The Snail

The morning was quite hot and humid. It was not very unusual for that part of the year in the region. The pair of antenna sensed the air above and around, and decided to continue the course forward. There were some pebbles, stones, and boulders, merged and submerged in the water that was flowing by, and a large piece of rock ahead. They could sense no more further. It continued to drag the load on its back, leaving a short slimy track whenever it moved across a dry surface. It had no clue about how far the destination might be.

It always had attempted to grow up to be the finest and the best among the lot since it learned to care for itself,- long long back. And, it always had an eye for attaining self-sufficiency. How it always had craved to be like those distant cousins who could play both mummy and daddy and get their own babies on their own... But, it was not like them. It could play either mummy or daddy, but needed a partner to play the other to get its own babies. Life would have been much easier if it had been like the distant cousins... complete in itself...

It continued to crawl, over the pebbles and stones and around the boulders,- towards the rock ahead. The cool water eased off some of its struggle, still the uncertainty ahead was quite merciless. The pair of antenna sensed a colony of tadpoles hatching out from their eggs nearby. Swarms of tiny fishlings greeted it once when it was crawling through the water flowing by. It could sense the rise of new lives all  around. It raised its antennae once again to decide its track ahead.

The rock was there, all through, watching the snail closely. It got to observe them a lot during this time of the year. In fact, he didn't remember how long he had been harbouring a colony at one of his crests this season every year. Curiously, the rock studied how these snails appeared each year one by one, arranged for a great party, danced together pairing up, and got new babies to continue the party. However, each year, some failed to set up the right course, and never reached him. Some got lost in the midway somehow. Probably, thought the rock, they ended up joining some other party going on somewhere else nearby. He wished the river to tell him more on this. But he knew the river was always too busy to chat with him...

The rock found it amazing to watch how some got to join the party at his, while others didn't. He wondered about the destiny of this traveller under his watch. The snail, of course, had no idea of being watched so eagerly. Had it been aware of the rock, it would have asked the rock about the great party it was heading for. Had it been a little more like its cousins, it would have saved the toil of the uncertain journey. It had been crawling for long, and had escaped some great dangers that could have ended its journey. It survived some of those critical moments by mere chance. But in the other cases, its instinct helped it to move on, as if, its parents had told it what to do to escape those perils even before he was born...

It suddenly realised then that it would be great to dance with someone in the party ahead who had also travelled for long to meet a partner. It might be a nice experience to share each other's stories before passing them onto the babies. Perhaps for the first time in its life, it was not feeling upset for being so unlike the cousins. Eagerly, it sped up...

But, the rock couldn't realise the difference. It had become, by then, busy following the kid who had been there alongwith mom for the regular washes. The kid's eyes had just rested on the lone snail leaving a wet track on a dry stone popping just above the water. It moved towards the snail. The rock, a little unnerved, watched...

The snail suddenly sensed an approaching turmoil, but before it could think, it got picked up from the stone it was crawling upon. It tried it's best to cling upon instinctively, but the force that picked it up was much more greater. Still, surprisingly, it was a soft, caring grip...

Ma, look... I've got a snail here. It has got away from its home at the rock...

Then why don't you put it back there? And make it quick. I'm almost done here, and it might rain soon...

The kid placed the snail down at the crevice where it had noticed a colony of snails sometime earlier. Eagerly, it ran back to mom splashing water all around stepping through the running water at the prospect of the relief the rain might bring. It had been too sultry for the kid to bear.

The rock was amused to find what miracles chances might perform. It was following closely how the snail was being greeted by many who were all looking partners to dance alongwith. The snail was looking forward to share its story, and learn new ones...