Terrorism: A few vignettes

Treasure – Lost and found

Blood and tears freely flew in a sad profusion
Lifeless bodies lay around in chaotic confusion

The street was smeared with the ravages of senseless gore
To her bosom a woman clasped her lifeless child-aged four

Blissfully unaware of this sad story a man rummaged in a garbage can
Ah! The brutal callousness of this insensitive man

With a serendipitous gleam, his eyes became round
In the debris of hopes, what had he found?

With indecent haste, toward the object he lunged
Alas, to what abysmal depths had he plunged?

From the corner of his eyes, he looked around
And threw himself at the treasure he had found.

With grimy hands, his cheeks he wiped
In the air, a triumphant hand he swiped.

Then on one leg he pitifully hobbled
On the street-blood-soaked and cobbled.

The treasure snugly under his arm
His face now looked ….ah so calm.

For, under his right arm, his left leg he carried
Alas, just a week back he had been married!

... and the child sleeps

In the morning sky dark clouds did loom
Pregnant with portents of gloom.

People emerged from every corner and nook
When with a horrifying sound the earth shook.

The morning calm had been torn asunder
No, it was not a clap of thunder.

With ashen faces, for cover, people scurried
In utter fear, towards safety they hurried.

With ominous growls, the wind did roar
Snorting its displeasure at the all-pervasive gore.

As the wind howled and roared in anger wild
A blood-splattered woman stretched a hand toward her only child.

A warm kiss she planted on his forehead cold
Around the tiny bundle, her arms she did fold.

With shaking hands she chafed his un-shaking breast
Hush-her naughty child was at rest.

The whole night he had not slept a wink
Ah-now the tired prankster did not blink.

An ear-splitting bomb-blast had done the trick
Dazedly she watched, as a photographer did click.

Dr. Santosh Bakaya (Magazine) is the vice principal of a post graduate government college in Rajasthan. Teaching has always been her bread and butter - but writing is the dessert. Many of her articles and short stories have been published in magazines of repute and she has presented many papers in national and international conferences. She has written many novels for the young adults which have been critically acclaimed. Her latest novel to be published was “The Mystery of the Pine Cottage” after the success of her earlier two novels “The Mystery of the Relic” and “The Mystery of the Jhalana Fort.

Her forthcoming mystery novels are: “The Mystery of the Missing Cricket Balls”, “The Mystery of the Whispering Woods”, “The Mystery of the Nocturnal Christmas Carols”, “The Mystery of the Blue Eyed Boy”. All her mystery novels feature the adventurous Razdaan kids – Iha, Aakshi, Ashok and also their lovable dog Nipper who gives them all out canine support in tracking down criminals, and unraveling mysteries.
She also writes and directs skits in Hindi as well as in English.