The Dog Slept Beside the Closed Shop

20 May 2026
All rights reserved by the author

Late at night, after most lights had gone off, a dog curled up beside the shutter of a closed roadside shop.
The market had already become quiet.
A few distant sounds remained—an occasional vehicle, the wind moving loose paper along the road, someone locking a gate far away.
But the dog slept peacefully through all of it.
As if the familiar place itself had become enough security.
There was something comforting in that image.
Not luxury. Not protection built through walls.
Just familiarity.
A known corner. A repeated space. A place where the mind no longer feels alert all the time.
People search for that feeling too.
Not only physically, but emotionally.
A space where they can lower their guard for a while and simply exist without tension.
Perhaps that is what home truly means—not perfection, but a place where rest becomes possible.
Tonight, there is something quiet to remember.
Sometimes, peace begins the moment we stop searching for perfect conditions and learn to rest beside what already feels familiar and safe.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah
Guwahati, Assam, India
Instagram: @rajatchandrasarmah
YouTube: Converse With A Smile