
“Have you brought it?” asked Sam
“Yes.” said Dilip, taking out a pack
Sam snatched it from him and opened it. It contained soft brown powder. He knew it would taste great.
Dilip and Sam, in their early teens, always met in the lighthouse, far from their village. They were already privy to robbery and smoking. The powder was a new attraction.
They heard a cough behind them. An old man huddled in a corner.
“What is that heavenly fragrance?” he asked in a shaky voice, coughing.
“This is nothing for you, grandpa.” said Sam, hiding the powder.
“Whom did you call, ‘grandpa?’”, asked the man, rising up. “Are you blind? I am just 29.” He fell down, shaking weakly and coughing again. His hands were shrunk and bruised.
The two boys stared at him.
“Give it to me. I have been using these for the past 15 years.”
The boys looked at each other and slowly edged away. The powder lay alone behind them. They would never touch it again.
This was written for Ermilia’s Picture it & Write.