Treasure

“There’s a place, full of riches and treasure for all of us. It lies no where else but within us.”

Returning home

The sun is about to set, the clouds painted with it’s glory. The wind is taking us towards our home, the sound of waves occasionally breaking the silence. We made it to the island which all men feared to explore, we sailed across the sea which has never be en crossed before. We saw riches beyond our imagination, gold, jewels and much more. We stashed everything we could lodge on the ship.

The sea seems unusually calm today, I can see the fishes swimming near our ship. They aren’t afraid of us anymore, a strange feeling dwells in my heart. Ever since I went to the cave in the island, ever since I saw the things in that cave, this feeling won’t disappear. It is more like this feeling is my very own existence, which I was unaware of till now. My heart beats louder with every passing minute, I feel a strange pull from there across the horizon. The place where home lies, my crew is full of excitement to tell everyone about the treasure, eager to share the treasure with their families.

“ Alfred , I am taking over. Go and take some rest. It’s my turn to take the wheel”.

“ Aye Aye Captain. But you haven’t rested a bit, are you alright?” asked Alfred.

“ I am alright Alfred, I just don’t feel like sleeping. I feel like I have been asleep for a long time, and now I am awake. “

Alfred went to the cabin without saying anything. I knew Rodrigo was listening to us, he has been keeping an eye on me ever since I came out of the cave.

“ I know you are there Rodrigo, come out.”

“ Hah, you and your senses kid. You always know when I am around.” said Rodrigo, he’s been with me ever since I was a child. His stories always made me curious about the sea, he was the one who told me about the treasure island. He told me the stories that men would tell after returning from their quest.

“ I learnt everything for you only. “ I chuckled.

“ I didn’t teach you everything kid, something has always been there within you. And that has led all of us to cross this sea, to explore the treasure island and to return home. That is why you are our captain Keane.” said Rodrigo in his usual fatherly tone.

“ And ever since you returned from that cave, something’s changed in you. You seem different. Anything you would want to tell me? “

“In due time Rodrigo, in due time.”

The ship welcomed me on the wheel, the rudder never felt so smooth. It was the time for the stars to rise with their king. The moon was full tonight, it is a strange coincidence the day we left for our adventure was a new moon day and today the moon is shining with all it’s might. We would reach home soon, the rudder’s steady. It’s time to write my diary, waiting for me in the upper pocket. It contains our entire journey, my journey to be more precise.

“ Rodrigo, you got the candles with you ? “

“ Aye. “

“ You know what to do with them, you guys can unload the ship, I will be there in an hour. “

“ okay kid, we will get the work done. “ said Rodrigo waking up Alfred and others.

I can sense this place no matter how long I have been away from the island. The smell, the sound of the trees,the beach,every thing is so beautiful. With this mysterious feeling in my heart,it all feels wonderful. I have been hardly away for 3 months, and yet everything feels so refreshing, so special. My feet automatically start walking down the road, I don’t have to decide where to turn my body knows where to go. I still remember the day we left, I remember it clearly.

Departure

The wind in the woods carries the nostalgic smell of the lilies. The chirping of insects at night, the moist sand and this atmosphere it’s a heavenly feeling. I can feel the trees around me, I can feel the birds in their nests on the trees. I can feel the wind, and I can feel the Moon glowing brightly on my path. This was the same path we took on the day we left,

“ Rodrigo are all supplies ready? “

“ Aye Aye Captain.”

“ Alfred are the ropes tied correctly? “ “Aye.”

“ Jack, is everything clear? “

“ Aye Aye Captain.”

“ Today we leave for the biggest adventure of our life, the treasure island. Every man has set his eyes on that island, but none returned successful. But we will, we will sail across the sea that no one has crossed. There is one thing we all should know, the sea is not our enemy and nor is the island. The sea loves us explorers otherwise why would it expand so much? Why would it be so huge if it didn’t want us to explore it? to play with it? The same goes for the island , the island is waiting for us amigos , it’s waiting for us to enjoy all it’s treasure and everything it has to offer. So let’s set sail and play with our biggest friend. “

“Aye Aye Captain.” All crew members roared.

The sea welcomed us gracefully with a continuous gust of wind, it helped us greatly to cross the beginning waters. But it was just the beginning, we had to sail for about a month to reach treasure island. And the gravest of the seas was around the island, whirlpools and mysterious storms which have made ships disappear, and taken the lives of many men.

