[Digiat Art (Google Nano Banana) help: VNG ]
As it was Sunday the road looked less crowded than usual. No traffic jam, either. Ponnaiya’s Honda Accord was creeping smoothly along St.Clair West. Driving a car during Sundays or holidays was Ponnaiya’s passion, so to speak. With no tension and no worry about some one honking the horn behind, he could drive leisurely, indulging in sight-seeing and so enjoying the city. A pleasure, indeed. Alas, the point arrived where Sundays were no longer a day without the honking horns. The city was growing day by day. As it swelled, the people, too, were starting to lose their patience, so at times like this Ponnaiya would tell himself , “As fast as the growth of the city, people’s standard of living should also grow. Otherwise, problems are bound to multiply”.
Going past Old Weston road and also Keele’s intersection, the car meandered along. On the left side, the Beef Packers slaughterhouse has spread, occupying a vast space. A great, grand butcher house stood there where hundreds of cows were put to death and cut to pieces every day. By nature, Ponnaiya was kind -hearted. He would prefer to love one and all living beings. As long as he was in his native place he had remained a strict Vegetarian. But after coming here, he gradually changed. Yet for the kind of climate prevailing here, if man is not to eat meat he would be gone in no time!
Suddenly, the creeping traffic was disrupted. Ponnaiya looked at his watch. It was well past eleven o’clock. The Punjabiwallah had asked him to come by ten. The one garage that Ponnaiya knew to be fair was the Punjabiwala’s. There was a slight jerk in the steering of the car and ever since yesterday Ponnaiya had been anxious to take it in. But What is this untimely traffic jam? Wondering, he looked in front to find out what was the matter.
A crowd had gathered as if for a carnival. Ponnaiya reflected how in their bent for curiosity all men are one and the same. As there stood a huge Beef Packers’ truck blocking his view, he couldn’t see clearly. Looking at a chinese man who was standing at the road side watching what was happening, Ponnaiya called out. “Hi man, what is the matter? What’s going on?”
The Chinese with the help of the little English that he knew , said, “Beef..escape…slaughter.” A White man who was standing next to him laughed at his broken English. Ponnaiya also felt like laughing. Both had understood though. A cow had escaped from the slaughterhouse.
.png)
.png)
.png)
