The Small Ridge

Shhh! My mother pursed her lips together and gestured me to keep quite. Oh..kayy I obeyed uncertainly. She tip-toed out of the room and returned with a broom.- Ah! Now I saw it- There was a lizard in the room and it was in a highly precarious position. One false move and it would get into the cupboard where its family will grow exponentially and sending it out then would mean bringing down the whole cupboard. It was a fat and big one. The movements were deft and with successful feigning my mother took the better hold of it. Catching it unawares, it did not have time to react. Frantically, it hurried out of the room albeit only after playing its share of ploy- the reptile tried to get into every nook and corner, giving my mother a heartache every time. Its movements were shoddy and clumsy. Only when it was out of the house I started pitying it. The sight, where the lizard, scared to death moved about with its life in plight but all that my mother did was to send it out as a challenge, or rather, a sport questioned my conscience. In a few moments a vivid realization sunk in. Sad, but true, it was only but a small ridge in my mind that kept me from reveling at the lizards struggle. Now for something that conceived in my mind's eye following the incident... ***** It was in the wee hours of morning. A fair-toned man tried to get some sleep as he tossed about in the bed. He lay there idle and irate till it was bright enough for him to be up. He got up did his morning ablutions and went to the balustrade in his manor from where he could see his entire property. As he looked out at his quarters in the cold, pristine morning pride welled inside him. As he admired, a movement caught his eye. Down below, a dark-toned woman shuffled her way across the street to dump garbage. The man grew crusty at the sight. His brows knitted together as he eyed her. As she drew closer he saw that she was covered with sweat, head to toe and her clothing stuck to her body. His contempt grew. As he looked around scheming, he saw his dogtrainer bathing his gargantuan hounds. Pausing, he gave a shrill whistle. The hounds looked up at him with hungry eyes. In a swift fashion, he gestured the hounds to charge her. The hounds, howling in ravage cacophony started the chase in glee. It did not take but a moment for the woman to realize what had happened. Fear shown on her face, her eyes grew wide with panic. She had just turned around to save herself when the hounds charged her down to the ground. The man relished the brutal scene with violent excitement. For full two minutes the dogs mauled her mercilessly, before the man called them away. The hounds obeyed and withdrew from her reluctantly still snarling at her ferociously. With a careless flick, he asked the few people who

had gathered around to take the woman away. Sniggering he turned away and called for a cup of hot coffee to be served to him. She was taken to her outer quarters, where her folk rounded about wiped her wounds and called for medical help. She had been bonded to the man for life. As far as she could remember she was sold to him in her teens. For the woman her master was the man and her 'home', the alien manor. As she lay bandaged in agony, she saw her kid reaching to her. She extended her arms to embrace her son. She flickered away. ***** When I expressed my concern regarding the lizard, my mother pacified me telling that it did not have the sixth sense that it can anticipate fear.