(4) THE SELF-TALKER

Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Rafique had just three friends in his community. The countryside where he lived was full of natural beauty. His three friends rarely met him, so he had made pen and paper his full-time companions. Apart from pen and paper, he had made himself his best friend.

On a summer evening, Rafique, as usual, was out on a walk. Describing the weather, he said to himself, “It is a hot day today. The wind has stopped, so the suffocation has increased. Oh, look at my shirt. It is wet because of sweat. My pants have also become wet. Oh, no my papers! They must be damp, too. Now how will I write today? By the way, what am I going to write today–a poem, an essay, or a story? Well, let’s see.”

Walking and talking to himself, he reached his accustomed place which was a Neem tree. “Hello, buddy. How is it going? You are growing and growing to make your shadow even denser. Thanks for providing the shadow, brother.” he said to the tree. Rafique sat under the tree and looked around. “Water in the pond is increasing because of the flow in the river, isn’t it?” he asked the tree. “Oh, I see. With more water in the pond, you are becoming stronger! Why didn’t you tell me that before?” he kept talking to the tree, but the tree was silent.

He took out the blank papers from his pocket which were a little damp. He kept them open in the sunshine so that they would dry. “You must be wondering what I will write today,” he said to the tree. “Well, friend, I don’t know either!” Saying this he laughed loudly.

“The words

On the paper

Are not mere

Words.

In them is a history,

A story of love,

And a chapter of sadness.

The words on the paper

Are not just words.”

He wrote these words on the paper. “Yes, I think I am writing a poem,” he said to the tree. When he finished writing the poem, he told to the tree, “It is time to move now. You can read this poem on my blog tomorrow.” “You know the address of the blog, right?” he asked the tree. The tree said nothing. Closing his papers he said to the tree, “See you soon, friend.”

Rafique then went to the River Indus, which was at a little distance from the tree. He often sat on the bank of the river and wrote stories and poems. Walking on the levee, he kept talking to himself. After the river, he came to the village fields where he sat for some time, and then he went home. At night, he posted the poem on his blog. By writing and talking to himself, Rafique spent his life happily. Rafique found happiness in nature and writing. In the past, people had broken his heart, so he stayed away from people and made a world of his own.

-----------------------------------------------------

Respond to the Story:

Do you think loneliness is better than a bad company?

Have you ever written any poems or stories? If so, share it with your classmates and teacher.