Part I:
“I can I can change black to white
I have it in me to make you go out of sight
Ho Ho! It’s me the man of wonder
With my wand and wit I can create thunder
Watch out watch out all you misters and misses
I have arrived to please and steal your share of kisses”

He sashayed into the room with a quick little spin, chin up and eyes on the crowd. He swayed his black magic cloak with a deft hand delivering his lines loud and clear with gleaming eyes. After two minutes of enthralling recital, the little magician took his bow.

“Bravo! Bravo!” clapped his mother as she rose with a smile on her lips.

“You were excellent. And you didn’t forget a single line. Trust me Abhi you are ready. I am sure you will make it through the audition tomorrow. I am so proud of you.”

“Now go pack up. And yes we will do one last rehearsal tonight when Gupta uncle and aunty arrive for dinner. You must perform in front of a crowd once at least. You have performed only in front of me till now” said his mother.

“But ma you know na. I can’t. I just can’t. What if they laugh at me? I think I will forget my lines. No mama I won’t.”

“But you did just fine in front of me.”

“That’s different. It’s you. But how will I perform in front of strangers?”

“Just like you did in front of me.” She walked up to him and kneeled beside him and started in an assuring tone. “Now look at me. You are doing great. You worked hard to practise for this role since two weeks. You just have to believe that you can do it. It’s all in your mind. If you believe that you can then you will do great. Ok?”

“Ok”, said Abhi in a bleak voice with his chin down. “But not in front of Gupta uncle. I promise I will be fine tomorrow na mama.”

Ting tong, rang the bell and Mrs.Kumar got up and hurried to the door. “Ok ok you don’t have to do it. Now go pack before we start dinner. It must be them.”

It was past eleven by the time Gupta’s left. Abhi went to his room and brushed his teeth. He always did before going to sleep. He walked to the table beside his bed. There was the little plastic magician toy that his mother had bought him. They had designed his costume just like the magician’s. The black cloak with a tall hat and a magic wand in his hand. Abhi picked up the magician in his hand. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. He had practised very hard for this role. Sameer, the boy from section B was also contesting. Only one of them could be selected for the role for the final annual day. Abhi wanted to be the magician really bad. He felt elated when he thought of his lines. How clever they were. And how smart his costume was. He smiled as he put the magician down. He pulled out the draw and took out the Johnson’s and Johnson’s powder. He always put it on before going to bed.

He slipped into his bed. Still clinging to the thought of the magician. But suddenly that feeling crept in. He had felt it before. He felt unsure. It was that same feeling. He felt this since four days. It wasn’t fear. He was not scared of the crowd. He would be able to face them. But what if…there was something that worried him. He just felt he could not do it. He thought of how his house captain would be upset with him for putting up a bad performance and letting the role slip to another house. He felt he was not the best person for this role. Maybe Sameer should take it. Sameer always does well.

“Surprise!!! Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you”, his parents barged into his room with his little sister holding the birthday cake in her hands. He turned eight that night. After their little celebration with cake and candles, his parents kissed him good night. Before leaving his mother kissed him on his forehead and said “Happy Birthday beta. May you get all the luck in the world. Now and forever. Good night.”

Abhi decided to sleep and let the feeling be. He would think about it next morning.

“Wake up wake up. Cmon Abhi sweetheart. It’s your big day today. You’re going to be the magician. Get up” said his mother as she moved the sheets. “I am making breakfast. Get ready and come to the table quickly.”

After ten minutes, Abhi walked in to the living room complaining of stomach ache. He said he just couldn’t get up. He wouldn’t make it to school today and cried in pain. His mother looked at him and said, “Are you sure? Why did this have to happen today!” His mother gave him medicine and cancelled his school for the day. Abhi chose to lie in bed all day.

His sister came back at three thirty. As she chattered about everything that happened in school she mentioned, “Oh by the way Sameer’s costume was shit. It was nothing compared to yours. And his lines were so cheesy. He picked it up straight from Cartoon Network. But that fellow, he acts like he can do anything. That’s what’s annoying. Can’t believe it he’s going to be the magician in our play now! You should have been there Abhi. You would have won hands down.”

