Ladling the vegetable medley on his daughter’s plate, Mobarak says, “My dear, tell me how many fish dishes you have tasted as you eat today. Let me see how well you know your fish!” Mynah’s bronze face immediately blooms in happiness as she excitedly anticipates competing with her father in this game. She doesn’t really care about rewards. These impromptu games have become a regular affair for the father and daughter during mealtimes these days. Her face swathed in surma-colored sorrow, Asma stares at her husband and daughter’s play and serves rice. Mynah picks the fin and says, “Abba, this is Rohu fish?”. Mobarak says, “Go on, eat it. Tell me while you eat, I’ll decide if you are correct.”
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The rice on Mynah’s plate is mixed with dal but she doesn’t feel like having it. Her father, breaking a piece of fish gill from his plate, says, “Now tell me, little one, which fish is this?” The daughter’s skin crawls. She looks helplessly at her mother. Asma, stuffing her daughter’s mouth with little rice from her own plate, says, “Now this rice is mixed with air! Have it, see, it’s tastier than fish!” Happiness floods Mynah’s heart again! She joyfully puts the salt mixed rice in her mouth. Wiping his eyes, Mobarak speedily stuffs his mouth with rice and asks, “Didn’t we get any flesh along with the fish offal today? None of it has any fish-meat.” Mynah asks her father, “Is there any fish as tall as a human, Abba?” Mobarak then spins the tale of a gargantuan gold Boyal fish. If a fisherman ever catches sight of that fish, there is nothing but gold in his fortune!
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Every fish in the river would swim right into his net! And if a brave-heart manages to climb the gold Boyal and ride it, the fish takes him to a land where every plate has an entire fish laid out whenever one sits to eat! Mynah asks with wonder-filled eyes, “Have you seen that Boyal, Abba?” Mobarak admits in a pained voice, “No, my dear, I am yet to spot it! But I keep searching for it in my mind and should I chance upon it, I’ll immediately jump on its back, gallop away to the land of fishes and bring back in a flash a whole fish for my Amma!” Mynah’s amazement multiplies, as if she can picture the whole scene right in front of her very eyes. She swallows the rice stuffed inside her mouth, and says, “And that day, we wouldn’t have to eat these fish entrails, would we, Abba?” Asma puts another mound of rice in her daughter’s mouth.
Translated from Bengali by Rituparna Mukherjee
Image Courtesy: Pinterest
Romel Rahman
Romel Rahman is a poet and dramatist from Khulna, Bangladesh. He is a regular contributor to various national and international magazines and webzines. He is also a scriptwriter and writes short fiction and flashes when he gets time. he has been awarded the PEN Bangladesh award 2020 for his short fiction. His published include Binidra Caravan, Mahamari Din er Parable, Propaganda, Arogyabitan, Bagh.
