Little A: Chapter 2

The three children rushed into the gate of Sulem Serai's garden. The winter flowers had blossomed. The grass was bright green and wet. Little A took his shoes off and started jumping on the grass. He ran and jumped. When he fell down, he turned around and saw the clouds in the sky. Most children find ponies and candies in the clouds but Little A said, "Ah, the clouds look so free today. The abstract shapes are interacting and rushing from here to there. There is so much chaos, yet so balanced." Then he gets up and picks up a flower. Excited Little A runs to Anandita and said, "Ani Ani, look it forms the golden spiral. See see, the ratio is" "Shut up weirdo!' she yelled. 'Why don't you go get us some candies?" "I don't know where to get them from, I don't eat candies' 'Let me help you with the direction. Dad took us the last time we were here. Here's what you do, take a right, then left, then right, then left." Anupam laughed at the back. Little A threw the flower and ran home. He tried to open and door in a rush but he keeps struggling. He wants to cry but was always taught tears make a person weak. He starts to bang on the door hard. All of this makes his breath heavy. His face turns blue. And he can't knock anymore. He starts blacking out when his mother opens the door listen to the banging earlier. "Oh no, Babu are you alright?" She carried him inside and warmed his palms and feet. Simultaneously, his father prepared his inhaler. They ask him to rest. He is tucked into a warm blanket and slowly falls asleep. The mother turned at the door to see him sleep calmly. She takes a deep breath and switches off the light with a tear in her eye that she tries to hide. A wakes up well rested at night. It was past 12am and he realized it was his birthday. He never enjoyed parties or other children. He didn't enjoy chocolate cakes or balloons. The moonlight was creeping into his room. If it was something Little A loved it was the moonlight. If it was one thing that little A was fearless towards, it was darkness. Little A looked outside the window and saw a beautiful teenage girl on the road. She had stepped out with a cup of tea. Little A rushed and opened his closet. He threw all his clothes away and found his camera. He loved his camera. The teenage girl had a steam of tea around her face. As she sipped the hot tea, the 7 year old boy clicked beautiful photographs of the girl. Then he clicked the wind chimes, then the street light and he kept going. He went to the little dark room he'd created in his house. He skipped through his parents room quietly and processed those photographs. Oh! What joy. He heard his parents waking up and creeps back into bed. Closes his eyes and pretends to fall asleep. Mr. B comes to his sons room when little A shuts his eyes hard. 'It's ok son, I know what you were upto. Not a bad job. Still a long journey to go. But you're smarter, keep art as a hobby, just a hobby.' Mr. B starts walking towards the door. Little A removes his blanket and looks at his father leaving. 'And son'. Little A puts the blanket back up. 'Happy Birthday, do study a lot today.'

Little A(working title): Chapter 1

Chapter 1 The sky was full of smog. Little A wipes the frost off his fat glasses and looks outside the large window in Allahbad.He takes his tiny hands and rubs the window pane. As he peeps closer, his brown eyes sparkled with joy and his incisors dug further into his chin. "Mother, can I go out to play today? Please please." says A."Go go son, get out of here before your mother sees you." winks his father. Little A jumps and runs towards the door but the door knob is shut. Little A turns back and asks, "Father, which side did the door open again?" "To the right buddy. Run along now, your uncle and I are discussing something." A turns back and opens the door knob. Once to the right, again to the right and he keeps going but the door wouldn't open. There is chaos in his head. He is frightened and his palms and forehead are sweaty. There is no sense that he can make. He wants to scream out loud but they would mock him again. He wants to ask for help but they would mock him again. The uncle sits back and laughs loudly. "Good for nothing." The furious father looks at his brother. The brother stopped laughing and suddenly, they heard the door open and bangles clinging. "Remember what I taught you Babu. The door opens on the side we have stuck your painting." Pointing at the abstract painting stuck to the door. 'Whenever you get confused, look at your work and believe in yourself. Where your work lies is always the 'right' direction for you." A's forehead starts to relax when his uncle shouts, "Hold on! Take your cousins also. They are out on a holiday to spend time with you!" A didn't like the thought of playing with his Mumbai cousins. He looked at his mother and started hiding in her saree's drape. "Take them son, I promise it will be fine," said the father looking at his uncle sternly while the uncle nods his head. "Anandita and Anupam, go out and play with A. I shouldn't hear any complaints from that boy."