The boy popped up
Like a Jack-in-a-box
His gaze unwavering
Face masked
Shabbily attired
A thick bamboo stick
Lay reclined by his side
He sat on the boundary wall
of the Park
Not very far from the entrance of my flat
I had a tinge of doubt
What was he there for?
Plonked up like that?
He gesticulated to me
Which I failed to figure
Did he want some food?
Or sitting there to have some of his own?
I told Auntie to keep an eye on him
Something about him was not quite natural
When I returned after a few minutes
He was still there unmoved
I said,"Seen these strays
They will prey on you..."
This time he held a peeled banana aloft
And took a bite leisurely
His gaze still straight towards my balcony
Aunt said she had already warned him
About Babu, Neelu, Tuk Tuk and Sam
What about our Rinky (my pet)? The great gun
He neither seemed scared nor impressed
Carried on munching his biscuits and bread
Having no plan to budge an inch
Under the spell of suspicion
I called the guard
Told him to ward off
The uninvited guest (or trespasser?)
Guard asked, "From where have you come lad?"
The boy's reply was not audible
At least he was not dumb as he pretended
The conversation ended
With the guard having succeeded
To push him off (not without reluctance)
The boy hobbled off
But Rinky made it worse
And wanted to pee at that very moment
I hesitated at the gate
Perhaps I will meet the strange boy again
Outside in the service lane
But when I looked around
He was nowhere to be found
The next day...
I called upon my shrink
"I am having nightmares
That boy and his passive stares...."
Shrink said, "He is past....you move on
There is lots to life than baseless fear
Have no worry...take a chill pill...put on some music
and groove on..."
