I tried my hand at writing a children’s story and loved doing it 🙂

A Sweet Gesture

‘Slurp…slurp…’

Pinki tried to lick off the ice cream dripping down her hands and wrists but the strawberry ice cream bar she had in her hand had a mind of its own. She tried to hide it behind her back when she saw her mother charging towards her.

“Pinki, how many times have I told you not to eat ice-cream when you are wearing white? Your uniform will have pink stains now, couldn’t you wait till you changed out of your uniform before attacking the ice-cream?”

“But mummy, I was hungry”, Pinki wailed before running towards her grandfather’s room, he understood her so well.

“Let the child be”, said the kind old grandpa smilingly. “She is just a child and every kid loves ice-cream”

“Dad, everyday it is the same story, she is out of control. Her obsession with ice-cream is becoming too much to handle.”

“Nonsense, you were exactly like her when you were her age. Pinki is a good kid, you need to relax and enjoy her childhood. She won’t remain 5 years old for long, time flies, and before you know it she will be all grown up and going off to college.”

Pinki’s mother gave her father an exasperated look and stomped off to the kitchen, her rigid shoulders and measured walk mirroring her displeasure.

Next day, Pinki got off the school bus and hurried towards the ice-cream vendor standing a few feet away, the ten rupee note in her pocket was itching to come out and be with the rest of his brothers and sisters in the vendor’s money box.

As she was nearing the Ice-cream cart, she spied an old man raking leaves along the side of the road. He reminded her of her grandpa, but this man was sweating under the hot sun and doing back-breaking work. Pinki took the ten rupee note out of her pocket and gave it to the old man by the road; he flashed a toothless smile of gratitude and blessed her.

Pinki’s mother and grandpa stood watching this exchange between the little girl and the old man, with love and pride shining in their eyes.