Real or Surreal ?

She was scurrying her way through. With only five minutes left she could not afford to look this way or that. She was late as always. It was the same story everyday. Despite her best attempts life never seem to change in that respect. She cursed the traffic under her breath and walked past the parking lot. It looked the same everyday. About 300 square meters covered by a blue sheet. Heaps of cars in different shapes and sizes dotted the area.

It was an unusually gloomy day. The pallor was so palpable. The blue parking lot and the grey building never uplifted any spirits. The weather also abetted her melancholy. Thick dark rain bearing clouds cast their shadow effectively blocking the sunshine. She looked up at the sky to glance at the clouds. Stopped short. The world around her stopped and her head was reeling with the momentum of a wheel in a racecar. The loud shrill horn of a car behind her shook her up sufficiently to bring her back from her stupor. Swallowing hard she gave way to the vehicle behind her.

She just could not believe what she saw. She was hoping her mind was playing games. Up there on the abestos sheet above her head she saw a little child lying face down. The child lay motionless just above her head. She brushed the hair off her face and squinted her eyes just to make sure.It is chilling to say the least. Looking up at the apartment just above, everything seemed to be normal. Just to make sure that she wasn’t sinking into a quagmire of any hallucination she bit her lip hard. It was true. A bouncy baby boy all dressed up in blue was lying lifeless on a roof. Blue t-shirt and shorts with a little belt around his waist; black shoes and white socks, hair neatly pulled back – he looked like he was on his way to kindergarten.

From what was visible he looked full of health and colour. Well nourished and well brought up. He seemed pampered and plump. A picture of welfare and well-being.

How could even the most hardened criminal do that to a child? The soft blue eyes, a chirpy gurgle, the impeccable demeanor swathed in innocence were enough to melt any heart of stone. The soft supple cheeks, the firm grip of those tiny little fingers and the sweet smelling breath of a baby will make anybody smile.

Could it be filicide? Could anyone kill his or her own child? Could anyone on earth have such morbid intentions? Could a child breed such antagonism to bring about such extreme actions? Could a child ever provoke a murder?

Or could it be fatal carelessness? Negligence regarding a young unsuspecting life? Can something of that kind ever exist in this planet? A human’s instinct of care in any situation over powers it. A child falling off an unattended open window was never heard of.

Or was it a dream? The first pat of raindrop confirmed it was as real as ever. Life seemed to go on as normal. Shops just opened up for the day and raring to go. The usual early morning traffic and people honking their way through. Even in the apartments women drying clothes in the balcony. Little occasional faces peeping out of the window. What it made it all the more bizarre was life went on as normal.
Her heartbeat was fastening now, nearly pounding against her ribs. Her breath was shortening. She walked closer. Even the cloudy sunshine less early morning air caused beads of sweat to form on her forehead.

She drew closer with her gaze fixed on the little one.

Suddenly she laughed. A loud guffaw and closed her eyes tight -enough for the man getting out of his car to give weird looks.

In 30 seconds and a whirlwind of thoughts in her head she was relieved to get the revelation that it was but a toy. A life size life like toy of a boy.


This surreal experience actually happened to me not so long ago on my way to office.