The Shepherd of Readersburg | 06 June 2021 | Fiction: When the clock stopped, he felt as if he lost a friend.

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His little turquoise yellow alarm clock was the only one who communicated with him. 

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After his parents went missing, he lived alone in their shanty house. Thankfully, no one had bothered him yet. He was just nine years old. 

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He would spend his days writing English alphabets in his notebook that his father had bought for him from the slum's only stationery shop, which also sold pan, cheap toffees, and cigarettes. 

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His father never let him go to that shop. His mother was also very protective of him.

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Now that they were gone for two days without a word, he had no idea where to look for them. Even if he tried to go somewhere, he would not know the way out of the slum. 

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The neighbours had come knocking a few times. But he had not spoken a word to them. So, each time, the grandmother, the old woman from one of the families, had left the food for him to eat later.

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He had the food and then went to bed again each time, with his turquoise clock by his side. He would wait for 6am and 6pm every day. Those were the two times in a day when the clock talked to him.

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It said, 'It's 6 o'clock.'

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But it did not talk this morning. He thought it was upset with him. Or it was sad too.

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He sat on his bed that afternoon and looked at the clock, which sat in front of him, looking at him. He whispered, 'Bring my mamma back!'

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Then he lay down and put the clock next to his pillow. He lay down looking at the clock. He whispered again, ''Bring mamma and papa back!' Saying that, he fell asleep.

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Just then, he was woken up by a loud sound. Well, it was not really just then. It was a few hours later, at 6am. The clock spoke!

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He woke up with a startle. He was so happy to hear the clock that he laughed. And when he turned, he saw his mother and father sitting next to his bed.

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He sprung out of his bed and hugged them.

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They had gone to work on a construction site in a nearby city. It was six hours by road.

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As they were preparing to take a ride back home the day before yesterday, the Covid lockdown was announced. They stayed back in another labourer's house. Their phone lost battery and at their colleague's shanty house, there was no plug point to charge the phone.  

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The next day, some labourers from their slum decided to walk back home. Even if it takes days to reach, at least they will be home, they thought.

 

The boy's parents joined these labourers. They started off early next morning, walked for almost twenty four hours and reached home early the next morning.

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Their little son had been sad and worried.

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But now he was happy. His mother made his favourite poha for breakfast. They promised him that they will never leave him alone again.

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His father changed the battery of the clock. Now, it talked again, without skipping a single alarm.

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News lead: Many migrant workers were stranded when lockdowns were abruptly imposed last year and this year. Last year, many workers started on foot to walk hundreds of kilometres to get back home. This year, the workers took trains and buses back home early on so that they were not left stranded when the lockdowns started.