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.'