The Rooster

              by Meenakshi Verma

And the rooster kept on crowing for ten days thereafter.

One fine morning, a boy, chased a hen out into the woods.

The hen flapped, shrieked and ran,

All in vain.

The boy tried to bait her out, pull her through,

Subterfuge, by hiding nearby her hideouts,

 Till she was caught.

And then she struggled, blessed be her instincts,

Till she was strangled to death.

What? Why was it done? You ask.

Well, she was the target, that’s all.

What? Why was she the target? that’s a thought now.

Each morning she tried to wake him up from his slumber, that’s all.

What? You doubt that hens don’t crow?

One wise protector in ten does so.

Silence.

Well, that’s the end of it, since no one asked about the rooster.

What? Now you want to know why?

Because, he was slaughtered before the eleventh day.

What? Why?

To be eaten.

What? Who ate him?

Everyone.

Except,

The boy who strangled the hen.

What? Why?

Simply because he was not at home when they cooked.

What? It is inhuman? you say.

Well the boy felt so too.

What? No, not at all.

The murder was not inhuman.

It was not a murder at all.

Who put that thought in your head?

No.

It was the betrayal.

The betrayal of the family, who, alone, had fed on his pet rooster.

What? His pet rooster? You ask.

Yes, his pet rooster.

The boy was a visionary, you see.

Silence.

You have been a good listener,

So let me tell you further.

The boy,

Never forgave his family,

For having fed on his pet rooster,

Without him.

That day,

He had silently cursed them for hours.

What? Why had he cursed them silently? You ask.

And then the raconteur laughed.

* * * * *

Meenakshi Verma is recently working as an Access Consciousness Facilitator involved with healing using various VAK techniques, which overlaps with psycho-pathology. Before this, Meenakshi has received her B.A and M.A degree from Banaras Hindu University in English, has earned her certificate as an Access Consciousness Facilitator and has also received Junior Research Fellowship to pursue her PhD further.