8.
After three days of the sea voyage, the rare bird pair on that gigantic ship no longer attracted much attention from the passengers. Now, as people passed by the corridor, only a few would occasionally stop by the railing to glance at the birds. Even the caretaker no longer felt as much pressure to ensure their safety, as the birds had started to eat and drink regularly, adapting to the situation. Perhaps the beautiful birds had come to terms with their fate, understanding that at least they were together. Ash and Rocky.
Sometimes, the caretaker would lift one side of the curtain of their cage to let in some natural air or sunlight, which would draw a few curious onlookers eager to watch their activities. However, the birds would become very alert and would not remain comfortable. Even if they were embracing or kissing, they would quickly move apart.
People found it amusing to observe how these birds ate, how they interacted with each other in their enclosed space, and whether they ever engaged in courtship. Perhaps the birds also missed their natural solitude.
The lower half of these strange birds resembled that of humans. Therefore, whenever they got close to each other or expressed affection, the caretaker would draw the curtain to prevent passersby from gathering unnecessarily.
Occasionally, someone would try to take pictures of the birds, but they were stopped as it was not allowed. These rare birds were being transported to New York at a significant expense by an organization, where they would be displayed as a major attraction in the organization's famous museum. It was crucial to maintain the secrecy of their physical appearance and uniqueness, so their pictures were not allowed to be leaked to the media.
During this long journey, as they spent day and night together, Ash had told Rocky about her unexpected encounter with the Monkey King and his story. Initially, Rocky did not understand what Ash was talking about, as he didn't remember anything about the storm, the sea voyage, the old sailor, or the human brain. But as Ash narrated, he slowly began to recall everything. After all, women are better at remembering past events, while men prefer to live in the present, forgetting the past.
After remembering everything, Rocky also shared his story with Ash, recounting whom he met during his journey and how he ended up in the same jungle where he had suddenly reunited with Ash.
Ash was secretly thrilled and relieved that Rocky had remained single since they parted ways. He had not formed any bonds with other birds. There was no room for doubt now, as, according to the Monkey King's words, Rocky's body had also begun to undergo the same changes that Ash herself had experienced after coming into contact with her.
Having found each other again, they were both very happy and spent their time comfortably in a dense jungle by the edge of a swamp. But then, some young explorers spotted them. They tried their best to evade these human hunters but were eventually caught. The hunters had been stalking them for days.
Ash had no idea that the human race consisted of such diverse individuals. They had sheltered an old sailor in their home, offering him relief after the storm, and the guest had, in return, given them tasty meat to eat. Yet here, humans had captured their soaring dreams and imprisoned them.
Not all humans are the same, and time is never constant.
This was what Ash and Rocky were thinking.
The caretaker narrowly escaped death, you could say that his life was saved by a hair's breadth. He sustained a deep wound just above his abdomen, near the ribs, as if someone had tried to slice open his chest with a sharp knife. Blood flowed like a stream, the skin was cut in such a way that a small part of his liver hung out between the bones, peeking out like a roasted sweet potato. Immediate medical attention saved his life, and several stitches were required.
Fortunately, his eye wasn't injured. According to him, the first attack was aimed at his eye. But even though the caretaker survived, his job was as good as lost.
After the operation, as the boy lay on the bed with bandages wrapped around him, he told the doctor what had happened. However there was one thing he kept hidden. How could he tell? It would have turned the whole situation upside down.
It was early morning, just before dawn. The light was struggling to emerge from the womb of the night. Every one was still asleep. During sea voyages, people tended to sleep as much as possible, otherwise how would they pass the time? It was the last day of the journey. By afternoon the ship was supposed to reach New York and dock at the Hudson shore.
In that dim light, before dawn had even broken, the incident took place.
The issue was that the rare species of strange birds, which were being transported with utmost care on the ship, suddenly attacked the caretaker who had gone to feed them in the morning. He was bending down, caressing their wings, and spreading pieces of fish on the ground for them to eat when one of the birds, with it's long beak, suddenly attacked his eye. His eye was spared, but the aggressive bird slashed his chest with a ferocious strike from it's beak. The skin was split into two halves from top to bottom,as if cut by a dagger. Since it was early morning, the boy was almost naked, wearing only a small pair of underwear, with no clothing on his body to absorb the impact of the sudden attack. He was just about to take a bath after feeding the birds when, instead, he ended up bathing in his own blood.
The biggest disaster was that, because the cage door was open, the birds escaped one by one after injuring him. Fluttering away with lightning speed, both birds leaped into the sea one after the other and disappeared into the waves.
