THOSE 90 HOURS

Those 90 hours

As, it grew dark same as every evening

I could see the sky clouded in its dark color

birds started to fly away into the nests

we had supper together, mom wiped the dinning table

dad retired to sleep, from the hard days work

I saw my brothers attending their homework

and slept on the floor      

mom pushed all the dirty utensils, plates, glasses and

garbage left out of the supper to a corner of the room

after a while i put out the lamp and went to sleep.

during the midnight I felt the mat on which I was sleeping

wet, my clothes and blanket got completely soaked with water

the whole room is drenched with water and within minutes

the room was filled with ankle deep water.

my father placed my two brothers on the wooden cot

and stood on the floor.

mom opened the window and saw heavy downpour of rain

we stood there in that room, more and more water came inside

not it was waist high and we do not know what to do.

dawn broke and we opened the door,

whole colony was submerged under water

I could hear cries, shouting for help, yelling

fear, anger all mixed up by the people.

I saw few people carrying their luggage, children

on their shoulders, moving behind their houses

to a safe place.

I thought to myself, where are they heading?

the whole atmosphere was gloomy, stinking with sewage,

snakes and rats were coming outside

the rain continued for more hours, the water level increased

it reached out to the neck level

we started walking slowly towards a high building

and climbed the upstairs, it was locked,

the occupants ran away out of fear, early morning

the sky still rained heavily, each drop added more water

I noticed, few dead animals, people including children and women

floating in the water, poor souls, those unlucky ones I thought

evening came all of us were hungry, we were helpless

I saw my brothers crying for fear and hungry

there is nothing we can do but,

just open our mouths and drink the rain water

after ninety long hours

I heard a helicopter coming our way

I saw people around us shouting, yelling at the helicopter

I gathered strength and waved those army men with my shirt

they threw us food and drinking packets

we waited in the silence of the night

a silence I have never experienced in my entire life

dead bodies floating around us, some stinking

some eaten by the dogs and birds

saw a boat coming our way, they came and got us

to a higher place, a dry place and left for more people to fetch

those ninety hours, never did I saw such a calamity in my life.