Sam was prodding into the interiors of this radio set. Lifting it up obliquely for a sharper view, he found inside a strange plate, he had never known before. Never in his technical education, never in his engineering career, had he come across such a mysterious contraption.
After his wife’s departure six months ago, Sam had been mentally strained and exhausted. How am I going to live without you Maggi? he often pondered before her photo frame. Those used to be his loneliest, darkest, desolate moments. Then, at one such moment a thought resonated across his mind – why don’t you get back to that old hobby of yours?…of tinkering and tampering into antique specimens of machinery… It was as if Maggi herself was inspiring him, planting that suggestion into his head. So he felt. He could feel her energy.
“Yes, I got you, darling. I got your answer.” he murmured as he nodded a knowing smile at Maggi watching through the frame.
It was thus that this antique radio set had landed at his home, now a refurbished workshop. Sam felt its surface and scraped off those traces of rust. He then applied a thick coat of cleaner, and rubbed over vigorously with muslin and restored the plate it’s polish and sheen. This plate was a marvel to behold. Iridescent shades of violet swimming into each other. As unique, and as combined in their own artsy way! Little did he realise he had landed into precious metal, something out of this earth. Checking the ports, screwing up the wires, the radio set was launched into action. Gingerly he turned the circular volume control. His breath became shallow. He knew instinctively that the metallic plate inside would create a difference.
Luminescent waves flashed across the projection screen.
He rolled over the volume dial.
A vibrational musical with shifting tones came out blaring.
His initial scepticism now over, added confidence emerged. There was another control button. A smallish red one. Just where the plate would be inside. Sam pressed that in…and just as he did so, there was a…
Swoosh! What a gasp of strong air that was! Wow!
“Hi, honey! you got me!” An ecstatic voice from Maggi was reverberating from inside the radio set. Sam could hardly contain his senses. Maggi’s voice continued to fill up his room. “hon from this place now you can always talk to me. Anytime you want, you can tune in.”
Sam was still straightening out his wits against the goosebumps. The flood from eyes smeared his cheeks, and the rest had choked his voice.
He muttered “is that true darling?”
“Yes dear, I was gone but never left you,” said Maggi sweetly.
Imagining her soft skin next to his stubble, feeling her fingers into his own, in acceptance of his loss and grateful for the mercy, this old man of Sam fell into heart-to-heart conversation with his sweetheart before he drifted into sleep.
________________________________
________________________________
Connect with Penmancy:
________________________________
Penmancy gets a small share of every purchase you make through these links, and every little helps us continue bringing you the reads you love!
- A Radio Set for Maggi - 24 Apr 2020
- Conversations with my Master - 23 Mar 2020
- Many Shades of Love - 29 Feb 2020