Stories for Life

Few stories stays with us for life..This story i read long back is a keeper..
It is about a widow and her daughter(Anu) who is 6 years old. This takes place in a village far off. A village with little huts and dirt roads..The mother being widowed makes her living as a maid..Cleaning dishes and washing clothes, it is not enough to feed them both. They live in one of the little huts and the little one attends the village school. All they can afford is one meal a day. The mother goes hungry till dinner and Anu gets fed at school.
Dinner too is not a major event, it is a simple meal of watery barley and a chilli or onion to spice it up.
The mother's guilt of not providing for Anu is strong and relentless .Everyday starts and ends with a prayer ..a humble wish.. for a better meal at least for a day..But that prayer always goes unanswered..

Diwali is here..the festival of lights and happiness..Bless the employers heart, the widow gets a bonus. She rushes home with joy..Finally her prayers are being answered, she can buy some rice, Daal and maybe meat. That is wishing for too much..Just rice and Daal..A good meal for once..The thought brings a tear to her eye..If only Anu's dad was alive..But that is just wishful thinking..a far off dream..

On the other side of the village, something exciting is happening..The fair is being set up for Diwali..Colorful shops and their merchandises laid out for everyone to see..Food vendors calling out to the by standers..Everything from sweet to savory is displayed and is mouthwatering. The smells and sights attracting every one from 2 to 60..Anu is thrilled and takes in the sights and sounds with her beautiful brown eyes..The fire works are bright and dazzling..She walks around with a smile playing on her lips and an awed expression on her face..So many thoughts going through her little head..so many 'if only i could buy this or that' is running in her mind constantly..But these thoughts being just another unattainable dream, she consoles herself with a big sigh..
Such maturity for a 6 year old..It saddens me to no end..

Walking around trying to ease her disappointment, and Voila! There it is..She is dumbstruck for a minute..Can this be real? It is a Carousel!! With horses painted in red, blue, green and white..With their pretty black manes and golden painted ornaments, they sparkle in the sun as they go round and round..It is magical..It is the most beautiful things she has ever seen..Children are everywhere..With eyes wide as saucers and smiles brighter than the fire works they are all watching..The lucky ones who can afford the entry fee of Rs 5 waits in line, impatience written all over their little faces..Anu decides that she had to go on the carousel no matter what..Even if it costs her the world, she simply had to ride on the horse..Anu runs to the man in charge of the carousel..She pleads with him to let her ride on it..The man is stern..even rude..He tells her, pay Rs 5 or no ride..

Cruel as it may sound..he has 3 more Anu's at home to feed..He cannot afford to give her a free ride.. The poor girl is devastated..Feeling something close to pity, the man explains that if he gives her a free ride all the other kids might want one too..The childish innocence in her tries to strike a deal, with a pounding heart she says,’ I promise I wont tell anyone, you gave me a free ride’..But it still wont do and she is turned away. With no other option Anu runs back home to plead with her mom.. Deep inside she knows that her mom might not have the money, but her pounding heart fails to listen to reasoning..she runs as fast as her legs could take her..

Mom! mom! she yells as she runs into her mother’s arms..Wondering what was going on her mom questions her..Anu is so anxious that she blurts out that she needs Rs 5 to go on a carousel. Her mom's shakes her head.. No..Can it get any worse..Anu is in tears..Tears stain her pretty little face.. Mom tries consoling the child telling her about the good food they will have that night..Anu is no mood for dinner, good food or not..Tears and more tears are all that mom sees.

Going through trauma and helplessness over and over can make a child devoid of all the usual behaviors of children their age..

Unlike a regular 6 year old, Anu is not on the ground rolling around being stubborn and waling, she sits quitely in the corner in their one room hut and cries. Not a whimper nor a moan escapes her lips..The mother having had enough makes a decision..She calls her daughter and gives her the money and asks her to come home before dinner..The smile on Anu's face could have lit up the whole village. Giving her mom a big hug, off she runs to the carousel..

Reaching it, patiently she waits for her turn. She proudly gives her Rs 5 to the man who refused to let her ride the first time and runs to the green horse. Green is her favorite color..She mounts it and straps herself in.. Feeling like soaring up in the sky she wait for her green horse to take her on a magical journey..Round and round goes the carousel..With a dazed smile and faraway look Anu embarks on her journey to fantasy land..The carousel goes on for 5 minutes and then comes to a stop, rudely shaking her awake from the mystical dream..Feeling a little sad inside but with a happy smile Anu gets of her green horse and bids it goodbye..Her dream having come true, she skips back home for dinner ..

She gives her mom another big hug and sits down to dine on barley and onions..All she can talk about at dinner is her green horse and all her adventures with him..The smile never leaves her lips even as she falls asleep that night..
The mother is thankful for the simple barley meal and the opportunity to see her little one happy.. With that thought in mind and feeling a little less guilt than usual she drifts of to sleep..

Such a lovely story..touching..There are times when I’ve given into the joys of my little one’s innocent dreams, just to see the smile and joy on her face..i capture it and store it safe in my box of  unforgettable moments ..It will be cherished for ages to come..