WALLS
Lal Chakraborty

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21Ân ®gh˦u¡l£, 2003

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Part I : Chapter 2    

The small children of the village had nothing much to do and when they found Carlos doing the fun stuff like digging and making walls they joined him. Soon we were quite a big troop and the wall grew both in length and height. After a few days, it occurred to us that we could make three smaller walls on the side of the main wall and we will have a small room without a roof. The idea of making a room in this wall was so new that half of our workforce started working on it. The room was completed within seven days. When it was finished we all came, entered the room through the tiny doorway, and looked at it in wonder and amazement. A full room. And we made it ourselves.

A few days later King sent for Carlos and me. I thought we were in for the whips. I never had been to the manor before. I had heard that there were pretty ladies inside. We walked in through the wooden bridge on the moat. It was a lovely morning. The wooden bridge creaked in the wind. I saw the Parisan, a guard of the manor. He was tall and strong and had a deep frightening voice. But inside he was quite good. He often bought me whiskey at the pub. He stopped us and then after we explained the cause of our visit he accompanied us inside. Once inside the outer walls of the manor, I saw many armed men moving about. I didn’t see any pretty lady but I saw a garden that was as pretty as a garden could be. The door to the manor was huge and heavy. It opened and absorbed us in.  

"So you are making a fort around us all, eh?" the King asked Carlos. His voice was deep and his words made me tremble. His hair was white and skin was a little wrinkled. Jewles  glittered on his robe and hands.  

"Yes Sir. A big fort that will hold all the people and their houses and inns and churches and land. Everything." Carlos, being the idiot, feared none. 

"And who permitted you to build a fort on my land?" King asked fiercely. 

"None Sir." I thought that now we will be dragged outside and flogged. Oh, why didn’t I think of this before? 

"Demolish the wall within two days." The King signaled with his hand for us to go away.

I couldn’t believe my ears. We had been spared. Coming back from the manor without being touched. I was proud of my achievement. 

The village soon heard about the order. Many came and patted the children on their head and clicked their tongues, "You were very lucky this time. Never, ever again play with the idiot. He will one day have you all in racks." 

Miro and I sat there looking at the tall wall and the room. The room full of memories. We did not get up. We did not budge. We did not start breaking the wall that day. We did not dig mud. We did not bring rocks. We did not place those rocks on top of one another with layers of mud in between. We did not suspend stones tied to long strings to make sure the walls were straight. We did not even talk. We just watched the long wall in silence. 

That night I took Miro by hand and together we went inside that little room. All the children were gone and Carlos had vanished somewhere, too. The night was dark and she was a little afraid. She held my hand firmly and drew close to me. I had never had Miro so close to me before. I had never had a girl so close to me before. I kneeled down and looked up at her face. I could see the sky with stars twinkling and the faint light from them glittering in her eyes. The walls around us stood tall and dark, shielding us from everything outside. We were alone. Alone but together. Love blooms on such nights. 

Early next morning there was a knock on my door. I got up and opened the door on the face of Banya the Trader. He was smiling humbly. Banya was always smiling and always humble. He was forever sorry that he stood in your way, that he asked favors from you, that he bought things from you at the cheapest price, that he needed you to work for him for a miserly sum of money, that he forced everyone to agree to an exorbitant price for his goods from his shop and that he forced everyone to pay exorbitant interest for the money he loaned us all in times of need. He was very apologetic that he had to wake me up so early.

"Could you possibly put on a shirt and come with me. It breaks my heart to think that you will have to pull down all that you did for so long. It is such a shame. The children in this village are so happy for the first time. And now they will have nothing to do anymore, like before, but to throw stones at my lame horse. Oh, I am so sorry. Come on put on a shirt and let me see if I can help." 

So, I put on a shirt and for the second time I walked on the creaking wooden bridge over the moat in front of the manor. I was sure that my backs would not be spared this time.

"You want to talk with the King now? At this hour? He has not even had his breakfast."

Parisan tried to save me but Banya would not heed. He very humbly made him go and tell King about our arrival. The guard came back and said that the King would see us. We walked in with the guard and I saw the King sitting with a pretty girl and both working on their breakfast. Banya was very humble. He bent way down to the ground and curtsied to the King and the girl. He did it twice making sure that the second time he was lower than before.

Then he spoke, "My gracious King, and oh noble princess, I am so sorry to interrupt your meal. Please do not take any notice of me. Please carry on eating, my lord. I am nothing more than a little worm. I am so happy that you let me see you." 

"Why Banya, we are pleased to see you, too. What brings you here." The King didn’t at all sound rude. I guessed he was humble to a humble man – a noble quality befitting a true king. He even asked a chair to be brought in for Banya.  

"My lord, my only kin living in this world, my only friend and guide, my only possession, my old lame horse is seriously threatened my lord. I pray you for his life. My lord, you are the life giver. Please grant me his life." 

The king’s face grew serious, "How could I give back the life of the horse, Banya?" 

"Lord, the children of this village, when they have nothing else to do they throw small pebbles at my horse my lord and the horse turns very weak and cries. Being a lame horse, he can do nothing. For the last few weeks, my horse has been regaining his life since the children were away making that insignificant wall. My lord, please, for the sake of my lame horse, please let them do that." 

"Why don’t you get a good horse from my stable instead?" King asked. 

"Gracious lord. I would never dream of taking a horse from you without paying its price. I can’t take advantage of your sympathy and kindness. And I would never be able to pay for any horse now. Lord, you might remember that arrangement last summer, that one by which you agreed to transfer the control of these lands, only in paper of course, to me for that money paid in gold coins. Lord, ever since, I am so poor I can’t even afford a good meal. Surely, I can’t afford anything but the lame horse. Please, I beg you of his life." 

The King was silent for some time and I saw him crushing his fists. But he said, "All right Banya, I sure don’t want to be unkind to any animal, be it a horse or a cow. I permit the children to build that wall. No, I order them to build the wall. You, what’s your name?" 

"Zen."

"Zen, go and tell everyone that I am ordering them to build the fort."

On the way back, I asked Banya if it was true that he owned all the land and not the King. He asked me very humbly to speak softly and cautiously and to talk about this to no one else. Therefore, I told everyone about the incident. 

Late that night I dreamt of the King and his daughter, the princess. She was staring at Banya with half a smile on her mouth. Banya, as usual, was very humble.