Once upon a time... That is how it begins every time- our introduction to the world of stories. And that is the only common factor between stories of two different generations. While growing up, I read stories in books like Nandan and Champak. Stories of kings and palaces and magical creatures. Or else stories about animals who could talk and preach as well :P. I never knew being a storyteller would be such a ghastly job...
Setting: A house in Delhi 5. A lazy Sunday.
Circumstances: Three kids dumped by their respective parents on a poor RELUCTANT babysitter (who is never paid btw)
Scene: A bedroom where the bed is scarcely visible, covered in clutter and toys. A girl enters carrying a bawling ten-month old baby( who incidentally is named Juno), followed by two kids who are trying to get ahead of each other by pulling at each others’ hair, clothes and pretty much everything.. :P. Inevitably the kicking, screaming starts and this time the baby joins in.. The girl plonks Juno on bed and yanks the other two by their arms. They are made to remove footwear and climb on the bed. The reason for their sudden obedience and silence is the one word that works magic.. the offer of a “story”
Here is how it goes..
Shivanshi: Mujhe baba wali, metro wali, jungle wali aur animal wali story sunao
Rachit: NAHIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mujhe crocodile wali, dirty duck wali sunao
Girl: Err.....(Dumbstruck at so many demands, just looks at Juno to see if she has any demands too.. Juno is busy nibbling at the toy duck and oblivious to all)
Rachit: Meri wali story.....
Shivanshi: Meir waaaaaaaaaaali storyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Girl: Stop it................... Meri wali story suno chup chap..
The kids nod in agreement, having no clue what they have let themselves into.. The Story begins.. It is about a witch with a bloody face, who stalks the streets at night with a candle in her hands looking for naughty and disobedient kids.. She then takes the kids to her hut in the forest where she cooks and eats them. It is being told with full sound effects... There is complete silence in the room, broken only by the girl’s voice. . The kids are staring at her with their mouths hanging open, eyes opened wide.. even the baby has abandoned the duck and is listening avidly... Just as the story reaches the point where the witch reaches her destination and is standing outside the house of a naughty kid.. there is a knock at the door, followed by a loud crash.. And then it is mayhem.. the kids think that the witch has come to get them (When all the while she was narrating the story to them :P). They scream and start crying.. Juno believing that this is a kind of after-story ritual, joins in with full force.. They all try to get as close to the girl as possible who they believe will protect them from the witch.. (AS IF!! She has been searching for the witch’s address to drop them off there). The kids kick each other wildly.. in the resulting scrams and cries, it is discovered that Juno has wet herself.. the knocking becomes more persistent... more bawling.. more crying and screaming.. “What worse could happen??”, the girl thinks aloud..
And then....
...........................
The power goes off...
I leave the rest to your fertile imagination..
P.S. Don’t ask me to show the battle scars.. :P
