Dwelling on Dreams #TheAmbys2021

Chapter 3

It was so bright that Tomal could see neither Harry nor Bellatrix. But the light was soothing, it gave Tomal a sense of safety. 

From that dazzling light a man materialized inside his room. He was very old, and he had very long, white hair and beard. He wore a beautiful white robe with a calm, pleasant look on his face. He gave off an aura of purity. And there was no sign of Bellatrix or Harry. 

The old man spoke. 

"Tomal, it's not good to dwell on dreams and forget to live. You see, humans have the knack for choosing precisely the things that are worse for them."

"But I didn't do anything wrong. Did I?" asked Tomal. 

"You don't pay attention to your teachers, you only dream about something impossible. You are not bad at studies, but you don't understand how much better performance you are capable of."

"Oh! You sound like Mum."

"Yes. Because she's right. Our mothers always know the limit upto which they grant us freedom. But recently, you've been crossing that limit. You tried to harm uncle Bhola's goat only to see if there is any stone in its stomach? A thing only possible in story books?"

That was true. But he didn't mean any harm, he didn't know it would hurt the little goat. He really wanted to see whether the goat had that special, magical stone. 

"I was sorry for that," said Tomal. 

"No, you weren't. If you were really sorry, you could have recognised me. You are still mistakenly thinking me as a wizard, you think I'm Albus Dumbledore."

Yes, that's what Tomal thought. Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the century, the kind-hearted old man-but no, this old man wasn't Dumbledore, he said it just now.

"Then who are you,Sir?" Tomal asked timidly. 

"My name is Rabindranath Tagore."

Tomal remembered, Mum said that Rabindranath Tagore was the best poet in their country. He won a big prize for his poems. 

And all of a sudden, those dazzling lights vanished and the old man went out of view. Tomal was numb. He couldn't see anyone. 

"Tomal, wake up. It's seven and a half already."

Tomal opened his eyes. He saw Mum. Perplexed, he embraced her and started crying. 

"What happened? Did you have a nightmare? Stop crying, you're in sixth standard now."

But Tomal didn't stop. With teary eyes, he said,"I'll never disobey you, Mum. I will always pay attention in class. I will never meddle real life with stories. I will never harm any animal-"

"Okay, okay. Now get up. I know you are a good boy. You've read so many story books at this age. You've got good concentration. I know that one day my Tomal will be greatly successful. Only be strong enough so that nothing can distract you."

Tomal was still crying. Inside Mum's arms, he could only mumble, "I love you, Mum."

Yeah, so that's how it ends.
Thank you everyone who read my story till the end. You are the sweetest.
If you are also participating in the Ambys 2021 Contest, let me know about your story in the comments.
And also, who's your favourite character in the Harry Potter series?