I never knew walking on the same road after exploring the treasure island would feel so exhilarated. I was entering the town now, and the first house on the outskirts is my home, I cannot stop my feet from running towards it.

It’s here, right here in front of me and I cannot get the grasp of this feeling. I close my eyes and take a deep breath and suddenly the door opens.

“Hola” welcomed Mairead. “ Haven’t you slept? “

“ I had a hunch you would be coming, so “ I hugged her before she could finish her sentence. I couldn’t speak anything for a while. I just wanted to stay like that,

“ Hey, you seem different. Did something happen at the sea? “ said Mairead still in my arms.

“ I am just happy to see you.” I held her firmly by her arms.
“ And I have something to tell you, we explored the treasure island. “

Her eyes lit up with excitement, a smile on her face.

“ That’s great, really great. “ she exclaimed.
“ And I have something for you as well. “ I took out the diary from my pocket and handed it to her. “ What’s this? “ asked Mairead.
“ Open it, it’s for you. “

We went inside and lit up the lamps. The chair felt cosier than anything I have had in months, Mairead was sitting next to me with the diary in her hands. She asked me if I wanted something to eat or not, but I was contempt and a glass of water did it’s work.

“ The captain’s log. Do you want me to read it? “ asked Mairead. “ Yes, of course. “

 

Unfathomable Sea

After sailing about four weeks without any signs of land, my crew has started to lose hope. Rodrigo is trying to keep them in high spirits,trying to hide things from me. Jack is keeping a watch, I am in my cabin.

“ Jack anything in sight? “

“ No Captain, nothing more than some birds and twigs. “ replied Jack.

“ What twigs and birds? “

I stood up immediately and went outside.

“ Alright amigos, gather up.”

“ These twigs and the birds are the signs of land. Open the sails, watch the rudder.”

We were near the deadly sea, it was in the air. But it was no moment to be afraid, the sea is our greatest friend and it wouldn’t harm us.

“ Follow the birds. “

“ They will take us to land. Trust me, they will.”

Everyone worked hard to maintain the ship in position, the sea started to show disturbances.

“ Captain we cannot go straight, we have to move around. These waters cannot be trusted. “

“ Alfred where are the birds going? “ I asked him ,

“ They are moving straight ahead. “

“ Then keep the course straight, the birds would only go through a steady flow of wind. It means that the places they are avoiding have turbulence in the wind current. Move straight ahead. “

“ Aye Aye” roared my crew.

We moved straight ahead, it was difficult to maintain the boat on course, the rudder was violently shaking. We were all praying that it wouldn’t break but the waters said otherwise. Rodrigo was holding on to the rudder, I was on the wheel. Alfred and Samuel were watching the sails, Jack and William were trying to keep the ropes tight. I never saw my ship in such a state, never felt it in such rebellion. It was afraid of the sea, I could feel it.

“ Be strong everyone, we have crossed many seas, don’t be afraid. This turbulence is taking it’s strength from our fear, let it starve by showing courage. Let it starve. “

Everyone shouted loudly,

“ We cross this sea, we conquer it. “

“ Great treasure lies ahead, all ours to take. “

“ We are the men of the sea, we sail and explore.”

“ We return with great riches, to our home, to our abode. “

After hours of courage and vigilance, the sea finally calmed down. We were no longer afraid because the treasure island was in front of us. It was calm and peaceful, one could hardly say the sea was violent. The chirping of the birds could be heard, it was the island that no one had ever been to.

We all burst to laughter, we didn’t have anything to say. We were just excited and bewildered by sailing across, we were the first men to land on this island.

“ Everyone check the ship first, check for the damage.”

We checked the ship for damage, and Jack and Samuel stayed behind to make the repairs. It was an unknown island nothing could be said about what lied ahead.

Mairead was absorbed in the diary,I was watching her making faces in response to the events in the diary. She glanced at me in a while,

“ Are you sure you don’t need anything? You would be hungry after your journey?“ asked Mairead. “ I am good, you continue. “

Astonishment

The air was fresh, light unlike on the sea. It contained the message of spring which was a strange occurrence at this time of the year,the trees bloomed to their fullest and a water stream clearer than any.

