall.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/rainbows-on-my-windscreen/

    ReplyDelete
  12. You had me foxed-did not know what you were talking about,till the very end.Very crafty-nobody can leave it mid-way!!!!!!!
    The very best to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's wonderful to hear Indu! You made my day :)

      Delete
  13. Congratulations on your Lakme win, CS. If this story is anything to go by, you definitely derserved to win. I am bound to laugh out loud at least once (if not many times) when I read the quirky twists to your tales.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow! Simply Wow! Until I reached the very last line, I was thinking just reading another Cosmic fiction...superb imagination! Fab!

    ReplyDelete
  15. C.s., I think you have read a lot of t.f.posts, like a full series. I could see the influence.
    excellent penning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PL! I have been doing this sort of thing before I ever knew TF. :)

      Thanks!

      Delete
  16. Personification of the inanimate! I like that! I haven't read a lot of entries for this contest, this was amazing! Everyone seems to have commented about the Lakme post, I don't think I read that either, or Dove for that matter. You seem to be becoming an expert at this whole personification thing! Will get to those posts next! Happy crafting! Best wishes for the contests!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to do a lot of it in my long gone youth, Deepa! The Lakme one actually won me my only prize in a contest - albeit a consolation prize!

      Delete
  17. Yes definitely shades of Lakme post here. I read that recently so felt an immediate connect. Brilliantly conceived!

    ReplyDelete
  18. UV rays and now stains and stain removers. Finding humor in all situations and circumstances, I guess, can be done but to write on them and make your readers enjoy all of them is impossibly difficult. You do that and with aplomb! Thanks, Suresh.

    ReplyDelete