THE LOCKED DOOR

We all have heard about the famous cartoon show “Doraemon” which is an all time favorite show of all children and current youth. Doreamon is shown with carrying several gadgets in its semi circled pocket which has proven 99.99 % effective to Nobita. One of its gadgets are ‘anywhere door’ from where one can just open the door and go to anywhere one desires of. Though in reality there never exists this magical door. But I have to admit that, that the scenes which I am going to describe here will may sound absurd to you but it did happen to me in reality.

On one evening my guests came over uninvited. We were not prepared with the dinner and supper arrangements so we hurried up and started making the needful. My grandmother told me to bring tuna fishes from the supermarket which was three blocks away from my house. I walked down to that market and found it closed with three locks hung at door and it was dark and soundless night which was quiet unusual for me because that street was usually bombarded with lots and lots of people because that street was a short route leading to ‘Victoria Memorial’. Anyways I called at my home from the nearest PCO since we did not have mobile phones or landlines in every house. My grandmother picked up and when I informed her she got broody and explained me other route to the fish store which I did not follow diligently. I was taking directions as said by my grandmother but I ended in front of a small factory which said that ‘This outlet was formed fifty years before the independence of India but was independent as always it had been’ in block letters with lot of powerful symbols and rusty chains hung on the open doors with dust all around. I gathered my confidence and opened the door but I was in malarkey and at the same time found myself as a headless chicken. The internal appearance was apparently a total contrast from the external. As I moved forward with a stick held at back tucked in my culottes, there was a big mattress lying on the wooden floor so I stepped on it and as soon I did , I found myself flying in air and was not able to resist myself from laughing without any such reason . It was like someone has left the nozzle of laughing gas cylinder opened and nitrous oxide gas has spread all over the store cum mysterious hall. In the niche of time I received a three cornered red hat made up muslin silk from the tree whose height was more than the ceiling of the store. As soon as I was putting it on my head few voices chirped in my ears saying “child, just put your hand inside it and wish for anything and see if you can get it” another voice said “child, just remember don’t ask for any living mammal rest you will get as per your desires” second last said, “child, a tip off before you go for this treasure hunt, you can use this hat only till fifteen minutes”. The last voice which was audible to me said something which made my indecisive about my wishes. It said “listen you young lady, in the allotted time given to you, you have to make any three wishes, out of those one would be granted to you as soon as you exit from the door and the rest would be pending till you appear the next time but that next time would be your last time because after that the shop won’t be visible to you though it would be there at the same place  but you are the only person who would not see it. The moment I was opening my mouth suddenly two fairies appeared in front of my eyes and blindfolded me and whispered in my ears the following things:

·       Don’t waste your fifteen minutes in pondering

·        Wish whatever strikes you

·       Think about what you would like to have

·       Think of the necessity

·       Come again for fetching your rest two fancies

·       As soon as you get you one wish fulfilled just run without turning back and you would cross the door with your desire wrapped in a white and black paper.

“Now start”. Gathering all these thoughts in my small mind perhaps took a massive amount of time and I was agitated as I was not able to see my hand watch. I engaged myself in the thought of my cravings and found all my thoughts blurry then the thing which came to my head was a piano set because I love playing it and the one in my house has become old and worn out. The second thing which shockingly popped from my head was a can of tuna fishes and the third and last wish was total clear as mud which I frantically said was a long and smooth hair because my hairs were very short and rough. In knack of time the mattress came down to the floor and I stepped down. Without turning back, moved towards the stores and the time I was opening the door knob a package wrapped as per defined was waiting for me outsides. I yelped and without any further impediments opened it there after shutting back the door and found a can of tuna fishes which I could say by looking at its size. I ran back to the home and gave it to my mother. everyone in my home was worried for me and my grandmother said,” Anna what took you so long, didn’t I say you a shorter route for buying it” . without having an another session of fiasco I went to the kitchen and asked my mother for food . The moment she opening the can the fishes appeared much bigger than they were in it. Everyone was surprised but did not utter anything  and to the another astonishment my family got surprised when they found lots of tuna fishes floating inside the can after the guests went to sleep I called a small family meeting and told this astounding incident to all my homies, some found it a piece of nonsense while my mother and grandmother were amused by the thing which happened to me and my father was correcting my first wish to be a doctor rather than having a thirty thousand rupees worth piano. I bid them a good night and went to my room and laid on my bed and started reiterating the incidents from walking down the street and coming back to my home and I fell asleep . In the morning I wake up I found myself yawning in front of family, they all were staring at me with ogling eyes . My father said “in dreams also you make me sound like a strict father”. My grandmother said “Anna when did I call you and told you to buy tuna fishes”. All were saying different things linked to my incidents which I thought happened to me reality. To prove them wrong I went back to the store but instead of a store there was florist shop that also small and tidy. I came back to the place after few hours but same florist was watering her plants and flowers. I went back to my home and realized that I had been travelling the parallel world all this while. It was sheer dream which showed me a harsh reality without any fun. It is just an another monotonous day.