Everybody started talking about Marc... I was the one to blame[as always]....... I initiated the topic enumerating on the compassion levels a certain cousin of mine [and also another friend] held for animals..........particularly Dogs. Mommy darling henceforth went down the lane,,,,the lane of memories......that our Shepherd Marc[ christened Marcus Antonius!] held for us.....and then Time machine wound me back........good, long SIX years back to the day and I still remember it..... June 2nd 2003,when we were navigating a by lane of a certain place in Thrissur which was famous for selling puppies...And then there was this house[for some reason it looked extremely gloomy] where a typical hoarding was set up with a G Shepherd's supposed-to- be- ferocious pic on it,and since my parents were of the adamant conviction that only a G Shep should be reared in the house [as that is the only dog worth having....psst,psst......I dunno why!] we braked Rrright in frrrront of the Gloomy House with an even gloomier lady in the track.....
After laying out straight about our requirements she showed us some puppies...... there were Daschunds[sorry if the spelling is wrong],dalmatians[which Me & Appu BADLY wanted but for obvious reasons couldnt get] and 1 G shep. An extremely adorable, 4 days old baby Shepherd....With the most beautiful,pleading,mesmerising eyes I had seen...
Well,to make things shorter,we zeroed in on that one,put it in a carton and whisked it away to home. Moi the "Great "even named him Marcus Antonius[Marc for short ;) ] and then it was a colorful palette of a week for me till I was uprooted and planted in Mangalore to become an in doubt doctor ;))
I gave Marc his first toy,a cute little teddy, without which Marc would never fall asleep and would wail till he got it [or another replacement for it], gave him milk,chocolates and biscuits[i wasnt supposed to infact!],petted him,played with him and for a week all our attention was centered on our own MARCUS ANTONIUS of Kerala :D
Then as time passed by Marc grew up,,,, I grew far away from Marc....and my fear for this massive dog also grew in size.... Marc yearned to play with me but me being me didnt satisfy his yearn[plz dont screw ur eyebrows now :( ]...all that I did was pet him in his kennel with choco biscuits... Marc would grab each and every chance to sniff me through grills and panes et al......BUT WITHOUT LETTING ME KNOW ABOUT IT.............
And then I remember, on a March afternoon this year, as I was passing through an alley to a nearby shop behind our campus, there was a huge Shep perched on the gate of the house situated there where I had never seen a Shep before! It JAASSTTT looked like our Marc! I was in fact a little apprehensive then & I feel a little sheepish now....
The next day mom blurted it out in an "I-am-suppressing-it-all-in-me" tone through phone..... MARC DIED IN DAD'S ARMS.
Our Marc, the only being that faithfully waited for our arrival everytime we left home....... the only being that loyally guarded and protected us[ and our residential area also btw! ] the only being which loved us truly apart from the three of us....... is NO more.
I was blank ............
But I still think Marc is protecting us.....And I would like to believe it that way...... And even when I thought about him today I shed a tear silently without a grimace.............. I dont believe in supernaturals but I feel that Marc somehow connected with me during his last hours.........It just happened..............
And I promised myself that never would we rear a dog and make it feel our absence longingly......Never......
Animals once reared are just like our children.......And I shudder to think of losing another child in the bargain...................................
ITs so true........... Man's most loyal friend is ALWAYS an animal reared with love and affection.
V
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