Aab thinks he is an aberration; an anachronism and an imposter. He wonders whether he was born in the wrong place or at the wrong time – or both. When he sees people going about their tasks and duties so seriously, when he sees the intense belief and purpose with which individuals lead their lives, he knows there is something missing in him. But he has no regrets. While he knows, even teaches the youngsters who at times gather around him, that one needs to have goals and aim in life, he himself does not have one.
One day he found himself sitting in a gathering of highly sophisticated and high status people. For some unknown reason, he was catapulted onto the stage, and was asked to address the gathering. In fact such occasions happen quite often with him, but he never ceases to be amazed by the “why” of his being chosen. This occasion was on a pleasant evening, in a massive hall that was already brightly lit with expensive chandeliers and floodlights, even though the sun outside was happily providing free light to the entire countryside. Aab finished what he had to say in a short time, as he usually does, and sat down to listen to the wiser souls. But he could not help being fascinated by the fall of the evening outside the illustrious hall — the shadows lengthening, the trees and leaves changing color, the slowly stirring breeze and the branches dancing in rhythm – and the inevitable setting in of the dusk.
For quite some time Aab felt compelled to run out and welcome the end of the day and the beginning of the night, amidst nature. But etiquette and norms held him back. He had to force himself to sit for an hour and listen to sage discourse on Eternity, knowing that the beautiful moment is passing by. When the function ended, he stepped out and breathed the cool breeze of the first hour of the night, and stepped right into the shadows to merge with them.