The trees were tall and big, with lots of birds chirping on them. The water in the stream was fresh and contained many fishes,we decided to eat some fishes and go ahead. The fishes were delicious, with every bite we felt rejuvenated. The chirping of birds was in a harmony, as if we were with an orchestra with nature as the player. The water of the stream was lighter than anything we have drunk, it gave us a feeling of satisfaction after drinking it.

We decided to follow the stream and see where it led us to, it was a magical place. With magic in it’s air, with every breath I wanted to take more air in , with every step I wanted to run. That’s when I noticed it, that something was calling me, I felt a strong pull. And we were heading in the same direction as the pull. As we moved deep in the woods , the air carried the smell of wet land. We came near to a lake formed by a small waterfall, I felt a strange urge to swim in it.

“ Keane, come here it’s a cave. “ shouted Rodrigo and we followed him. Rodrigo is an expert when it comes to caves and tunnels. It was dark at first,but as we moved ahead the sparkling treasure astonished all of us. There was everything, gold, diamonds, rubies, and many gems I didn’t even know. At first we just stood there, thinking of it as a dream and not believing what was in front of us. But when I touched it, it was real every single bit of it was real.

The strange pull suddenly distracted me from the treasure, I couldn’t resist it anymore, I went outside the cave and jumped into the lake. The water was light and I could swim easily in it, the force was pulling me deeper I followed it without thinking. I could see an underwater cave in front of me, my surrounding was deep blue , I could see the fishes swimming around me. Some of them tickled me when the swam across, the force of their tails was clearly felt. There were schools of small fishes and b igger ones, they swam across in a circular fashion around me and went to the cave as if they were guiding me towards it.

I was running out of breath, the underwater cave wasn’t a long one. After swimming for a while, I found an opening and decided to surface to catch breath. I rose easily towards the surface it was as if the water was helping me. I took a huge breath, and a voice startled me.

“ Boy, You took quite a time reaching here. I was waiting for you. “ said an old lady. “ You met an old lady in that cave? On that island? “ asked Mairead inquisitively.

“ Yes, I did. But I wouldn’t call her an old lady. She was mysterious. “

“ Who was she ? “ asked Mairead.

I couldn’t resist my smile, watching her curious about it. “ Go on.”

Habitat of the king

” I know what you are thinking lad.” said the old lady.

I was shocked, confused and didn’t know what to say.

” Just who are you? “

” Who am I? You ask. ” she chuckled. ” You will know soon. You should come out of the water now.”

” Okay. ” I came out of the water, I wasn’t worried about my wet clothes but I couldn’t grasp the situation. How can grandma be here? This is an isolated cave and an isolated island.

” hold your thoughts kid.” said the grandma. ” For you are about to get all your answers. Follow me. “

The cave was bigger than the previous one, the air was different I felt different with every step. The fishes and treasure are nothing compared to what I feel right now.

It was dark, I followed the sound of footsteps, a faint light pierced the darkness. It was a strange place, It was something I never saw. It was full of light, there were trees and streams. Grandma was leading the way, it was something like a huge garden. And the strangest part was that the trees were in full bloom, these surpassed the trees on the island.

” What do you think ? ” asked Grandma.

” It’s beautiful. I don’t have words to describe it. “

The golden glow on the trees,every single leaf was light green. The flower plants bloomed to their fullest, it wasn’t even spring. There were all types of flower plants, some of them I didn’t even know but it was exceptional. Every plant was filled with life,

” Lad, this is the truth. ” said the grandma. ” this is what pulled you here, the truth. ” ” What do you mean by truth ? “

” The truth son, it’s the truth with which every human was born. With which you were born, what you know is far from truth about life. “

” Every single man is born with this fact, he is already provided for all that belongs to him by the divine right. All that he needs or requires are automatically added to him on his path. Whatever he asks in prayer ,believing that would be added to him. “

And she continued, her words lifted a dense fog over my mind. I have never been clear in my life, this feeling of being aware about my own self. Tears rolled down my eyes, I couldn’t stop them. They were the tears of satisfaction, what I realised I cannot put it in words. I knew it had much in store for me, and it already began.

” Lad do you want to know the answers now? ” asked the grandma. ” What is this place? “
” It’s the habitat, the abode of the king.” said the grandma.

