Md. Nomaan Sarkar
(Translate by Rabab Alam)
The thief entered a house for stealing and did up and down while holding his ears two times observing his surroundings. He murmured to himself, “It’s the last theft of my life, I won’t do it anymore.”
Saying that he entered through the back door of the house. Doing so it seemed that, no one’s home. Through the little light from outside he saw the house is empty. Alas! The last theft of his life and what a scene.
He went to the adjacent room. Only a bed. There is no pillow or mattress. A pillow would have sufficed. If he had taken that it would have been a solace. Such a miser!
From the suffocating smell it seems the house had been empty for long time. The place where no human stays is the place were snakes and rats play around. Remembering about snake made him frozen in his place. Few minutes. Then with some courage he peeked under the bed. He thought whether to lit up his small torch or not as he looked around himself. He took the decision to lit the torch reminding about snakes. As he lit the torch he found nothing under its dim light. He placed his hand over his head in dread. Just then he thought there is something. Something really small. It can be earring that can be of golden, can’t it be? Of course it can be. Thinking of it he jumped for it.
Pulling it out in the light of torch he realized it’s a spoon. He became sad. After a while he thought the last theft of his life is a spoon. That is no less than anything. He had sold all the stolen item; this time he would use it. Saying that he rubbed the spoon with the towel around his neck. Then there was a sound. The sound came from the spoon. He quickly threw it and got out of the room jumping,
He’s sweating. He couldn’t understand what’s happening. But he had clearly seen blue light on the spoon and the sound, like someone was talking.
That is an old house. No one probably doesn’t stay near. After a long time, he again peeked into the room. There is no light nowhere. It might be he was afraid. Because of snakes fear his mind was jumbled. The sound maybe came from somewhere else and he assumed it was from the spoon. Can it happen? No it can’t happen. Saying it he entered the room and lit the room. Yes, the spoon was on the ground. He picked up the spoon and heard it talking.
‘Thank you. I’ve been locked here for many days. A human used to live in this room alone for a long time, he never peeked under the bed. Thus he never saw me. You found me. I’m happy over you.’
The thief is listening the spoon’s words speechlessly. A spoon is talking with him, a spoon. He had never heard of such in dream. The spoon is standing on his hand. He wouldn’t move a hair or didn’t want to. He thought he will spend many years standing like this.
The spoon is still blabbering. Said, ‘Tell what do you have to ask?’
The thief will laugh or cry. He was confused. He steals for sake of the pain of hunger. And today someone says, what do you have to ask? In life none had said anything this sort or near that. No one has ever talked to him with kindness, with affection in this life. He never heard such. Felt like as if mother is talking. He recollected about his mother. He remembered his mother used to feed him with her own hand.
The spoon said, ‘You’ll ask such things that your ancestors used to own. You certainly know all the humans starting from the first human till you; all are in you. You have their attitude, their wishes and wants, you have everything of them in you.’
The thief thought, ‘What gibberish the spoon is saying. Okay he said what do I have to ask? Okay what do I have to ask?’ He started to wonder. There are so so so many things to ask. Good clothes, good shoes, a car would do, a house. Then he remembered about his wife, son-daughter. He had to ask for them. Their clothes, shoes, utensils, and so much more.
The spoon said, ‘Your father is a school teacher, but how did you chose such bad profession?’
The thief was surprised, ‘It knows I’m a thief. Even knows my father was a school teacher.’ It looks like a great thing has been found. The thief said on top of his lung, ‘I don’t want anything, I only want you. There is no one to talk with me. I like hearing you talk. Now let’s go to my house.’
The spoon said, ‘First you have to ask something.’
‘Ask? Okay I’m hungry. Arrange a feast then. I’ll be happy seeing food.’
The thief watched in astonishment, a huge table beside him, the table is filled with only food and food. What an extraordinary smell!
The thief ran. He started eating. Then he said, ‘Make me a rich man.’
The spoon said, ‘Your grandfather was a rich man so you are given that much.’
Within the blink of his eyes he saw there were two thick gold chain wrapped around his neck. Expensive clothes. The house changed. He is standing in a big house. A huge horse carriage standing in the veranda.
Then he heard someone screaming there was a robbery. He saw through the window; few stout is coming towards this house with big torches in their hand. He saw someone has set huge boats on fire. People were screaming around the place. And the boat was sinking slowly. He screamed, ‘I don’t want to be rich.’
The thief saw he was in the previous house. The spoon in his hand.