As Abhi went to bed that night he picked up the magician beside his bed and looked at it. He had lied. Maybe he was better than Sameer. But at least the feeling was gone. He put the toy down and slept.

PART II:

Abhi was whistling his favourite tune in the shower when suddenly he thought he heard the flute. He paused but then it was gone. He smiled and continued ignoring the sound. But it came again. He turned off the shower and was certain it was the flute. He strained to listen and realized it was coming from the house in the next building. Abhi got out and dressed in a hurry as he pulled out his favourite jeans and T-shirt. He mostly wore jeans to college.

“Rahul!” he shouted as he paused to get a response. “Rahul!” he tried again. “RAAAHUL!!!” he shouted loudly for the last time as he leaned over the balcony of his second floor room. A lean boy, about 10 years of age, with a cheerful face and twinkle in his eyes came running out to the stairs of the neighbouring building which faced Abhi’s balcony.

“Hi Abhi! It’s been so lo-long since I saw you”, stammered the boy as Abhi noticed the flute in Rahul’s hand.

“I thought I heard the flute. I was right then huh. Since when did the little devil start playing the flute?”

“Oh this. I am practising for the Christ-christmas cele-celebration. Our class is putting up a play and we-we have to nominate ourselves for the roles we want. Our class-class teacher will decide the roles next week after we perform our parts. We are putting up ‘The Ratcatcher’” replied Rahul as he struggled to frame his sentence.

“Oh I see. And what may I guess is the little devil going to nominate himself for?”

“For the Pi-Pied Piper of Hamelin himself”, smiled Rahul with a glow in his eyes that showed how happy he was. “And-and mama says, says I-I need to work hard”.

“Now that’s amazing kiddo. I would love to be there to boo you!” chuckled Abhi playfully as he grabbed his black Converse shoes from the rack. He always wore shoes. He didn’t even own a pair of floaters.
“I gotta run now kid. Keep up the good work ok.” Said Abhi as he headed out of the balcony.

“Sure Abhi. I will-I will b-bug you with my flute everyday now! Bye!”, shouted Rahul as he walked back into his house.

Abhi was 24 and lived in Bangalore now. He had moved to the city almost two years ago to pursue his MBA. He lived in a two bedroom flat with another friend. Rahul was the kid next door. They were balcony friends who chatted up on lazy Sunday afternoons.

As Abhi reversed his Swift he thought it was strange Rahul’s mother was encouraging him to stand up for the lead role in the play. I mean Pied Piper of Hamelin would be a tough role to play. And given Rahul’s stammering…his chances of getting the role were bleak. Almost impossible. Why did his mother do this? Poor Rahul. He would have to deal with the disappointment unnecessarily at not being selected now.
—-
A week later, Abhi got dressed in his best night wear. This was their farewell party. They had already given their exams. All his batch mates had made respective plans for their jobs. Abhi was a charmer. He had a good set of friends.  But tonight was going to be their last chance to enjoy their times together. Today was also going to be the last night with Ritu. His friend who had been his confidant throughout this tenure in Bangalore.

“Hey guys cmon we need to spice up the party! How about Tequila shots? All game?” said someone in the the gang of eight at the table. “I wanna dance. Lets go lets go”, said another girl. The party had picked up and the music was getting louder. This was Abhi’s gang.

“Hey Abhi why don’t you sing a Karaoke song dude? I love to hear you sing!”, chuckled a guy from the other end of the table, obviously insinuating the poor singing talent in Abhi. “Cmon man it’s the last night. One song for all of us.” the guy insisted.

“No No. You’re drunk. You know I can’t sing. No way dude. You go”, replied Abhi. He didn’t like to sing in public. He never did Karaoke except one night when he got completely drunk with Ritu. She had to literally drag him to the mike and sing along with him. The gang got distracted with something else as they gave up on Abhi.

“Oh why not? Cmon Abhi. You must sing. Why don’t you sing a song for me tonight? Which one would you dedicate to me?”, asked Ritu as she touched Abhi’s hand expectantly. She was looking at him in the eye. He felt she was trying to tell him something.

