Interest Accrued — A Writing Challenge

“I feel better now I have Potter in my hands”

Image by Grok.

When does a debt begin?

“What a silly question,” you might ask.

But I am not talking about paper transactions settled with signatures at banks or mortgage institutions. Or loans repaid in easy monthly installments. These can be settled with money.

But what about things “Money can’t buy, or settle — then what are we supposed to do?

Are we to carry the burden of an unpaid debt forever? Are we to shout our thanks to the open skies, or pray to the gods to bless something that has no living form?

I have a confession.

I am haunted by unpaid debts. They are the books I have read.

No amount of thank yous to my bookshelf does them justice.

Posting Five-star book reviews don’t quench my gratitude thirst. Writing a cheque to the author? Well, I haven’t crossed that bridge yet.

Recently, my biggest debt hangover was the Harry Potter series.

You see, I was a little short of cash, and my house was crying out for urgent repairs. Paint was peeling off the walls. The floors begged for a fresh coat. Spiders relaxing on webs claimed permanent residence on ceiling beams.

Everywhere I looked, another DIY project was waiting.

I was demotivated.

At this point in my life, painters should have been arriving at my doorstep. Or perhaps a Mrs. Doubtfire keeping the house in order. That was the sort of well-to-do life I had imagined for myself.

But I couldn’t afford the labour.

So when the sun’s beam hit my faded walls. I put on overalls pulled a baseball cap over my head to save my hair from turning Dulux White, and got to work.

I moved furniture, broke cobwebs, climbed ladders, mixed paint, and rolled it onto the wall, spilling as much as I applied.

Every morning I watched my neighbors — office suited head head to work while I hid in paint stained clothes, ready for another day of DIY.

When daylight said bye, I washed up, sipped a Lipton tea, settled into my faithful rattan recliner, and reached for the wizard boy book.

“I feel better now. I have Potter in my hands.”

There are stories far more profound than mine.

Prisoners who have clung to books like The Count of Monte Cristo, Long Walk to Freedom, or the writings of Gandhi to survive years of captivity.

Steve Jobs, Bill Gates have inspired entrepreneurs to build empires.

Presidents and politicians have drawn lessons in leadership from figures such as Thatcher, Obama, Kennedy, and Nehru.

Harry never gave me such a life-changing revelation

He simply offered me a few hours of escape into a world of make-believe after a long day of DIY. If only I could say “Expecto Patronum” and make my house sparkle and shine.

For an hour or two, I stopped thinking about unfinished walls and tomorrow’s jobs. Instead, I wandered the corridors of Hogwarts, imagined letters delivered by owl, listened to talking portraits, and secretly hoped my own house belonged to Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or even Slytherin.

Every evening I entered the world of Fiction, here I got the strength to face reality. Harry taught me in both worlds, things are never smooth. Bad things happen. There is disappointment, anxiety, shame, and uncertainty.

By the time I finished the final chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I realised I too had defeated something. Not Voldemort, but a feeling of shame

I was no longer felt embarrassed that I had spent weeks painting walls,floors and climbing ladders. Instead pride overcame me. I had put my house in order.

When the last room was done, I gave my bookshelf a fresh coat of paint and placed the Harry Potter series on the highest shelf. It seemed the only honour I could offer.

The question still remains: How do we repay debts of gratitude?

I don’t know the answer.

But one thing is certain.

I won’t be writing a cheque to J. K. Rowling.

Manmeet Singh Bhatia and 🌸Preeti Pathak🌸Happy to participate in your challenge.

[embed]Interest Accrued—A Writing Challenge Not all debts show up on a bank statement.medium.com