Early Morning Memories

Timeout

Do you need a break? From what?

The big clock on the wall was silent. The second hand moved without making any sound. But those who have heard the sound of a second hand moving, on rare occasions they find it difficult to make peace with knowing it had somehow suddenly disappeared not only from the clocks around but also from their lives as well.

But, Souvik could hear it none the less.

‘Snick-Snick, Snick-Snick’, he could hear it in the ‘silent clock’. He knew the sound was just in his mind, but for the moment he was ready to ignore the fact. The clock was important after all or to be clearer, in this particular time period almost every day, the importance of the clock ascended for a while in Souvik’s life. Why? Because exactly after 17 minutes and 21 seconds, the clock would strike 6 and Souvik’s time in office would be over for the day.

Souvik took a quick glance of his colleagues who were busy with their work, glued to the screen of their computer. Some of them would probably sit and work an extra hour.

‘Why?’ he thought, ‘why is there no one else eager to get out from the four walls of the office? Is there nothing else they look forward to every day? In some corners of their hearts, do they not feel the need to live for something else as well, do they not feel the need for a break?’

Souvik turned to his own computer screen. He scrolled through a few news headlines. He had completed his day’s work. He did so almost every day, as a precaution against the possibility of the pending work evolving into a reason of having to work till late.


He ventured into another thought ‘School and college life were certainly different than this job life. The need for break was fairly evident on almost everyone’s face back then. Waiting for the end of class, waiting for the exams to end, waiting for the vacations to begin.’


The clock struck the awaited time and Souvik’s seat was empty. He was off to home; he would practise playing his guitar again today. “Over the time he has become pretty good at playing it,” his neighbour said when guests at her house would hear Souvik playing.

Written by Anuran Chatterji

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Anuran & Sayoni

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26 responses to “Timeout”

  8. An excellent story capturing the tedium of uninspiring work and the drudgery of the day. One sentence stands out for me: ‘In some corners of their hearts, do they not feel the need to live for something else as well, do they not feel the need for a break?’ Well done!

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