” You already have initiated yourself on the path, all answers will be revealed. Let’s head back now, your friends would be worried about you.” She conjured something from the air, it was made up of gold. I couldn’t figure what exactly it was, but she kept it in her hand.

We went back from the abode, with this feeling in my heart. My clothes had dried, how or why I don’t know. But I realised the most important thing in my life.

Rodrigo and others were waiting for me,

“ Where did you run off to kid? “ asked a worried Rodrigo.

“Oh, nowhere, I was just looking around. And I found this lady, so I brought her along.”  I felt a pat on my arm,

“ Which lady Keane? “ asked Rodrigo. “ There’s no one here other than us.” She was gone, I don’t know where I looked around but couldn’t f ind anybody. ” So what did you realise? ” asked Mairead.
” Come with me, I have something I want to show you. “

Awareness

The night is still young, the moon at it’s fullest shining it’s light on our path. The air carries the scent of the sea, Mairead is walking beside me. I cannot take my eyes off her, her loosely tied hair dancing with the breeze. Rodrigo and others should have done their work by now.

“ Where are we going? “ asked Mairead.

I pointed towards the cove, one of my favourite places “ there.”

The cove wasn’t too deep, but it was just fit for the purpose.

“ Close your eyes Mairead.” and I took her hand to guide her towards it.

I had the most important realization in my life, I loved Mairead and I realised what love meant, what love is. When I close my eyes, and try to imagine love, it appears to be a vast sea without any bounds. And there’s nothing more I can say on it, because I can only love her. All I want to give her is love, every single bit of emotion I feel for her is love.

We reached at the cove, Rodrigo had prepared it just as I asked. A small table with a candle on it and many other candles in the vicinity. A small place lit with candles, perfect for a candle light dinner. The cove had a wonderful boundary, candles could be arranged perfectly on it.

The moonlight with the candles appeared beautiful. Mairead’s face lit like an angel, this moment made me even more aware of my own heart that Mairead means the entire universe for me, she’s my everything. And I just would give her everything I have, everything I can.

My hand moved on it’s own and reached my pocket, within it I found a locket. The locket co njured by the grandma ,I knew what I had to do with it. I went behind Mairead and gently tied it on her neck.

“Open your eyes.”

My Treasure

Mairead turned towards me, happy with the gift I gave her. With one quick move I took her hand in mine,

“You and me at this place, it’s a wonder tonight,

take my hand and let’s dance, let’s dance the whole night,

On the sea and On the ship,

Your thoughts dwelled my mind,

Every day and every night,

Your thoughts dwelled my mind,

Every moment I felt, made me understand

Just how much you mean , you mean to my heart,

Every moment, Every moment of my life,

I want to spend it , spend it

together with you ,my life

is, Our life is complete

the souls feel complete, that’s what I realised,

what I realised on the island

it’s you, always you

My Treasure,

Sail with me, sail with me on this journey called life,

I devote, I devote my mind, my body and

my soul to you my love,

my life, and

My Treasure. “

“I love you Mairead”, and I went ahead and kissed her. She’s my everything, my life, my existence and above all my treasure, treasure of my life.

I am so grateful to that grandma, she helped me realise so many things, and forth is beautiful locket, I wanted to know her name and a voice rang in my ears,

“It’s Shinn.”
It was the first time I sang, and I sang for Mairead.

 

Epilogue

Mairead was sleeping next to me, I was about to finish writing the entire idea about my new book. I stood up to fetch one of the books,

“Hey, what has kept you up till now? “ asked Mai read in a sleepy voice. I asked her to go to bed early and I would join her later.

“ Oh, I had an idea to write something for my new book. You want to see?” I handed out the manuscript. “ Sure “
Mairead read the entire “Treasure” ,

“Come out in the backyard, “

I took her hand and we went to the backyard, I couldn’t resist singing for her, “ You and me at this place, it’s a wonder tonight…..”
The moon was full, we danced on it, danced on it in our backyard.

“ I love you sweetheart. “ “ Me too. “ said Mairead.

“And a very Happy Anniversary. It’s past midnight. Another year in our journey of life has began. “I planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

“ Happy Anniversary to you too.”

She’s in my arms, we kiss in the moon light.

__END__

-Kunal Goswami