He came out of his hut, a small hut with thatched roof that stood at one corner of his field. It was a bright morning, with white fluffy clouds floating above. He smiled. Today was the day. He had worked very hard for it for months. He was finally going to see some action. He was finally going to fulfill his promise.
He went back in, helped himself to a hot cup of coffee, had a hearty breakfast and came out. He looked at his equipment, with great satisfaction. It was lying outside his house just a little away from the pole that supported his roof. He had done a good job, though he felt that one of the screws could be tightened a little more, so it doesn't jut out so much. He sought perfection and beauty in everything he did. He went back into his hut, brought out his toolkit and started working on his wonder device. He intended to tighten just one screw, but one thing led to another, and he couldn't stop till he was completely satisfied with the look and feel of his creation. It was already mid afternoon by the time he finished. He walked back to his hut, quenched his thirst with a glass of cool water from the earthen pot kept just outside the door. The sun had started its journey downwards to the oceans. Now seemed like a perfect time to launch his
device.
Two years ago, he was the happiest man on earth, or so he thought. He had the most loving family - his ever so kind wife and his charming little boy filled him with so much joy that he didn't seem to want anything else in life. Till one day, his son contracted a deadly illness that even the best of physicians and the costliest of medicines could not cure. "This is a very rare disease", the doctors had said, "and science hasn't progressed enough to cure this". In his son's battle against death, death won, leaving him and his wife devastated. It was not long before his wife passed away unable to bear the loss of their child. He wandered far and wide, wherever his grief would take him. He fought hard, he wanted answers. After a long struggle, the quest ended, the flames subsided. He had consoled his heart, but came back with a determination, a dogged determination to fulfill a promise. He sold all his property, gave away his riches to the poor, saved a small piece of fertile land, built a hut in one corner of it, and settled there.
He looked at the sky again, at the white fluffy clouds, drifting slowly with the wind. His son's voice echoed in his mind, the vision haunted his memories.
"Daddy!", the kid had exclaimed. "Do you know what I want for my birthday this year?"
"No, my son. What do you want for your birthday?"
"Can you take a guess?"
"Mmmm.. Let's see. You want a new set of cars to play with?"
"No daddy. I already have a lot of cars."
"Shoes with flashing lights?"
"No daddy. I just decided what I want for my birthday. I want the clouds!" The kid sounded ecstatic. He hopped and looked up at the sky, while holding his father's hand as they walked through the lush green paddy fields, glowing in all its prosperity.
"The clouds, my dear boy?" His dad was indeed puzzled.
"Yes daddy, the clouds. I want some clouds for my birthday! Don't you think it will be nice to hang them outside our house during Christmas?! Maybe we can put some on the Christmas tree!! And I will take some to school to show everybody!" The kid couldn't contain his excitement and his father realized that he was serious.
"But, son. It is not possible to get the clouds, they are very far away. Nobody has reached them."
"You are lying daddy, you told me that aeroplanes go higher than clouds. I have seen them myself."
He realized that wasn't working.
"Is there something else you want my son? Daddy is growing old and I am afraid I can't travel to the clouds and bring them back for you."
"But no daddy, I want the clouds. They are so beautiful." The kid started crying, which sent pain down the father's chest. How could he let his son cry?
"Okay, I will get you the clouds, but not for this birthday, but maybe two years later. Is that okay?"
"But why not this birthday?"
"It will take me a long time to reach the clouds and I want to find the best one for my boy."
"But will you promise me that you will get me the clouds?"
"I promise." Saying thus, he lifted his son into the air, embraced him close to his chest, and carried him home. He secretly hoped that his son would forget about the clouds and his promise. Of course, kids forget and two years is enough time for them to want a different birthday gift.
His kid's enthusiasm and his own promise reverberated in his heart. That was two years ago, how quickly time flies, he thought, yet not fast enough for him not to feel it. He laid a hand on his equipment, pressed onto the fixture in the ground, to make sure it was secure. He took the net in one hand, supporting it with the other. He pressed a button and the machine came on with a loud whirring sound. He looked at the sky again, he looked at the clouds, poised himself for the launch and with one sweeping motion, cast his net into the air. It went flying towards the skies. As it expanded and traveled higher and higher, he felt it drag him with it, but he kept steady. The machine spun at an incredible speed and the net reached the clouds. He saw it trap a few beautiful soft white fluffy clouds inside. He pressed a lever and the net started retracting. He pulled at the net, it came closer and closer to him, wrapping tightly around the clouds. As it neared his field, he noticed that the trapped clouds were getting darker and denser. And before he knew it, it had started to rain over his paddy field, and the net limply fell on the ground. He stopped his machine and smiled.
His neighbor who lived several yards away from him had been watching him from his verandah. In fact, he had been watching this man at work for several months, this quiet man, who remained a mystery to the entire neighborhood. He walked over to him and said, "You look like a wise man, but were you really hoping to capture the clouds?" He smiled, but didn't say anything. "Well, you got rain earlier than usual, so maybe you will get good crop this year!" To which, he again smiled but replied, "I am going to make some coffee. Would you like to join me?"
A year passed. The machine lay outside the hut; it had been worked on, it had new features and looked stronger. The man stepped out of his hut, examined his wonder device, and looked at the sky. It was a clear night, the sun had set and the stars were twinkling in a multitude of colors in a distant land. He laid a hand on his equipment, pressed onto the fixture in the ground,
to make sure it was secure. He took the net in one hand, supporting it
with the other. He pressed a button and the machine came on with a
loud whirring sound. He looked at the sky again, he looked at the stars, poised himself for the launch and with one sweeping motion, cast
his net into the air.
He cast a net, a net for the stars that night...
