Dud Sea Scrawls The Writing, clearly, is not on the wall!

In death, there is redemption
- Captain Nemo

The old man sat cross legged on the balcony. Back ramrod straight, staring into a distance, unaware of the restless movements of the young listeners around him, some lying down on their sides, some on their backs, some sitting in awkward positions. The night was cool without being chilly. After a while of silent staring, the old man slowly got back to the present from wherever his mind had wandered. He cleared his throat and started :

A long time ago, there was a young boy who was full of life and love for everything around him. His closest friends said he had strange supernatural powers, they called him the Blu Magnet : Blu is short for Bad Luck. He could not predict future but whatever he suggested to his friends turned out to be the best possible alternative, but soon after the success of the other person, Blu’s effort would fail. Such successes of others and failures of Blu ranged from passing exams to getting a job to holding on to a job. If he touched someone ill, the person would get well soon and some of the symptoms would appear in Blu. He seemed to be unconcerned about all these happenings, willing to help anyone in trouble, living on whatever limited resources he could mobilize, attracting others bad luck and being a nobody to everyone who did not know him. Sometimes, strangers would come to him for advice, hearing about his success as a counselor from someone… He never accepted that he was a healer or a miracle monger and laughed off all such suggestions.

Blu was an orphan. He had lost his parents at birth… mother died at childbirth and father as soon as he got the news of his wife’s death. Blu grew up in an orphanage without ever getting to know who his parents were or where he belonged to or if he had any siblings. Some people thought it was unnatural that he did not even show any curiosity to know about his origins.

He went to school and made some friends who started realizing that there was something strange about this boy with wide, shining eyes and dimply smile. There were a few things missing in his life… fear, sadness and self-pity. He had never been known to cry for himself. He spread cheer around wherever he was. A wise counsel, healer, brother, friend.

On his 22nd birthday, he accompanied a friend to the hospital. He had met the friend accidentally while on his way for some important work. As he stood in the lobby waiting for his friend to fill in the required form, he saw a girl being wheeled in to an emergency ward after collapsing while climbing stairs to attend her final year degree classes. Her ragged breathing and her glazed eyes caused an intense pain in Blu’s heart. As he moved towards her, his friend held him back realizing what was happening. But Blu couldn’t be stopped. He moved beside the stretched out form and held her hand wishing with all the will at his command for her to get well and for his friends’ belief that he was a healer to be true. For the first time, he felt sadness and fear, they shone in his eyes.

He forgot about his work that he had set out for. He forgot about the birthday get together that his friends had planned for that evening. He did not even notice the strange stares of the girls’ parents, friends and relatives, he just sat outside the ward while the doctors and nurses ran in and out, wheeling her in and out for tests with oxygen bottles to help her breathe and intravenous infusions running into her all the time…

The girl was diagnosed to have a serious heart condition after a day of tests. On the second day, the girl opened her eyes and mouthed a few whispered words into her waiting father’s ears. The surprised father asked Blu to come into the ward, the next time the doctor allowed visiting. He had not eaten or drunk anything throughout that period despite pleas from his concerned friends, who had come to take him back, but stayed back after seeing his determination. They all waited for a miracle to happen. As he heard the invite, Blu’s eyes lit up for the first time in two days.

He walked tentatively into the room, not knowing what to speak to the girl he did not even know, but felt a tremendous love for… He held her hand and kept looking at her calm sleeping face, after a while she opened her eyes and smiled. Blu smiled back and said : “I wish you life and love.” He stood there for some more time, looking into her eyes. They were no more glazed, instead they glowed, full of life. As Blu walked out of the ward, he was smiling his old dimply smile.

A week later, the doctors amazed at her recovery, allowed the girl to leave the hospital with a recommendation that her heart condition has to be monitored frequently to avoid emergencies.

As he stood outside the hospital and watched the girl leave, a content Blu knew he would never have to fear again or feel sadness… That one time was enough. He had been redeemed by his maker as he collapsed and died.”

The disquieting story had stilled all movement from his young listeners. It was quite for a long time before the obvious questions piped up. Who was the girl? What happened to her? Why did Blu have to die to save her?

The old man replied with a smile : She is someone you all know, she still lives a happy life… Blu died so that you all could come into being and live.