The Creaking Heart Of Darjeeling

It was 30 minutes past 6 in the morning and the most "avoidable" day of my life had begun.

The birds outside the window were chirping and having a morning meeting, as if they too knew that my Kolkata chapter was ending today.

The fan moved in its robotic speed. Neither fast nor slow. It only existed just like me.

I opened my eyes, stared at the ceiling for a few seconds as if i was going to get some answer from there. When none came, i turned around and stared out of the window.

The sky outside hadn't fully awakened yet from its slumber. It was faintly drowsy, as if it too wondered, "What's the hurry for him?"

Taking a long, dramatic yawn, i stretched my arms fully like a warrior preparing for the battle, and then finally stood up.

Today, after a whole year, I was going back to my real home.

After that, I went to take shower. As the water hit me, it felt like all the laziness, sluggish pain and the habit of saying "I'll see tomorrow" had nust disappeared.

I stepped out refreshed and went towards the cabinet. Grabbed out my clothes and threw them on.

Checking myself in the mirror, i was looking decent enough for the journey.

"Then came a real test for me."

I opened the drawer, took out the comb and ran through my hair.

"Rrrip."

My hair got stuck so bad that it felt as if a small forest had been uprooted from my head. I stared at the plastic teeth in my hand as if it held a personal grudge against me.

I shoved back my comb in such a way , as if it was it's fault, fixing the hair with my bare hands.

My mood had been already dropped, and the breakfast was now out of my question. I just gulped one glass of water, sat firmly on the sofa, and stared back out the window.

Then something soft and warm brushed against my jeans. I looked down to find Sana. She was white-brown in color, with big green eyes, like the most innocent creature in the world, until she smashed my favorite mug previous night.

'Sana'...I picked her up in my lap and patted her head. "Finally we are going back to our home."

She gave me a long meow as if she wanted to say, "Just pack up. Don't be so emotional?"

I laughed, scratching her chin. "Okay, Okay!" and peered out the window. It was 15 minutes past 8 a.m., and people were already moving out on the street.

After a few minutes came a sound of three knocks on the door. Absolutely confident, as if someone already knew I was home.

"Who is it?" I called out, letting Sana sat on the bed.

"We are the transport guys, sir! You called us early in the morning!" A voice came.

"Yes, I'm coming!" I brushed my hair one last time and headed for the door.

Opening the door, I saw four people standing in front. A large truck was parked outside and behind them stood a whole neighbourhood in the mood of "What's going on there?"

The next two hours were absolutely chaos—an organized chaos, but a chaos indeed.

First went the sofa. One of it's legs were already loose and now feeling even more "independent", as it wobbled in the mid air.

Next came the kitchen equipment such as spoons, knives, and everything in between. Then they hauled a heavy box of books, from which one specific one kept slipping out repeatedly, as if begging me, 'Take me in your hand instead!'

"Sir, do you want to take this showpiece too?" One of the movers shouted, holding up my table clock.

"Yes, everything! Don't leave anything behind !" I yelled back, lifting up a small cardboard box myself.

Suddenly Sana marched out of the bedroom and started roaming around the house as if she were a supervisor. She would sniff a box, approve it and move forward, and sometimes she would pass between their legs giving them a minor scare.

Finally she found an empty box, climbed inside, and turned it into her personal throne and started observing the entire shifting operation as if she was a CEO of her own Company.

"Sana, I'll have to pack you too," I said with a huge laugh, taking her out of the box. I only had to say this when she looked at me in such a way as if i had committed a big crime.

Within an hour, the entire house was empty. The belongings were loaded onto the truck, and I stood at the door, staring at the empty room. Where there had been life yesterday, today there was only silence.

I took a deep breath and carried Sana in my arms, while closing the door, i just thought one thing - "Sana, let's go back home."