The Bard pays a visit

Ahead of English Language Day on April 23,Tini Sara Anien narrates an interaction between a teen and William Shakespeare

The warm, humid day was making Sammy tired. Her room was a mess, with books lying around, and she was haphazardly scribbling things down, and scratching them off her notepad.

Sammy was researching for a school project for English Language Day — phrases from the bygone era that are used even today. “Boohoo... How do I find these? Until Amma is back I can’t even go on the Internet to check for examples!” the 13-year-old said out loud to herself.

The lights went out as she heard the transformer outside make a loud noise. It was just April, yet blazing hot. “Global warming is catching up fast!” she said out loud again.

“We have seen better days,” said a voice. “Who is ‘we’? Wait, who said that?” asked a startled Sammy. A tall man dressed in a strange attire entered.

“You may call me The Bard,” he said. “Alright! Bardy, it is,” said Sammy, liking his overconfident yet pleasant manner. “Not Bardy, The Bard,” he said with a rather dismayed look. “Come on Bardy, you don’t look like someone who always sticks by the rules!” she said.

Sammy could feel her skin burning due to the heat. She asked The Bard if he would like some chilled water, which he refused. She rushed to the refrigerator and grabbed an ice tray and started gliding ice cubes on her face, sucking on them, and then gobbling little pieces down. “Too much of a good thing...,” said The Bard slowly, as Sammy dropped the ice cubes and shouted, “Ouch! Brain freeze, brain freeze!”

“Sometimes you youngsters do things with neither rhyme nor reason,” The Bard said.

“Don’t be so quick to judge Bardy!” retorted Sammy, asking, “So tell me, how old are you?”

“I am around 459 years old...” he replied. “How is that even possible? Have you time travelled? What you are saying is Greek to me!” Sammy exclaimed.

Despite it being sunny outside, Sammy suddenly heard thunder and saw clouds rolling through the sky. “Is it going to rain? Amma stepped out alone, I hope she is safe,” Sammy muttered.

Hungry now, she started thinking about how Amma’s ‘anna sambar’ was always served piping hot. “I miss Amma. She cooks so well; her cooking is to die for!” Sammy said.

“You mean that her ‘anna sambar’ is a dish fit for the gods?” The Bard asked. Sammy nodded. “But she only makes it when my brother asks for it,” said Sammy.

“Don’t get blinded by envy. Jealousy is the green-eyed monster,” quipped The Bard. Sammy agreed and told the elderly man that she had quarrelled with Amma many times because of this.

“A parent is often expected to be a tower of strength, and when they do not fulfil our whims and fancies, we tend to not agree with them,” The Bard said in a calm tone. “What’s done is done. Try to score some brownie points by being an understanding child from today, okay?” he said with a smile.

Sammy didn’t know how to contain her feelings and always blurted out what she felt, which often led her to unpleasant situations. “I need to learn when to say what. Amma keeps telling me that I will only understand how tough it is to be a parent after I become one,” Sammy said.

“Are you saying that you wear your heart on your sleeve? If so, that isn’t a bad trait,” said The Bard proudly. Sammy looked at him with a smile.

Soon, it started drizzling, and then began pouring and got windy. She started wondering where Amma was. “At least the rain will help beat the heat,” she blurted. “All that glitters isn’t gold,” The Bard said. Sometimes such unexpected rains can lead to major traffic blocks, a spike in flu cases, among other issues, he added.

Suddenly Sammy heard banging on the door. She ran to open the door and Amma walked in hastily, dripping wet, holding five grocery bags and a handbag. She looked at Sammy and went inside to keep the items. “Go on, break the ice, Sammy,” hushed The Bard. “Amma, I am so sleepy. I have not slept one wink last night,” said Sammy. “Wait, didn’t I just use an old phrase?” she asked. Her mother, who was an English literature graduate nodded and said it was by William Shakespeare.

Sammy sat and stared into the air. “Hey, where did Bardy go? He appeared and then melted into thin air,” she thought to herself. Recollecting her conversation with Bardy, Sammy thought: “Why do most of those one-liners Bardy said sound so familiar?” After Amma helped Sammy log on to the computer, she checked for phrases from the bygone era and started reading phrases by William Shakespeare, better known as The Bard! “Oh...It was him,” Sammy said with a gleaming smile, still looking around the house for him. “I can complete the project now!” she happily said as she sat at her desk to pen it all down.

(The italicised words are phrases from Shakespeare’s works)