The Girl with Scratched Boots

I always wander round the corners of my city. City was namely Hazaribagh. Never had I seen a girl , of fourteen may be, with scratched boots sitting beside a pole in the Main Road. She was constantly scratching her head. Like, she was searching something.

Her face was very abstracted. Nothing very clear could be interpreted. On a note of ignorance, I prefered that girl to be a mere beggar and moved on.

I returned home.

"What took you so late? Children are waiting for they want to go out. Don't you have a bit of time for us? Remember when you last dropped your kid to his school?" asked my wife, Nirmala, with frowned eyes and anger striken gestures.

"I'm tired now. I can't go" said I and went to another room while she kept yelling and blaming me for my carelessness.

I was, in a way, tired of my life. Tired of the way it was going on, to be precise. I am Raja Singh. I work in a local IT firm, earning twenty six thousand a month. I'm twenty eight and am married for last two years. Parents went to heaven after getting me into hell (marriage, to be precise). I wanted to be a photographer. But. neither time allowed me, nor my parents. I then, took a cigarette out of my pocket and lit the same, took a puff and exhaled the smoke while having eyes closed.

Everyday I used to go away out of home in the city roads, just to escape the tantrums of my unwanted family life. And so, I went in the market again. Strange enough, but I saw that girl again around that pole. Don't know for what reason, she was attracting my interest. I kept watching her. Suddenly, she waived as if she's calling me. I gnored her gesture. She waived again.

'What harm can a ten years old can do?' I thought and reached her.

"What?" I asked.

"I am about to die in next two days. My parents commited suicide because they couldn't feed me." She replied in a plain voice.

"What?" I asked in awe. If what she was saying was true, then she was very straight forward.

"Yes. I am not a beggar. What could I use even if I get some in my last two days." said she.

I frowned.

She continued-

"Wondering why am I here?"

I nodded in agreement.

"To see how many of you care for a kid sitting around a pole. Everybody is busy. They think sparing an attentive glance at a street kid is much less as compared to rumbling inside their own daily-day problems. Mere do they know, what can be the gravity of a problem if we look at some real ones. Do anyone of you have to die in b=next two days?" she asked.

"No!" I replied.

"Then? No problem is big until it's impossible. Moreover, I wanted to become a scientist. Now I can't. I don't have enough time. Wish I could have time or somebody can gift me the same." she said.

"True" I muttered. It was indeed, in fact. My problems now were appearing so diminished.

"You know, I promised God, that if anyone came to me in these two days, I will suggest him or her something. May I?" asked the girl.

"Yes, please" said I.

"Never hurt your family. Give them time, they deserve it. For only thing my parents couldn't give me is time. And, you have some for yourself, then, always follow your dreams. They know the way." she said.

Tears fell down my eyes. A kid of mere fourteen was teaching me lessons of life.

"But, it's late now! How can I?" I said while weeping.

"It's never too late. Look at me for the least. And, as I said, follow them. They know their way" she replied.

I smiled with wet eyes. It was like if someone had made me revived as a new person in mere a few minutes of conversation.

"Think as it is your last day. Live it like that way. Life will be so good, no?" she said.

I looked t her. She gave a smile.

"Now go. Your family must be waiting for you. I'm feeling good now. Thank you for making a kid feel good when she is on the deadlines of life." said she.

I stood up.

"Bye." I said.

"Bye" she replied with a smile and I went off.

I didn't go to that place next day. Instead, I took my lad to his school. Went to shop and purchased a camera. And after two hours of clicking stuff, returned home.

However, I went to that place one day. The kid was not there. I never found her on that place ever again. One day, I took a white rose and placed the same against the pole. I looked up and smiled. All I could say was-

"Thank you. For reminding this man his life once again"

... and then I went away while carrying on the lessons of life, the girl with scratched boots taught me one day.