Thursday, August 13, 2009

Her heart's desire

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl, a plain and simple little girl. That day, she did not really have a good day at school. She could not wait to walk out of the school gate, she could not wait to cast away her school bag which seemed to be getting heavier by the day. She was all prepared to stash away the homework which she had for the day, not even wanting to take a look at them. She wanted to take off her school uniform which she found uncomfortable at times, maybe it was the weather that day. Well, she did all she wanted to do when she reached home. In her little shorts, tattered T-shirt and old slippers, she skipped joyfully to her favourite haunt – a corner in a park near to her house. She brought along her very much treasured asset – a little pink notebook which her mother had bought for her two years ago. The little girl loved to draw in that little notebook of hers. Well, occasionally, she tried to pen down a few sentences…her feelings, her little joys and probably unhappy moments.

She waited patiently for the ice-cream man to come. The ice-cream man would reach that part of the park punctually at half past five every evening. The little girl could not wait to taste the ice-cream which she had always longed for for the past week. She had saved part of her daily pocket money for her heart’s craving. The ice-cream man came and the little girl couldn’t feel any happier, it seemed to be a very important moment for her. She sat by the corner of the park under a shady tree, licking the ice cream from a cone, hoping that the moment will last longer and at the same time, oblivious to the noises of children playing and conversations of housewives.
The evening breeze and the setting sun brought much warmth and comfort. The little girl enjoyed the time spent in the park, enjoying every minute of her time and her space. She didn’t feel she needed the company of any other children. After savouring the last bit of the ice cream cone, she opened her little pink notebook and started drawing the little puppy that an old lady was walking, with a little smile on her face. In her wildest dream, the little girl wished she was an artist, oh well, or probably a writer. No rules, no restrictions, no expectations, just the freedom to express in her own little world.

It was time to go home. Very reluctantly, the little girl closed her little notebook. She was tired but she had enjoyed that simple moment she had in the park. Well, she still chose not to open that heavy school bag of hers and that would mean to ignore the stack of homework she had for the day. As she gazed at the row of huge trees lining the side of the road on the way home, she felt no sense of guilt…

No comments:

Post a Comment