My Days...

The memory is still so fresh in my mind… A little girl came and stood near me…. leaning on me… She was so small, so delicate… she stood there with her arm around me… I understood, it was her first day here and she held me for support. No sooner, a small boy came running towards us and offered her a chocolate. She hesitantly took it and the little boy took her to other kids… The little girl now became a part of that naughty gang.

Everytime I see her running around me, sitting near me after a tiring play, she also prefers to sit away from her gang…. near me… if she is angry with them about something…I have been a part of all their games… There were 4 tall naughty boys… They were taller, elder and much stronger than this little girl. They were bullying her and her little friend, when she showed no fear… they grabbed her favourite white stuff dog and threw it… They threw it in such a way it got struck high above… I tried my best to sway and throw it down… But these dirty branches! They made it tough…

Sigh! I saw tears building in that little eyes and I felt bad… very bad… guilty… I was helpless… I saw her come with a chair… She lifted the chair which was taller and heavier than her… I couldn’t stop smiling… She climbed the chair and slowly the parapet near… She lept to get hold of her toy… I wish I could hold her, I was scared she might trip… I bent as much as I could so that she could reach me… Finally, she did  Her smile made my day 

She grew up…. She used to wait for her van to pick her up… She used to keep her school bag and lunch bag near me… Maaan! Her school bag used to be so heavy… Don’t know how the little girl managed to carry it.

During autumn, when my fruits and leaves drop down, her friend and she have a game “PACHHAKS game” they call it… Funny kids  The one who squeezes most of the fruits with their feet is the winner… They love the way fruit burst out giving way to the seed when they stamp with their tiny feet. Shhh… secret… she still does this “PACHHAK” when nobody is around… Don’t tell her that I told you this 

There was a cyclone, she and her friend were amazed to see the way I was swaying… They have never seen me so restless… It was a terrible evening for me… The wind pushed and pulled me in all possible ways… I was hoping that I can stand strong… The little kids neared me… I somehow wanted to push them away as the wind was too strong… When they came closer, I saw a wire hanging free on the road from the lampost. The kids were so lost in seeing the way I swayed that they completely missed the wire…I wanted to shout out or pull the kids away… At that time, a lightening struck me, breaking my branch… I swayed and made the branch to fall on the wire. This made sparks to appear from the open ended wire which scared the kids away… Uffff! It was a scary night!

Days passed… Even when she lost her key or her door was locked, I never let her down… I was there always for her and kept her comfortable under my shade 

She grew up…I remained the same… Today I see her rush to her bus for her work in the morning and wait for her to return late in the evening…. She doesn’t have time to stand near me like before….But I don’t complain…To me, she is still the small little girl, who came and stood next to me, seeking my support, the first day 

Yours affectionately,

Neem tree near Aishu’s house