The Meeting Pool: RUSKIN BOND (short story)

There were three friends playing together in a certain pool in the hillside of their area.

They used to go there to enjoy swimming. They were Somi, Anil and Rusty is the

narrator of the story. Somi had put forth a plan that they vowed to meet there after ten

years. Each and everyone agreed to keep the promise and meet at their beloved pool in

forest of the foothill.

Rusty, the narrator comes to the place just after the passage of ten years. He comes

there to keep his promise. But coming there he finds neither his friends nor the pool.

He then starts brooding over their plan and result of their plan. When they were mere

boys, the children of mud and sand, they used to play near a pool what had been

discovered by Rusty. The pool was located in the dense hill-forest among the Sal trees

surrounded by steep-rocks and cliffs. The natural scenic beauty was beyond

comparison and description and the boys played there day and night.

Every day these three friends would slip out of their houses to the pool through the

forest forgetting the acriel fears and the jungle spirits. They started diving, swimming

and riding the buffaloes. Anil and Somi were perfect swimmers and their physical

structure helped to be able to swim across the pool. Buffaloes always came there for

drinking and rolling in the mud. Three boys used to sit on them until they were

disturbed.

Anil and Somi were very efficient in catching fish and they had applied various

methods like casting rod or line or bed sheet for fishing. Once they exploded a stick of

gunpowder, caught fish, and roasted them on fire. They had made bridge across the

pool and one day a huge torrent. Likewise, they used to spend their childhood days

here in the pool.

Now Rusty finds everything changed. Somi, after his matriculation, had joined the

military service and remained there in his unit. He has developed a fierce military

moustache. Anil on the other hand had been a successful businessman. His nature has

changed and he has become a fierce, cruel, impulsive angry man. Both Anil and Somi

still possess the sense of fun and adventure in them, in their manner and zeal.

Time has changed everybody. The simple-minded boys have become fierce young men

of life and sphere of activities. They have really forgotten their previous vows. The

current of time has carried away all of their promises, pledges and duties. Again, time

has brought various problems for which they have gone away from their love of nature.

Those scenic beauties of nature are no more found in the landscape.

The narrator seems to be more thoughtful and meditative. He speculates how time

paces away carrying all the pledges with it.

Before coming to town, Rusty again stretches his look to the landscape. Suddenly he

hears some mysterious sounds coming from near distance. Approaching there, Rusty

finds a group of boys playing in the pool water of stream. But this is another pool.

Rusty imagines as if he and his two close friends are playing in the pool forgetting the

outside world. His imagination gets mixed with the bitter reality and he comes back.

He visited the place to keep his promise.