Meeting Lalu

in continuation of https://storiestolduntold.wordpress.com/2023/09/23/the-lalu-story/

So Lalu was sent to this animal hospital.. where he started receiving treatment.. a few days later we planned to meet him.. 

when Lalu was in the colony, I brought a dog biscuit pack for him along with a dog treat. But never really got the chance to give him the treat. Now that we were going to meet him, I thought to keep some dog biscuits.. and then I found that treat.. seems it was destined to be his to be eaten.. 

Later in the evening we reached the hospital and a guy let us in.. Lalu was near by.. we were told that he had not been eating properly.. perhaps the shock of being exiled from him home..  he was silent.. he was fragile. Yet he walked to us, sat in front and let out a moan.. the hospital guy said he is acknowledging you. But I felt he was complaining to us of why we sent him away.. I had no way to explain even if I could speak his language.. 

then we fed him the dog treat and biscuits.. he had them silently.. perhaps he knew that age has caught up with him and his time is coming close.. he stayed with us for a while. The same place where he had been whole past day.. and then he just got up and walked away.. I felt it was his way of telling us that we should go too.. otherwise why would he go from the place where he had been spending his time.. with very little hope to see him again, we also left for our home.. 

Another Dream

So I had this strange dream just now. 4am to be precise..Writing this so that I don’t forget. 

It is few years from now. Human civilisation has already peaked and is on downward slope now. National boundaries have faded but still exists. Diff nationalities live together.. but we are ruled by machines. They are not tormentors of human race. But we were doing everything as asked by them.. perhaps movie matrix has ingrained itself deep into me..

then came the most unexplainable phenomenon of the dream..the movement of time. Somehow time has acquired 2 directions. In short term it was moving forward but in long term it was moving backwards..(pls don’t ask me to even explain).  It is like those huge rides which are rotating in one direction.. and you are sitting in a small part of this ride which is rotating exact opposite to the main ride.. rotation speed of the ride is much higher than the smaller portion of it.. so even though in that small portion, you move in one direction, but as a part of the ride, your net movement is in opposite direction.. 

so in my dream, you enter the mall from exit and find yourself into the section where you need to be.. and here time runs forward. And you select the cloth and all.. but when you come out of the mall, you have lost the age.. and you have become younger.. 

then my kid cried and I woke up.. but hey, I was single in my dream.. perhaps because the time was running backwards..

The Lalu Story

In 2017, I had the pleasure of encountering Lalu, a remarkable dog with a beautiful coat that seemed to transition from brown to a captivating shade of red. Lalu, as it turns out, acquired his name from this unique feature. This meeting took place shortly after my return from the United States, and I was immediately struck by the regal and powerful aura exuded by this magnificent canine.

he didn’t know me initially and barked on me a few times till the time he realised that I also live on the same street.. and after that he was very amiable.. 

once there was another black dog who was kind of crazy dog and she used to bark on everyone, no matter stranger or living on the same street. Once she barked on me too, and then Lalu barked.. after that she went quiet and never barked on me.. perhaps Lalu told her that I was a local resident and she must not bark on me.. 

then I and Lalu were comfortable with each other and it kept getting better for next 6 years to come.. whenever I was passing by, he used to come to me.. in return I just used to massage his forehead.. he loved that feeling and so did I.. whenever I used to bring chicken, I used to feed him the bones.. we kind of developed a friendship.. 

and then there were times when my mom used to go to temple early in the morning. And Lalu accompanied her all the way, a good 350 meter distance.. he used to pass from the area which was not his, and yet he used to go with mom.. 

slowly we all started liking him.. and we were not alone.. 2 more families were fond of him.. he was always well fed by them.. 

time slowly kept ticking and Lalu got old.. he was no more as powerful as he once was.. a frail shadow of his glorious past.. he was weak.. then came the worst time.. he got infected.. his hind side was infested by some insects.. wound was huge.. he was bleeding through it.. felt as if it is the end of him.. doctors suggested euthanasia.. 

But We made some last ditch efforts and got him treated.. he started recovering.. we were glad.. deep down we knew that he is in last stages of his life.. but this recovery nonetheless was a heartwarming.. his walk had improved.. and we started believing that he will live through this season.. 

then he got infected again.. this time much worse.. he was bleeding again.. his wounds were seeping the puss.. leaving stenches all around.. alas.. we had no way to be able to treat him.. 

with heavy heart we decided to send him to a dog shelter where he could be treated .. we called a dog van.. they brought him in the van.. he was in pain.. he was distraught.. he realised that he is going away from his home of years. The place where he came as a puppy and where he spent his whole life.. he knew he will never return.. 

then he looked out of the window, in my eyes.. as if complaining to me.. asking me why are you letting it happen.. why are you taking me away from my home.. his eyes had exact same expression which my son gives when he wants to complain about something.. 

And that one look of Lalu choked me.. broke my heart to thousand pieces.. I had no words left, nor the energy.. tears were on the verge of coming out if not already out.. slowly the van left.. and with that went Lalu.. I came back and hit the bed.. showed as if I was tired. But in reality I just wanted to be alone till I could get a handle on my feelings.. till I can wipe my eyes.. till I am able to speak a word coherently..

Now we get updates of his treatment and his condition.. he is definitely in better shape.. but only question which I ask myself is whether Lalu understood that what we did was for his own good.. or does he consider us all a guilty who uprooted him of his own home.. perhaps I will never know..and no matter what he thinks, he is right.. only solace is that his pain is less… at least the physical pain.. I think I can live with it.. 

Lalu, you had been a part of our life.. and my command on any language is not good enough to be able to express what you meant to us and how we felt sending you away.. hope your last few months are not passed in agony.. see you on the other side my friend.. THANK YOU FOR THAT UNCONDITIONAL LOVE..