The flimsy curtains echoed the dazzling call of the morn as it fell heavily on my eyelids. I escaped from the relentless pursuit of the unknown into the familiarity that i've known for forty-six long years. Wonder if it was contempt that rendered me frozen at the birth of a new day. Or maybe, the serenity of the dawn had gotten to me.The child in me has failed today to receive life like it used to. And now I am beginning to taste senile seclusion; not merely from life but from myself too. I fear this blackout before i can become a child again.Still dazed, i walked to the basin. The water was cold; my hands numb. I could hear the defiant chattering of teeth, as i shivered from a distance, the distance that has left me staring obstinately at the water running out of the tap. I vaguely sensed the urging warmth of my mother's palm as she exhorted me to wake up, the five minute ritual in front of the basin before i jumped into my school-uniform, the rantings that stifled the air for playing truant when breakfast arrived. And then, there used to be the piercing alarm that just didn't stop until i pulled myself out of the bed covers, the sandwiches i packed for brunch wishing if only i could get those ready-made tiffins which i once undervalued. For once, i yearned for the softness that confirmed i was alive. I splashed the water onto my face, and the chill sank in.I love mirrors. Their silence calls out to you as they ruthlessly unravel all your preconceived self-images. They have much more to reveal about you than you yourself, facts which you dare not utter. And the cold war as you defend your stance even when you know deep-down that you've been overthrown. The wrinkles and dark circles persisted in their attempt to outdo the fixedness in the eyes. When did i last see you smile? My little one once snapped back when i was fuming at her as she bathed herself in all the dirt she could manage to get into, 'Mama, why do you pretend to be mad at me? i know you're holding back your smile!' and with that she dragged me into the mud pit.