The Mystery Man

The city where I live is one of the most peaceful places in the country; people live a much regimented life. I have seen innumerable cycles of kid to adolescent to graduate to professional to marriage to kid again in a well-oiled fashion. There are no loud parties, glitzy dresses or spicy romances. Just a normal, peaceful cycle.

On one of these chilly nights in Chennai, I am not kidding, Chennai can be chilly and nippy at times. For people who survive through high 30s for most part of the year mid 20s can be surreal.It was one of those nights, I was sitting late and Dan Brown was taking me on a trip across Spain into the depths of Sagrada Familia in his latest thriller Origin. As I was shuffling through the pages waiting earnestly for the mystery to unravel, I heard a distinct bell that was passing at a steady pace across my place.It immediately rang a memory, when decades back I was walking along the streets of my locality going around singing carols, I had heard the same distinct bell. As I looked up to find the source I could see a tall well-built man dressed in a dhoti and shirt and a black coat. I think he had an umbrella too tucked in, his eyes where blood red, with a lantern in one hand a bell in another and other accoutrements.

All I got was a quick second to notice this as he walked at a very brisk pace, his stare was fixed at a point far away, he passed us as if we didn't even exist in that road.Now, my cousins and my parents live a couple of blocks away in the adjoining street and they too had heard this bell. They were curious about this strange sound and I told them what I thought about it from my experience. I didn't know it would send a shiver down their spine.

A couple of days later, the guy came back around the same time and kept ringing the bell incessantly. My mother heard this and got scared like a wet cat and my cousin lost her sleep. She was thinking of securing the gates with additional locks.Now, none of us had seen this person ever, it was just a ringing bell all this while.

Our lives are mostly regimented, isn't it? Warm nights we love and cozy up to it thinking/talking/enjoying all the utopian feelings of an ideal life. On a chilly night all we need is zomato and few blankets to slip back into our reverie . 

All it requires is a very small distinct ring out of the ordinary to disturb our peace and calm, send shivers down our spine that we start imagining the worst will hit us. Warm feels like heat and no amount of blankets take away the chill of fear.How fragile are we made, how facile our securities in life are. So fragile that like a cracked glass that a clinging bell could shatter and put us into sleepless nights?

Our faith lies in the wealth, connects, job and positions we have. We have nothing on the inside, no grit, no determination, no integrity, no leg to stand up for a principle. Neither do we teach our progeny what real strength is, we just put blinkers on their eyes like a horse and set them on a track to gain the fallacies of the world. All the time telling them they are securing their future, making their life stable, their paths even and all it takes is a ding of bell.

It's another chilly night, I am sitting with another book taking me down the path of mystery and I hear a ding. I decide to take a look and there was a guy with lantern going by selling popsicles. 

Published by bennetegI like to wander into nothingness and pick up few thoughts, it is these that you view here View all posts by bennetegJanuary 11, 2018UncategorizedPost navigationConvenient FacesEdit"The Mystrey Man"3 thoughts on "The Mystrey Man"VijayaraghavanJanuary 12, 2018 at 9:32 amEditBennet dear you are maturing fast. Practice is making you perfect.What a change from the first blog to now!!!Happy New year once again and wishing that you increase the periodicity.VijayaraghavanLiked by youReplyAnita SanthoshJanuary 13, 2018 at 1:03 amEditAnd all it takes is a ding of bell….. so true!! Wondering how do i get give my progeny the real strength!!??Liked by youReplybennetegJanuary 13, 2018 at 3:13 amEditThank youLikeReplyLeave a ReplyLogged in as benneteg. Log out? Notify me of new comments via email.Search for:RECENT POSTSThe Mystrey Man January 11, 2018Convenient Faces December 28, 2017Uncommon November 21, 2017TiM.UP ↑ ...