Dropping the Anchor

Chapter - 1

“Rafael, I would like to become an astronaut, what should I do?” All smiled.

“Its good to have an aim in life Ajay, but there are things, first you should know before you think of a goal?”

“Really, that I didn’t know.” All nodded.

“Yes Mark, the best way to make you known your aim is through a story.”

“Great Rafael, we are ready.” All nodded.

“Once upon a time, there lived a Pirate, named Alfonso, who wanted to help the poor.”

“Rafael, a pirate is a man who loots. He is not a saint and you say, he wants to help poor. Really Rafael, you have really a weird sense of imagination.” All smiled.

“Thanks for the compliment, Mark. But it is true, this pirate wanted to help the poor, but circumstances forced him to loot. So he had been looting from age 12. He was never able to get out of this web. Every sleeping hour and the waking hour, the first thought was help the poor.”

“But Rafael, in water, where is the poor, except the people whom they loot.” All nodded.

“I agree to that, Rebecca. But still, he always dreamt about it. So one day, one of his men fell sick. He needed, immediate medical care, but they were far from land. So they started moving to the nearby land as quickly as possible and within two days, they were able to reach shore and there before he stepped on land,  Alfonso  changed his attire and made himself presentable. He was a very good looking guy, but he had no time to look into the mirror, as it was important to get medical aid at the very earliest.” All nodded.

“So they dropped anchor a little away and waited to let the sun come down and they slowly dropped down a service canoe and slowly the ill crew was lowered to the boat and Alfonso joined last along with three other crew members. They were all neat and clean.” All nodded.

“They rowed really hard and reached shore when pitch black. When they reached land, they alighted from the canoe and one of the crews stayed in the canoe and moved into the shade of mangrove trees and found a safe hiding place. Slowly the other pirates started to move, when Alfonso stopped them and gave a bag for each crew member and asked them to use wisely. The sick man’s purse was given to one of the other crew members and they all took the burden of the sick man happily.” All smiled and nodded.

“But what happened to the man and the service canoe, Rafael?”

“Well, the man was an 18 year old boy named Sanjo. He found a place to hide the canoe and reached Alfonso within no time. He was the caretaker of the canoe, when the crew visits land for supplies and medicine. And Alfonso made sure, that Sanjo is always with him.” All nodded.

“The duo slowly moved towards the direction the other crew members had taken. As a sea pirate, his senses were so attuned to each sound, smell, that they reached the other members in no time.” All nodded.

"But Rafael, there is one thing I would like to know, you told, the pirate wanted to do good. But from age 12, he has been looting. So naturally, his destiny might have already been created, isn't it?

"Yes, Monica, his destiny was already created in the very first loot and after that all the loots  he had done till date has strengthened the destiny.”

“But Rafael, there is a real contradiction of  Alfonso’s character, he loots and he helps. Its simply confusing. But still he looted, why?”

“Well Ajay, when you do something, you think something, that makes you feel that you are doing the right thing, isn’t it? All nodded.

“Sometimes, it might be the devil, the mind in you making you do or else, it might be the drop of God soul, who is the real you, your Self, who is asking you to do it. So we do not know, why he did it, because we can never be a judge of others actions or deeds because we cannot be in him. We can know only one thing, that God soul would never hurt people. So its better that we wait and see and know, why he did it. OK?” All nodded.

“ The sick man was being carried in a makeshift bed, but before long they saw a horse carriage and the journey was made much more easier. They reached the house of the medicine man, the only one in the 5 km radius. They paid the driver and alighted with their burden.”

“Rafael, why do you say burden? he is one of the crew members too, isn’t it?”

“ Good question Rebecca, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure. Rafael?”

“How many body parts, do you have? or I’ll ask, how many organs do you have?”

“I do not know exactly, but there are lots.”

“That’s sufficient, now, since there are lots, are you comfortable to live with it?”

“Yes Rafael, I am, only, when they create problems, I’m frightened.”

“Yes Rebecca, when they create problem, all of your living presence is on that part, if it’s a stomach problem, it’d always trouble you, what do you say, am I right.”

“Rafael, its not just a simple trouble, I have sometimes felt, to cut off that organ, that much harassment, it is, when one of our body parts falls sick.” All nodded.

“Quite true, in short, the body part becomes a burden, right.”

“That’s too simple a word Rafael, put it nightmare, its much more fitting.”

“That is why the sick man became a burden. Its not with disrespect. As a person, he is very important, that is why, the crew took all the trouble to steer around and brought him to town, keeping their lives on line.” All nodded.

“Here I have something to point to you, when I said burden, I thought it in a respectful but Rebecca felt it as vulgar and humiliating, isn’t it Rebecca?”

“Yes Rafael, sorry, I misunderstood you.”

“No.. No… don’t apologize, I just wanted to say, that we could wrongly judge others by our thoughts and the words we use also can be wrongly taken by others. So be careful in thinking regarding others and use words very carefully when you speak. If I may say so, its better to answer the question and shut up than get judged by others. What do you think?”

“Great idea, that might be the reason, that like minded people come together, isn’t it Rafael?”

“Yes, Mathew, you are right, they do not have to explain each word they say and actions they do. Its not only in humans, in all animal kingdom, its like that, only the same birds flock together, the same animals herd together and its better to follow that rule or else for sure children, you would have a hell of a life to live.” All nodded.

“OK, now to the story, the sick man was brought to the front of the door. But there was no light there.”

“Naturally, they might have gone to sleep. They started at dark.” All nodded.

“You are right Ajay. So they knocked at the door and waited, but no one opened. They knocked again, a bit more loudly and something fell from inside and the door opened. They all looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Then Alfonso called, “Hello….. anyone home?”  No reply. So he asked his crew to wait and slowly opened the door wide. He lighted his torch and went inside, he slowly and without making any noise, he slowly moved in and then he heard a groan. He moved towards the cry and Lo Behold!!! there in front he saw the shock of his life.”

It’s a long story, can we continue tomorrow?”

"Rafael, that was not fair, but if you say, its long then, it would be long. OK. we’ll wait. No Problem. But what did he see?" All smiled.

“Good, let it be a suspense, OK? its time to say bye, we’ll meet tomorrow?” All nodded

...to be contd....Chapter -2....

Until then... Take care.....Bye

Meena