‘Karagiozis rides Deity’s Truck’

“Obscure existential presence hovering above the musty odour lingering beneath, a radiant gleam of unuttered silence reflecting from occupied abode with artefacts, evaporating hope with every passing day.”

It is said that ‘idle mind is the devil’s workshop’ having an empty and lazy mind is hazardous and, often the root cause for distressing thoughts. But not much can be the source of amusement when deposited to the dark corner behind the rusty trunks in a guestroom, now also used as a storeroom. Often vacant with no interference of Homo sapiens, sometimes I sensed the hustle and bustle of small creatures crawling all over the floor, sometimes over me but I don’t ‘shoo’ them it’s good to feel a living presence, a touch. And also as hard as I try to get rid of them all the efforts will go in vain, it seems a little difficult task when you are short on your limbs. Up to a certain point the feeling of distressing thoughts are existing, then begins the expedition of introspection on every level to fight for your existence, and then the poetry embarks.

A vacant room holds an adequate amount of fatality until someone praises it by their presence.

Now I don’t know what should I feel, my mind was occupied by the intertwined thoughts setting my physical self in a great affliction and I never had an opportunity to look after liberty, and then all of a sudden you are freed from all the forbidden and unsettling chaos. When I came into this residence for the first time, I thought a family of two is pleased for having the third one as their new family member, little did I know I was about to enter a place where I’d be kept for what seems like the interminable time.

A vacant room holds an adequate amount of fatality until someone praises it by their presence.

The guest room was adjoined to the living room and had its separate door leading outside, so it gave me exposure to the movements happening inside as well as outside, the telephone inside the living room was ringing, I could hear it but I doubt Georgia was aware, for almost ringing for five minutes it stopped and I heard, ‘Hello’ meaning she finally acknowledged. Most of the time the door leading to the hallway was locked so it was not possible to make glances at its interface but the thudding sound of utensils and high-pitched mumbling noises were enough to comprehend its argument. 

Georgia was on the call and talking to Luke, but her consecutive repetition of ‘Hello’ was enough to understand that there was some error in the network connecting them,

 ‘Hello?...  (Static buzzing sound) … Can you hear me? Hello?...  (Static buzzing sound)  yes Luke for god sake spit out some wor…ds  (static buzzing sound).

She was deliberately howling and terrifying birds in the yard,

‘Yes, I can hear you…  (Static buzzing sound)  what? Someone is coming…  (Static buzzing sound)  who? Damn Luke I am not going to entertain any of your friends now…  (Static buzzing sound)  what, money?...  (Static buzzing sound)  okay so he is going to collect items from the store room, and will pay me? Sounds good to me…  (Static buzzing sound)  what he looks like?...  (Static buzzing sound)   Mr. Xenakis ?. hello?. What, red?. Red what?

And then the call was disconnected, people were alien to this modern technology and had very less information to handle them, it takes time to get used to it as I did just sticking to the same place. Luke was out of station regarding some errands, he was a good guy until he came under influence of his wife, Georgia. She is the reason I am in this condition.

Gathering scattered words Georgia was trying to comprehend the message which Luke was trying to convey, I could tell by her unsettling movements while strolling in the yard. She said,

“Okay, Mr. Xenakis must be the name, without a doubt and red could be anything.”

I heard while she was talking to herself, her shifting from ruthless person to calmer was more accurate than chameleons; the word money played a very significant and prominent role here.

Georgia was very eager to welcome her guest and she was making deliberate glances at the main gate so she could attend to him with warm greetings.

With descending of sun flock of birds transit the blood-red lake, making their way early to their nest before it’s too dark; the melodious chirping was fading away slowly with the passing time. The ‘coo-ee of koel was replaced with stridulating of crickets, the sky was orange-red. Georgia was turned impatient for attending to her new guest, suddenly a rude loud lady turned into a polite person it doesn’t fit into the bracket of, ‘personality traits’. It’s like the mischief sanity drinking water from the river of blood, it manifests insanity. With time, her eagerness was turning lethargy. Then suddenly there was a knock at the door, she ran hurriedly to attend. I heard it was a manly voice the rusticness of vibrating vocal cords told me. She welcomed him and I heard the unlocking of the latch from outside of the main door, a large tall man entered inside the room then followed by Georgia. I noticed he was carrying a big red handbag, he told her his truck was blowing grey smoke and he doesn’t think it’s in a condition to ignite the ignition, so he will have to halt today and continue his trial tomorrow, she expressed with delightful, ‘why not, make yourself at home’. Then she asked him to fresh-n-up until she sets the dinner table.

The mischief sanity drinking water from the river of blood, it manifests insanity. 

