The Silhouette in the Dreams

Part-III

Meanwhile, their conversation continues...

“What? I mean, how? How is it possible? You are no God, you are just a man!” said Azad, perplexed.

“Oh! Have you not been listening to what I have been saying? I am a dream trader; I have the body of a man, and the knowledge of a God. I am not your daily trader! I trade dreams. I appear only to those whose dreams amuse me, or rather, thrill me. Then I fulfill their dream, if I deem them worthy of it. This is who I am, and I offered the same to your father, but he refused! He said he will not challenge his fate, and vowed to go on with his life. The moment he made that decision, his universe split and that propelled him to a new dimension, and then the things happened as they were meant to, leading him to his grave.”, said Drotha, still maintaining the smile on his upper lip.

Azad was totally confused now; with the talk of universe and fate, and Drotha being some kind of supernatural being. What he actually wanted to know was about his father, for he had no interest in the heroics of Drotha and his fables. He was a kid, and the only thing that makes a kid happy is the sight of his parents or in this case, the story of his dad. Everything else Drotha said was secondary to him.  The only word that resonated in his ears was, “...your father...”.

“What of my father? What does this have anything to do with him?” asked Azad in a steady tone.

“He has everything to do with this! The decision he took that night is the reason that you’re standing here today! Heck, you wouldn't even have existed today if he didn't go to the factory that night. You see kid, with every decision we take, even the minutest ones, our universe changes. Things occur differently, very differently sometimes. This is the logic behind all things, and these very small decisions reflect on our future. These small decisions shape up our life and our dreams. The reason why we are able to realize our dreams is because of this. I make that possible. I make sure that one takes the right decision at every turn, so that he/she can realize his/her dream. That is what I do and that is what I offer you today, out of my admiration for your father” said Drotha, in one go.

“I don’t understand a thing mister, I - -”, Azad was cut in between by Drotha, who now seemed to lose his calm once again.

“See kid, let me show you what I mean using an example. Do you see that stone over there?”

“Yes”, replies Azad.

“Now, there are two cases here; either you pick up the stone or you don’t. If you don’t pick up the stone then its fine, your life will go as it should. But if you pick up the stone, then your universe changes, it takes a different route. Once you have the stone, either you throw the stone, or you keep it for yourself. If you’re keeping it for yourself, then it’s again well and good, but if you decide to throw it, then your universe changes again! This time, once the stone has been thrown, either it will fall on the ground, or on someone. If it falls on the ground then it’s again well and fine, but if it falls on someone, then again your universe changes. Now, if it falls on some old guy it's fine, he will shout and maybe curse you, but if it falls on some animal, or say an angry man, then it will come for you. It may attack you, and you may die and there goes your life and along with it your dreams; which you haven’t realized yet. But as of now you stand there, and the stone stays there. Nothing happens unless you pick that stone up. Do you understand it now? Within minutes you could have been dead, if all your actions took the wrong turn. This is what I do. As I said earlier, I help you take the right decisions for you, and help you in fulfilling your dreams. Do you understand?”, said Drotha, satisfied with the explanation he gave.  

“Yeah, I think I do, but help me understanding something...” said Azad.

“Yes, go on”, said Drotha. 

“You want to help me out of the fondness that you have for my father, right? But mother says, no one shows kindness without expecting something in return. So how come you are different?” asked a puzzled Azad.

“Well, I am no different than man, I have my needs. And your mother is a wise lady I must say; this is the ultimate truth about life. Well, to the point now; firstly, I am a dream trader, so I trade dreams. Yours for someone else’s. You see, I can’t give everything that a man desires. I fulfill the dreams of few and not of most. It has to be in balance, like everything in this world, there needs to be conservation of it. So in simple words, I can’t fulfill your dreams if I fulfill the dreams of other people, it has to be you or the others, not both. So, you bring me what others desire, their dreams, and I shall take their dreams and convert it into yours. Secondly, the more I help you out, the more you lose your soul. Am I somewhat clear, boy?”, asked Drotha.

“Wait, does that mean that if I tell you what my friend dreams of, then you're going to destroy his dream in order to fulfill mine? Is that it?”, asked Azad in a low tone now.

“Well, you make it sound so cold. I will just make sure that he makes all the wrong choices, which will split his universe, and I shall use that to make sure you make the right choices. You know - conservation!”, said Drotha.

“And the talk about soul?”, asked a bewildered Azad.

“Well, soul is the most fundamental characterization of oneself. It is what you are, your definition. In short, you will lose strands of humanity from your soul, along with few other things. Now, that won’t make you weak physically, but internally, you might end up weak. But when you will have so much of success at your disposal, what is the need of a soul? You won’t need it, kid.”, said Drotha.

Azad was finally getting it, he understood the trade now, and it was simple. You give with one hand, and take with the other. This is what it was about, all this time. Now, he understood why his father had to look the other way. Although his father was poor, he was not covetous. He was not someone who held all these materialistic things close to his heart. He was a simple man, of simple needs; all he needed was a three time meal, a roof over his head and a cloth to put on. That is what differentiated him from the others.

And it was now on Azad. His father had prepared him for everything, but not this day, not this moment. His father always wanted him to be independent, and maybe that's why, he never told Azad of this day. What was he to do? There was an expanse of success at one end and the sick, poor and old life at the other end. He was at the crossroads of life. One decision, and his life could change drastically. The dreams that he had seen, and his father had seen for him were within reach now. He was so close to it, and perhaps the closest he will ever come to realizing it. But it was his decision. The words of Drotha now resonated in his ears now, “…for every decision you make, your universe splits into two…”

It was his moment, the stage was set. The thoughts were Azad’s, but they couldn't materialized on Azad's lips. Azad’s thought of train was now running faster than he can keep up with. He was thoroughly confused.

Finally, Azad spoke, “Can I tell you about my decision tomorrow?”.

“Sure, why not. I will be waiting here, but don’t be late!” said Drotha, smilingly.

And said that, Azad turned and started walking towards his home. With his head held down and fist clutched, he slowly ambled away with thoughts in his head.

The End.