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3: Crystal
<< 2: Samson || 4: Death >>
One does not realize how much one misses the sight of green grass, green tress, leaves
and foliage until one is in a prison with grey walls. All we could see during the day was
a strip of blue sky with occasional clouds. At night the stars shone beautiful stars which
reminded us of Infinity and Eternity. We longed to see something green? One day Jonathan
shouted; "Moss! There is some moss on the wall here." We quickly went to inspect
the little green patch on the wall. How wonderful it Was. I had never realized that moss
was so velvety, had such shades of deep green and was so cool to the touch. Daily we
watched our patch of moss grow and it was inspiring to a e the rays of the sun on it. It
produced little seeds on stalks which flowed to and fro gently. We all loved that patch of
moss, and now when I see moss somewhere, especially the cushiony dark green velvety kind,
I am back in the cell watching the sunlight dancing on our precious patch of moss. When we
have got eyes to see, we take all the beauty of trees, grass, fields and flowers for
granted until it is taken away from us. It is only then that we realize how great a loss
it is when the things we get for free are removed. The stars made us wonder whether there
is a difference between infinity and eternity, or are they bound together? If time and
space were created and are dependent on each other, then their source must be one;
Infinite Eternity. Is this God? Our eyes were drawn during the day and at night upwards
away from the misery around us to gaze at either the blue sky or the starry night. Surely
the "Infinity in a grain of sand" and "the Eternity in a flower" comes
from above. So the stare seemed to tell us.
We had someone in the cell, Kathleen Smith, who was a great collector of Bohemian
crystal. She told us how she had taken great pains and spent hours thinking up schemes to
save her crystal collection during the Japanese occupation. She told us how the stare
above us reminded her of her sparkling crystal-collection. She had buried her crystal
pieces in different places in her garden, and made a map and list of where they were
hidden. She made duplicates of the map and list and buried those too in different spots.
Her husband was at home with her when they were picked up. He was put in cell No. 5. She
was the only one who had her husband so close to her because the rest of the women in the
cell had been without their husbands at their homes when the Japanese had come to pick
them up. Their husbands were already imprisoned. Every day Kathleen would shout messages
to her husband while we were out on the court-strip, and he could hear through three round
ventilation holes on top of the wall. He would shout messages back from inside his cell,
carried by echoes to his wife. One day he fell ill with bacillaire dysentrie and from then
onwards it was awful for all of us to listen to the anguished shootings as Kathleen tried
to find out how he was feeling. After a few days he had no more strength, and one of the
other men would answer Kathleen on behalf of her husband. It was obvious he was dying; he
told her via the other man "to have courage." She paced up and down the strip
wringing her hands in desperate frustration. He was so close to her, with only one wall
between them, but she could not physically get closer to nurse and comfort him. The
Japanese officer refused her permission to see her dying husband. Then the end came and
when the voice of the friend shouted, "it is all over", Kathleen broke down and
sobbed and sobbed. We felt it was a tremendous relief, not only for ourselves, but also
for her. She cried and turned her tear-stained face to us; "To think that when the
war is over I will have saved all our crystal collection, but I have lost my
husband." Then she said vehemently to us; "Let this teach all of you something?
We care too much about material things and spend so much time and effort saving those, but
what about Oh God, how I wish things that matter? People, relationships? Oh God, how I
wish I could have my husband alive-and smash all the crystal! It is too late now, it is
too late."
<< 2: Samson || 4: Death >>
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