'Hagen-Dazs

He took his grandchild to the neighborhood park. He had promised his grandchild a special treat for good behaviour.

There were no trees or greenery in the park. It was just a lot of emptiness with a few benches.They sat down on a bench. He ordered a glass of water from the nearby vendor for his grandchild. The water was piping hot.

"Grandpa. Why do we always have to have the water, this hot. Can we not have water that's not so hot?"

"You mean you want something cold, dear?"

"What is cold, grandpa?"

"Cold is something that is .... cold... Its hard to explain, kitten. Its like Ice."

"Ice? Whats Ice, grandpa?"

"Ice is water.. That is frozen. Like they once had in Arctic and in Antarctic."

"Arctic? Antarctic? What are those, grandpa?"

"Arctic is the top of the world."

"Top of the world? You mean the desert that they showed in Discovery channel? Where camels roamed around and where there is no water, except for the oasis?"

"Yes. Thats the one."

"How there was ice in the desert? Its unthinkable, grandpa."

"The Ice was always there dear. The ice once covered the whole world. And slowly slowly it melted away and left a vast desert. And be careful dear... You are spilling the water from your glass. Don't waste it. It cost me a fortune.. that glass of water you are holding."

"Okay. I will be careful. Its great to have a glassful of water after such a long time. Thanks for the treat grandpa. And how did the Ice melt?"

"The Ice melt because, everyone wanted a bigger car, a bigger house, a bigger bonus."

"Come on Grandpa... How can Ice melt if someone had a bigger car or a bigger house?"

"Dear... Now you are talking like the signatories to the 'Hagen Accord."

"What's 'Hagen Accord, grandpa?"

"One fine winter day, all the important people in the world, met in 'Hagen and decided to issue what was known as the 'Hagen Accord. After signing the accord, they all sang - "Hey, Hey, I saved the world today.... Everybody's happy now... The bad things gone away...And Everybody's happy now... The Good thing is here to stay..." "

"Oh.. What happened after that grandpa? Did that stop the melting?"

"After signing and singing, they all had Häagen-Dazs, went back home and continued doing what they were always doing. They did not notice that the Ice cream had started to melt, before they had put in the first spoonful in their mouth."


(c) Vijayaganesh Sampathkumar - 2009. All rights reserved.