A HOST AT THE NICK OF TIME
A HOST AT THE NICK OF TIME
The weather was hot as the summer had set in around a well to do suburb of Mumbai. The location was the narrow corridor of an apartment block, in a congested lane. A door of an apartment faced the corridor. Dimly lit by a bulb that had a thick layer of dirt covering its lower hemisphere.
An otherwise busy bustling lane where vendors sold Vada pav, Behl and Pani puri. Where children played cricket and the ball managed to dodge Two wheelers and motorcars. Today it was deserted but for few sullen looking men, out on errands or hunting to buy bread and a policeman, who was bored stiff.
Coronaji was hovering in front of the door of that apartment, facing the corridor. Anxious but relieved that he had managed to reach here after all the turmoil. Coronaji happened to be born inside a big fat bald and not so gentle a man , somewhere in the UK. A business man trader, he had made his fortune in UK . He was getting ready for his usual visit to his native country, India, when Coronaji happened to be born inside him. Soon the big fat bald guy reached Mumbai. He was feeling unwell in the aircraft itself and was worried about some quarantine tamasha at Mumbai airport. Upon landing, he had to use some of his guile to dodge officials and mange to get to his home in the city.
Meanwhile coronaji had merrily settled down inside the big fat bald man and was having a jolly good time attacking the cells and doing the protein job. Good things do not last, even for viruses! Soon our fat guy was seriously sick and decided to get admitted in a hospital. Coronaji , having lived inside for some time, got a premonition of this and managed to escape from his mouth just at the entrance of the hospital. He knew he had to find a safe resting place and managed to stay put for a while on the door knob of the entrance. From there a circuitous route took him from atop a doctor’s car to a policeman’s bike, onto a milk van and then onto the milk man’s hand, a roller coaster ride that left Coronaji exhausted. Then, further disaster struck. At the gate of our apartment, in the congested lane of the well to do suburb. The heartless security guy asked the milk man to clean his hands with some liquid. It was sheer providence that led Coronaji to respond lightning fast and escape into the air. Phew! Life is tough. He did not know what his karma has laid out for him but he was a fighter. A true warrior with a strong survival instinct.
Floating in the air, he found himself very soon in front of the apartment door, in that corridor amidst the dim light. His plan and hope was that the inhabitants of this apartment will open the door soon and then he can attach himself to a new host.
The sun had set long back. The night had set in. A windless dark night. Coronaji realized that he had slightly more than an hour to find a host or else he will perish. A frightening prospect indeed.
Minutes went by and there was no sign of anyone opening the door. He still felt hopeful. Almighty, who created him, would not desert him at this hour. He was a karmyogi and a faithful. Almost to the hour and with his confidence at its lowest, Coronaji was sweating profusely. His entire being, all of sphere and spikes, all of it, was tense. Hopes fading.
God don’t fail me. At that moment gloom set in. All the lights went out. Even in the apartment, he was hopeful of. Terrified and desperate Coronaji looked around. Why? What happened? Did his potential hosts decide to go to bed and thus not come out. No God! Don’t do this, pleaded Coronaji.
Just then, as if answering his prayers, the door opened. Lo and behold!! There stood all of them, all potential hosts, with candles in their hand. As if praying to their master, in worship, solemn in their gaze. As if inviting him.
Coronaji needed no invite. He had seconds left and all he could see in front of his eyes was a collage of candle light, human faces and human cells. His home. Any of these. He plunged and latched onto the nostril of the closest human and he was home. At the nick of time. At 9pm on 5th April. As the future unfolds…..
The weather was hot as the summer had set in around a well to do suburb of Mumbai. The location was the narrow corridor of an apartment block, in a congested lane. A door of an apartment faced the corridor. Dimly lit by a bulb that had a thick layer of dirt covering its lower hemisphere.
An otherwise busy bustling lane where vendors sold Vada pav, Behl and Pani puri. Where children played cricket and the ball managed to dodge Two wheelers and motorcars. Today it was deserted but for few sullen looking men, out on errands or hunting to buy bread and a policeman, who was bored stiff.
Coronaji was hovering in front of the door of that apartment, facing the corridor. Anxious but relieved that he had managed to reach here after all the turmoil. Coronaji happened to be born inside a big fat bald and not so gentle a man , somewhere in the UK. A business man trader, he had made his fortune in UK . He was getting ready for his usual visit to his native country, India, when Coronaji happened to be born inside him. Soon the big fat bald guy reached Mumbai. He was feeling unwell in the aircraft itself and was worried about some quarantine tamasha at Mumbai airport. Upon landing, he had to use some of his guile to dodge officials and mange to get to his home in the city.
Meanwhile coronaji had merrily settled down inside the big fat bald man and was having a jolly good time attacking the cells and doing the protein job. Good things do not last, even for viruses! Soon our fat guy was seriously sick and decided to get admitted in a hospital. Coronaji , having lived inside for some time, got a premonition of this and managed to escape from his mouth just at the entrance of the hospital. He knew he had to find a safe resting place and managed to stay put for a while on the door knob of the entrance. From there a circuitous route took him from atop a doctor’s car to a policeman’s bike, onto a milk van and then onto the milk man’s hand, a roller coaster ride that left Coronaji exhausted. Then, further disaster struck. At the gate of our apartment, in the congested lane of the well to do suburb. The heartless security guy asked the milk man to clean his hands with some liquid. It was sheer providence that led Coronaji to respond lightning fast and escape into the air. Phew! Life is tough. He did not know what his karma has laid out for him but he was a fighter. A true warrior with a strong survival instinct.
Floating in the air, he found himself very soon in front of the apartment door, in that corridor amidst the dim light. His plan and hope was that the inhabitants of this apartment will open the door soon and then he can attach himself to a new host.
The sun had set long back. The night had set in. A windless dark night. Coronaji realized that he had slightly more than an hour to find a host or else he will perish. A frightening prospect indeed.
Minutes went by and there was no sign of anyone opening the door. He still felt hopeful. Almighty, who created him, would not desert him at this hour. He was a karmyogi and a faithful. Almost to the hour and with his confidence at its lowest, Coronaji was sweating profusely. His entire being, all of sphere and spikes, all of it, was tense. Hopes fading.
God don’t fail me. At that moment gloom set in. All the lights went out. Even in the apartment, he was hopeful of. Terrified and desperate Coronaji looked around. Why? What happened? Did his potential hosts decide to go to bed and thus not come out. No God! Don’t do this, pleaded Coronaji.
Just then, as if answering his prayers, the door opened. Lo and behold!! There stood all of them, all potential hosts, with candles in their hand. As if praying to their master, in worship, solemn in their gaze. As if inviting him.
Coronaji needed no invite. He had seconds left and all he could see in front of his eyes was a collage of candle light, human faces and human cells. His home. Any of these. He plunged and latched onto the nostril of the closest human and he was home. At the nick of time. At 9pm on 5th April. As the future unfolds…..
Hmmmm.. A view from the virus side. Nice one. Let the story continue.
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