Beware the dead puffer fish

It will sound unbelievable, if not ridiculous, but that is what really happened. He found himself floating in the air. It happened without any premonition. It was a promising day, the sun was out shining silver after the overnight rain. He felt the fresh drenched air wafting through open window it carried the hint of sweet rot of cashew apple and salty humidity of the ocean. He could hear the soft trills of sand plovers as they hastily avoid the abrupt waves. He got up to heat the leftover coffee from the kettle into the mug. And there, he was floating in the air. Not too high just about a feet from ground. He was taken in by surprise and shock, unbalanced himself and fell back on the cot. His first impression as he got hold of himself was that he was probably having a stroke or something. He checked himself. He was fine there wasn’t any numbness or pain in any part of his body. On second thought it could be an earthquake. He had been reading about recurrent tremors being reported in the region. He surveyed the scene. Everything was where it was supposed to be. Even the delicately balanced art work was undisturbed. Maybe he slipped so he tried to stand but his feet wouldn’t touch the ground. It was as if a strong force was repelling him from the earth similar to when you try to bring like poles of two magnets together. He attempted to balance himself. He wobbled like a needle on a compass before settling and finding his natural upright position. But he just couldn’t walk or shall we say move forward. Despite bizarre situation he was not immune to laws of physics and it still applied. His feet need friction to stride. He realized that he could pull on to stationary object to gain momentum and slide in the air with remarkable ease. It was as if he was skateboarding without any skates. He was quite excited when he dressed to go out. He seemed to have taken the curious situation as his new normal. Even people on the street didn’t see anything amiss. Instead of shocked surprise they just moved aside to let him pass as they do for any person in a hurry. Nobody gave him a second look as he cruised the footpath and try to chase shore birds on the beach. He realized that he couldn’t elevate the height of his flight. It was fixed about a feet from the ground. He felt embarrassed nevertheless in his excitement he didn’t give it much of a thought. Next few days he kept himself busy exploring every nook and corner of the city, as he learned to get into a flow unseen by any human. Meanwhile some changes were happening in him. Like a man balanced in the air his thoughts and actions too acquired a new nuance. He seemed inclined to balance actions and opinions. He realized this when he interfered in a fight at the local eatery. Most days he would have avoided such situations and steer clear of any trouble. Now though he pursued it. He try to find balance among the disputing forces and fractious relations. Even when he saw a pattern that is not balanced it troubled him no end. An unkempt lawn, or wall hanging not in proper alignment with the dimensions of the wall, left him exasperated and deeply anxious. A firm thought was drilling and centering into his mind that he need to find balance of things. Very soon he acquired a reputation in the neighborhood as balancing man –a cheerful fellow who sought to balance and bring peace. He was invited to resolve dispute, all kinds of dispute, from domestic to property, even children called him up to arbitrate their silly fights and disagreements. He attended to these with utmost jovial sincerity. More people came to know about him, among some he acquired a cult status. The going was good and he enjoyed himself immensely as he cruised from one issue to another, seeking balance. The trouble started when he tried to balance issues that needed one to take firm stand. It all began when he expressed himself on matters of environmental degradation that he sought to balance destruction of nature and needs of development. This immensely pleased real estate developers and corrupt politicians. He was able to articulate exactly what they seek to manipulate and plunder, hence they promoted him. The local population suspected him as an agent of money bags. Meanwhile he continued to doggedly pursue his immense urge for balance. He was quite candid about the need to continue with fossil fuel vehicles while seeking to reduce pollution. On climate change he sought to bring all the views and work out a balance. He said these animatedly and with increasing enthusiasm. Life is cyclic. Everything is cyclical. When there is a beginning there is an end. And in the end there is beginning. These will have to find its balance. When you find balance you find peace. There is no good or bad, nor right or wrong, it’s all matter of balance. It’s about how things are arranged. A stone balance artist balancing rocks and stones one over another immaculately as a miracle by working its crevasse to connect to the flow of the gravity, sensing infinite potential of each stone intimately and  enjoy the balance of uncountable forces of the moment. Next he tried to balance facts and fiction, real and unreal…he got into some kind of frenzy to balance. Though he felt immensely satisfied with himself he was being seen as a maverick by alarmed public. He just couldn’t understand their grouse. He even tried to convince them about the need to find balance in order to discover long lasting peace. A balanced world is a nonviolent world. Compromise. Balance your ego with reason, pride with love. His attempts at balancing the world antagonized a large section of people who saw him as trivializing issues that hinged on their survival.

He cruised the beach, flirting with the waves, balancing his actions and let his mind control his moves. A massive wave crashed and unbalanced him. Any other day he would adeptly balance himself like a well-tuned gyroscope and stabilize but today was different. He fell flat, his head hitting the grainy sand. It was after months that he had the feel of the ground, of the earth. He tasted the salty warm beach. He focused on the dead puffer fish. The spiny scale all ballooned up as if ready to explode its toxic entrails as final show of contempt to its fate. He thought it was funny that there was disbelief on the face of dead fish.