“No Ritu. You know how I am champ. I can’t. You go.”

“All right. When will you change!”, sighed Ritu after a long pause. “Anyway, so when do you start work?”, asked Ritu

“I start next week. I will miss college man. I will miss all you guys. You headed to Delhi tomorrow huh?”, asked Abhi, still looking at her eyes.

“Yes. I leave tomorrow”, said Ritu in dull tone, still maintaining eye contact.

Someone interrupted them and the rhythm broke off. Abhi turned towards to stage in pleasant surprise.

“Hey guys! I would like to dedicate this song to my dear friend Ritu. Ritu, I will miss you. And babe I will be waiting till the day you decide to fall in love with me” said Rajeev on the mike as he looked at Ritu. Rajeev was a smart good-looking guy from their batch. He had always liked Ritu and made no bones about it. He had professed his love for Ritu at many occasions. But Ritu had always held back.

“I am leaving on a Jet plane
Don’t know when I will be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go…”

He didn’t move his eyes off Ritu while he sang. He was so confident. As if he knew he was going to get her. Abhi disliked that in Rajeev. He just seemed to pull off anything. He’s too confident just because he is good looking, thought Abhi for the millionth time.

As Abhi turned to look at Ritu he realized she was looking at Rajeev pensively. As if she was thinking through something important in her mind. Evaluating something. And suddenly she seemed to have found the answer. She turned her face to Abhi sitting beside her. There was a certain clarity in her eyes now. And a sense of sadness. As if she had lost something she had hoped she would find some day. She got up from her seat and walked to the stage. She held Rajeev’s hand and sang along with him. And Abhi could tell from the look on her face, she was finally happy. She had made a choice. Rajeev had won.

“Have a safe trip back home everyone”, shouted Ritu as she bid good night to everyone. The party was over and everyone was headed back. Abhi was drunk.

“You can’t drive Abhi. You’re drunk.” said Ritu to Abhi.

“Of course I can. You know I drive really slowly when I am drunk. Don’t worry. You always get so paranoid. Cmon I will drop you to your car.”, replied Abhi

At the parking lot, they stopped where they had to part ways. This was the last time they were going to be together. For a long time to come, felt Abhi. His heart was sinking. She had known him intimately. She had held him though his thick and thin in college.  He was losing the girl he thought he could love through his life. But he never told her, because of that feeling…. Because he thought she was too good for him. She would never like him.

They hugged tight. For longer than usual. She still had her arms around him. She looked into his eyes as she thought through what was happening. She pulled his face closer and kissed him on his forehead.
“Happy Birthday Abhi. I wish you will grow with time. Good luck, for now and forever.”

She left. He smiled helplessly as he started his 25th birthday with a heavy heart.

PART III:
“Hold on Kunal. Stop running. Come here and finish your lunch” shouted Ritu as she called her son. “Now don’t exert yourself. Your father must be around. Where did he go?” she got up and searched through the crowd in the stadium of kids and their parents.

They were at annual company offsite organized by Ritu’s company. The parent company held this large event every year. It basically invited all employees along with their families for a weekend away. The offsite had become something of a mini-tennis tournament of sorts with matches lined up for all age groups. The idea was all fathers played against each other in one match and all sons played in another match. Only teams where both father and son won, moved to the next level.

Her son, Kunal and her husband, Vikram were participating. Kunal was passionate about tennis. He was getting coached since one year. Winning this tournament meant a big deal to him. Anyway they were through to the finals. The match was to start this afternoon. She wanted Kunal to win. She knew he was serious about the game.

She had walked ten steps when she spotted a familiar face. She instantly knew it was him.
“Abhi! Oh my God what are you doing here? I don’t believe this. When did I see you last!” she almost screamed with joy as she hugged him.

It had been eight years since she had met him last. She was overwhelmed to see him after all these years. They had fallen out of touch after a couple of years of college. Both of them had worked in different cities throughout this period. Abhi worked for one of the client companies and hence was invited with his family, she gathered while they chatted. Abhi had one son too.

“Kunal, my son, is pretty excited about the final match. He and Vikram are playing this afternoon” she told Abhi as they chatted.

