Prankenstein #WriteAPageADay

Billu spent his afternoons going up and down the staircase—a game he played every day. Luckily, he attended morning classes at school, leaving the rest of the day free. His parents both worked, and his nanny, Sudha Masi, often dozed off while watching TV at this time. Unfortunately, there were no children his age in the neighbourhood; all the kids were much older and had their own friend groups. This left Billu to play alone, so he chose his game of climbing stairs and coming back down. When he played inside the house, he often broke things unintentionally. It felt like gravity was working against him, and he would hit fragile items with whatever ball he was using. The sight of Sudha Masi's tired, irritated eyes worried him. Oh no, she might tell his parents! He was especially afraid of his father, who always seemed angry and bitter, as if he were carrying the weight of the world. His mother was different; she came home from work with a smile, even after a long day. Every day, she would greet him with a hug as soon as she returned. The smell of her hair was the best scent he had ever encountered. Just yesterday, she read him a bedtime story called "Frankenstein." It was a sad tale about a monster created by a man named Victor Frankenstein, and Billu felt like crying by the end. His mother always said that the world contained both happiness and sadness, and one had to accept it as such.

While going down the stairs for the ninth time, Billu spotted a cat at the bottom. Unlike the cute cats he usually saw, this one had a black coat and bright eyes that looked almost scary. Was it ferocious? Was it going to bite him? He stood still, staring at it. The cat called softly, in an unexpected tone, "Meow." Billu had anticipated a growl and a leap, but its gentle sound was touching. He slowly climbed down the stairs and began to pet it gently. The cat purred in response, and they both accepted each other's presence in that moment. Billu wanted to keep the cat, but he knew it wasn't feasible. Sudha Masi would surely scream, and his father would shoo it away. Yet he longed to have it. While Sudha Masi dozed off, he quietly slipped into the kitchen and poured some milk into a small bowl. The cat seemed to enjoy the milk and rubbed its ears against Billu's hands. He found a cardboard box from the shoe rack—thanks to online deliveries, every household was filled with these boxes. He placed some newspapers inside as bedding, put the cat in the box, and carefully tucked it behind the staircase so no one would see.

That night, while everyone was asleep, Billu quietly opened the door and tiptoed down the stairs without even putting on slippers. He had saved some chicken pieces from dinner, unnoticed by anyone. When he reached the box, the cat was lying inside, eagerly eating the chicken Billu offered. Suddenly, a commotion erupted upstairs. The lights turned on, and he heard his father's loud voice calling, "Where is he? Where has he gone?" Billu trembled with fear as he hid down the stairs. It escalated when his parents couldn't find him inside the house despite searching everywhere. He could hear his mother crying, and his father mentioned words like "kidnap," "abduction," and "police." Billu wanted to come out, as his mother's cries upset him, but he feared his father's anger too much to reveal himself.

Finally, heavy footsteps approached the stairs. As they got closer, the cat let out a loud call. It was his mother! She turned to see Billu sitting in a corner, shaking with fear near the cardboard box, with the black cat curiously peeping out from it. "I found him! Come down and see!" she called to his father. Akash hurried down the stairs, relief washing over him when he spotted Billu. He rushed over and held him tightly to his chest, surprising Billu. He had expected the worst, and to his surprise, his father looked on the verge of tears, filled with relief. How wrong he had been about his father! Both parents brought Billu and the cat upstairs, and from that day on, Billu had a new nickname: "Prankenstein."

This story has been inspired by one of the most heart-touching movies made in Bengal, "Runaway" or "Bari Theke Paliye," by legendary filmmaker Ritwick Ghatak. 

Released in 1958, the story follows Kanchan, a small, mischievous boy living in a village in Bengal. His mischievousness often leads to severe punishment from his father, the school's headmaster. To him, his father's strict disciplining makes him appear as a cruel demon who only torments him and his mother. He runs away to Kolkata- a place which he had read and heard about and which almost resembled the mythical El-dorado to him. However, his tryst with reality in the harsh city life makes him realise how wrong he was about his father, and he returns home with greater maturity and understanding. 

A child who is too innocent to realise the importance of understanding the human psyche behind their behaviour has a superficial perspective. Once he faces the harsh world, he realises his mistakes and learns more about human behaviour, especially those who had been unkind to him. In general, fathers have been portrayed as ruthless and narcissistic (think Amrish Puri in DDLJ), but we often forget the responsibilities they carry. This is a child's realisation of the importance of having a father as a guardian.

The idea and views expressed in the post are entirely mine. 

 This post is written for #WriteAPageADay by Blogchatter

 " This post is a part of #Plottwistbloghop hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed under #Everyconversationmatters Blog Hop series. "