'Band of Brothers'

Ah, friendship! Friends. As cliched as it may seem, true friends are hard to find and as Theophrastus said, " True friends visit us in prosperity only when invited, but in adversity they come uninvited."

I wrote this in July this year. Its an 'ode' to the gentlemen who have stood by me, through trials and tribulations, in honor of the men who did not shy away from standing up against the world for me. I am forever indebted to these extraordinary men who are heroes in their own way. 

Dreading, drudging, I walk the stony path. The night's mist surrounds me. I hear the owls howling. The heavy breathing of creatures out for a fill. The pitter patter of rain soon turns into a bantering. I try to find refuge under those age old trees I walk between, but their branches pierce my body leaving me gasping for more air. Cut and bruised, I open my mouth to quench my thirst from the water above. A few gulps later, I am hit by a hard object. I look around. There is no one. Fear grips and sends shivers down my already cold body. Again it hits me. And this time it keeps coming down with the rain. My only hope for water is soon turned into despair with the hail. I run my eyes and they come to rest on a tree like no other. The tallest and thickest of them all. Its branches stretching out like wings, providing a shelter from the howling wind and the stones falling from the sky. I rest against its bark, trying to ascertain as to why me.

 The distant sound of a cough alerts me. I unsheathe my sword. My armour and shield already disposed off miles away, I muster up the courage to face what ever it is. I see a tall silhouette. Then I see another as tall. Two more which are slightly shorter. I look closely and I see their faces. Bruised and weary, swords unsheathed, with their attire barely covering their spent bodies, they too are wanting to see who it is. With looks exchanged, an assumption from both ends takes place. We soon realise that we are of no danger to each other. They had moved out of the trunk of that tree to find whatever piece of dry wood that they could to make fire, looking at the ones in their hands, I gauged. With a moments swiftness swords are sheathed. We gather inside the huge trunk of that tree. Rubbing stones, we light a fire, exchanging our names and stories, each thinking that the other's is more melancholic. They have some bread still dry and I some wine still unadulterated from the heavy rain. The night passes but the storm worsens.

 We move on together. Battling the weather and fighting the hungry creatures, it seems like we have been together for ages. That is how long a storm may last. We walk forward, trying to make our way out of this forest, away from this incessant storm. After what seems like years, the first light of the sun breaks through the thick dark clouds. With a new spirit, we dance, knowing that it is over. A renewed strength is in our legs. We reach our destination, together. A place where the meadows are green. Where cattle roams freely. Where produce from the land is plenty. We call that place 'Band of Brothers.'

Friendship, for those who have experienced the truth of it may agree, is the best therapy ever! Share with them your joys, sorrows, aspirations, love-life, work-place issues etc. You will find that they will give you some of the best advice possible and after that, they'll start pulling your leg as usual!