Where Gods Die

Peter had a huge Estate and it was strange that in front of the Estate across the road there was a ramshackle bony wall, just the wall of a ruined structure. One fine day Peter saw that someone had written on the wall – Truth. Peter was baffled to see this. Whose prank this could have been? He knew that the Truth is like that only – naked and ruined. What baffled him was this that this Truth might have been written anywhere else: why in front of his Estate? He told wife Julia, ‘Did you see, did you see the Truth written on that ramshackle wall?’ ‘Yes, I saw that. The state of truth today is so decrepit only. Someone has written the Truth at a very opportune place. He definitely couldn’t have written that on our palace. Just couldn’t.’ ‘What do you talk? I say the Truth should not be there.’ ‘Why? Why not?’ Julia asked. ‘People passing through read it and say – the Truth.’ ‘That means you are worried that something like that people don’t say about your Estate. Looking at such a huge and awesome Estate! You think as if the Truth has moved out of your Estate and glued itself there on that wall. Has Truth ever lived in palaces? ‘And even if it dares to, it is so brutally treated and tormented, that one day it moves out somewhat like that and settles down there.’ ‘I know you draw a particular pleasure in speaking against me.’ Peter found Julia’s truth so bitter that he left her and went away. Truth, the free Truth, everybody’s truth. There is another truth as against it. The truth that people like Peter establish. And this surmounted truth is as if always at odds with the free truth. That is why Peter got baffled looking at the truth on the wall. He thought the truth on the wall will one day assault the truth surmounted by him. The surmounted truth has palaces, treasuries, services, weapons, yet it shudders looking at the naked-poor truth. Fills with fear. Peter became so frightened that one-day he ordered his servants - go and wipe out the truth on the wall. When the truth was wiped out, he felt relieved. But he couldn’t escape the word-arrows of Julia. She said, ‘Hold a grand feast at the death of the Truth.’ Peter wasn’t relieved for long. After about a week he saw that the Truth has once again come to the wall. Furious Peter now blew his fangs. Who is it challenging me? I won’t let him live. He again got the truth wiped out. This time he obtained more relief than before. But the truth was there on the wall again. However, Peter was no novice. He got this truth wiped out too. And now as if there was an open war between the ramshackle wall and the Estate. As the wall speaks the Truth, the Estate buries the truth down. In the meanwhile Peter received a call, ‘You have slaughtered the truth nine times. One more and you are going to be something great. You would one day become the Head of the nation.’ ‘What is this nonsense?’ Peter growled and put off the phone. But in his subconscious, the conversation kept ringing loudly. It kept haunting him eating-drinking, sitting-standing, rising-sleeping. And the wall that he abhorred until now drew his eyes automatically that way. Waiting for the truth to be killed. But two weeks passed, then three, and no truth appeared on the wall. It was not so before. It used to appear within some three or four days on the wall then. ‘What is it Julia? Where has the truth gone? It is not appearing on the wall.’ ‘Why, what is the matter? You were baffled by the truth and now you are worried about the truth. Have you developed an urge to kill the truth?’ ‘You would never talk straight, never.’ Peter said with irritation. He ordered his servants to keep a watch on the wall and inform him of the truth. He told Julia, ‘I want truth, the truth.’ ‘If you are so restless about truth then why don’t you make a truth of your own? Get it written on the wall?’ Julia said. It was told on the phone – you would not write the truth on the wall. The truth is meaningless if wrought by the hands that wipe the truth out. The Truth was not appearing and Peter was constantly parroting the word. When people saw his love for truth, they held felicitation programs in his honor. People spoke at length on Peter’s love for truth. Just then, during one of the programs, Peter’s mobile phone received a message – the truth has appeared and so rush before anyone else captures the opportunity and kills it. The message made Peter leave the program and instantly rush to kill the truth.