Lost Terrace

Terrace reminds be about my childhood days. My brothers, my lazy afternoons, my long summer vacation and off course the Diwali night when we get our rockets launched to kiss the stars. I cannot fly kite but was a kite runner who can only run after kite but cannot fly it. Even after long and consistent effort I failed to get that object fly in the sky. And I can still remember that I used to give all the blame to my terrace. It was a one storey building surrounded by multistoried buildings and that made me feel jealous about those high terraces. I used to say to my brother that it's all because we don't get enough wind (which get obstructed by those mutistoried buiildings) to fly our kites. We are those unfortunate guys who have single storey terrace and at times we really feel dejected and unhappy. Flying kites was an obsession that at last gave its way out. But believe me we made best use of our terrace; whether it is playing football, cricket, tennis or driving our toy cars over the wall surrounding the terrace. Then came the adolescent and we became more curious about looking those school girls returning home or a girl in our neighbor drying her hair in the balcony. And my partner in this crime was off course that old terrace. It had silently witnessed everything. The way we grow, the way we change our self gradually, silently. Even after moving to our new house I still have that special affection for my terrace. Now I have plenty of winds to fly kites; but you know I am grown up now and have lost that passion for kites. This terrace gives me chance to see vast sky which was limited in my old house. During a humid summer afternoon, suddenly when the sky gets covered with black clouds, I cannot resist myself to go to the terrace and get drenched with all my heart. And then again I lost this terrace too. I had to move to another town where everything is limited. Getting a terrace of your own is a luxury which I cannot afford. So now when I return home, in the evening I lie down alone beneath the sky and think about those old sunny days; I miss a lot those young innocent faces and yearn to get those colorful days back in my life...