MARBLE

Dr.D.ChitraKamal
Asst.Prof.(Sr.Gr.)
Department of English
PSG College of Technology
Coimbatore-641004

1. The Glimpse

A soft morning sunbeam touched the threshold of a broken-down place on the edge of the city, where a few small houses with deprived dwellers stood, detached from the towering buildings beyond. A pair of curious eyes quietly observed the scene, filled with thoughts too complex for her young mind.

Suddenly, a cry pierced the air—but the travelers on the road passed by, unbothered. No one noticed the tiny child crawling inside a muddy house. The sight of blood-streaked knees left her frozen, stunned by the pain she could only imagine.

That entire day at school was a distortion. The bleeding child haunted her thoughts. Lessons drifted past her without sinking in.

On her way home, she leaned forward, her eyes scanning the slum for the little one. But the place seemed empty. A festival gala had drawn everyone to the temple, where the statue of goddess Kali stood in the center of the shantytown. The roads bustled around them, indifferent.

Every day, Thaanya traveled this route to school by car with her driver. And every day, without a glimpse of those houses, she felt as if something had gone terribly wrong. That morning, not seeing the girl left her anxious, unsettled.
2. THE DREAM
“What’s on your mind?” her mother asked, noticing the faraway look in Thaanya’s eyes.

“Nothing, Mom. Just a lot of homework due tomorrow,” she replied cautiously.

But she wasn’t thinking about homework. She was simply waiting for the evening to end and the morning to begin.

The next day, she woke up early, unusually eager. Everyone at home noticed how quickly she got ready, as if she had an important mission.

As the car approached the slum, Thaanya scooted to the edge of her seat and peeped out the window. Her heart skipped. The child was there—this time with her father. The bloodstain was still on her knees, but her face lit up with an innocent smile.

That smile changed everything for Thaanya. It was like a jolt of energy that powered her through the school day. She played, she listened, she smiled.

Her family noticed the shift. Though they didn’t know the reason, they felt a quiet happiness fill the house.

The following day, as usual, she leaned forward in anticipation. The child was there, seated on the porch. No one else was around, but the bloodstains remained on her knees. A traffic signal paused the car long enough for Thaanya to observe more closely.

The child’s face was beautiful despite the dirt. A tiny tooth had a black stain, as if it belonged there. Around her leg was a black thread with small bells, which jingled softly, alerting the busy mother nearby.

The child turned and smiled at her.

That smile struck a deep chord in Thaanya. It felt strangely familiar.

“What’s with you lately?” her mother asked again.

“I don’t know, Mom. I’ve just been wondering about birth... and the inequality of life.”

“What kind of philosophy is that? Are you crazy at this age?”

“No, Mom. Lately, I’ve been thinking about why some are born into comfort, and others into pain.”

Her mother tried to explain, “It’s all in God’s hands. The world runs by His will.”

But Thaanya wasn’t satisfied. That night, she lay in bed thinking about the universe and the silent suffering people endure.

In her dreams, she replaced the darkness of poverty with shining homes and smiling faces. The slum transformed into a neighborhood of joy.

She woke up wondering—could it ever be real?

3. THE UNANSWERED QUESTION
The next morning, Thaanya was once again eager to go to school. She boarded the car, her eyes fixed on the road ahead, hoping for a glimpse of the child.

As the car neared the shantytown, she leaned toward the window. There she was—the little girl crawling in the same muddy patch, blood still staining her knees. Thaanya’s heart clenched. All day at school, she couldn’t forget the pain the child must have felt while crawling.

But on the way back, she saw something that left her speechless.

The child was smiling again—peacefully, brightly—as if she had conquered the pain and the blood.

A single question lingered in Thaanya’s mind:
“How is it possible to smile through pain?”

That night, sleep didn’t come easy. Her thoughts kept circling that smile, that courage, that mystery. When she woke the next day, she was determined to speak to her parents about the child. Someone had to care.

During the drive, she asked the driver to stop near the slum house.

He shook his head. “Not allowed, Thaanya. Your father’s strict instructions.”

She sighed, helpless, and turned to the window, trying to reach the child with her thoughts instead.

But the smile—that smile—stayed with her.
She longed for that glimpse every single day, from the moment she left school until she reached home.



4. THE ROAD UNTRAVELLED
Years passed. Thaanya’s routine remained the same, but her heart had grown fuller—with compassion, curiosity, and an unspoken bond with the child.

Now in middle school, she was growing into a confident young girl, nurtured by parents who supported her curiosity and ideas. Her mornings still began with hope: a glimpse of that smile was enough to fuel her entire day.

But one morning, the car took a different route.

“The road is under renovation,” the driver said.

A wave of disappointment hit her. No glimpse today. Her heart sank.

It became one of the worst days she could remember. The thought of missing the child consumed her. On her way home, she rushed to the car, hoping they might drive past the slum by chance. But the traffic was worse. People crowded the roads, holding protest posters.

As she peeped out, her heart froze.

The area where the child lived was marked for demolition. It was to be cleared for the road expansion.

Tears streamed down her face. Her sobs filled the car. The driver tried to console her, to explain, but she heard nothing. Without thinking, she jumped out and joined the protest.

Her school uniform, her age, and the emotion in her eyes drew attention immediately.

A reporter walked up and asked gently, “Why are you here?”

Thaanya looked straight at the camera.
“Save the child who’s been bleeding for life—who doesn’t know what life is, but was born only to suffer, both mentally and physically.”

People stared, stunned by the depth in her voice.

The driver ran to her side, trying to explain to the reporter.

“This isn’t just a moment. It’s a ten-year story. Since kindergarten, she’s watched that child crawl through the mud. Every day. She’s loved her, worried for her, wanted to help. But none of us could understand what she truly saw in that little girl. Her concern... her care... it was always real.”

Thaanya added,
“The world belongs to all of us. Let them live where they feel they belong.”

Thousands watched online. Tears welled up across screens.

#Thaanya began trending.

But Thaanya couldn’t rejoice. The child—the one she had watched all these years—was missing. The slum was gone. So was her smile.

Her days began to stretch longer. Her strength began to fade.


5. UNCONQUERED SMILE
Days crawled by. Thaanya pushed through them, one after another. Her joy was gone, her energy drained. Even her health began to decline.

One evening, while lying upstairs in her room, she overheard voices from outside. Something about the tone stirred her curiosity. Wanting a distraction from her sadness, she slowly made her way downstairs.

There—at the gate—stood a family.

She blinked, her heart thudding.
Those eyes. That smile.

It was her—the child.

At first, she thought it was her imagination. But then she saw the tiny bells tied around the ankle, heard the faint clink. Her heart leapt.

The child and her parents had come seeking help. They were there for alms, unaware of the bond that lived in Thaanya’s heart.

“There she is!” Thaanya cried, running to the gate.

She dropped to her knees and gently touched the child’s feet. They were muddy, rough, and cracked—just as she had always imagined. She looked up, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Without a word, she pulled the family inside.

The child giggled in her arms, that same mysterious smile lighting up her face. As soon as Thaanya set her down, the child touched the cool marble floor and began to crawl, wide-eyed and gleeful.

Her laughter echoed through the hall.

The two parents watched in stunned silence. They didn’t know what to make of it, but they could feel it—the unspoken connection between their child and this girl from another world.

The marble floor reflected their smiles, side by side—one born of suffering, the other born of empathy.

And in that moment, everything began.