The prisoner of light

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Imprisoned in limelight


The jeep rumbled through the jungle, twisting and turning every now and then. The jungle was deep and it was late into the night. We sat huddled inside the covered jeep excitedly looking out through the windscreen for any chance animal. The beams of the headlight created a lane of light merging with the surrounding darkness. Tall trees with their thick foliage stood comfortably talking to each other in their own language. We were the only humans in this all-encompassing darkness. The jeep moved on with muffled roar of the engine—a cocoon of light and warmth jogging noisily without any heed to the surrounding peace.
Suddenly we heard the crashing sound of a big body moving through the jungle. The driver excitedly whispered, “Look look, an elephant.” Craning my neck, I could just see the big broad posterior of an elephant vanishing away fast in the darkness. My friends sitting behind couldn’t see anything. They were a trifle disappointed. I was no exception. Seeing the dark posterior of a large animal is nothing to boast of (reading up to this point, my son voiced his disagreement—“I do not agree with you. Something is always better than nothing.”).
After a few minutes, the driver pointed forward again. This time it was a large rabbit. It could have done so many things in this jungle world. But of all possibilities, it was doing something that was most incomprehensible. It was running in front of the jeep, as if showing us the way. Such a tiny animal running ahead of the large powerful machine of a jeep! A minute passed, then a few more minutes—the rabbit still ran on. The driver explained—the rabbit is blinded by the bright beam of the jeep’s headlights. It is unable to escape from the two beams of light which created practically a moving cage for it.
Quickly our concern mounted. How long can it race with a jeep? We slowed down the jeep. Still the rabbit couldn't escape. It ran on in front following the two beams of light amongst the surrounding darkness—a prisoner of light.
We told the driver to stop the jeep. As the jeep grounded to a halt, the rabbit also stopped. The prisoner, now unable to escape from its virtual cage, sat on its haunches panting, and looked back. The eyes shone like lamps in the bright light—a small defenseless speck of life in limelight of civilization which it didn’t invite. I couldn't fathom the depth of its helplessness.
I told the driver to switch off the light. After a minute of darkness he switched it on again. The road was now completely empty. The prisoner went free at last. We were happy again.

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