When dust is clean - A short story

There is a hand sanitizer in my pocket all the time . A few extra remain in my car for an emergency that so far has not happened . In addition to the sanitizer I keep a soap bar should it be needed . There is dirt and slime everywhere that I need to avoid. Tap Knobs , napkins  , soap dispensers are the biggest source of germs . They befool the trusting hand that touches them innocently . The wash room door that is touched on return also returns the germs to hand.  The only change in the entire effort is that the poor fool does not realize that his hands are dirty again. Then the lines on fingers . Dust settles in the hidden sweat between them. The cleaner grooves also get filled when fingers rub with each other . 

The sin begins right from pillow and bed sheet. They get washed in same machine with other clothes used all around. The same press that touches other garments also touches them. Then I use remote and switches . These had fallen down many a time on floor. Someone also wore slippers and shoes on floor. Where all they might have landed need no description.  The newspaper that lands in balcony . Even if the floor has been wiped clean how can I ensure the hands of vendor are clean ? Tea cups might pretend to be clean but how do we know what was touched by the hand before they were pulled off from the shelf. The painter who polished shelves once ....so am I actually sipping the germs off his dingy brush ? It’s a cruel world indeed as slowly the bacteria and algae invade our health.

I was returning from park today when a puddle existed in the adjacent park. Some children were playing cricket .

They used the ball, put hands in pockets which were full of keys , phones and paraphernalia that might find it’s way

into their pockets . A  boy left game and rushed to his cycle as his mom scolded him for having forgotten a packet of biscuits at the nearby grocer shop. There money exchanged hands and landed into our dear pockets eventually . So my wallet us full of the germs on the soil in this park. When stray and pet dogs find poles and bushes . Eeeeww! I was just thinking when the biggest scandal in our times occurred.  The ball that carried fatality of all kinds suddenly started getting bigger and bigger as it came towards me . It hit my hands first and then popped up to touch my lips . The staunchest among all Brahmins had today tasted meat . The unpardonable and unthinkable had happened.  Darn ! 

I barged into the park and started yelling at the children . They had spoilt years of my impeccable vigil. I did  not need any explanation.  In my fit of unbridled rage I toppled on a bat and splashed into the puddle.  This was ultimate sin ! My limbs and mind were shattered . Tiny faces encircled me in disbelief on what had happened within a matter of few moments. I overturned towards darkening sky only to see them giggle.  I broke into laughter ! I laughed till the time tears rolled to clean trail . A few hands leaned to assist. I pulled them down into the slush . The park overflowed with laughter .