First Abortion

Time was not important. The date was not important. The year and month were also not important. But it was some day in February 1995 around 7:30 AM, a strange discovery forced George to cut short the morning walk and irrigation. Out of sheer curiosity, he stopped irrigation around his dense pepper whirled areca nut trees.  The same dense plantation gave him a sense of fear. He looked at something obscure and talked to himself, 'ashes... here.. no way' he tried to study it further and took a small sample of ashes carefully. George washed his legs using outer tap water, folding his secret ash findings in his hand. He did not want to spoil it further. He entered the kitchen. ”See this teacher, it looks like, there are some criminal activities progressing behind our land during night. Someone has burned bundle of papers in the remote corner. I could see the back gate slightly moved.” George puzzled. The name ‘Teacher’ was an acceptable nick name accepted by George’s wife from the workers. Teacher laughed. “It is always open. That gate is not secured at all. It is better not to have a gate there.” She replied with no wonder. “But see this; A huge bundle of papers. It’s not newspaper. It is fresh pieces of white papers. Someone burned this last night. What could be the reason? Should we electrify the fence to avoid these criminals?” Teacher shake her heads. “These are very small problems. Don’t create more problems by electric fence. Just stop thinking about paper ashes.” George walked out for a second round with a passive irritating statement “Fences are problems. Not having fence is also a problem.”f

The thoughts triggered giggles in Lona. He did not tell anyone that, he had an abortion of his first literary work. Just like any abortions, he did not want to tell his parents about his fiction pregnancy. There were two reasons. Just like any other family he wanted to avoid the scolding of his mother. Had he burned in the firewood stove; mother would know it. It may end up in giving too many justifications. Secondly, using hundred fresh A4 size papers, avoiding rough notebooks, would have become an international problem. It may not stop there. The bigger business impact would be on the small local shop of ‘Etupettan’ for all the A4 size papers he would sell to a future novelist.

Annie was never behind in abortion. Few years back she wrote her first poem or story. Lona was excited to go through her first literary attempt. She did not allow Lona to read it. Annie tattered the papers and put it in waste basket. After a second thought, she took the pieces of papers and dipped into a bucket of soap water. He chased the bucket. Desperately, he wanted to join the pieces of papers before the words disappear. Realizing his intention, Annie with abashed expressions, mixed all that pieces of papers like a rice ball and swallowed it.  He could not read her first lines. She never wrote anything after that. Anytime anyone asks her about first attempt, she giggles. Annie never revealed on the content of swallowed paper, like a baby born in an illicit relationship.