Orion

By Rinku Prakash

It was still not too dark when she decided to get out of the cramped room where she had been stuck for the past couple of hours. She was there with a few other girls who were being getting readied for the dance recital that evening. Having gone through the not-too-pleasant experience of getting the bright make up on her face with the tight hairdo replete with white flowers and the shiny dance costume tied on her small frame, she decided that the short break would be a well-deserved one.

It was surprisingly quite cool and therefore, nice being outside. A few small and sparsely leaved trees swayed lightly, standing aside humble hutments. The uncomfortable heat of the day had almost subsided. A cool breeze embraced her frame, and she decided to sit down against a round pillar of the small building they were in.

As she gazed up at the evening sky, she noticed something very interesting. That feeling of just being interested brought some relief along with it, because so far, she had felt only boredom. Never having understood the relevance of learning a dance form, and only because her mother wanted her to, was certainly a dull experience. Having to travel all the way to this village somewhere in the south of Tamil Nadu, where she had to perform in front of a simple and confused audience, was perplexing to say the least. So the sight piqued her curiosity along with some joy.

Was that a straight line of 3 stars in the sky? Yes it was. But how can that be? Do stars follow rules of symmetry? Do they have intelligence? How interesting! Why did I never spot this alignment before in the sky? Her train of thoughts easily knocked down the heavier prospect of having to dance before a set of complete strangers. It took her some time to realize that the line of stars were not the only part of the story. In fact, this strange alignment had something more than the line of stars. There was also an upper line (it looked more like a shoulder) of 2 stars and a set of legs made of another 2 stars with something dangling from the side that formed the middle line of stars. What was this? She was not sure, but something in her told her that she was looking at her home.

“What is it that you are doing here alone Asha?” a voice behind her woke her from her thoughts. “Oh? Nothing Amma. just watching the calm night sky” she replied with some hesitation. She did not want to rake up another conversation with her mother that would inevitably point to her disinterest in dance forms or any other art form.

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“You are really lucky that you have parents willing to let you learn all this” Amma would retort, whenever Asha complained about leg pain or her disappointment in having to learn something that was not to her taste. Asha often wanted to protest saying “But I want to read and write!” As she often discovered, her protests were made inside herself and never reached the ears of the elders. Her dream was to

attend a martial arts class such as the Karate, for which there were excellent coaching in the city, or swimming classes. But to narrate her wishes to her parents did not come easy for Asha. To nurture wishes that were against her parents seemed almost impossible or even wrong even.

Back home, Achan presented her with a map of the night sky, that had all the constellations and their names arranged for beginners. She was unsure how to search, but finally spotted that line of 3 stars and the broad shoulders with the legs and the hanging sword. “Orion, her father remarked.” “He’s the hunter among the constellations.”

“Hunter?” Asha was surprised at the name.

“Yes. He has his tiny weapon too” Achan was happy that she looked keen.

“Would we be going out this evening?” Asha checked with some reluctance. Before she spoke, she had to make sure that her words were carefully chosen and her tone pleasant. Her husband was not in a great mood and she had to be aware of that. “Do you have something in mind?” pat came the reply, in an already defensive tone, which meant that unnecessary trips could be avoided. Vikas had been hunched on the sofa they had purchased for the new apartment they rented. He was in the habit of watching copious amounts of TV once he reached home from work, or on a Sunday, a day which Asha looked forward to, because he would be home.

Vikas had not been the exact match of what she had hoped for in a partner. This became evident, the night they got married. Well, that was not too much to be worried about, her mother had commented. Apparently, her parents were still together in spite of the tumultuous nature of their relationship. Despite the reassurance, the disappointment became a sore patch in her heart space. The care or attention that she felt wanting never came from Vikas.

He worked for a well-known MNC, which doubly ensured that he never made Asha a priority in his life. She knew what he expected more. She was expected to be a wife. A lost soul at birth, and later life as a student and teenager, now an adult, Asha

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found that stepping into a legal commitment, albeit a marital one, felt like a noose that could not be easily relaxed.

Once they returned from a pretty silent shopping trip, Vikas retired to their room in preparation of his early sleep. They had had dinner from the usual restaurant. As was the norm, he had ordered the dishes, ate pretty much in silence and at the end, left after paying.

“I will pack my stuff once we reach home. Have to leave tomorrow evening. The trip would be for a week” he said. “Hmmm. Thats sad.” Asha had spoken too soon. “Why?” Vikas sounded surprised. “I’ll feel lonely. The apartment is new, so I’ve not made too many aquaintances”.

If Asha thought he would melt at the words, she would have tried better, but she knew the outcome, even while she spoke.

“Well, work cannot be skulked. Moreover, who will pay the bills if I do that? Rent is already too high. And you dont have a job!” When he finished speaking, she sighed. Life often had no answers.

The night was quiet. She missed something and did not quite know what. The room was stuffy and she had not noticed. She got up to open the balcony door. A cool breeze wafted in almost instantaneously, making her feel comforted. It was dark already. The sky was heavy with stars, something which made her look up with some happiness.

She spotted a straight line of 3 stars at the first glance. By this time, her happiness had turned to delight. There it was, the hunter constellation. The broad shoulders and the belt, the sword and the belt as before, immaculate, unchanged and stable.

The body was cold. He had been found bent over the bed, with life having left his body maybe an hour back. They had not expected Achan to leave them so quickly. There was nothing wrong with him save the physical weakness. He had spent more time of late writing at his desk. There was an obvious fear of death, which made him complete all his duties towards his family much earlier. Marriage having been annulled by the court, Asha was now free to fight life on her own as well and she found herself helping out more at home.

The evening of the passing, she came out of the old house, searching for peace. Gazing up the evening sky, she did not expect to find the straight line of 3 stars, complete with the broad shoulders and smaller legs with the tiny sword hanging from the belt. The sight comforted her, just as it had during all the crucial stages of life, and seemed to be by her, unwaveringly. Orion reminded her that nothing that

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transpired here in this small planet was as permanent as He was. And that for Asha, was the answer she was seeking.

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By Rinku Prakash