I Want You Back, Andrei

The Snake and the Mirror 1

" Has a snake ever coiled itself round any part of your body ? A full - blooded cobra ? " All of us fell silent . The question came from the homeopath. The topic came up when we were discussing snakes. We listened attentively as the doctor continued with the tale. " It was a hot summer night about ten o'clock. I had my meal at the restaurant and returned to my room. I heard a noise from above as I opened the door. The sound was a familiar one. One could say that rats and I shared the room.

The house was not electrified; it was a small rented room. I had just set up medical practice and my earnings were meagre. I had about sixty rupees in my suitcase. Along with some shirts and dhotis , I also possessed one solitary black coat which I was then wearing . I took off my black coat , white shirt and not - so - white vest and hung them up . I opened the two windows in the room. It was an outer room with one wall facing the open yard. It had a tiled roof with long supporting gables that rested on the beam over the wall. There was no ceiling. There was a regular traffic of rats to and from the beam. I made my bed and pulled it close to the wall. I lay down but I could not sleep . I got up and went out to the veranda for a little air, but the wind god seemed to have taken time off. I went back into the room and sat down on the chair. I opened the box beneath the table and took out a book, The Materia Medica. I opened it at the table on which stood the lamp and a large mirror ; a small comb lay beside the mirror. 2022.05.26 20:55 Shot on Y91 vivo dual camera

vo dual camera Shot 2022.05.26 20:56 Y91 One feels tempted to look into a mirror when it is near. I took a look. In those days I was a great admirer of beauty and I believed in making myself look handsome . I was unmarried and was a doctor . I felt I had to make my presence felt. I picked up the comb and ran it through my hair and adjusted the parting so that it looked straight and neat. Again I heard that 1 sound from above . I took a close look at my face in the mirror. I made an important decision - I would t shave daily and grow a thin mustache to look more handsome. I was , after all , a bachelor and doctor ! I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile. I made another earth shaking decision . I would always keep that attractive smile on my face ... to look more handsome. I was after all a bachelor , and doctor too on top of it ! Again came that noise from above . I got up, lit a beedi and paced up and down the room. Then another lovely thought struck me. I would marry. I would get married to a woman doctor who had plenty of money and a good medical practice. She had to be fat; for a valid reason. If I made some silly mistake and needed to run away she should not be able to run after me and catch me ! With such thoughts in my mind I resumed my seat in the chair in front of the table. There were no more sounds from above . Suddenly there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground ... surely nothing to worry about . Even so I thought I would turn around and take a look. No sooner had I turned than a fat snake wriggled over the back of the chair on my shoulder The snake's landing on me and my turning wera simultano