The boy who was there to take care of the birds, lay unconscious and wounded for almost twenty minutes until a staff member noticed him. When he saw the open cage and realised the valuable rare birds had flawn away, he was shocked too.
Finding the birds in that time was an impossibility.
The staff member first ran to inform the chief attendant about the incident. The Sun had not fully risen yet, but the commotion awakened every one, and panic spread all around.
The doctor asked the boy for a full account and began treatment, shrouded in suspicion.
He suspected that this case involving rare species might later turned out to be part of an elaborated insurance scam. If that were the case, the responsibility would fall on him to decide, based on the condition of the injured worker, whether the attack was a genuine incident, a concocted story, or part of a conspiracy. This very thought had kept the ship's administration on high alert, bordering on inhumanity.
Most people, however, believed that this was not a conspiracy but simply the result of ordinary staff negligence.
Whatever it was, the situation had already spiraled out of control, and arrow had been shot. It was not just difficult but nearly impossible to retrieve the escaped sea birds from the ocean.
There was fear that the situation would get more complicated upon reaching New York, as the birds were extraordinary and there had already been significant publicity about them.
Undoubtedly there was going to be a fallout in the afternoon.
For some distance, Ash and Rocky swam underwater, but once they were certain that no one was following them and there was no trace of the ship anywhere, they surfaced and began to swim slowly, flapping their wings so that they could dry completely and take flight again.
As the sun rose on the distant horizon, its warm and gentle rays began to shine on the sea, gradually warming the water.
Both of them were very happy. They had escaped from a world that had made their lives miserable. Over time, they had also become accustomed to the new changes in their bodies. Now, they had to live a new life, one where the challenges of survival had only increased.
They knew that due to the changes in their bodies, they had become the target of human curiosity, so they would always have to avoid crowded places. They had to remain vigilant at all times.
At the same time, there was also the challenge of being accepted by others of their own species in their new form.
Ash said to Rocky, "What do you think? Will we be able to fly long and high like before with this new form? Won't the deadly hunters on the ground try to catch or wound us with arrows?"
Rocky replied, "Stay positive, Ash. We’ll also find friends who will love and protect us because of our new form. Why are you so gloomy? You can't live in constant fear like this."
Ash gave Rocky a mysterious smile and said, "You won't understand, Rocky. I’m not worried about the two of us."
"Then what?"
"I'm worried about the third one who is going to join our lives very soon."
"What???" Rocky’s eyes sparkled with joy. He spun around in excitement and embraced Ash.
Tears of happiness began to sparkle like diamonds in Ash's eyes. She rested her head on Rocky's chest.
With the warmth of the sun and their own hearts, their wings had fully dried, and they both took off into the sky, laughing together, just like two planes taking off side by side.
They flew together for hours, with no trace of exhaustion or fear. Everything felt pleasant to them now.
Suddenly, Rocky exclaimed, "Look there!"
Ash looked in the direction and shouted with joy. She couldn't believe that their lost paradise could return to them so suddenly. Below, they saw the familiar sights of the Hudson River. The gleaming green Statue of Liberty was visible in the distance, and they could hardly believe their eyes. They could smell their homeland, their native land. They were close to the Hudson River.
They began to remember their old companions. They wondered whether they would even recognize them in their changed form. This was the thought running through both their minds.
As they turned a sharp bend in the Hudson, they saw a gathering of humans. It seemed there was some kind of celebration happening. A grand stage was set up, surrounded by young people.
For a moment, their hearts trembled. Should they approach the humans so closely or not? This was the thought going through their minds.
They landed on a large rock at the edge of the river, still in some confusion. Rocky was a bit nervous. Ash was even worse off. She clung tightly to Rocky, trembling with fear. She began to feel faint.
From a distance, the two of them, lost in each other, looked as if they were one body. Standing like a statue, they watched the scene unfolding in front of them, their eyes closed as if they were finally feeling their homeland after so many days.
Then they noticed that the crowd of people had suddenly turned and started moving toward them. They panicked. They held each other even more tightly and stood as still as a rock.
As the young people got closer, they saw that they didn’t have bows and arrows, guns, nets, or cages. They had cameras. They had mobile phones.
They were all rapidly taking pictures of them. The massive crowd was joyfully welcoming the “most beautiful loving couple” that had been chosen for a contest, for which posters had been put up all over the region several months ago.
When the crowd started to thin out, the two of them looked at each other lovingly, then jumped into the shimmering water of the river and disappeared into the depths, hiding their extraordinary forms once again!
- Prabodh Kumar Govil