“Oh really? What a coincidence. We are playing in the finals too!”said Abhi

“Is that so?”, she exclaimed.

“Papa mummy is calling you”, running came Abhi’s son. He was almost Kunal’s age.

Abhi introduced his son to Ritu and told him that they were up against her husband and son as rivals this afternoon.

“Well I got to head back. Anyway good luck to both of you for the match then”, said Ritu as she got up to move.

“We don’t need the luck aunty. We are going to win. Papa says if we believe that we will, then we will win” said Abhi’s son quickly with a charming smile and confident tone.

“Yes and you can tell your son and husband that they have tough competition!” chuckled Abhi with a smile in his eyes as they parted.

That was unexpected. How confident Abhi’s son was. Ritu found it surprising. The father –son duo were adorable.

As she walked back to Kunal, she found herself wondering. Because the Abhi she saw was different somehow. She thought intently, trying to understand what had changed. This didn’t feel like the Abhi from that farewell night. What was it? Abhi seemed different because of what he had just said. It was clearer with Abhi’s son next to him. The child had learnt from the father. She felt a doubt creeping into her on the chances of her son’s winning.

The match was over by 4.00pm. Abhi and his son won. Ritu walked up to them along with Kunal and Vikram to congratulate them. She met Abhi’s wife. She was beautiful. She was a delight to talk to. A fine young woman in every way. He had done well. “You have been REALLY lucky Abhi. She is perfect for you.” she told him later.

Through the evening she saw the change clearly. It showed in everything in his life. He had a dream house in the city. He had been immensely successful. He had managed to rise in a job that was creative unlike what she expected. He sang a song with his son on stage while taking the trophy. He was really happy.

Before walking to her car to leave she told him. “I was wrong Abhi. I didn’t think you would change. But you have changed. I am very happy for you” Abhi knew what she was referring to.

After he bid her goodbye, he thought about the night that changed him.
—————-
One evening a month after graduation, Rahul’s mother had rang the door bell. She was in a hurry, almost panicky. “Abhi you have to do me a favour. Could you drive me to Rahul’s school? I need to get there in half hour!” she spoke quickly. “Oh! Alright of course”, said Abhi as he grabbed the car keys.
On the way Rahul’s mother explained it was the day of Rahul’s performance in school. His father had to cancel due to an urgent meeting. But Rahul would be very upset if she missed it too.

As he ran to the auditorium after parking, he realized they were in time. The play had just started. The stage looked just like Hamelin. Abhi realized he had forgotten to ask in the rush what role Rahul finally got. So he watched attentively as herds of kids came in grand costumes saying their lines. What if Rahul is one of the little rats? He would never be able to tell, thought Abhi.

“Leave it to me, I can I can,
I can catch what dogs and cats can’t
I can do what your candles and prayers want
No traps and no poison we need
I’ll get them straight with the music I feed”

Rahul didn’t stammer even once as he appeared on stage with these lines, dressed in a green jacket and leather belt, with breeches and boots. His long hat and red coat made him look taller than he was. He played the flute with such perfection that as the little rats followed him to the river by the end of the play, the crowd clapped with cheer. He was perfect.

As Rahul ran to his mother after the show, he shouted in excitement, “Ma! See I did it. I did it. I promised you I could. I didn’t stammer even once”

As Abhi watched Rahul in pleasant surprise, he was reminded of the magician. He remembered the day he was supposed to go on stage. He remembered the feeling. And it dawned on him what this little kid had done despite his stammer. Abhi smiled at Rahul as he gave him the thumbs up.

Later that night, after brushing his teeth, Abhi walked up to his cupboard and took out the magician toy. He had saved it. Then he reached out to the new toy he had bought that night, ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’. He looked at the magic wand in the magician’s hand. Then he looked at the flute in Piper’s hand. He didn’t need a magic wand in life. He just had to believe in himself and play the flute. Then he would always win. He threw the magician in the dustbin and set the Pied Piper on his table.

****

This is a gift story from Shruti Veenam to her friend on his birthday.

Luck & change for a birthday wish - gift a short story , 8.5 out of 10 based on 12 ratings