The art of Being blunt!!! (My first Short story)

For a civilian in the capital of a small country with one end set ablaze in war fire and where the general makes people believe definitely that the state is in perfect peace and harmony, I laugh to myself!!! Situation going to dogs!!! Few hundred yards away from the country’s most protected security area, the country’s harmony was made a child’s play!!! I wanted to yell this out to Mr. President!!! Poor he is… He is busy signing the peace treaties overseas. How could I disturb him with internal issues? Let this page of my diary substitute Mr. General, the busiest person of this nation!!!

 Let me address you, Mr. General!!!!

  

17:00 hrs. 20/10/2011

Dear Mr. General,

Hope you would have tasted a refreshing sip of export quality tea and by now, enjoying the scenic beauty of prestigious royal house gardens. The aroma of the best of its kind trees and with the luxury of blooming inside your gardens, even the flowers have the best resources to nourish than the men in this nation. But I know Mr. General; you work for the people always, day and night. 

Colombo is too good nowadays with busy people & business flourishing town streets, blessed infrastructure at its best in the country. I belong to a section which earns its livelihood with the fortune of dwelling in the capital. The city offers me almost every basic need. I am grateful to everything present here. I owe a lot to the city. But, there came a situation when I started to curse myself to be a part of this city. 

I wish ours had been a city without the over-emphasized feeling of regional Ethnicity. I was forced to thank my forefathers and ancestors to have married within my own ethnic group. More blessed I am when my ethnic group has the regional majority here!!! A trial drill of fear of death and life was depicted today in this “peaceful” nation. Thanks to the ruthless hooligans in the name of saviors of regional ethnicity. I never know, threat to peace never arises from weapons but with attitude rich of narrow-mindedness. 

I am not a well-read press reporter, neither a diplomat, not even a person with the knowledge of using inoffensive diction to combat reader’s embarrassments. I am just another passer-by who witnessed a serious parody of the so called harmony in our state. For very obvious fears of repercussions of this “diary entry”, I am deliberately avoiding the direct pointing out of the victimized ethnic group. Let me address them as just victims.

I believed till today morning that I lived in cosmopolitan, citizen & immigrant friendly city. The incident was very simple and more usual as it happens almost every day in some corner of the nation. Probably I guess, I am the only person to even bother about the location of happening today. It was very close to your place Mr. General.

A small chaos as described by the media and in terms of local cops, it is simple expression of frustration by a group of youngsters driven by their passion towards their regional ethnicity. But, it was not so for me. In fact I was just a silent observer of the “crime” demonstrated there.

I even heard the quick disposal and burying the debris of the war and corpses of victims turned as an art in Northern Province. I am not some emotional psychopath. What I narrate is what I perceived through the eyes of the unarmed civilian, more a common man of this nation. Like all, even I don’t express out my feelings that freely. If my Government expects me to forget something, I readily obey. I have nothing against you people. I am a plain, candid and simple citizen

The hooligans bluntly stopped that car which had the victims in it. I doubt if am, as per your laws, allowed to use the term “innocent” to them. If I could replace the term, I will term it “Unfortunate”.  A family, two little kids and by the mere sight of it, I was able to judge they are the minority ethnic group people. 

Minutes passed as one opened the gasoline tin and started to pour it over the car’s body. You know, I just love the aroma of gasoline products. Weird I am, without knowing the danger of even standing close to the car, was engrossed to my senses of smelling and my ears were too busy to listen to the then screaming of the family. As acts like pouring of petrol & ignition is something usual nowadays, I even followed their step by step activities.

Suddenly, something breaking the routine happened. A hooligan from the lot pulled away the kids from the car. It was almost the start of the adventure by the fire. One unusual act was paid back by.  The victim rushed out of the car; partly set ablaze, picked up the kid on the road, and went inside the same car consumed by the initial patterns of flames.

It brought me back to senses. When the parent feels death would be better than him being made a destitute in streets, it was already a revolution and a complex decision for a common man like me. I was too active as I heard the sound of the door being shut down. It clearly was the best exemplification of his helplessness, agony and anguish. It conveyed a stronger message which is definitely beyond the scope of treaties you sign.

Evening, I took a stroll back on the same road. Everything was brought back to normalcy. The left out parts of the car alone is present in the roadside. I know, our city corporation is very shrewd and hygiene is their foremost duty. Well, I leave with no expectations. When you have time to go through the newspaper tomorrow, kindly think of that particular victim for a moment along with that sip of the best in class coffee tomorrow morning.

Enjoy your evening,

A citizen from Capital city!!!