 Georgia was a dashing lady; she does not hold the trait of being frightened for inviting a stranger to her dinner table rather her case had the involvement of a wealth. In a while for the very first time, I saw the front door getting unlocked, I saw them entering and having a conversation through the gap between the wall and trunks lying in front of me, I was hardly noticeable in that dark corner. The stranger seemed very suspicious with his juvenile gestures performed as soon as Georgia left; the rock-solid body was deceptive.

It had been a long time more than what one required to hog an entire plate, I could only hear some murmuring, not clear voices, I had no idea what they are up to. After a while sound on the door piqued my attention I could tell someone was unlatching the door, a tall dark shadow was at the door and I see its hand reaching towards switchboard, the light flickered upon the dark shadow entering inside the room making the scattered image of the shadow moderately visible with each flickering, seemed like the entire kitchen was hogged the stranger had finally entered into the guest room.

He shut the door and reached out towards his bag kept on the table far across, at the corner, the corners inside the room were shady and the light inside the room was dimmer. He took out a table lamp from his bag and kept it on the table, brightening the corner and making the fuss visible. He then took out a small besom made out of twigs; the decaying twigs were falling out, reaching for another turn he pulled out some long leaves. The entire scenario was still lacking in figuring out the process, the stranger hasn’t done yet he continued losing weight from his bag, at first even I wasn’t able to figure out what it was when he removed something covered with leaves and kept on the table, then he collected the straps together and picked up his bag. It flowed a stream out from his bag dripping out on the table; a thin stream of blood was dripping on the table. I was startled and frightened to register that the bag was red due to blood, an ounce of a mass covered with leaves on the table was eerie enough to stay uninformed about his activity.

No second thoughts on his tall personality and rusticness, when a person hogging three peoples appetite and still generates a desire to sate his famish self, is with no doubt a hard guy, even after having his dinner he went to rip out a piece of raw meat from that ounce of mass, gruesome.

Georgia entered his room without giving a knock at the door only to be surprisingly confused.

With utter confusion on her face, she shouted,

“What on God’s earth you are up to?”

The stranger startle when she entered the guestroom without his knowledge.

“What are you doing? What is all this witchcraft?”

Georgia thunders.

In furious action he was unable to react under his made-up personality, he went all perplexed.

“What does this all mean Mr. Xenakis?” Georgia yelled at the stranger.

All confused he said, “Who Mr.Xenakis?” 

Georgia turned sheer red in anger, “aren’t you Mr.Xenakis who came to pick all this shit?” she asked pointing towards the mess inside the guest room.

“I don’t know what are you saying, I am Mr.Bouchier and all this is turkey”, extremely terrified he replied while claiming his innocence.

Extremely angry Georgia rushed inside the kitchen to get mob and came towards him furiously.

“Please don’t hit me, I am just a butcher who delivers meat” He pleads while flinching.

She swung the mob and gives a hard stroke upon his head; he shouts in agony and heads towards the nearest exit with whatever he can grab of his belonging.

Georgia was standing still after he flees away and thinks for a minute.

In greed for some pennies she allowed a stranger to halt at her residence without acknowledging the person’s identity, greediness can plague your thinking capability leading you towards refusal of deity and welcoming of a demon, she was troubled and went into the yard to get the mess cleaned at midnight. I was even more appreciative of this kind gesture; this room has never seen cleanliness.

The next day was pleasant and the room was enough ventilated, she kept the door open after cleaning, Georgia still seemed a little lost from the other night’s confrontation. After sweeping the front yard she was getting back inside and there was a knock at the door, she was wondering who it might be at such early, the guestroom’s door was open and it had perfect sight of the main gate, the house had two separate doors leading into the yard, one from the living room and another from the guestroom, the yard was covered with big walls and it had its separate packed gate to head outside. 

Georgia opened the gate, a man holding a pad wearing an old farmer's denim jumpsuit and an orange cap entered the house, Georgia asked him are you, Mr. Xenakis? He looked at her and replied No ma’am, but… she interrupted him and asked him to please get out of the house. She slammed the door and huffed, Georgia was now more aware or rather over-the-top regarding her visitor.

Greediness can plague your thinking capability leading you towards refusal of deity and welcoming of a demon.

 Georgia was trying to connect with Luke but due to some technical error it was not possible, he was staying at a motel and had no sign of him returning any soon, she gave up trying and bashed the receiver, I cannot firmly tell why she was curious to hear Luke’s voice either she was extremely mad or very concern about the ongoing visitor situation, another evening had passed and Georgia was busy making dinner. There was a knock at the door, she came closer and holler,

“Who is it?” 

