Clam

Today I held a fossilized seashell in my hands which is estimated to be 45000 years old. I must admit, it is easy trick one's mind into a soup just by imagining the course of time over what is essentially the dead body of a bivalvate mollusc. It gathers dust in a quiet, but not forgotten, showcase in a quaint little house in Bangalore.

Just as the house nests seasecrets in several shells and fossils, the house also nests a little fragment of Calcutta inside its walls, spread across the wooden decor, the wall hangings, the paintings, the oddly placed television, the dining table and of course, A Most Curious Showcase With Wooden Side-panels, which, in turn, holds in it curious items on display that would hardly interest eyes which are not trained in picking up the delicate details of life and death.

And yes, there was a cane swing chair with the works, including the slightly depleted cushions, the frayed jute ropes, and the feel of a very old, preserved childhood afternoon that one might have spent on a sunny verandah.

If I could, I would hitchhike the galaxy tonight, yet no spaceship seems to notice.