The genie and happiness of an old man

                                                                            The genie and the happiness of an old man
                                 
                                                                                            Animesh Sarkar



It was a Sunday. The boys had started playing their cricket even before the sting in the sunrays had disappeared, a time when on any other days of the week they would have been languishing in the last period of their classes. Within minutes of starting the game their faces were red and their bodies sweat soaked. The shirts stuck to their backs. This small plot of grass-covered land, large enough to build a big house with a garden, was one of the few open spaces still left in this area. The boys, ever since they were allowed to venture out of their houses had known this place as their playground. They did not bother their little heads with the fact that somebody owned this place and a house could be built on it any time. On one side of the ground close to the high boundary wall of the hospital premises stood a clump of trees among copious undergrowths. It was strange that there should be so many trees in the middle of an area crowded by houses of all shapes and sizes; however they had never seemed strange to the eyes of these boys as much as the future of their playground did not weigh upon their mind.
            Concerning these trees the boys had a rule, a rule one could not find in the book where the rules of cricket were written. If anyone hit the ball into these trees or jungle as they called, he had to fetch the ball out himself and to add to his owe he would be declared out. The reasons behind this rule were the facts that much time was wasted in search and at times the ball had to be given up as lost. The rule worked well and every one who came to bat was careful not to strike the ball hard in the direction of the trees.
              But today luck was not on Bapi’s side. He wanted the ball to go toward the street but instead it went flying into the trees. Other boys jumped and gave a cry of joy. Despondent, Bapi, dragging the bat on the ground, started walking toward the trees. No one would come to his help unless his search which ought to be a fairly long enough turned out to be futile. It was not a pleasant place to go into searching for so small an object like a cricket ball with so much bushes and shrubs around to give one a hard time. There were plants whose inconspicuous leaves gave one terrible rashes and plants one did not realize bear thorns until they hurt him. There was the fear of snakes though they had never seen one. Bapi was looking forward to a long and arduous search. It was with surprise that he noticed a man sitting at the foot of a tree holding the ball in his hand. He was a middle-aged man with stubble on his face and so short that he looked like a dwarf. He wore an old faded trouser and a cheap shirt with red stripes. The first thought that came to Bapi’s mind was whether this man was mad. But there was nothing in the man’s appearance that could suggest he was a lunatic and when he spoke his voice too was very much sane.
“Is this yours?”
“Yes.” Nodded Bapi.
“Then I owe you a favour.”
Bapi was duly confused.
“I will explain it to you,” the man said helpfully, “you see here is a broken bottle. Your ball broke it and I was liberated. I was trapped inside the bottle.”
“I don’t understand.”
The stranger pursed his lips and for a moment watched Bapi silently. Then in a matter of fact voice he said, “I am a genie.”
“Genie! I don’t believe you.”
“It was not surprising that you don’t believe. Look I will transform myself into a dog.” No sooner did he utter those words than he was gone and in his place stood a cute little white dog wagging its tail. The man soon retransformed into his human form. “You saw.”
“But you could be a magician!”
“No I am not a magician. Look now you take this ball and go and meet me after your game. I will grant you a wish but remember I don’t give money.”
            As the evening descended and mosquitoes formed a buzzing cone above their heads the boys called it a day and went home exhausted but satisfied. Bapi returned from midway after making a pretense to go home and met the genie that appeared from nowhere.
“Have you decided what you want?”
“I want to stand first in my class year after year.”
“I am sorry. Your hard work and intelligence can make you first.”
Bapi was disappointed. He pondered for a moment and became cheerful again. “ You see my parents do not love my grandparents do something about it.”
“I think I can do that.”
The genie took a hasty leave saying Bapi should see the effects within days and declining to say anything about himself.
            For the next few days Bapi kept a keen watch on his parents’ conduct towards his grandparents and to his pleasant surprise they started showing the old pair more love and respect. The tone of indignation that used to be in their voices, especially in his mother’s, was gone. His mother would give them their tea more sincerely as though she felt happy to serve them and his father would spent some time talking to them after he returned from office. His parents actually became fond of the aging couple. In every word they said and every thing they did conveyed this fondness. As days went by this fondness only grew and to Bapi his home and family felt to be more peaceful and fulfilling than ever before. At first his grandparents were confused by this sudden change in the attitude of their son and daughter-in-law, though Bapi did not realize it. They thought if this was some kind of joke. However soon they began to enjoy the unexpected attention with which they were being showered.
          Theirs became a perfect family, a family in which love was abundant and everyone was happy with their lives. That winter on the New Year Day they went on their first ever family picnic to a favourite picnic spot on the tree lined banks of a canal that carried water to the paddy fields in the villages from Damodar river about whose course Bapi had no idea. It was during the picnic, while he took a walk with his grandfather along the red earth road that went parallel to the canal as his parents and grandmother made themselves busy in preparing the food that Bapi told his grandfather the whole story about the genie and the wish the genie granted. Bapi thought the old man would be quite amazed and happy to know the truth. He was amazed. He would not believe him and when he finally did believe him he was not happy. The old man looked quite sad, the creases on his face deepened, almost looking ugly.
“What happened?” Bapi asked,” Was not this an amazing thing to happen?”
“Yes of course,” his grandfather said, “I thank the genie and I also thank you for wishing our happiness, but never tell this to your grandmother, never.”

                                                     
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