It was the Dusshehra, among the Bengalis, a sad day. Mother Durga would go off to her place for one more year, and for another 364 days, we would wait for her to arrive again next year. People would dance while carrying away the idol of Maa, shouting the same words, "aashche bochor aabar hobey.. aashche bochor aabar hobey" and one would see the colours of vermillion across the sky.. people celebrating sindoor-khela.
I could not go. For the whole day wrapped away in assignments, I kept on working monotonously, partly disturbed not to be a part of the hullas in the street. Though not a big fan of the Bengali culture, I do have some thing for it. I had already remained absent from my college for the celebration, and if I wouldn't work this day, I would get zeros the next day. Thinking so, I sat down to work, which ended by the evening.
Mother and I walked out of the home to the mandir to get shantir jol sprinkled on us, and after wards, collecting the prasad from mandir. While coming back, I sensed a deep pain down my neck. At first, we made fun of it, but then as I had my dinner back home, I refused to take the prasad and went to sleep.
The next day I felt a pinch of uneasiness. Nevertheless, that was an important day and I knew I couldn't afford to be absent from the college. After all, I had worked for the whole previous day! I got up and got ready, but was shivering, in the month of October when outside there was this gleaming sun providing a 39 degree Celsius of temperature. I shivered, my teeth shivered. I could not afford to stand up without the cover wrapped around me. I tried to go, but alas! I couldn't go. My temperature increased. The vampire came and sucked my blood into a bottle with a needle attached, they called it the "syringe". It hurt a lot and I cursed him, who asked me to come again the next day for another round of test!
Why? Was my blood free? WHy should I give him my blood twice?
The reports which came the next day confirmed the disease of Dengue. I felt like killing the mosquito who did this to me. It was another off day from college. And i was unsure how much more days did I have to spend confined to home, confined to the bed. The fever would give me fits, high temperature. By night, the doctor had asked me to get admitted if even a degree got raised to 104. I was at 102 degree Fahrenheit for that time.
Everyone at home was worried. The neighbours would come to visit me, see me, everyone would cry, take turns serving me. I felt as if they were celebrating my death lot before it came. The night grew in and so did my fever. Everyone was already crying, but somehow I gathered my guts and all I said and kept on repeating was, "I know I WILL BE ALRIGHT. i KNOW.. i KNOW I AM FINE.."
Those cold water on my head, and the burning thermometer across my burning body could break the newly awakened desire to get well, I felt as if He was calling from above. JUst few point degrees to 104, I saw. The temperature was now rising to 103. something.
But I did not stop chanting what I had been chanting. "I know you would be alright." Dad said.
I soon fell asleep. It had been 3 hours since the incident ad a sudden urge to go to the washroom woke me up. My head was throbbing with pain, and I could barely sit up. I felt as if two big people were hammereing into my brain... but the fever was no more. The fever even the doctors wee afraid of, even I was afraid of.
I noticed, the moment I took it as a joke, it became a joke. I realised, it was true, "The Secret" did work, even under conditions where the good wasn't obvious.
I remembered not believing the book when I had read, ignoring the power mind could have, but then, the mind was a fool and when you fool it, it would work the way you want.
One thing was now sure, you fool yourselves, and that was the time when you could forget about the negativities by forgetting about the big trouble you are in. And as soon as you stop focussing on trouble and transform all focus to what situation you want, the world will act like a genie and give you what you desire. :)