Nobody responded and then there was another knock, she was more alert now and without any clarification, it was not an easy entry into this residence.

“It’s Apate Xenakis, I guess you were expecting me.?” Said a feminine voice.

She opened the door and there was this undesirably pleasing lady with indistinctive personality, her face had a charm and her presence was alluring. She entered and said I had come to collect the trunks, Georgia just kept looking at her wondering either she heard it wrong or maybe the error in a network made her hear ‘Mr.’ instead of 

‘Mrs.’. She asked her to take it while directing towards the guest room, then the stranger lady said,

“Oh! Definitely but I am afraid I will not be able to get it today”

Georgia looking confused, “and why is that so?” 

She looked at Georgia while taking out her gloves, “I was expecting the truck driver, but he did not show up”.

Georgia waiting for her to complete her sentence,

“So I might have to make a halt, I hope it’s not a hassle”.

She looked at the stranger lady, “you can stay here” she responded in fatigue.

Georgia now did not want to attend any of her guests with her false delightful nature, she rather preferred straight-to-the-point conversation. She did not care to invite her guest for dinner.

It was midnight Georgia closed all the doors and went off, the stranger lady entered inside the room and checked for all the doors leading inside the house, they all were locked from inside. She inspected the ambiance around the house and came back tiptoe inside the guestroom; she politely shut the door and locks it from inside, then headed towards the window.

I was very confused about her unnatural behavior; she was more helpful towards explaining her behavior which made it more precise as her behavior turned into a weird activity. She sat in the middle of the room and placed her hobo bag and then started unknotting it, her bag contained a mud pot, and the more she was performing the more it started getting weirder. She then reaches out inside her long skirt and took out a pointed trowel from her long dress.

Her digging process begins; she made a big hole on the floor inside the guest room. Then she unknotted the cloth on the pot, she made it rain gold. The cloth was not enough to hold all the golden coins she somehow gathered them all together and knotted them back to throw inside the hole, she started filling it back. Digging through a hard concrete floor was an exhausting process leading her to sweat heavily; she then removed her first layer of clothing and tossed it over the trunks at the corner, blocking my view. After that, I just heard some noises and then nothing at all.

The next day my unveiling was performed by Georgia, she removed it and looked at it thoroughly with disgust, the floor was so accurately done that it seemed no digging was ever performed here, finishing touch was up to the mark. 

The stranger lady was missing.

A generous act done without any expectations in return are stated as generous, but if you are submerging into a false act just to satisfy your needs, then you are contemplating on your thoughts are superficial, you will be more drowning and drifted from the sole purpose, the realization of freedom feels like enlightening, only you to realize it’s just a migration from one oppressor to another. You feel you are living on your own terms but little did you know you are surrendering to your deceitful thoughts and then you are doomed.

Georgia was now more worried, the past two days were not as she expected.

The realization of freedom feels like enlightening, only you to realize it’s just a migration from one oppressor to another.

There was a knock on the door, Georgia went hurriedly hoping its Luke. Two officers entered from the main gate, she looked tensed and asked,

“Yes, may I help you?”.

The officers said they are after a burglar, a lady who fled away with an ample amount of gold stolen from a wealthy merchant. People saw her running through the forest leading your village, so we are alerting people if in case. She drifted back and started figuring out things, if she tells that there was a strange lady who halted and disappeared the other night, it means welcoming unwanted hassle, another knock drifted her back, and it was the same guy with an old farmer denim jumpsuit and an orange cap. She immediately responded negative to officers and asked their permission to excuse her so she can welcome her guest.

If she wasn’t the guest how she knew about Mr.Xanakiz? Is the only question I dint figured out?

The man said, “ma’am I guess you mistook me yesterday, let me introduce, I came on behalf of Mr. Xenakizs,”.

Georgia was connecting dots now, as she saw behind the man a dark red truck parked outside her house, “oh! My bad, I apologize for yesterday”.

“No problem ma’am! Here take this”, he handed a box titled ‘Karagioziz’.

“But Luke left his old profession, did he made a new order?” Georgia asked him regarding the box.

He replied saying, “No it’s a gift from Mr. Xenakis for Mr. Luke, as a symbol of friendship”.

After listening to it I knew my time had come, he started emptying the guestroom while shifting all the unnecessary items to his truck, we all are performers to someone else’s idea or a plan, we blindly perform like a marionette, we have no control. 

That’s how I ended up here around the dirty mess on a cargo bed; I knew someday I will be replaced by another one of my kind.

 However, I hope this journey leads me to the fulfillment of my purpose and conclusion of my destiny, as I am riding in a truck named, ‘Deity’s Transport”.  

-Rohit Jagtap