Catching the ghost

It was as much faith as it was reason. Faith in tradition. Reason in fact. There were easier alternatives that took more time but did not require as much effort as this. But no. He shunned them. He believed that a man proves his mettle by adopting toughness. Like quenching a hot piece of metal in water, pain makes a man stronger from the inside. It emboldens him, and gives him the confidence to face tougher tasks. He would build tolerance and patience. There is no easy way out.
With all these thoughts running through his brain, he threw the  Vicks Action 500 he was clutching in sheer disgust and instead opened the Draw, searching for his Dad's cache of menthol tablets. He smiled as he found  one that will take him through this trial by fire, metaphorically. The rat-a-tat of the lid of the vessel on the stove indicated that the water has reached its boiling point. He slid the vessel off the stove and opened the lid to the vapour fumes as they burned his skin slightly.
It's about time he caught the ghost.




For my fellow beings who do not understand what the last line meant, The practice of inhaling menthol tablets dropped into boiling water is called "Aavi pudikardhu" in Tamil, which literally means, catching the ghost. It is one of the fastest and most effective ways of combating common cold and nasal congestion.