The onion story…Feb 2010

I just lay huddled with my mum who tried to keep me closer to her..we were all tossed up and down.. side ways.. and believe me I did not want be separated from my dear mum.My mum had told me stories of what would happen to us sooner or later and I kept praying that shall not happen to me. But lo…I was darwn into a big pan.. but mum was still next to me… that was only for a few seconds.. then a big shovel like thing with five prongs picked my mother and threw her out…and I along with my other brethren were heaped into a dark place.. nothing was seen… I felt as if we were kept inside a big chamber . Some more things were put on us and we jolted as we were lifted and soon we pushed and nudged each other as we were being taken away. I do not clearly remember how long we were carried . We were dropped ‘thud’ on a hard surface. My body was badly bruised!Sooner the heavy thing above was removed and we were able to breathe freely….then again the 5 pronged shovel picked my brethren …I pushed myself into a corner not wanting to be picked…oh…I won… the shovel did not touch the corners and there I lay still and breathless. I cried my heart out missing my mum and all my friends. I lay there for nearly two light and 2 dark times. On the third light I felt as being carried . Again few things fell on me and this time there was nice fragrance…I recognised them as my apple bhaiyas…they wondered as to what I was doing there all alone. We had fun telling each other our stories. Suddenly we felt pushed against each other when we were made to squeeze in a small place.. the hard iron bar pressed my body. But it was fun being carried in a fast move to the tinkling sound of a bell…we sang to the rhythm of the move and the bell…but it ended all soon. But this time we were placed so gently on a surface as if we were flowers. Again the big shovel picked my apple bhayias and the next moment I was out into bright light. The gentle shovel turned me around and looked at me with a big smile on the face…what would happen to me now!!”I wouldn’t be hurt by this gentle face. Would I be?”I was placed gently in a cold metal surface and soon I was alone in it with a white cover above me. Why was I here? Why was I not used when I was seen? The stories that my mother told me all looked like bunch of lies. I was neither peeled and cut, nor thrown into hot fire….I lay still waiting what would happen next…soon I was lost in my own thoughts….