The sky was sparkling with smoke. Every shade of grey was blending with each other and making a warm blanket over the stars. It was that day of the year again when all the residents of New Delhi went crazy. The streets were full of ill-mannered children bursting the crackers that made ear-splitting blast, louder parents who encouraged this behaviour and drunken teenagers in big cars throwing alcohol bottles from the car as they went to visit their friends and gamble.
She was outside her house in her old clothes, just finishing the 'rangoli' like she did every year. Then she got some candles and placed them on her boundary wall. She struggled and pushed herself up the wall with one foot on the tap and the other in the air. One by one, she lit every candle and placed them at equal distance from each other. It was her 15th birthday and she was thrilled to see all the lights in the sky. She sat down on one end of the wall twirling her curly hair, looking up at the sky and all the beautiful decorations. She was drawing her thoughts in the air with her left hand when suddenly her rowdy neighbour came and pulled her foot. He said, "What are you looking at crazy girl? Look my father bought me a '700 shooter'. It is the most expensive cracker this year. What did you buy?"
"I am anti-crackers, remember?" He laughed loudly holding his fat belly. He dragged a huge ploythene bag towards her and took out a large time bomb. He held it in his hand, lit it and threw it towards her. She moved away just in time for it to not explode in her face but burned her elbows from the candles she lit and fell off the wall on her face. He ran away before he got caught.
She was breathless! There was no one to help her anywhere on the street full of festivities and people. With great amount of effort, she reached her pocket and took out her inhaler and caught a breath. Her knee was bleeding, cheeks and elbows were bruised, and her forehead had a bump. She lied there in pain for an hour and no one noticed her. No one noticed the broken candles on the wall, pieces of which were still in her hair. No one noticed the mark the cracker left on the wall. No one noticed it as they were busy being polluting the air.
In that hour, the number of crackers that were shooting up in the sky kept increasing and so did the pollution. The little corner house with an injured girl was out of sight.
Soon, the inhaler lost its effect. She tried very hard but she couldn't breathe. She tried very hard, but couldn't make it.
Her mother walked towards the house with a big packet full of cake and candies for her little girl who couldn't go out on Diwali due to her condition. She kept imagining the joy in her daughter's eyes when she saw her favourite molten chocolate cake which said- To my little princess, may you live a long and healthy life.
